Prayer Requests from US Bishops

11-04-2018Weekly ReflectionFr. James Aboyi

Dear Parishioners,

I would like to thank those who helped with the planning of the parish and school events last weekend. My special thanks to the SJB team for the successful Harvest Fest on Saturday night. Special thanks, also, to the parish staff and volunteers who helped organize Trunk-or-Treat on Sunday night. Thank you, everyone, for your participation and personal sacrifices. For me, that was one of the most beautiful and memorable weekends of the year!

The next big event, our Parish Fall Fiesta FUNdraiser Dinner, is coming up Saturday, November 10. Don't miss out on the fun! Lots of food, fellowship, silent auction items, entertainment and more. Consider inviting your friends and neighbors to join you. Many thanks to the Fall Fiesta committee for all the planning and dedication you have made to ensure that we have a successful celebration. I look forward with excitement to another wonderful and memorable evening next Saturday. Proceeds from the event will be going towards the funding of our new church home.

Prayer Requests from US Bishops

We have a very special prayer request from Bishop Olmsted and Bishop Nevares, along with bishops all over U.S., asking us to join them with intensive prayer and fasting for seven days, from Monday, November 5, through Sunday, November 11. The intentions for prayer are for justice and healing for victims of Church sex abuse, accountability for the predators, and transparent leadership for Church leaders. These special seven days of prayer and sacrifice are in preparation for the forthcoming General Assembly of the U.S. Catholic Bishops in Baltimore from November 12-14. During the assembly, the bishops will discuss and vote on a series of concrete measures to respond to the abuse crisis, such as a third-party reporting mechanisms, standards of conduct for bishops, and protocols for resignation and removal of bishops involved in abuse, as well as some other key issues. Discussions and voting, as well as portions of the day of spiritual discernment during the General Assembly, will be streamed live and available at http://www.usccb.org/live.

In the Gospel today, Jesus explains how to live the commandments in our daily lives by linking the love of God with the love of our neighbor. We notice that of the Ten Commandments, the first three refer to our relationship with God, while the remaining seven are about our relationship with our neighbors. Love of God, and love of neighbor, are two sides of the same coin. This is a high standard and a challenge for everyone - yet that is what we are called to do: to measure our love of God by the way we love other human beings around us. As St. John says, "Anyone who says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, is a liar, for how can one who does not love the brother that he can see, love God whom he has never seen?" (1 Jn 4:20).

Thank you and Remain Blessed.
Fr. James

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