March 2019 Newsletter – Counting Properly

Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped

Everything Jesus said and did was for us. He counted properly. In his letter to the Philippians, St. Paul laid out all the things Jesus gave up for us. He made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant. Jesus did not give these things up to demean Himself, to become less than what He was, but rather to take all He is and all He has and offer it up before His Father in the ultimate sacrifice. A sacrifice sufficient to pay our debt of sin. That ultimate sacrifice was the key moment of Jesus’ doing. That act alone is so meaningful for us. We have endless thanks and praise to offer for that alone. Yet there is so much more in Jesus’ time on earth and ministry for us. He not only provided us freedom by His ultimate sacrifice, He left us a storehouse of treasure to be counted and used. This Lent, we are called upon to count, consider, and take up each and every thing Jesus taught and demonstrated for us. We are to assess His way of life, His call to follow Him, find the areas where we fall short, turn from them, and respond with concrete, doable, and practical strategies to live Jesus’ life. That’s right, live Jesus’ life. The concept of discipleship entails a turning away from ‘how we are’ to ‘how we must be.’ Lent provides the perfect opportunity for us to count up all the ways we fall short, all the ways, and to escape from sin into fuller life in Jesus. If Jesus could give it all up, then so must we. If Jesus has called us to discipleship, then so we must accept His call; His way of counting. Philippians says, everything about Jesus is to be grasped, to be counted, too be considered and thought about. But, we must not stop there. If we truly grasp and count all there is in Jesus, we realize what we must do. As Jesus lived, we must live. As Jesus did, we must do. Make Lent matter, delve into Jesus storehouse of treasure and let us make ourselves count as Jesus does.

Join us through March and into April in our Lenten and Passiontide journey. Join us in our Lenten retreat on April 6th. How about a discipleship gathering on March 22nd? Join in directed giving. Then — March 30th our Fire of the Spirit Charismatic Healing Service. March 31st — our BASKET SOCIAL!!!

The initial list of winners of our Valentine’s raffle is included in the newsletter. Information about our upcoming parish census is included.

Step up to, and join with us in, the Spiritual Buffet. Read more in our March 2019 Newsletter.

Holy Mass of Healing – May 18th

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On Monday, May 18th we will hold our first Holy Mass for Healing with Anointing of the Sick at 6:15pm. We expect to hold this Holy Mass at least once a month. We welcome all to take part. The Sacrament of Anointing is for all who seek the Lord’s healing, whether due to physical or mental distress, temporary or chronic disease, or for other reasons. All are welcome to attend.

Prayers for our Bishop

When the crowds learned it, they followed him; and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God, and cured those who had need of healing. — Luke 9:11

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Eternal Father, in Whose hands are hidden the ultimate mysteries of life, we call upon Thee in this hour of Thy servant and bishop’s affliction. Thou art concerned for the physical welfare of Thy children, for Thy Son did not hesitate to show compassion to those who were weighed down with physical ills and suffering. Our minds do not understand why some must endure such hardships while others escape them, but we pray that a lack of understanding will not cause faith to grow less. Instead, may this illness cause us to realize more surely our frailty and need for utter dependence upon Thee.

It is Thou who has made us and not we ourselves, and therefore we place all trust and confidence in Thy loving care and mercy. We ask that if it be thy will, this servant of Thine, +Bernard, may be healed of this present affliction and that he may continue to be a blessing to Your Holy Church and his fellow men. We beg these bequests in the name of Him, Who was Himself the great Physician. Amen.

Reflection for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isn’t life a pain?
Not if you rise up and live!

“Little girl, I say to you, arise!”

Janell King writes about her experience in Malaysia:

At home, I have a painting of a little girl with her arms spread open, her head thrown back, and a smile on her face. On it are the words from the scripture above. I received this painting at a crucial point in my life. It seemed like the weight of the world was pressing me down, determined to crush me. Relatives had passed away, community was tough, school was overwhelming, and I couldn’t seem to connect with God. I felt somewhat dead. When I first saw this painting, I didn’t just read the words…it felt like God was speaking them straight into my spirit like the roar of a lion. I felt something in me awaken.

The last day in Malaysia, I was doing laundry when our contact Janet came out to talk to me. I had received some prophetic words the night before during prayer, and God had given her some more clarity for the things spoken. As she spoke, I was glued to what she was saying. I don’t know if you have ever had those moments where you feel like a complete stranger is peering in to you… reading your story… but it was one of those times. I couldn’t soak in what she was saying fast enough. In the middle of Janet’s conversation, she looked me straight in the eyes, pointed to me, and said “Rise Up!”

Those words continue to echo deep inside of me. I’ve been overwhelmed with all God is doing on the race. So much growth for such a short time. So much challenge in such a short time. Yet, despite the struggles, it’s time to arise and mature and act on my faith. I’ve been praying and praying that God would teach me the path of righteousness. It finally clicked that I know the way! He gave me the Word! He has given me the instructions. He has given me Holy Spirit! It’s time for my own heart to come alive. It’s time to lead others into the kingdom! To the little girl inside of me, longing for more, Rise up!

Jesus didn’t just heal from maladies. He raises us up so that we may live. Our call today is to trust in the Lord who created us for life and for good – to be light. Let us place our trust in Him and rise up, not in drudgery, but filled with life. Let us rise from our slumber because Jesus’ light shines on us. We are filled with the Holy Spirit. We have life and light that will last forever! The author of life will raise us up one day, but we shouldn’t wait. Rise up today and live. Smile. When people ask why, tell them the reason for your joy – Jesus.