Saturday December 5th 4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday December 6th 2nd Sunday of Advent 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am Intentions of the Presider
Monday December 7th St. Ambrose 6:30 am † Martin Mansfield
Tuesday December 8th Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary 6:30 am † Len Spearing
Wednesday December 9th St. Juan Diego 6:30 am † Norman Ramsden 23rd Anniversary
Thursday December 10th 6:30 am † Michael Driscoll
Friday December 11th St. Damasus I 6:30 am President and Melania Trump
Saturday December 12th Our Lady of Guadalupe 8:00 am † Anne Dehan
Changes to the Daily Mass Intentions We have rescheduled the weekend mass intentions, so that no intentions are missed. Sunday mass will be offered for the Intentions of Saint David Parishioners. There are no updates this week.
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Josephine Gallo, Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Al Messina, Mike Dunn, Edward Pulaski, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Robert Farrell, Adeline Buccini, Nina Ferraro, Robert Farrell and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
Saturday November 28th 4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday November 29th First Sunday of Advent 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am Intentions of the Presider
Monday November 30th St. Andrew the Apostle 6:30 am † Joanne Fenimore
Tuesday December 1st 6:30 am † Joseph Sheerin
Wednesday December 2nd 6:30 am † Naomi Judge
Thursday December 3rd St. Francis Xavier 6:30 am † Maureen ‘Bean’ Gibbons
Friday December 4th St. John Damascene 6:30 am † Phyllis Talese
Saturday December 5th 8:00 am † Paul Donahue
Changes to the Daily Mass Intentions We have rescheduled the weekend mass intentions, so that no intentions are missed. Sunday mass will be offered for the Intentions of Saint David Parishioners.
Len Spearing Sun., Dec. 6th @ 9 AM to Tues., Dec. 8th @ 6:30 AM
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Josephine Gallo, Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Al Messina, Mike Dunn, Edward Pulaski, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Robert Farrell, Adeline Buccini, Nina Ferraro, Robert Farrell and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
What do you do during advent? Here we are, the first week of Advent. This season always has a way of creeping up on me and maybe you as well. Each year I always feel rushed to get ready for Christmas, and if you are like me, we may already feel behind as we hurry to decorate the house, both inside and out. We might put up an Advent wreath in the hopes that we light it every day. We may try to fit in a year’s worth of shopping in just a few weeks. With all of these activities, the questions that remain on my mind are: what do we do during advent and why we do it?
Advent is the beginning of the Church Year. The new year in the Church does not begin on January 1st, but is today, the first Sunday of Advent. I love new year’s because it is a chance to hit the reset button and begin all over again. Many of us may be happy to be done with this year and can’t wait until things get back to normal. Before it does, here is a suggestion for those who feel off in life and who know that we have to put new habits in place. Let us allow Jesus into those dark corners of our lives, let him bring his light to the things we never thought could be healed and restored.
Jesus has so many gifts in store for us, but unfortunately it is possible to ignore him and not see what he wants to offer us. We see this denial of Jesus lived out in so many people in the gospels. We see it in King Herod, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the people in Jesus’s hometown. These are just a few people who were religious and did the religious acts, but did not want Him into their lives for many different reasons.
Do we want him in our lives? As we prepare for Christmas, here are some reflection questions to get us started: Where have we allowed Jesus in our lives this past year? Where have we denied him? What is Jesus offering us during times of suffering? Do we see these challenges as gifts? How are we allowing Him to prepare our hearts and minds to light our lives?
This Advent at Saint David Parish, Deacon Chris Mars and I will lead night prayer, benediction and give a little reflection each Monday at 7:00 PM. We will have a Day of Recollection Sunday December 13 after the 11:00 AM mass. Details of this day can be found in the bulletin. These are great opportunities to quietly reflect on the blessings, disappointments, and gifts Jesus has given us and wants to give us in front of the Blessed Sacrament. My Hope for this Advent for all of us is that we take advantage of these moments of reflection. We allow Jesus to dig a little bit deeper into our lives more than ever before as we commit ourselves more to Him. Advent is a great time for new beginnings, so please don’t wait to be healed and restored!
Saturday November 21st Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary 4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday November 22nd Christ The King 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am Intentions of the Presider
Monday November 23rd St. Clement I & St. Columban 6:30 am † Gladys & Warren Fenstermacher
Tuesday November 24th St. Andrew Dung Lac & companions 6:30 am † Deceased members of the Link & Simpson Families
Wednesday November 25th St. Catherine of Alexandria 6:30 am † Edward Fowler
Thursday November 26th 9:00 am † Mr. & Mrs. Beck
Friday November 27th 9:00 am † John Kenney
Saturday November 28th 8:00 am † Dot Cassidy
Changes to the Daily Mass Intentions We have rescheduled the weekend mass intentions, so that no intentions are missed. Sunday mass will be offered for the Intentions of Saint David Parishioners. No updates for this week.
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Josephine Gallo, Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Al Messina, Mike Dunn, Edward Pulaski, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Robert Farrell, Adeline Buccini, Nina Ferraro, Robert Farrell and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
… all those who are deceased … Brother Hugh Maguire.
The Scriptures teach us that the one great purpose of Jesus’ coming to earth was to establish the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven for his people forever. This Kingdom is not a physical, earthly or geographical location but a spiritual realm, attained by walking in the Spirit of God and producing fruits of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, mercy, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, compassion, and holiness (Galatians 5:22-23).
When listeners, including His disciples, could not understand His message of the Kingdom, Jesus explained through parables what one must do to enter the Kingdom. The parables Jesus told at the beginning of His ministry were meant to exhort the listeners to choose the Kingdom of God or risk the consequences of rejecting it. However, the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the Talents, and this Sunday’s Parable of the Sheep and the Goats were relayed by Jesus toward the end of His public ministry. These parables describe the Kingdom of God at the end of the age – which include the Second Coming or the Return of Christ, the final judgement, plus eternal reward or punishment.
Jesus used the imagery of sheep and goats to foretell a future time of judgement. He called the sheep the “blessed” and invited them to inherit the kingdom that had been prepared for them from the beginning of time, because they had treated Christ’s needy brothers and sisters – the hungry, the thirsty, the impoverished, the sick, the naked, and the imprisoned – with care and compassion. By contrast, the King declared the goats “accursed” and assigned them to the eternal fire. They would have to suffer exclusion from the Kingdom of Heaven because they had closed their eyes to the needs of the least of the brothers and sisters of Christ. They had opportunities to minister to the Lord through caring for the hungry, the thirsty, the strangers, the naked, the sick and the prisoners, but they failed to do so.
What is the message for us?
The entirety of Jesus’ teaching and the whole truth of the Scriptures indicate that worship and prayer are crucial in order to obtain God’s grace so we can accomplish what He is calling us to do: that is, to keep on loving, forgiving, giving, healing others, seeking, listening and hoping in the Lord with a joyful heart. The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats is not about God’s judgement upon us. It is rather about us – about you and me – and about the choices we make in our lives. We can make choices that separate us from God and from others or we can make choices that bring us closer to God and others. The choice of heaven or hell is something we have to make for ourselves. No one can make the choice for us. We will be judged on love – our love for God and our love for others, particularly those in need. The Kingdom of Heaven is the eternal reward for those who believe in Jesus and are faithful to him until the end.
May each one of us attain our ultimate goal – eternal happiness with God in the Kingdom of Heaven!
Saturday November 14th 4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday November 15th 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am Intentions of the Presider
Monday November 16th St. Margaret of Scotland & St. Gertrude the Great 6:30 am † Harold Kormos
Tuesday November 17th St. Elizabeth of Hungary
6:30 am † Sandra DeLaurentis Wednesday November 18th Dedication of the basilicas of Ss. Peter & Paul 6:30 am † Harold Kormos
Thursday November 19th 6:30 am † James O’Neill
Friday November 20th 6:30 am † William McMahon
Saturday November 21st Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary 8:00 am † Mary Rose Tobin
Changes to the Daily Mass Intentions We have rescheduled the weekend mass intentions, so that no intentions are missed. Sunday mass will be offered for the Intentions of Saint David Parishioners.
Gladys & Warren Fenstermacher Sun., Nov. 22nd @ 9 AM to Mon., Nov. 23rd @ 6:30 AM
Deceased members of the Link & Simpson Families Sun., Nov. 22nd @11:30 AM to Tues., Nov. 24th @ 6:30 AM
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Josephine Gallo, Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Al Messina, Mike Dunn, Edward Pulaski, Margaret DeLucas, James Behan, Robert Farrell, Adeline Buccini, Nina Ferraro and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
… all those who are deceased … Edna Dougherty & Debra Getz.
The first reading today reminds me of my dear parents. My Dad was blessed with a very lovely and worthy wife, my Mom. We kids would think it weird when dad would swing mom around dancing to one of their recordsand then give her a big smooch. We would all shriek, “Ew!” Mom and Dad would just laugh and give each other a loving glance. As I fondly remember these times decades later and reflect on their love for each other, I can see it was definitely selfless love. Mom and Dad had their priorities straight and we kids witnessed it firsthand. For them, God was first, then each other, followed by us kids.My parents were surely generous, especially when one considers all that is entailed with raising 11 boys and two girls, such as, doing three loads of wash a day, keeping the house clean, peeling five pounds of potatoes for dinner, getting the weekly groceries, changing 1000s of diapers over a period of time for 13 babies, packing lunches for school, and all the other happenings of daily life in a big family. In my estimation, Mom and Dad have a high place in heaven for their countless labors of love.
My parents also had a holy fear of the Lord, striving daily to do God’s will. When we kids knew money was tight, we would often hear Dad say to Mom, “Leona, don’t worry, God will provide. We’re rich in livestock, not money.” We could tell he really believed that God would provide and although we didn’t live in a mansion, we had plenty – that is of what really matters, the deep love of our parents, the learning and living of our Catholic faith, the fact that hard work and determination are important in life, and that helping those less fortunate than ourselves is a sacred responsibility. Another important life lesson stemming from living our Catholic faith in action was that, after an argument or fight with one or more of our siblings, we were expected to forgive one another. Often the forgiveness was begrudgingly, but then one of the brothers would make a funny remark and the air was cleared until the next time. Life is never perfect, or problem-free; therefore, we experience more peace and joy in life when we let go and let God be in control. We deceive ourselves and get into trouble when we try foolishly to reverse the roles and think we are God; we have everything under control. That never works. We learn this lesson over and over and over again! It is part of our fallen human nature. That is why God’s life in us – grace – is so essential!!!
One special blessing for our family was that the public school with a baseball field, swing sets, sliding board, see-saws, and b-ball nets was behind our house, so that when Mom needed a break, she would enthusiastically invite us to go outside and play. We gladly obliged; otherwise, it would have meant some housework project, like cleaning the cabinets, and any kid in their right mind would obviously choose the playground over a household task.
As the second reading reminds us, “We are children of the light.” By focusing our individual lives and those of our families on living and practicing our faith, we need not fear the evil one because Jesus is always with us. We just need to entrust our lives to Him each day and He will and does always provide us with the graces we need to do His will. Jesus has gifted us with the talents and abilities to follow in His footsteps. It is our responsibility in life to use these blessings to the best of our ability for the greater honor and glory of God, for our families, neighbors, and those in need. With God’s grace, we have the hope and confidence that when our earthly life is ended, we will hear our loving Savior welcome us into our heavenly home with the joyful affirmation, “Well done, my good and faithful friend.”
When my family was younger and all my children lived at home, my wife would make a list of chores for them to do when they would get home from school. They were to have these chores done by the time my wife would get home from work. The first thing my children would ask, after of course complaining, is what time she would be home. Her answer every time would be, “I don’t know.” Now sometimes this may be true, because she may have some errands to run after work but what she is actually saying to them is, “Don’t procrastinate and get the jobs done.” This is an easy trap to fall into. We always think we have more time.
The virgins from the Gospel today thought the same thing. They thought they had enough oil and thought they had plenty of time. They were wrong. The early Christians believed that Christ was returning soon. When that didn’t happen they started to let down their guard. They started to believe they had time to prepare for Christ. This is who this Gospel is addressing. We are called to be diligent and prepared for Christ.
There could also be a second theme for this Gospel. Could Christ have been talking about preparing for our own deaths? None of us know the time of our own death. The only time we have to prepare for heaven is when we are alive. It makes sense to get our spiritual house in order. To make sure we are filled with the spiritual oil that makes us the light for Christ to see us. How do we do this? We start to imitate the virgins who were prepared. Maybe we can liken them to the Saints. People whose lives were dedicated to preparing for Christ. I know we cannot claim to be saints, but we can imitate what they did. We can prepare by using the Sacrament of Reconciliation. By receiving the Eucharist. By meeting God in prayer.
Advent is just around the corner. A time when we are preparing to welcome Christ in the world. Let us use this holy time to refill our lamps and become the light we are called to be. To be prepared.
May Jesus live in our hearts forever. Deacon Chris
Over the last ten years, there has been a huge rise in superhero movies in our culture and on thinking of this one time I asked children in school why they liked them so much. They said they like them because they had great power, were good people, protected people, and fought evil! After they talked about what they liked about superheroes, I asked them to share some of their favorite ones. Each one had a unique super power, but all had the same good qualities. In our lives, heroes come in many different ways and styles. Who are your heroes in life?
There was a woman that I heard speak one time talking about her family’s heroes. She was originally from New York, but now lives in Durham, England. When she and her family got there, she said that her sons had heroes in America that were mostly made up of these great sport athletes, but soon they began to find new heroes in their lives. These new heroes helped them come to embrace the faith all because of their move to England. They embraced the faith because they lived in a town where Catholics were martyred. The witness of the martyrs excited her sons so much, that they started to became real to her sons.
It became real to these boys because their school was built on where some of those Catholics were martyred. Living there, they were able to find out more about those martyrs’ lives. Not only did they want to know about these heroes, they wanted to live these heroic noble, godly, catholic lives. They wanted to live them in such a way that the teaching of the catechism or learning the rules of the faith or the history of the faith had never impacted them before. They started to see super heroes in these saints. For example, this woman talked about how significant it was learning about Saint Margaret Clitherow. St. Margaret was a Catholic woman who used to hide priests in her family’s home. We might not know what the Catholic Church had to deal with in 16th century England, but it was forbidden for a Catholic to exist in England during that time because it was a threat to the queen. They had to celebrate mass privately in hiding. They would also build holes in their houses to hide priests if the authorities came looking for them. St. Margaret was one of the people that built those holes. She was eventually arrested when they found out what she was doing and she died defending the faith.
This is just one example of many great stories of some unknown saints we are called to discover more about as we celebrate All Saints Day today. This day reminds us in a special way that ‘greatest,’ in terms of God, has nothing to do with talent. Greatest in the kingdom of God has to do with listening to Jesus and doing what he tells us. So, let us never stop learning about these heroic saintly men and women. Let them inspire us in our age. Let our hearts burn with fire and be willing to be those great heroes of our Church.
Saturday November 7th 4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday November 8th 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am Intentions of the Presider
Monday November 9th Dedication of the Lateran basilica 6:30 am † Stella Cox
Tuesday November 10th St. Leo the Great 6:30 am † Peter Lentini
Wednesday November 11th St. Martin of Tours 6:30 am † Mary Louise Zappitelli
Thursday November 12th St. Josaphat 6:30 am † Phyllis Talese
Friday November 13th 6:30 am † Lorraine M. Hendricks
Saturday November 14th 8:00 am Edward Janoski (6th Anniversary)
Changes to the Daily Mass Intentions We have rescheduled the weekend mass intentions, so that no intentions are missed. Sunday mass will be offered for the Intentions of Saint David Parishioners.
John Fitzpatrick Sun., Nov. 15at 9amà Fri., Nov. 13 at 6:30am Harold Kormos Sun., Nov. 15 at 11:30am à Wed., Nov. 18 at 6:30am
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Josephine Gallo, Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Al Messina, Mike Dunn, John Flickinger, Edward Pulaski, Margaret DeLucas, James Behan, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
Saturday October 31st 4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday November 1st All Saints Day 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am Intentions of the Presider
Monday November 2nd All Souls Day 6:30 am Edward Fitzpatrick
Tuesday November 3rd St. Martin de Porres 6:30 am † Harry O’Brien
Wednesday November 4th St. Charles Borromeo 6:30 am † Celestine LaRew
Thursday November 5th 6:30 am † Donald Budge
Friday November 6th 6:30 am † Deceased members of the Legion of Mary
Saturday November 7th 8:00 am † Carlos Pinto
Changes to the Daily Mass Intentions We have rescheduled the weekend mass intentions, so that no intentions are missed. Sunday mass will be offered for the Intentions of Saint David Parishioners.
Carlos Pinto Sun., Nov. 8th @ 9 AM to Sat., Nov. 7th @ 9 AM
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Josephine Gallo, Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Al Messina, Mike Dunn, Edward Pulaski, Margaret DeLucas, James Behan, Robert Farrell, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
… all those who are deceased … Patricia Troilo & Michael Curcio.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. . .Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt. 22:37-39)
I once read a story of a ninety-year-old Catholic Iraqi widow named Victoria whose city was overrun by ISIS fighters. Unable to escape because of her age, she spent several days hiding in her home, praying with a few of her friends. Speaking of this ordeal, she later said, “Prayersustained us.” When she eventually went out in search of food and water, she was confronted by ISIS fighters who threatened to kill her if she did not convert immediately to Islam. Victoria and her friend Esther replied, “We believe that if we show love and kindness, forgiveness and mercy, we can bring about the Kingdom of God on earth as well as in Heaven. Paradise is about love. If you want to kill us for our faith, then we areprepared to die here and now.” The ISIS fighters miraculously spared their lives.
These women had lost everything in this senseless war but in the midst of these hardships, they chose to love God in constant prayer and to even share this message of love with those who did not consider them worthy of living simply because they were Christians. They put the only thing that they had left – their lives – on the line to speak boldly of God’s loving plan to communicate His love to unworthy humanity. These women could act with such heroism because for them, love of God and neighbor was more than a mere Commandment, but it was a necessary path to the joys of Paradise. “Paradise is all about love.”
Throughout the many challenges of the present pandemic, can we choose to love God and neighbor with all that we have to the very end? If our answer is YES, we may still experiencedifficulties, but we will also have a deep interior joy that nothing or no one can take away. God calls us to love Him and others because He wants to share with us His own beatifying life even as we travel through the hardships of these days. The Commandment to love God and neighbor, as well as all the Commandments, are avenues to enter the joy of the Lord. We cannot consider the Commandments, especially the Commandment of Love, apart from God’s love for us and His desire to share with us His own joy.
In Jesus Christ, God has freed us to love and offered His Son to us as a model of love. The grace that flows from the Son of God to us is to bring us to love the Father and others as Christ did. It is in loving like Christ that we share the joy of His Spirit. The Commandment to loveGod and neighbor is further engraved in our hearts each time we encounter JesusChrist in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Through the reception of His own Body and Blood, Jesus enables us to pattern our lives more closely to His. Because we are infinitely loved by God, we must strive daily to practice this greatest of all Commandments—Love of God and Neighbor. If we cooperate with God’s Grace and Love faithfully, our reward will be a share in His deep, interior joy now and throughout Eternity!
Saturday October 24th St. Anthony Mary Claret 8:00 am † Anthony & Adelina Mascaluso 4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday October 25th 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am Intentions of the Presider
Monday October 26th 6:30 am Edward Lydon (4th Anniversary)
Tuesday October 27th 6:30 am † Helen Ramsden
Wednesday October 28th St. Simon & St. Jude 6:30 am † Daniel J. Fitzgerald
Thursday October 29th 6:30 am † Alois R. Reimel
Friday October 30th 6:30 am † Lorraine M. Hendricks
Saturday October 31st Mem. of Blessed Virgin Mary 8:00 am † Norman Ramsden
Changes to the Daily Mass Intentions We have rescheduled the weekend mass intentions, so that no intentions are missed. Sunday mass will be offered for the Intentions of Saint David Parishioners. No updates this week.
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Josephine Gallo, Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Al Messina, Mike Dunn, John Flickinger, Edward Pulaski, Margaret DeLucas, James Behan, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
In today’s Gospel (Mt 22:15-21), Jesus asks the conniving Pharisees who are trying to trip Him up in his payment of taxes, “Whose image is on the coin?… Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” Whose image do we resemble, that of Christ or that of what the world expects us to be? Each of us must answer this soul-searching question for him/herself.
We know, or we hope to resemble, Jesus by the love and concern we show to our family and neighbors. But if we are honest, frequently we give more priority to what society tells us is important, such as, the compilation of material wealth, power, or prestige. We know these things do not provide true happiness and often, in pursuit of these so-called worldly treasures, time is taken away from what we should really be focused on – deepening our relationship with God and with our family. Children, as they mature, will be most grateful for the gift of time that Mom and Dad provided through special family traditions, such as, celebrating the liturgical seasons, game/movie nights, birthday surprises, visiting relatives, family vacations, and enjoying nature walks together. These wholesome experiences and more provide a firm foundation of love, support, and acceptance that is so needed in our often-unsettling world today.
In this beautiful autumn season, enjoy a nature walk and as a family, discover how many different colored leaves you find in a walk through the neighborhood or local park. Appreciate the bright array of God’s creation together and share with one another what such beauty does for the soul. Carefree conversations pave the way for deeper discussions when needed. Let us strive more earnestly to spend time in praising God for the glory of His creation and in giving the precious gift of quality time to our families.
Saturday October 17th St. Ignatius of Antioch 4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday October 18th 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am Intentions of the Presider
Monday October 19th Ss. Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues & companions St. Paul of the Cross 6:30 am † Rose & Louis Durante
Tuesday October 20th 6:30 am Intentions of Charlie & Rosemary Samtmann
Wednesday October 21st 6:30 am † Eileen M. Frankenfield
Thursday October 22nd St. John Paul II 6:30 am † Thomas Dugan
Friday October 23rd St. John of Capistrano 6:30 am † Marie Staurowsky
Saturday October 24th St. Anthony Mary Claret 8:00 am † Anthony & Adelina Mascaluso
Changes to the Daily Mass Intentions We have rescheduled the weekend mass intentions, so that no intentions are missed. Sunday mass will be offered for the Intentions of Saint David Parishioners.
Edward Lydon 4th Anniversary Sun., Oct.25th @ 9 AM à Mon., Oct. 26th @ 8 AM
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Josephine Gallo, Mary Trauger, Helen Jurkiewicz, Loretta Boyle, Al Messina, Mike Dunn, John Flickinger, Edward Pulaski, Margaret DeLucas, James Behan, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
… all those who are deceased … Mary Denno & Teresa McFadden.
We are all called by God. He has such wonderful things prepared for us and he longs to share it with us all. He has been calling out to mankind since we left his presence in the Garden. Scripture tells us of the multiple prophets who call out to the people in His name. Calling His people to live as He told us to live. He longs so much for us he even sent the dearest thing to heart to give us His message, His only Son. It is easy to see the roles of the prophets and Jesus in today’s Gospel. What is not as easy to see is the role we may play ourselves in this Gospel. Are we the people who hear God call to the banquet but just ignore it? We know what happens to those people. Are we the person who hears the call and goes through the motions, but is not truly prepared for the banquet. If we are, will we be speechless when asked why we’re not prepared? Are we the one of the people who hears the King’s call and comes ready to receive the gifts of the King? We have all three choices and the thing about a choice is that it falls on us to make it. It is through our own actions.
When my wife and I were a young married couple, we found ourselves away from the Church. We were not attending Mass and if we did it was usually a holiday or maybe a wedding. Then we found ourselves waiting for our son to be born. We felt so very blessed. When he was born we went to the Church to have him baptized. It was what we were supposed to do, right? But then the priest who was interviewing us for the baptism asked us “why?” “Why do you want this child baptized? You are not attending Church or celebrating the sacraments. You are just going through the motions.” It was an incredible revelation to my wife and me, but we wanted something for our child we knew was so true. My wife and I made a life changing decision. We came back to the Church and embraced all of its teachings. If we were going to call ourselves Catholics, we were going to live as Catholics.
The awesomeness of God is that he would never ask something of us without giving us the means or tools to do it. The Church is here to not only to sound the call of God, but to help us dress for the banquet. Pray. Embrace our faith. Embrace the sacraments. They are there so we can enjoy the eternal banquet with our one and true king. Jesus Christ.
May Jesus live in our hearts, forever! Deacon Chris
Saturday October 10th 4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday October 11th 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am Intentions of the Presider
Monday October 12th 6:30 am † Myrtle Dugan
Tuesday October 13th 6:30 am † Laura Forrest
Wednesday October 14th St. Callistus I 6:30 am † Joey Joyce
Thursday October 15thSt. Teresa of Jesus 6:30 am † Deceased members of the Link & Simpson Families
Friday October 16th St. Hedwig & St. Margaret Mary Alacoque 6:30 am † Raymond & Anna Katona
Saturday October 17th St. Ignatius of Antioch 8:00 am † Joseph Garofalo
Changes to the Daily Mass Intentions We have rescheduled the weekend mass intentions, so that no intentions are missed. Sunday mass will be offered for the Intentions of Saint David Parishioners.
Joseph Garofalo Sun., Oct. 18th @ 9AM à Sat., Oct. 17th @ 9AM
Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Josephine Gallo, Mary Trauger, Helen Jurkiewicz, Theresa McFadden, Loretta Boyle, Al Messina, Mike Dunn, John Flickinger, Edward Pulaski, Margaret DeLucas, James Behan, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
… all those who are deceased …
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
Sick List Information
Please call the office (215-657-0252) or email jmmarlin@stdavidparish.org or mmahon@stdavidparish.org if you would like to add or remove someone’s name from the prayer list. If you are aware of someone who is no longer sick please let us know so that we can ensure that there is room for others in need of prayer. Also, reducing the list allows for those who need prayer to be more apparent.
When I was in grade school, I loved the educational field trips. I loved them not just because it got me out of school, but because it helped me to open my mind and heart in a different perspective than the classroom could do for me. For instance, I remember in 8th grade we studied Untied States history and as a field trip we went to Washington, DC. We saw a lot of museums that day, but the one thing that we saw that still resonates within me was the Vietnam Memorial. This memorial is a little under 250 feet long and has a little more than 58,000 names engraved on it. This wall had a powerful simple way to honor and help us remember those who lost their lives in that awful war.
When my class and I got to the wall we started to look at it and casually read the names on it. At first, the names didn’t mean much to me. It didn’t mean much until I saw one of my friend’s dad, who was chaperoning us the trip, looking at the wall very differently than we were. He was examining it very seriously, searching for something. When he found what he was looking for, he went over to wall, pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, and pressed the paper against wall. Then he started to rub a marker against the paper until there was a perfect image of the name that was on the wall on the piece of paper. He did that a few times down the wall and then, all of a sudden, he started to cry. His son went over to him and asked him if he was okay. His response was the reason why he was crying. The names on the piece of paper were some of his friends that died in that war.
When I witnessed this, I think that was the first time I really understood that war is not just something we study in books, see in movies, or read casually on a wall. The people who fought had lives, friends, parents and so much more life ahead of them. When I reflect on all of this, I think of today, as this day kicks off a month of respect life. The bishops of the United States each October ask for Catholics to help reflect and understand more, the value of all life from conception to natural death, and become engaged with building a culture that cherishesevery human life. This is a call for us to pray and act on the love of life, specifically for those lives that can’t fight for themselves.
In our country, we have lost sight of the dignity of human life in so many ways and we have especially lost sight of this for unborn babies. If we are not sure of that, imagine if we made the memorial wall, like that of the Vietnam wall, for all the aborted babies since 1973. If one were constructed, there would be more that 60,000,000 names on it. This wall would go from where it in stands in DC to Baltimore and back. This just seems too big to comprehend as this fight against this Goliath seems almost impossible to defeat. This is a huge spiritual warfare because our goal is not just to pray for abortion to be illegal, but to pray that everyone can lovingly see how precious life is from conception to natural death.
How do we win this impossible fight? Many times in scripture when God’s people seemed outnumbered and all hope was lost, God rescued his people through unexpected and courageous acts. One figure that comes to mind is King David. We all know the story of David and Goliath, where before David was king, he was an unexpected warrior, a shepherd, who used an unexpected weapon, a slingshot, to defeat the biggest army in the world and its biggest warrior Goliath. This shows that all things all possible with God.
Jesus Christ, in the human race, is an unexpected warrior and his unexpected weapon is the cross. Through the cross, he has engraved each of our names into his heart. He loves each one of us unconditionally and shows that he would rather die than spend all eternity without us as his memorial wall is in the zillions. Have we come to really know this yet? If so, what does His love for us inspire us to do for others? Are we willing to do the same as he does for us, especially for the unborn?God the Father, through the Holy Spirit, wants to show us the way. He wants to trace His Son’s passion and death into our hearts. This may be painful at times to accept, but the more we come to realize how much He loves each of us, the more we will treat others with the same dignity and respect that God treat us!
Saturday October 3rd 4:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday October 4th 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am Intentions of the Presider
Monday October 5th 6:30 am † Laura Forrest
Tuesday October 6th St. Bruno 6:30 am † Warren Fenstermacher
Wednesday October 7th Our Lady of the Rosary 6:30 am † Margaret M. Stewart
Thursday October 8th 6:30 am † Joe Kaputa
Friday October 9th St. Denis & companions & St. John Leonardi 6:30 am † William Dehan
Saturday October 10th 8:00 am † Margaret Lawton
Changes to the Daily Mass Intentions We have rescheduled the weekend mass intentions, so that no intentions are missed. Sunday mass will be offered for the Intentions of Saint David Parishioners. None rescheduled this week.
Remembering in our Prayers…
… all those who are sick … Josephine Gallo, Mary Trauger, Helen Jurkiewicz, Theresa McFadden, Loretta Boyle, Al Messina, Mike Dunn, John Flickinger, Edward Pulaski, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
… all those who are deceased … Mary Lou Zappitelli.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
Sick List Information
Please call the office (215-657-0252) or email jmmarlin@stdavidparish.org or mmahon@stdavidparish.org if you would like to add or remove someone’s name from the prayer list. If you are aware of someone who is no longer sick please let us know so that we can ensure that there is room for others in need of prayer. Also, reducing the list allows for those who need prayer to be more apparent.
Our Scriptures this Sunday lead us to reflect on the well-known maxim: “Actions speak louder than words.” Ezekiel reminds us in the first reading that there is a path of life and a path of death. He tells us that it is the choices we make that determine the road we travel. So, the invitation is, choose well. Our decisions, the words we use, and our actions reflect who we truly are, what our values are and what our character consists of.
St. Paul tells us in Philippians that Jesus did not deem equality with God as something to be grasped at, so what happens? He says Jesus did something. He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave to save us from bondage. To liberate us, He showed his love to the point of death, even death on a cross. Jesus’ actions spoke louder than his words.
Jesus asks us in the Gospel reading, which of the two sons followed their father’s instruction? What was the answer? Actions speak louder than words. We all have a picture in our minds and hearts of who we are. The powerful question Jesus is reminding us to ask ourselves is: Do our actions reflect who we think we are? As we know, our world today is full of temptations and reckless behavior. In the name of freedom, our American culture presents a myriad of choices: some lead to life in the Spirit but sadly, many choices lead to death and destruction. There comes a time in life when we must say “no” to certain people or things and “yes” to other people or things in order to maintain the dignity we expect of ourselves and the self-worth God calls us to.
So, what does this mean as parishioners of St. David parish? Reflect on the fact that it is one thing to remember our baptismal vows, it is another thing to live our baptismal vows. If you are married, it is one thing to remember your wedding vows and it is another thing to live your wedding vows. For all of us, it is one thing to say we care about the poor and defenseless, the foreigner, the unborn to the elderly and every stage of life in between and it is another thing to be truly caring for the poor and defenseless through our actions. Here in the parish, it is one thing to say we are parishioners and another thing to be actively involved parishioners through our stewardship of time, talent and treasure. In all facets of life, it is good to consider whether our actions speak to who we think we are. Why is this so important? Faith, to be faith, must be practiced for: Actions speak louder than words.
Since our actions speak to who we truly are, St. Paul encourages us today in Philippians, “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves.” That is perhaps the best advice for anyone who wants to be happy in this life. In conclusion, the summary of this Sunday’s Gospel reading could be that powerful quote attributed to St. Francis Assisi whose feast day is next week, “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”
