Weekly Update from Fr. van Dooren 9.4.26

Dear members and friends of our beloved parish,
 
I look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we honor Labor Day, anticipate the commemoration of 9-11, and continue with the Gospel of Matthew as the sermon text.  Bless you for your presence, and if you are traveling this holiday weekend, know that you are in our prayers for a safe journey.  
 
For those who can attend mass this Sunday, we will contemplate a very important scripture passage that gives us a window into the dynamics of the early Church. Brace yourselves!…smile.  In the early church, there were, at times, differences of opinions and conflicts!  And St. Matthew’s passage (Matthew 18:15-20) prescribes a formula for a respectful and gentle way through such conflict.  Even to this day, this ancient advice has never become old for church and family life.
 
Sadly, through the centuries, the Church has not always heeded the instructions of the 16th chapter of Matthew when it fell into practices of cruel rigor and insensitive methods.  But it always had this passage to return to and rediscover.  May it be a blessing to us this Sunday. 
 
As we honor Labor Day this weekend, we have a beautiful prayer for the day from our beloved Book of Common Prayer (p. 210). Perhaps we can all find time to pray this prayer on Monday.
 

Almighty God, who hast so linked our lives one with another
that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives: So guide
us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but
for the common good; and, as we seek a proper return for
our own labor, make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of
other workers, and arouse our concern for those who are out
of work; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Next Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the global horror and tragedy of September 11th.  This Sunday we will honor the many earthly lives lost from this world on that day.  Our said mass on Friday, September 11th at 12:10pm will also be dedicated to this commemoration.  
 
In conjunction with 9-11, we join spiritual hands with our Jewish brothers and sisters who commemorate and celebrate Rosh Hashanah at sundown this September 11th. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and the start of a ten day period of spiritual reflection.  

Please join us for a special Christian Education Hour on Sunday, September 27th at 1:00pm in the Family Chapel featuring a talk “How do I follow Jesus?” in which Rick Hamlin will explore ways in which we can embody Jesus’ invitation to follow him in our 21st century, and how we hear His blessed advice in today’s world. 
 
Rick Hamlin is the author of numerous books on prayer, including Pray for Me, Ten Prayers You Can’t Live Without, Finding God on the A Train (a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate selection) and novels such as Reading Between the Lines and Mixed Blessings. A long-time editor at Guideposts magazine, he’s written several op-eds for the New York Times and the Washington Post. His wife, the writer Carol Wallace, wrote the book To Marry an English Lord, which became the inspiration for the series Downton Abbey. His most recent book is Everlasting Jesus: 40 Days of Divine Wisdom for Modern Living.
 
Thank you so dearly for the outpouring of generosity and response to our restoration of the St. Joseph of Arimathea Chapel.  New churches have mortgages, and old ones have restorations.  How privileged we are to have stewardship of this treasured and historical space!  Click here to read more about this current project. 
 
The Holy Rosary will be prayed in the Family chapel at 9:30am this Sunday.  We will pray the Joyful mysteries this Sunday.       

We continue to live-stream each Sunday’s mass at 11:00am, and a link is sent out each Sunday morning at 8:00am.  We live-stream on Facebook and YouTube. Please email the parish office (parishoffice@littlechurch.org) if you would like to pray the morning and evening offices with us by Zoom. 

Thank you for your continued faith, support, and love for the parish.  

Fides Opera

With loving wishes,
Fr. van Dooren