6th Sunday in Ordinary Time - (2-13-2022) at St. Mary’s

[Music] do [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] hi i'm dan and we're here in st mary's hall this is the last weekend for our super bowl of caring campaign and we are thankful for everyone who has contributed so far if you haven't yet and are able to donate see the link in the video description all proceeds go to the cherry hill food pantry which is always in big need of help so i hope you can help to tackle the issue of hunger with us thank you for joining us here's a look at what you can expect in today's live stream [Music] all here at the catholic church of saint mary good morning please stand and sing our entrance hymn number 709 lord divine all loves excelling 709. oh [Music] jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] return [Music] lord we will be [Music] is [Music] in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit the grace of our lord jesus christ the love of god and the communion of the holy spirit be with you all good morning everyone on this snowy uh super bowl sunday we take the time uh to come and acknowledge uh god's presence in our life and the lives of others we seek his forgiveness not just for ourselves personally but also for the sins of people throughout the world you are sent to heal the contrite of heart lord have mercy lord have mercy you came to call sinners christ have mercy christ have mercy you are seated at the right hand of the father to intercede for us lord have mercy lord have mercy may almighty god have mercy on us forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life amen glory to god in the highest and on earth peace and people of good will we praise you we bless you we adore you we glorify you we give you thanks for your great glory lord god heavenly king oh god almighty father lord jesus christ only begotten son lord god lamb of god son of the father you take away the sins of the world have mercy on us you take away the sins of the world receive our prayer you are seated at the right hand of the father have mercy on us for you alone are the holy one you alone are the lord you alone are the most high jesus christ with the holy spirit and the glory of god let us pray o god who teach us that your that you abide in hearts that are just and true grant that we may so be fashion may so fashioned by your grace as to become a dwelling pleasing to you through our lord jesus christ your son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the holy spirit god forever and ever amen at this point in time we're going to have the children's liturgy of the word all your children want to be able to learn about god in a special way for your behalf please come forward annie takers going once going twice three times all right we got at least one taker all right when you go for the children's liturgy of the world you're able to and the children are able to assimilate what is being said on their level uh so it's a wonderful way for them to participate and understand how the word of god makes a difference in their lives we send you forth have fun [Music] as you know a reading from the book of the prophet jeremiah thus says the lord cursed is the one who trusts in human beings who seeks his strength in flesh whose heart turns away from the lord he is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season but stands in a lava waste of salt and empty earth blessed is the one who trusts in the lord whose hope is the lord he is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream it fears not the heat when it comes its leaves stay green in the year of the drought it shows no distress but still bears fruit the word of the lord [Music] blessings [Music] blessed the man who followed [Music] nor walks in the way of sinners nor sits in the company of the insolent but delights in the love of the lord and meditates on his lord day and night is [Music] landed near running water that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves prospers [Music] which the wind drives away for the lord watches over the way of that just [Music] a reading from the first letter of saint paul to the corinthians brothers and sisters if christ is preached as raised from the dead how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead if the dead are not raised neither has christ been raised and if christ has not been raised your faith is in vain you are still in your sins then those who have fallen asleep in christ have perished if for this life alone we have hoped in christ we are the most pitiable people of all but now christ has been raised from the dead the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep the word of the lord [Music] oh rejoice and be glad your reward will be great in heaven [Music] a reading from the holy gospel according to luke jesus came down with the twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground with a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all judea and jerusalem and the coastal region of tyre and sidon after raising his eyes toward his disciples he said blessed are you who are poor for the kingdom of god is yours blessed are you who are now hungry for you will be satisfied blessed are you who are now weeping for you will laugh blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude and insult you and denounce your name as evil on account of the son of man rejoice and leap for joy on that day behold your reward will be great in heaven for their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way but woe to you who are rich for you have received your consolation woe to you who are filled now for you will be hungry woe to you who laugh now for you will grieve and weep woe to you when all speak well of you for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way the gospel of the lord in today's readings the readings are presented in such a way because there's a theme that's running through them that oftentimes come goes unnoticed when our gospel reading started out it said and jesus came down on level grounds to meet the people and the people were a huge crowd from jerusalem and bethlehem judea and all the people from the north including tyre and sidon which is northern israel but the whole people of israel were being pulled together as one by jesus and jesus was in turn going to speak to him but those words that phrase the lord came down is also used another time in scriptures and it's the story of the tower of babel babel is basically the hebrew word for babylon that country which finally took over all of jerusalem sacked it not just the northern kingdom uh but also the two southern tribes were conquered by the babylonians and the people were disseminated the diaspora and spread throughout the whole region so that they could no longer worship god when the people were building the tower of babel they forgot the presence of god and tried to do things on their own just as human persons and they were so intrigued with what they could do that they rivaled god they themselves wanted to be godlike and they were worried about their reputation and their power and their strength and they're growing together as a people without acknowledging god so the story goes and god came down and the people were then dispersed and they couldn't speak the same languages well jesus is making his presence known and just as luke presents it you know jesus is the one who's now going to unite all the tribes together through his example of what it means to live with god jesus says to the people you need to appreciate that when you make god part of your life not just on sundays but part of your life that you're like as jeremiah says a tree that is near running water where troops stretch out and are able to endure even you know droughts because god's presence is with them it is that whereby we get power and protection from our lord yet people oftentimes just as the people israel because they even though they form themselves as the most powerful nation under king david and solomon nevertheless the people forgot that they were one with god they forgot how they were taken out of egypt rescued by god and god was no longer part of her life and so the kingdom splintered it fell away and that's what jeremiah the prophet's talking about in regard to our first reading he's saying look there will be you trust in humans well and you don't include god this is what will happen to you jesus is saying the same thing he says if you're not aware that you're called to be a person with god and others you're missing the point so if you're rich and all you think about is your own riches well that's going to be your consolation because all you're going to get is what here is here on earth if you're satiated you're full well you're going to be hungry in the future eternally and if you're laughing and having grand old time and celebrating life here on earth without acknowledging god or others well guess what you will be weeping in mourning he gives a presentation whereby he says you can either be blessed or you can endure woe for when you we include god and god is part of our life we are truly blessed and jesus acknowledges that that blessing doesn't just take place here and we're called to support and be a source of blessing for others but you know our celebration our reward will be great in heaven we will be able to jump with joy and exaltation because we'll be in the presence of god for all eternity but we need to remember how we are created in god's image and likeness that we're called to be a source of blessing for others that we have all of us possess gifts and ability to extend ourselves for others and when we do so and acknowledge god we thereby contribute to the well-being of the many that's when we acknowledge the many we become one with god and that's what really takes place in the eucharist and the celebration everyone is called to contribute everyone's called to offer their sacrifice and you're called to bring not just your money for the collection not just the representation of bread and wine and that'll be transformed into the body blood of christ but you bring your poverty you bring your your suffering you bring your pain your sacrifice everything you literally bring everything before god and thereby god perfects it and heals us there is a time within the liturgy that most people just see as an intermission well we go ahead and do the collection and they bring up the gifts but actually as pope benedict said this is a very important time in the liturgy and should be acknowledged and presented in a special way that people need to understand that the person to bringing up the gifts a representation of the whole community and they themselves are walking from the midst of the people to encounter the priest the priest is someone who comes down on level ground to meet the people he is acting in persona christie in the person of christ and the priest with the help of the deacon and the servers received the gifts and represents all your sacrifices all your work all your struggles everything and everyone is able to contribute and god then by brings us together as one and brings healing to each and every person so much so we in turn go out into the world as a source of blessing for others but i can say to you how often is it that ushers will ask you to bring up the collection and let people go no that's all right i don't want to do so and it could be for any various reasons if the person could truly be shy somebody who doesn't like to be center attention is understandable but when people do it because well they're having a bad hair day and don't recognize as an invitation to come before god that's problematic and when we're going to do it and say to ourselves well no somebody else can do it why does it have to be me try to appreciate you're being asked to represent the many people and give to christ which will be lifted up to god the father perfected by god the father and then god himself gives back gift to you his very being this body and blood making all one the holy spirit it says so in the eucharistic prayer besides which if you notice just as jesus went ahead and before he had the last supper said to his disciples go and prepare a place for the lord's supper and they went and did so and then they took the gifts of the people and christ acting as the high priest offered those things so that he could be one with us and we could be one with him he was bringing unity instead of division he was trying to get the people to understand that they can and ought to contribute that they're important their significance and the reason why we come to mass is to acknowledge that hey god made me in his image like this he gave me power he breathed his holy spirit into me i received him in the sacrament of baptism i receive him again in the sacrament of penance and confirmation i become configured to christ transformed it's because the persons bringing up the gifts represent the people that they journey with god offer gifts like god gives gifts who created the universe and everything in it and in turn god will transform not just the gifts into bread and wine but all the people you see because god does what he says he's going to do he says if you are poor you'll be blessed if you are hungry you will be satisfied and he feeds us with his body and blood and if we understand that we're suffering we can be consoled knowing that we shall laugh through his blessing we shall enjoy and celebrate life and even we are being ridiculed because we come to mass and offer gifts for others instead of being selfish and thinking of ourselves it's then that we will be greatly blessed that we should rejoice and be glad because our reward will be great in heaven but oftentimes we fail to see and recognize the invitation of christ for us to play a role for us to understand what it means to be one and representative of the many it's a simple procession but it makes a huge difference so too does your gift because when we understand that what we give represents out of love what we need and want of god then everyone becomes one from the many is one body that theme which is part of the synod right now where all the people get to say what they think the church could do all of them can contribute not just their monies but to have a say of what the church teaches and does and participates in it that synod that's taking place now that theme is what's the theme also of our house of charity catholic campaign try to appreciate that too is an invitation for you to understand that even the poorest of the poor can participate in god's loving saving plan that we can be strengthened by god just like that tree next to the running stream that we will be nourished and bear fruit the house of charity is responsible for all kinds of ministries within our diocese it helps educate our youth if you saw today our youth was trying to participate in one of god's works saving works that is to feed the hungry they are out there trying to collect so they can feed the food pantry and we can just walk by and ignore them or we can say why would they be doing this because they want to participate participation and giving of our gifts is something we're called to do we can't just say somebody else will do it or we can't go ahead and say you know what uh i don't like how the church is using the money so i'm not going to give it the church is where we receive in the sacraments god's grace where we're able to be transformed we're able to be healed where we're able to offer our sacrifice try to understand the priest after he prepares the gifts ask the people who says pray my brothers and sisters that your sacrifice and mine will be acceptable to god the almighty father because it's meant to be inclusive it's meant to call everyone to offer themselves on behalf of others so that all might have happiness in this lifetime and most importantly the life to come when we give to the house of charity we support not only catholic education of our youth we support formational programs for our religious education for seminarians and deacons studying for the the acne or the priesthood we give to those things whereby people who are poor needy or benefited and brought to healing and strength the different ministries to the poor all these things are taking place through the house of charity none of it's being used for the parish's own i mean for the diocese own personal uh benefits but no it's meant specifically for the poor and if you give to the house of charity it will make a huge difference try to understand even if you have a little if everybody from the man he gives many will be blessed jesus gives us a choice we either understand that we're called to be blessed and a source of blessing or we can choose to be selfish be divisive be splintered and be well left to vamp ourselves when this life is ended allow yourselves to be a source of blessing be able to give not just with your prayers and things at mass but even beyond that to people not outside of our parish try to understand we're called to represent everyone the body of christ the church from the many we become one body one spirit in christ please try to understand that we're all called to be a source of blessing for all thank you god bless i believe in one god the father almighty maker of heaven and earth of all things visible and invisible i believe in one lord jesus christ the only begotten son of god born of the father before all ages god from god light from light true god from true god begotten not made consubstantial with the father through him all things were made for us man and for our salvation he came down from heaven and by the holy spirit was incarnate of the virgin mary and became man for our sake he was crucified under pontius pilate he suffered death and was buried and rose again on the third day in accordance with the scriptures he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father he will come again in glory to judge the living in the dead and his kingdom will have no end i believe in the holy spirit the lord the giver of life who proceeds from the father and the son who the father and the son is adored and glorified who has spoken through the prophets i believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church i confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and i look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come amen understanding our own importance and our ability to help others especially with our prayers we present these petitions that our national leaders will work to promote the common good and true justice let us pray to the lord as we celebrate this world day of marriage may husbands and wives be given the graces needed to love and respect each other as they grow in holiness let us pray to the lord that the conflict between russia and ukraine may result peacefully with all peoples unharmed let us pray to the lord for the poor the hungry the sad and the marginalized that they will find consolation and being close to jesus let us pray to the lord for our saint mary parish family may we be given the grace this week to reach out with compassion to those who are hurting let us pray to the lord for all those suffering the consequences of the current pandemic may god give them healing and strength and grant salvation to all who have died let us pray to the lord for richard hoffman whom we especially remember at this eucharist and for those we hold in the silence of our hearts let us pray to the lord lord hear our prayer for all who have died especially ada abadia got osmal diane cunningham robert paqua and teresa maggie that our prayers may continue to aid them that they may be safely held in the lord's eternal embrace let us pray to the lord lord hear our prayer heavenly father we ask you to hear these prayers and grant them according to your will for we ask them through jesus christ our lord amen as our gifts are presented and prepared let us sing number 345 turn to me number 345. [Music] i am me [Music] who are you to be afraid is [Music] there is [Music] listen to me my people give me [Music] my nation to the people turn to me [Music] is [Music] my brothers and sisters pray that your sacrifice and mine may be acceptable to god the almighty father my hands for the praise of the lord his name for our good good walls holy church may this oblation o lord we pray cleanse and renew us and may it become for those who do your will the source of eternal reward through christ our lord the lord be with you lift up your hearts let us give thanks to the lord our god it is truly right and just our duty and our salvation always and everywhere to give you thanks lord holy father almighty eternal god through christ our lord for in you we live and move and have our being and while in this body we not only experience the daily effects of your care but even now possess the pledge of life eternal for having received the first fruits of the spirit through whom you raised up jesus from the dead we hope for an everlasting share in the paschal mystery and so all the angels we praise you as a joyful celebration we acclaim oh [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] you're indeed holy o lord the fount of all holiness make holy therefore these gifts we pray by sending down your spirit upon them like the dewfall so that they may become for us the body and blood of our lord jesus christ at the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his passion he took bread and giving thanks broke it gave it to his disciples saying take this all of you and eat of it for this is my body which will be given up for you in a similar way once support was ended he took the chalice and once more giving thanks he gave it to his disciples saying take this all of you and drink from it for this is the chalice of my blood the blood of the new and eternal covenant which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins do this in memory of me the mystery of faith is [Music] therefore as we celebrate the memorial of his death and resurrection we offer you lord the bread of life and the chalice of salvation giving thanks you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you humbly we pray that partaking of the body and blood of christ we may be gathered into one by the holy spirit lord remember your church spread throughout the world and bring her to the fullness of charity together with francis our pope and dennis our bishop and all the clergy remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection and all who have died in your mercy welcome them into the light of your face have mercy on us all we pray that we the blessed virgin mary mother of god and blessed joseph her spouse with the blessed apostles and with all the saints who have pleased you throughout the ages we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life and may praise and glorify you through your son jesus christ through him and with him and in him oh god almighty father in the unity of the holy spirit all glory and honor is yours forever and ever [Music] at our savior's command and formed by divine teaching we dare to say our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil deliver us lord we pray from every evil graciously grant peace in our days that by the help of your mercy we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our savior jesus christ lord jesus christ you sent your apostles peace i leave you my peace i give you look not on our sins but on the faith of your church and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will who live and reign forever and ever amen the peace of the lord be with you always and with your spirit let us offer each other the sign of peace peace [Music] mercy on us the sins of the world have mercy us us peace behold the lamb of god behold him who takes away the sins of the world blessed are those called to the supper of the lamb lord i am not worthy that i should have been from my room but only say the word and my soul shall be healed our communion song is number 725 unless a grain of wheat number 725 [Music] is [Music] if we have died with him then we shall live with him we [Applause] [Music] up with [Music] serves me then they must follow me and [Music] with [Music] [Applause] [Music] up [Music] with [Music] us [Applause] [Music] with no love [Music] me [Music] let us pray having fed upon the heavenly delights we pray o lord that we may always long for that food by which we truly live through christ our lord amen please be seated as i mentioned earlier in my homily this weekend we kicked off a new year of giving for the house of charity your generous gift to this appeal will bring comfort relief and support to many in need in our diocese and here at our parish the theme from many one body echoes the theme of that worldwide synod which is underway it's a way for catholics to join in communion with each other to assist those in need throughout our area if you haven't already you will be soon you will soon be receiving this year's campaign information in the mail this mailing will explain in detail how your donation will be used these programs are also listed in the bulletin and on our website uh again social and community health care services it provides for evangelization of faith formation our youth and young adults in campus ministries our priestly vocations permanent deacon seminarian and the accurate formation and care for elderly priests also it provides for catholic education for our youth all these things are targeted for by the house of charity is a way in which you can contribute to something that is both beyond our purview uh again god wants us to know that we're called to be one one together it is one body the newly designed house of charity card which is in your pews if you haven't looked at it it's pretty updated uh you can fill them out you can put them in in the basket uh after filling out you also might put in the boxes at the edge of the church uh but whatever way you wish to give is totally up to you you can give uh through credit card by check you can have payments you however you which is best for you you have to think use your head and and try to understand that despite you wanting to give from your heart you also have to think about your own personal family uh as well so give with the knowledge that you're giving what you believe god is asking you to give assessing your own financial well-being as well also you may also donate online as i said or our website or on our website or app all you have to do is click in click onto donate online and please make sure to designate your donation to our parish that is st mary's cherry hill when donating the generosity of our saint mary's pressure has been overwhelming and we are recognized in our diocese as such last year our parish exceeded our house of charity goal and as a result we received 10 percent of our goal in the form of a check directly to our parish we're happy to report that st mary recently received a check for nine thousand one hundred dollars this is a direct result of your amazing generosity again even though you give you also receive from god back it's a constant theme that's throughout uh the life of parish ministry so uh thank you for your kind consideration it is a worthy cause together may we become one body and one spirit and a giving to the many in need right here in our diocesan parish this year uh also as i was saying there's many ways in which you uh can participate within parish life here as well through different ministries you might want to help out with a gift for music or voice a lecture extraordinary eucharistic minister an altar server an usher a greeter there's many ways in which you can contribute within the celebrations and also the many projects and needs of the parish there's different committees that you can be part of and have say in all these things are possible but the invitation is there for you again however you wish to contribute will be received and perfected through christ so thank you in advance for considering as i was speaking to our first penance and first communion class i've invited their families to help in bringing up the gifts all right so throughout lent and uh easter they're going to be signing up for different masses to bring up the gifts however after that we're going to invite others you might have a loved one who's been remembered at the mass you might want to bring up the gifts that will be made possible also you'll be able to if you have a wedding anniversary that also you can bring up the gifts along with that because it is important because you represent so much especially as married couples because a couple when you come up and uh give yourself to each other a marriage as witnessed by the priest and or the deacon you acknowledge that you died to yourself and live in and through your spouse the two become one from the many become one with christ so don't underestimate who you are of what that means to others uh you are indeed a gift for others uh so we would like to acknowledge that i'll have more about world marriage day in a second also our zoom book discussion he leadeth me by my father walter cheswick begins this wednesday february 16th at 7 pm with lisa caso information can be found in the bulletin on the website and app also we ask you connect faith with everyday life experience consider joining a small christian community this lent please see the bulletin slash website or app for more information our chili challenge our chili challenge 3 is saturday march 19th more details will be available next weekend uh this is the last weekend for our super bowl of caring campaign members of our youth group will be outside with soup pops hoping for your support again all pre proceeds go to the cherry hill food pantry and we thank you for your generosity also a new mass protocol directive has been sent to us from the diocese mass are now optional here at st mary's for the church and the whole the only exception right now is the religious education classes but that's forthcoming uh try to try to on the appreciate on the news a teacher telling their children that the next day they would not have to wear masks and they went about jumping up and down shouting screaming so excited uh but the wearing a mask is something that's your option what you choose to do if you think you're gonna make yourself better or your family better by wearing a mask and you're worried about you know uh uh the health of others in your family uh by all means use what you think is best follow your conscience you know try to find out what's informed and then choose from there i'm not gonna mandate anything i give the options you choose to do as you wish even extraordinary eucharistic ministers no longer have to have a mask on when they distribute communion but if they choose to that's their choice again please understand that we're trying to make things safe for people uh with the teachings that are there uh it's my hope that we will indeed be able to be back socially active as a parish community uh celebrating things uh now and well into the future at this point in time since it is uh world marriage day we're asking any married couples to please stand for a special blessing married couples i invite you to bow your heads and pray for god's blessing almighty and eternal god you have so exalted the unbreakable bond of marriage that has become the sacramental sign of your son's union with the church as his spouse look with favor on those whom you have united in marriage as they ask for your help and the protection of the virgin mary they pray that in good times and bad they will grow in love for each other that they will resolve to be of one heart and a bond of peace lord in their struggles let them rejoice that you are near to help them and their needs let them know that you are there to rescue them and in their joys let them see that you are the source and completion of every happiness we ask this through christ our lord amen now the lord be with everyone and may almighty god bless you all in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit amen go in peace glorifying the lord by your life thanks be god thank you for patience everyone take care god bless uh people have asked so i'm saying yeah i'm going to root for the underdog go cincinnati take care as we go forth let us sing number 677 blessed be the lord number 677 [Music] the god of mercy the goddess [Music] know [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] bless me the lord [Music] is [Music] [Music] welcome to another church tour my name is pat galey and i'm the director of religious education here at saint mary's today we'll learn about the sacrament of reconciliation which is the first sacrament that you receive after baptism and we'll see where it takes place so let's get started here we are in the church pew which is a great place for your examination of conscience your conscience is what helps you know right from wrong while sitting in your church pew ask the holy spirit to help you think about your actions in following the ten commandments and think about these questions when i make choices do i forget about what god wants me to do do i pray every day and pay attention when i'm at mass do i listen to my parents and teachers or do i ignore them have i made fun of my brothers sisters or classmates am i selfish or do i share what i have with others when i'm angry do i say or do things to hurt whoever has hurt me do i say i'm sorry to the person i have hurt and i forgive you to the person who has hurt me do i ever cheat on school work or in games have i taken something that does not belong to me do i tell the whole truth or do i lie about things so i don't get in trouble and do i get jealous or do i appreciate all that god has given me [Music] when you're done thinking about your sins you can wait outside the reconciliation room also called the confessional there is a red light on the wall to let you know if the reconciliation room is occupied when a person exits the reconciliation room you can enter the room and close the door [Music] some people are embarrassed to tell their sins to a priest but it is the best path to healing for your soul the priest always wears a purple stole when celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation remember that the priest is acting in the place of jesus he can never tell anyone else what he hears in the reconciliation room this is called the seal of confession we always use the same format for confessing our sins it's important to let the priest know how long it's been since your last confession or if this is your very first penance before you say your act of contrition prayer the priest will give you a penance which is a prayer or action to repair the harm caused by your sins you don't do your penance until after you leave the reconciliation room you can use your hand to help you remember the five steps of this sacrament the first is bless me father for i have sinned this is my first confession say your sins and then say for these and the sins of my whole life i am sorry the priest then gives you a penance say the act of contrition prayer the priest then gives absolution using these words i absolve you from your sins in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit amen after thanking the priests for giving you the gift of god's absolution you exit the reconciliation room and leave the door open for the next penitent you take a seat in your church pew to give thanks for god's mercy and do your penance then you go forth to do better and share god's love with others remember we're only human and we will sin but god never tires of forgiving those who are sorry thanks for joining me and feel free to play this video again if you ever need some help remembering how to make a good confession [Music] thanks for watching our live stream our youth group wants you to know that this is the last day for our super bowl of caring campaign if you would like to donate but haven't yet see the link in the video description we thank you for your generosity [Music] hi it's stanley you may be wondering why i was behind this tree well sometimes i get nervous so i was hiding and that's not something we should do when we have things to do or when we see somebody in need in today's gospel jesus explains that we should be willing to help somebody in need and when we do something like that for the poor we also do it for him [Music] interesting so let's listen the lord be with you and with your spirit a reading from the holy gospel according to matthew glory to you o lord when the son of man comes in glory and all the angels with him then will he sit on his glorious throne before him will be gathered all the nation and he will separate them one from the other then the king will say to those at his right hand come o blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you for i was hungry and you gave me food i was thirsty and you gave me drink [Music] i was a stranger and you welcomed me i was sick and you visited me [Music] then the righteous will ask ward when did we see you hungry or thirsty or as a stranger [Music] truly i say to you as you did it to one of the least of my brethren you did it to me [Music] the gospel of the lord prays to you lord jesus christ you've probably heard that we should help people in need before but in today's gospel jesus gives us another reason why we should do that he said that as you did it to one of the least of my brethren you did it to me this means that whatever you do to somebody that needs help you did it to jesus let's say you were walking down a street with your mom or dad on a hot day and you both saw somebody who didn't look well and was thirsty what do you think you and your mom or dad can do to help you could buy a water bottle for them just like jesus said in the gospel i was thirsty and you gave me drink there are also places where you can go to help out like a soup kitchen where you can help make and serve food for some people who have a hard time affording it that being said if you see an opportunity where you can help somebody in need don't hide and don't worry about feeling nervous tell your parents and you can get started helping somebody who needs it it's important to do that because when we do something for others we do it for jesus too thanks for joining me i'll see you next time goodbye [Music] [Music] thanks for watching our live stream our youth group wants you to know that this is the last day for our super bowl of caring campaign if you would like to donate but haven't yet see the link in the video description we thank you for your generosity [Music] all here at the catholic church of saint mary hello i am bishop dennis sullivan our catholic faith teaches us the importance of service and invites each of us to serve as jesus did now it is our turn to meet the challenges of our time to make a difference in the lives of those in need and ensure that the faith we have received flourishes into the future the house of charity bishops annual appeal offers catholics in south jersey an opportunity to support the mission of the church by reaching out to serve those in need the theme of this year's campaign from many one body reminds us that we share a common mission your individual gift to this appeal will become one of the many that unites and builds up the one body of christ through our various ministries across the diocese your gift is shared and brings comfort relief encouragement and support to many from many one body also echoes the theme of the worldwide synod of bishops now underway in which pope francis has asked all catholics to reflect on our communion as believers and our participation in the life and mission of the church in this way the gospel will be proclaimed anew in this age this is likewise the mission of the house of charity bishop's annual appeal now let's meet a few of the many catholics who support the bishop's annual appeal 22 years ago we started giving to the house of charity it was quite difficult for us to give because of our children in college but we have decided that we have to do this because a lot of people benefit from it and we started small and every year we increased our donations and it has really blessed us god has been good so i really feel that by giving of myself to donate for different ministries like for education for housing of seniors i really was inspired by that and so my husband and i try our best to give as much as we can any chance we get we love to to help out when in need whether it's a drive for food for the diocese or something local like the local food bank is just a few blocks away it's been great to get to know people that way you know to be able to donate to the good samaritan house and to be able to help out there too i know that also through rcia since i i joined the church this past easter it's been great to be able to be involved in things with that i think it was made really clear where the money was going which i think made it a lot easier to donate to know that it was going to so many good causes we prayed on it and we gave what we felt like we could and we know that that it's being used in a way that we could never imagine you know this is my first assignment as a priest about three days after i was ordained i met with bishop sullivan and he told me i was coming to holy spirit as the director of catholic identity anything to do with campus ministry with catholic identity here at the school false to me and the the priests i am today the the man i am today is a direct result of the gifts of others to the house of charity and my seminary education that i received so it's only right then to give back so i know people who have personally been to catholic charities who have benefited from their generosity there catholic charities is funded by the house of charity even the house of charities supports catholic education and being here in a high school i see firsthand the benefit of catholic education in our community in south jersey we're all in this together and our kids are going to follow our steps too so you know let's keep it alive is so being a steward to me is like using what god has given me for his good and and for the good of others when i decided to donate it was because of like a change in mindset it is partially about like you know service to the church that's obviously a huge part of it but it's not service out of guilt it's service out of trust in the lord and it's service out of love for your neighbor sophomore year i came to the newman club and newman really like revived my faith i don't even know how to put it it recreated my faith i think i've seen the way that students benefit from the newman center and i i see directly all the time how powerful newman is for students there are so many students whose faith has revived or whose faith has been created there have been conversions that happen here people are finding peace and love and joy here without the house of charity again we wouldn't we wouldn't have the chapel which is a huge this that's the core of the newman house that's the core of the christian life um is jesus in the tabernacle we wouldn't be able to minister to students the way that we do without the house of charity the actual black catholic ministry was established in 1987 and it was a collaboration with the bishop who wanted us to assist him in an advisory capacity throughout the diocese and bring some education and we're very proud of our contribution to the diocese our events that we have are critical to our growth and and the parish's understanding of what it is to be black and catholic and the youth that do participate um seem to really appreciate what we do we do support them when there are conferences that you know they go to and they represent you know not only their um ethnic group but also their faith it's a wonderful thing when we say the church does this the church does that in in service to so many within our diocese we act as one we act as one body of christ that is what house of charity is all about one body one spirit hand in hand together be united together in order for our church to thrive thank you for donating thank you for the good that you do for newman and for rowan university students and thank you for the good that you do for others and for the lord there are so many in south jersey willing to make sacrifices to support their sisters and brothers in need i hope you are also likewise encouraged by what you have seen and heard as you consider your support of the house of charity bishop's annual appeal your gift ensures vitality for our healing and supportive services vocations to the priesthood programs for youth and young adults the affordability of a catholic school the availability of a catholic charities office in every county of the diocese our outreach and ministry to latino and black catholics parish-based religious education programs and so much more thank you may god bless you always [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: St. Mary Catholic Church Cherry Hill NJ

Views: 113

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Id: 1d_KRn-v9Ks

Length: 103min 11sec (6191 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 13 2022