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Parish Bulletin

11/28/2024 0 Comments

First Sunday of Advent  December 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  
 
  To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Psalm 25 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., Dec. 2 – No mass
 
Tues., Dec. 3 – 10:00 am Liturgy with Communion at the Lodge
 
Tues., Dec. 3 – 1:00 pm Mass at Flying Dust Lodge
 
Tues., Dec. 3 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - For an increase in family prayer by Anonymous

Wed., Dec. 4 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Betty Bettcher by Darcy, Dustin & Jim Thomas & Kelty Esau

Thurs., Dec. 5 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Kevin Friedrich by Eve Remarchuk

Thurs., Dec. 5 – 10:00 – 11:00 am (Adoration after mass)
 
Fri., Dec. 6 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - For an increase in family prayer by Anonymous

Sat., Dec. 7 – No mass
 
Sun., Dec. 8 – 10:00 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - People of God

Sun., Dec. 8 – 12:30 pm (St. Jude’s Green Lake) - People of God

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

THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH
  1. No mass at Our Lady of Peace this Saturday, December 7.
  2.  One day Advent Retreat in Cochin organized by MSP priests, Saturday Dec. 7 from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. All are invited.
  3. Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast next Sunday, December 8 after mass.

 Sunday Collection – Nov. 24:  Meadow Lake $974.50  Green Lake $238.15  Children’s Collection $3.00
 
Sunday Church Attendance – Nov. 24 – Adults 81    Children 9  Total  90

The Pope’s Prayer Intention for December – for pilgrims of hope – Let us pray that this Jubilee strengthen us in our faith, helping us to recognize the Risen Christ in the midst of our lives, transforming us into pilgrims of Christian hope.
 
Bishop’s Annual Appeal:
“Bring Your Gifts to the Altar”
October 27, 2024 – December 31, 2024
Every gift is greatly appreciated!

 Bishop’s Annual Appeal –  Thank you for supporting the Bishop’s Annual Appeal. You can bring your donation to the office during the postal strike. We will arrange for it to get to Prince Albert.
            The Annual Appeal goal for Our Lady of Peace is $16,392.00 and for St. Jude’s Parish is $1823.00.
As of Nov. 25 our parish has 20 pledges for $5780.00. The diocese has received 546 pledges for $253535.48.
 
Christmas Cards for the Lodge – Parishioners are invited to prepare 5 – 10 Christmas cards which will be distributed randomly. Please drop them off at the office on or before December 17. Thank you!
 
Reverse Collection – We are once again collecting donations to be taken to the Door of Hope. Please take slips of paper, purchase the items and bring them to the church. The donations will be delivered to the Door of Hope just before Christmas. Thank You!
 
Knights of Columbus – Next Sunday, December 8 there will be a pancake breakfast after mass. Also, the Knights will be having a ham and turkey bingo on Sunday, December 15.
 
Season of Advent – Advent has a twofold nature: It prepares us for Christmas, when we recall Christ’s first coming among us, and it is also a time when we look forward to his second coming at the end of the ages. Advent is a season of joyful expectation.                    Taken from Ordo  page 13
 
 Scripture Insights – First Sunday of Advent
Taken from Source Book for Sundays, Seasons and Weekdays 2025: The Almanac for Pastoral Liturgy, LTP Liturgy Training Publications Copyright 2024, 3949 South Racine Avenue, Chicago, IL 60609, pg. 6.
 
 In a time of suffering for the people of Judah, Jeremiah looks forward with hope to God’s fulfilling of the promise of the Davidic covenant. The time is coming, says he, for God to raise up his Anointed One from the line of David to redeem Israel and return justice to the land and its people. The psalmist follows, developing the essence of this covenantal relationship by petitioning God to continue teaching his ways and remember his fidelity, righteousness, and mercy. The hope is for an abiding, life-giving relationship, made manifest in the coming gift of the Christ.
 The New Testament readings spring from the lived reality of this relationship in history. Paul pleads for help for God’s people to abound in love, manifesting that of God the Father in the gift of Jesus the Son through loving care for creation and one another. How we choose to act and interact with one another should reflect this relationship. The hope now is for the time to come, as Jesus expounds in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus calls disciples of all time to stand strong in the face of fear and distraction. Life in covenant relationship with the One who created us and the One who redeemed us is the longer, possibly harder road, but the journey is worth the effort in hope for a destination in union.
 
  • Today’s readings invite us to explore the emotion of shame with the goal of releasing those feelings before the love of God (see verses 2 – 3 of today’s Psalm 25). You can almost hear the yearning in St. Paul’s voice as he writes, “Why can’t you love yourselves the way God loves you?” Our society relies heavily on shame in the ways we punish, defame, and even attempt to motivate people around us. God’s way is not to shame ourselves and others, but to foster deep awareness of who we really are and live into that calling.
·         The prophet Jeremiah connects safety with justice. Canada has created a system of “justice” that relies on the imprisonment of wrongdoers – creating an illusion of safety for some while driving others further into isolation and despair. The incarnation of the Word made flesh shows us that true safety and justice come not from separation, but from proximity and relationship.
  • Apocalyptic signs abound in the world today, and can leave us fearful, anxious, and looking for escape. Let us lift our eyes toward God and trust that he will lead the way.
0 Comments

11/22/2024 0 Comments

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe  November 24, 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  
 
  The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Psalm 93 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., Nov. 25 – No mass
 
Tues., Nov. 26 – 10:00 am Liturgy with Communion at the Lodge
 
Tues., Nov. 26 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Special Intention by Louis Gratton

Wed., Nov. 27 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Special Intention by Louis Gratton

Thurs., Nov. 28 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Special Intention by Louis Gratton

Thurs., Nov. 28 – 10:00 – 11:00 am (Adoration after mass)
 
Fri., Nov. 29 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Therese Christensen by Darcy, Dustin & Jim Thomas & Kelty Esau

Sat., Nov. 30 – 7:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church) - People of God

Sun., Dec. 1 – 10:00 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - People of God

Sun., Dec. 1 – 12:30 pm (St. Jude’s Green Lake) - People of God

THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH
  1. Children’s catechism – Classes will be held weekly after Sunday mass.

 
Sunday Collection – Nov. 17:  Meadow Lake $1100.05  Green Lake $110.35  Children’s Collection $3.00
 
Sunday Church Attendance – Nov. 17 – Adults 120    Children 8  Total  128
 
The Pope’s Prayer Intention for November – for anyone who has lost a child – We pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community and receive peace and consolation from the Holy Spirit.
Bishop’s Annual Appeal:
“Bring Your Gifts to the Altar”
October 27, 2024 – December 31, 2024
Every gift is greatly appreciated!

 Bishop’s Annual Appeal –  Thank you for supporting the bishop’s Annual Appeal. You can bring your donation to the office during the postal strike. We will arrange for it to get to Prince Albert.
            The Annual Appeal goal for Our Lady of Peace is $16,392.00 and for St. Jude’s Parish is $1823.00.
As of Nov. 18 our parish has 20 pledges for $5780.00. The diocese has received 485 pledges for $231533.48.
 
Christmas Cards for the Lodge – Parishioners are invited to prepare 5 – 10 Christmas cards which will be distributed randomly. Please drop them off at the office on or before December 17. Thank you!
 
World Day of Youth – Instituted in 1985 at the conclusion of the International Year of Youth and in conjunction with Saint John Paul II’s World Youth Day gatherings, this observance has taken place on Palm Sunday. In 2020 Pope Francis transferred the date to the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. “Young people must say to the world: It is good to follow Jesus! You bring us the joy of faith and tell us that we must live the faith always with a young heart.”    Pope Francis               Taken from Ordo  page 253
 
Reverse Collection – Once again we will have the Reverse Collection. Please pick a few slips of paper, purchase the items and bring them to the church. The food will be taken to the Door of Hope just before Christmas. Thank you for your participation in this project for the needy of our community.
 
Old Hall Tables – We are selling about 15 of the old brown hall tables for $25 each. If you are interested in purchasing any of these tables please contact the office.
 
Scripture Insights – Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
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. 398.
 
 “Are you the King of the Jews?” Pilate wants to know. If Jesus declares himself to be king of the Jews, then Pilate can execute him for sedition, for threatening Caesar’s authority. Jesus’ roundabout answer must have puzzled Pilate. Jesus, of course, is a king – not only of the Jews, but over the whole universe, even over Caesar. Pilate has simply misunderstood the nature of Jesus’ kingship. He is not a king among other kings. Instead, Jesus is a king the way God is a king: “in splendor robed,” the psalmist declares. Emperors and presidents come and go; Jesus’ throne endures forever.
 When the visionary John writes to the Christians of Asia Minor (Caesar’s domain, remember), he tells them that Christ “has made us into a kingdom” – in other words, Jesus’ kingdom consists of every person who “listens to [his] voice” (Jn 18:37). Revelation names the universal scope of Jesus’ rule by identifying him as the exalted Son of Man in Daniel’s vision who was given everlasting “dominion, glory, and kingship” over all the peoples and nations of the earth (Dn 7:14; Rev 1:6 – 7). When the author of Revelation declares that “all the peoples of the earth will lament him” or wail over him, he is borrowing from the prophet Zechariah, who prophesied that God would “pour out a spirit of compassion” on his people so that they would mourn for the one they had pierced as if weeping over a firstborn son or an only child (see Rv 12:10).
In this way, Revelation suggests that the nations might do what Pilate and the high priests could not: recognize Jesus as the true king, the one who was and is and is to come, and bow before him in repentance.
 
  • Alpha and Omega, first and last, beginning and end. God was there, in the beginning, with the Word. God has been with us throughout all time, as we have heard again and again in the retelling of our stories through the prophets and the Acts of the Apostles. God will be there at the end, the final moments of the final days. No matter what trials will come as we approach the end of days, take comfort in knowing that God will be there, too. God will not leave us alone.
·         Even though we use the language of royalty to speak of our God, Christ himself reminds us that our earthly understanding of authority and its various labels means nothing to him, because his kingdom is not of this world, not like anything we know. Let us not get caught up in the labels, but let us lean into the great mystery of Love beyond our comprehension.
  • The end of the world and the beginning of new life come one right after the other in this transition from one liturgical year to the next. The language of the end of days does not disappear as we enter Advent next weekend: consider ways to point out these connections in your preaching, so that the wheel of God’s time continues to flow and ignite our imagination to keep the mystery alive and active.
0 Comments

11/15/2024 0 Comments

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time  November 17, 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  
 
  Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
Psalm 16 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., Nov. 18 – No mass
 
Tues., Nov. 19 – 9:00 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Special Intention by Louis Gratton

Tues., Nov. 19 – 10:00 am Liturgy with Communion at the Lodge
 
Wed., Nov. 20 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +John & +Lillian Chatelaine by Norma & Christopher LaChance & Family

Thurs., Nov. 21 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Bobby LaChance by Norma & Christopher LaChance & Family

Thurs., Nov. 21 – 10:00 – 11:00 am (Adoration after mass)
 
Fri., Nov. 22 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Special Intention by Louis Gratton

Sat., Nov. 23 – 7:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church) - People of God

Sun., Nov. 24 – 10:00 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - People of God

Sun., Nov. 24 – 12:30 pm (St. Jude’s Green Lake) - People of God

Sun., Nov. 24 – 3:00 pm (Our Lady of the Smile Waterhen) - People of God

THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH
  1. Children’s catechism – Classes will be held weekly after Sunday mass.
  2. Happy Birthday to Fr. Uche whose birthday is on Tuesday, November 19.
  3. Please note that Tuesday’s mass is moved to 9:00 am.

Sunday Collection – Nov. 10:  Meadow Lake $1604.59  Green Lake $56.80  Children’s Collection $4.95
Sunday Church Attendance – Nov. 10 – Adults 130    Children 14  Total  144
 
The Pope’s Prayer Intention for November – for anyone who has lost a child – We pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community and receive peace and consolation from the Holy Spirit.
 
Bishop’s Annual Appeal:
“Bring Your Gifts to the Altar”
October 27, 2024 – December 31, 2024
Every gift is greatly appreciated!

 Bishop’s Annual Appeal – Your generosity makes it possible for Diocesan ministries to provide essential education, pastoral care and other assistance to thousands of people across our beautiful Diocese. These ministries couldn’t happen without your financial help. Thank you for supporting the bishop’s Annual Appeal.
            The Annual Appeal goal for Our Lady of Peace is $16,392.00 and for St. Jude’s Parish is $1823.00.
            As of Nov. 13 our parish has 18 pledges for $5530.00. The diocese has received 383 pledges for $194533.48.
 
World Day of the Poor – In 2017, Pope Francis instituted the World Day of the Poor so that “throughout the world Christian communities can become an ever greater sign of Christ’s charity for the least and those most in need.”        - Message of his Holiness, Pope Francis, First World Day of the Poor, November 19, 2017
                                                Taken from Ordo  page 249
 
Bake Sale at Lodge – The Lodge is holding a fundraising bake sale on Friday, November 22 from 1:00 pm – 4:00pm at the Lodge. They are looking for donations of baking. Please drop off baking items at the Lodge on Friday morning.
 
Christmas Shoebox –  Shoeboxes can be picked up at the back of the church. More boxes have been ordered (also an ordinary shoebox can be used). All shoeboxes must be at the church on or before November 17th. For gift suggestions and information Google SamaritansPurse.ca/OCC.
 
Scripture Insights – 33rd 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. 390.
 
 The two Old Testament readings point to the joys of eternal life. The psalmist is confident that God will not abandon his soul to “the netherworld” but will show him “the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence.” Daniel writes that after a time of tribulation, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake” – some to life and some to everlasting disgrace. Those who have been wise and just “shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament.”
 In the Gospel, Jesus also refers to a time of tribulation and then the final judgment. He quotes from another portion of Daniel to promise that at the end of all things the Son of Man (Jesus himself) will “gather his elect . . . from the end of the earth to the end of the sky” (Mk 13:26 – 27; see Dn 7:13 – 14). He tells his disciples to be alert for the signs of the end, but he also discourages speculation by insisting that not even the Son knows the day or hour of the end – only the Father.
Hebrews continues its theme of Jesus’ unique sacrifice. Unlike the sacrifices of the earthly priests, Jesus’ sacrifice for sin was effective and does not need to be repeated. Seated at the right hand of God (the highest place of honor in heaven), Christ now waits, as we do, for the end, when all of his enemies (the enduring power of sin, evil, and death) will be defeated forever, and the faithful will be raised to everlasting life. In the Gospel, the stars fall from the sky; in Daniel, the just ones take the place of the stars, lighting up the new age with their radiance.
 
  • As we near the end of the liturgical year, themes of the end of the world come to the fore, and we cannot escape the knowledge that life on earth as we know it will come to an end. While we do not know the day or the hour, the essence of these messages is that it will be sooner rather than later. Are we living our best version of ourselves?
·         Whenever God makes big moves in the world, the whole of creation seems to get involved. All of the elements are keyed into the energy of God and serve at God’s command. Creation often gives us lots of clues that God is still living and moving, time is passing, and we are found amidst change and growth always.
  • What sits heavy on your heart today? What sins need forgiving, what wounds need yet be healed? Even if we don’t have the answers, even if the wounds cannot be healed or the wrongs righted in this very moment, let us not wait to bring these cries to our God. Remember the sacrament of reconciliation. Let us not be found delaying or hiding from what we would rather not acknowledge.
0 Comments

11/8/2024 0 Comments

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time  November 10, 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  
 
   Praise the Lord, O my soul.
Psalm 146 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., Nov. 11 – No mass
 
Tues., Nov. 12 – 10:00 am Liturgy with Communion at the Lodge
 
Tues., Nov. 12 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - For all who have no one else to pray for them by Theresa Rodrigue

Wed., Nov. 13 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - For all who died alone with no one to pray for them by Theresa Rodrigue

Thurs., Nov. 14 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Cecile DeBray by Barbie Levesque

Thurs., Nov. 14 – 10:00 – 11:00 am (Adoration after mass)
 
Fri., Nov. 15 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Tanya Fillion by Barbie Levesque

Sat., Nov. 16 – 7:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church) - People of God

Sun., Nov. 17 – 10:00 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - People of God

Sun., Nov. 17 – 12:30 pm (St. Jude’s Green Lake) - People of God

THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH
  1. Children’s catechism – Classes will be held weekly after Sunday mass.
  2. Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast today, Nov. 10 after mass. Everyone welcome.

 
Sunday Collection – Nov. 3:  Meadow Lake $2532.35  Green Lake $174.55  Children’s Collection $8.80
                                         October CAFT    $2385.00
Sunday Church Attendance – Nov. 3 – Adults 137    Children 13  Total  150
 
The Pope’s Prayer Intention for November – for anyone who has lost a child – We pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community and receive peace and consolation from the Holy Spirit.
 
Bishop’s Annual Appeal:
“Bring Your Gifts to the Altar”
October 27, 2024 – December 31, 2024
Every gift is greatly appreciated!

 Bishop’s Annual Appeal – The ministries of the Bishop’s Annual Appeal continue their work in support of Faith formation, Family Life, Catholic Family Services, Indigenous Ministries, Evangelization and Catechesis. Will you help to keep these ministries strong?
            The Annual Appeal goal for Our Lady of Peace is $16,392.00 and for St. Jude’s Parish is $1823.00.
            As of Nov. 6 our parish has 8 pledges for $2420.00. The diocese has received 197 pledges for $139,468.48.
 
Remembrance Day – Canadians pause today in silence to remember those who died in war and to pray for victims of aggression and inhumanity throughout the world. This is a day to pray for peace, to consider what we are doing as individuals, as a community and as a nation to bring God’s peace into the world. This is a day when a believing community should rededicate itself by prayer and action to the ideals Jesus gives us in the Beatitudes.
 
Christmas Shoebox – The main reason to pack a shoebox is to ensure that children from the poorest families of the world know that someone cares, which is demonstrated be receiving a shoebox that is filled with toys, school supplies and personal care items. Shoeboxes can be picked up at the back of the church. More boxes have been ordered (also an ordinary shoebox can be used). All shoeboxes must be at the church on or before November 17th. For gift suggestions and information Google SamaritansPurse.ca/OCC.
 
Scripture Insights – 32nd 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. 384.
 
 Hebrews reminds us that the high priests in Israel enacted a ritual that echoed a heavenly one. Every year, they entered into a “copy” of heaven (that is, the inner sanctum of the Jerusalem temple) to make atonement for sins. Jesus perfects and completes this ritual. He enters into the true sanctuary – heaven itself – and “once for all” makes atonement for sins by his sacrifice, bearing not the blood of others but his own blood. When Christ appears to us again, it will be for the final salvation that we eagerly await, when “the Lord shall reign forever” (Ps 146:10) in the new creation.
 The Gospel reading contains a double-edged sword. Jesus observes people putting money into the temple treasury. Wealthy people put in a lot, but Jesus does not comment on that. A poor widow puts in two coins, and Jesus gathers his disciples to proclaim that the woman has contributed more than everyone else put together, because she gave out of her poverty.
On the one hand, this is a praiseworthy story of costly generosity. The woman in the Gospel is like the widow of Zarephath, who gave her last scrap of flour and oil to the prophet Elijah. That widow’s flour and oil never ran out; as the psalmist writes, “The widow [God] sustains.”
Just before Jesus observes the widow, he warns against the scribes, who “devour the houses of widows.” Suddenly Jesus’ observation that she gave “her whole livelihood” takes on a sharper note. Have the scribes, who were associated with the temple leadership, devoured her house? Jesus’ story challenges us not only to admire the widow but to condemn those who failed to care for her in her poverty.
 
  • Even the smallest, simplest of gestures can give us more life than we may ever have imagined. Like the widow using what she believed to be her last little bit of sustenance to feed Elijah, a stranger. What is an example of a time you gave what little you had and received much more in return?
·         Scriptures often speak about widows, especially showing Christ’s love and care for them, and the charge for others to do the same. During the life of Jesus, widows were among the most vulnerable of society: with no husband attached to their name, they had no status. Who are those with the lowest social status in our communities today? Are they among us, sitting in our pews? Do we notice them, name them?
  • For the wealthy, giving a few dollars to a charity a few times a year doesn’t really “cost” them anything. They don’t really feel the pinch, they do not go without. But for the poor, like the widow in today’s Gospel, giving the little that she had required true sacrifice – financial, emotional, mental. She definitely would feel the loss, and yet she decides to give anyway. She decides that this loss is worth it. What is worth it to us? What are we willing to sacrifice for?
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    Parish Bulletin

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