19th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Will we be ready?

August 7, 2016

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The final line of today’s Gospel of Luke states, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, / and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”  We have been entrusted with the blessing of an opportunity to know the Lord through our Baptism and life as Christians.  Jesus urges us in this Gospel to make ready for the Master’s return, as we will not know when it will happen.  It is our responsibility to see to it that we are ready for Him when He comes. 

Let us pray today, as God’s people, that we will have the faith of Abraham, so that whenever the appointed hour comes we will be prepared and eager to greet our Lord face-to-face.

                                                            -Deacon Jim

World Youth Day

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

July 31, 2016

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

It is a good practice for us to look at ourselves from time to time and ask if we really need all that we have.  Do we understand the difference between needs and wants?  What is it in our lives that really matters?  The Gospel today challenges us to evaluate this very thing as we look at our Possessions, pursuits and priorities in life. 

Weekend Mass for July 24, 2016 "How Do You Pray?" 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Enjoy a video of the weekend Mass for Sacred Heart and Immaculate Conception. Mass is for July 24, 2016 the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time. 
How do you pray? 
Jesus taught us to pray by his words and the way he lived his life. 

To view this video, click on the link below or on the picture above: https://youtu.be/Vih4T2izcQM

July 24, 2016 Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. PRAYER

 July 24, 2016

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

     As we gather for Mass this weekend, we might ask ourselves: how solid is our relationship with God our Father?  The Gospel is a good example that Jesus gave of how to offer prayer, and yet to merely repeat the words and not have a true connection and faith in the Father, is for naught.  In the first reading from Genesis, we see that Abraham was bold in his relationship and communication with God.  His plea to save Sodom and Gomorrah was not just words of a prayer but was actually a direct bargaining request to save the cities for the sake of those who were innocent of evil. 

     How often do we pray the Our Father?  Do we realize what we are truly praying?  Let us pray for the grace to build that connection with God in our lives.

-       Deacon Jim 

July 17, 2016 - Hospitality Sunday. The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 17, 2016

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

  

Today’s readings from Genesis as well as from the Gospel of Luke, are reminders that this weekend might be dubbed “Hospitality Sunday.” In our Catholic faith, hospitality is a key virtue.  As I travel to Washington State this weekend to bring my 91 year old father-in-law back to Oelwein to live out the rest of his days, we are encountering many stops where most people are showing a friendly and welcoming hospitality. Let us reflect on and pray about how we welcome strangers and even those friends and family we are close to in our lives. Are all truly welcome at the table?

-       Deacon Jim