22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time September 1, 2024

 
        
       Our Lady of Peace Parish
Also Serving Our Lady of the Smile Parish, Waterhen Lake and
St. Jude’s Parish, Green Lake

Office Hours: Closed Monday
Tuesday - Friday 1-4:00 pm
Office Phone:  306-236-5122 
Cell Phone: 306-304-7271

Parish Email: [email protected] Pastor Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Catholic Church Meadow Lake
Website: https://www.meadowlakecatholicchurch.com/
Address: 504-3rd Ave. East, Meadow Lake, SK S9X 1H5  
 
  O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
Psalm 15 Refrain
 
 Our Vision:
A Community of Disciples
Our Mission
We commit to form disciples
who joyfully and faithfully
live out the mission of
Jesus Christ
by enriching our relationship
with God and neighbour
through the intercession of
Our Lady of Peace.
Pastor: 
Fr. Uche Umechikelu, MSP
Parish Secretary:
Pat Bencharski
 
Masses
Intentions

When there is a funeral, the daily mass will normally be cancelled.  Check Facebook for the most up-to-date information.  On Tuesday to Friday and on Sunday, Our Lady of Peace masses will be livestreamed on Facebook.

Mon., Sept. 2 – No mass
 
Tues., Sept. 3 – No Liturgy with Communion at the Lodge (Fr. Uche away)
 
Tues., Sept. 3 – No mass (Fr. Uche away for Priest Study Days)
 
Wed., Sept. 4 – No mass (Fr. Uche away for Priest Study Days)
 
Thurs., Sept. 5 – 8:30 am No Adoration before mass
 
Thurs., Sept. 5 – No mass (Fr. Uche away for Priest Study Days)
 
Fri., Sept. 6 – No mass (Fr. Uche away for Priest Study Days)
 
Sat., Sept. 7 – 5:00 pm (St. Jude’s Green Lake) - People of God

Sat., Sept. 7 – 7:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church) - People of God

Sun., Sept. 8 – 3:00 pm (Our Lady of the Smile Waterhen) - People of God

Sun., Sept. 8 – 7:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - People of God

THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH

1. Adult catechism will be on Saturdays before mass  at 6:00 pm.
2. No service at the Lodge and no masses all week as Fr. Uche will be away at priest study days.
3. Please note the time of mass next Sunday, Sept. 8 – 7:00 pm. Fr. Uche will be helping out by celebrating mass in Makwa and St. Walburg in the morning so our mass time is changed to evening.

 Sunday Collection – August 18:  Meadow Lake $668.05  Green Lake $131.25  Children’s Collection $2.20
                         August 25: Meadow Lake $1151.70  Green Lake $135.20  Children’s Collection $7.25                       

Sunday Church Attendance – August 18 – Adults  85   Children  8   Total  93
                                                  August 25 – Adults  132 Children 10  Total 142

The Pope’s Prayer Intention for September – for the cry of the earth – We pray that each one of us will hear and take to heart the cry of the Earth and of victims of natural disasters and climactic change, and that all will undertake to personally care for the world in which we live.
 
Labour Day Weekend – This weekend marks the end of the summer vacation period and the resumption of activities in home, parish and school. Parishes could take this as an opportunity to encourage active and renewed participation in the community. Labour Day is a special day of prayer in Canada.
                                                Taken from Ordo  page 198
 
World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation – September 1 – In 2015, Pope Francis declared September 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. Coinciding with a celebration instituted by the Orthodox Church, it is also a day of ecumenical prayer and unity. Gatherings for prayer are encouraged in parishes. The faithful should also be encouraged to take practical initiatives to combat earth’s environmental crisis.
                                      Taken from Ordo  page 200
                                                           
Parish Garage Sale – Our parish will be holding a garage sale on Saturday, September 21 in the Parish Hall. Donated items for the sale can be dropped off at the hall on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 19th and 20th.
 
Scripture Insights – 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Taken from Source Book for Sundays, Seasons and Weekdays 2024:  The Almanac for Pastoral Liturgy, LTP Liturgy Training Publications Copyright 2023, 3949 South Racine Avenue, Chicago, IL 60609, pg. 314.
 
 All of today’s readings illuminate God’s call to wholehearted obedience. Deuteronomy 4 names two purposes of God’s holy law: one purpose faces inward, intended for the flourishing of Israel: one purpose faces outward, intended for witness to the world. For Israel, God gave the law “that you may live.” As the psalmist writes, whoever follows the law will live well: in peace, without disturbance. The law is not to restrict followers but to set them free for a life of true abundance. As for the world, the law was given to Israel so that they could bear witness that their God’s wisdom and kindness surpass all other nations’ gods. The law illuminated the Israelites so that they might shine brightly, drawing other nations to Israel’s God.
James picks up on the theme of fruitful obedience and applies it to Christians. He uses three metaphors to show how intertwined our lives are with God’s “word of truth” (that is, the Scripture, or God’s law): we are the infant children of the Word; we are like the first figs blossoming on the Word’s tree; and we are the soil in which the Word is planted. Our lives are bound up with God’s Word in such a way that to hear the Word without living it out would be to turn away from our parent, to wither on the tree, or to dry up and crack as desert soil.
Finally, Mark’s Gospel warns that obedience to the law must be deeper than mere observance. Our obedience should be inward, coming from hearts turned toward |God. Mark warns, rather literally, against paying “lip service” to the law without loving God with the heart. The purpose of God’s holy law is inner transformation leading to abundant life.
 
 

• Easy to say, much more difficult to do. James is quite aware of this, as he writes to his brothers and sisters in today’s second reading. If we’re only attending Mass on Sundays, listening to the Word, exchanging niceties with our regular contacts, but then go out into the world unchanged and unwilling to help those most in need – are we really followers of Christ? We are charged to help the widow and orphan, the least among us.

·         God bless the rule-followers among us – the ones just wanting to do the right thing, to keep the peace, to play their part. The Gospel passage today does not intend to dismiss those who are following the rubrics of tradition. It does, however, cause us to evaluate our priorities: do we follow the rules, even as current contexts demand we reexamine? Do we place the law itself above the good of the people?
We spend so many resources to protect ourselves and our communities from outside danger. But what are we doing to protect us …. From ourselves? From the anger, isolation, and grief that bubbles up inside of us with no healthy outlets? What resources might we redirect to attend to these evils that lurk inside our very hearts and minds?