On this 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time we hear in the Gospel of Mark two examples of faith-inspired requests for Jesus’ help. The first is from Jairus, a synagogue official seeking help for his dying daughter and the other from an unnamed woman who has been unwell for a long time. And just as in last weekend’s Lukan Gospel-the story of the birth of Saint John the Baptist—faith and trust in God are key to receiving the Lord’s blessings.
John as Herald. Luke’s Gospel this weekend gives us the story of the birth--and the naming--of John the Baptist. First we hear that eight days after his birth, the circumcision is to take place and the child is to be named. The crowds who gathered after hearing of the mercy God bestowed on John’s parents, Elizabeth and Zachariah who we advanced in years, expected that they would follow Jewish tradition and name their child after his father or someone else of importance in the family.
Our parish is seeking a qualified individual to fill this important position now open due to the retire-ment of Judy Pluta. Send letter & Curriculum vitae to: Reverend Michael Whyte, Pastor Saint Catherine of Siena Church PO Box 184 West Simsbury Connecticut 06092.....CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS!!!
Will take place immediately following the daily Mass on Tuesday mornings. We will venerate the exposed Blessed Sacrament and conclude with Benediction. This Eucharistic devotion is meant to offer all the faithful an opportunity to spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. We will begin at 9 am and conclude at 10 a.m. It is understood that some folks have to go to work or attend to a family members needs, this does not preclude you from spending some time before the Lord. If you cannot stay for the whole hour, that’s O.K
We are already in the Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time and this weekend’s Gospel of Mark (4:26-34) provides us with the well-known parable of the mustard seed. What does it mean? In this parable Jesus says, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
We all know that recently the Archdiocese of Hartford reconfigured its parishes, closing some and merging others--into a stronger and proactive group of Catholic communities. For some, and understandably so, this is very difficult. It is hard and we must be honest about it. However, times are changing. People do not practice their faith, families do other things on Sundays--sports, work--and there is much confusion and misinformation about important Church teachings.
In today’s gospel from Mark (3: 20-35) we hear some pretty “disturbing” and usual statements of concern about Jesus—from His own family: “He is out of His mind,” they say. Jesus’ behavior is disturbing to them—and Mark states that they “want to seize Him” and take Him away. In fact, Jesus’ contemporaries call Him “Beelzelbul” But as many well educated and meaning folks have noted in the past, “You can’t judge the past with current knowledge (or devotion). And we can’t take our understanding of Mary and Jesus’ contemporaries and their role in His earthly life and apply our own understandings to the actual happenings of the day).
For everything there is a season…and the “season” is coming to a close for our current Baptismal font, which I believe is our parish’s original one since it matches the original and former altar, presider’s chair, ambo and tabernacle altar—or at least that what the “provenance” suggests.
On each Tuesday, our parish will venerate the Blessed Sacrament immediately following daily Mass (approximately 9 a.m.). This Eucharistic devotion is meant to offer all the faithful an opportunity for one hour to come before the blessed Sacrament and pray in silence for particular (stated) as well as silent personal intentions.
This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, was formerly known as "Corpus Christi". It is a solemnity (the highest rank) and is celebrated on the first Thursday or Sunday after the feast of the Holy Trinity. This feast originated in France in the mid-thirteenth century and was extended to the whole Church by Pope Urban IV in 126