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February 5, 2012
Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time



From the Desk of the Pastor
In the readings for this Sunday each of the main characters (Job, Paul, and Jesus) is confronted with stressful circumstances. While the tensions are different for each, they are not unique to our present-day experiences in living out our baptismal call. The first reading is taken from the Book of Job. We hear in Job’s response to Eliphaz the ponderings of a depressed man: “Is not man’s life on earth drudgery?” Job can find no peace of mind by day or night. But as the story unfolds, Job will discover that humility and trust in the Lord is the sure path to understanding the meaning of suffering in life. In the second reading, Paul writes to the Corinthians of two tensions in his life. The first has to do with an obligation imposed on him – that is “the gospel” that he preached. The second tension for Paul is the balance between freedom and slavery that he felt in his life. As we hear in the Gospel reading, even Jesus experienced tension in the work of his public ministry. According to Mark, the early stages of Jesus’ ministry were marked by his rapidly increasing fame for healing the sick and exorcizing the demons in the villages and towns. Understandably, the people were drawn to Jesus’ power to heal those suffering from sickness and disease and to free those who were demon possessed. But here was the tension: Jesus came not just to heal; he came also to preach the good news of the kingdom of God.

I will be out of town from Sunday afternoon until Thursday night. I was unable to get another priest to cover Masses for those days. There will be NO MASSES Monday thru Thursday this week.

Some thoughts on the General Instruction of the Roman Missal: More of the Introductory Rites:  The “Priest goes to the chair. When the Entrance Chant is concluded, with everybody standing, the Priest and faithful sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross. The Priest says: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The people reply, Amen. Then, facing the people and extending his hands, the Priest greets the people, using one of the formulas indicated. The Priest himself or some other minister may also very briefly introduce the faithful to the Mass of the day. The Penitential Act follows. After this, the Kyrie (Lord Have Mercy) is sung or said, in accordance with the rubrics. For celebrations where it is prescribed, the Gloria (Glory to God in the highest) is either sung or said. The Priest then calls upon the people to pray, saying, with hands joined, Let us pray. All pray silently with the Priest for a brief time. Then the Priest, with hands extended, says the Collect, at the end of which the people acclaim, Amen.” The GIRM allows for “remarks” after the greeting. I have done this sparingly, usually to introduce some aspect of the Liturgy we are about to celebrate. Silence is prescribed after the priest calls upon the people to pray and before the priest actually prays aloud the Opening Prayer or Collect.

Last Sunday, between Masses, I taught a so-called “Mass Class” to the PREP students and some of their parents. Two things I emphasized are worth sharing with everyone. First: the importance of making Sunday Mass a part of your life. Our Church teaches that this is an obligation –that is, to attend Mass every Sunday or Saturday evening. This “obligation” ought NOT to be understood as a rule imposed upon us from the “outside”, but something that springs from within us as a response in gratitude for God’s love and saving graces in Christ Jesus. Second: the importance of actively participating in the Mass. As a Priest, I “preside” at our liturgy but what we do is an act of worship of the whole body of Christ.

Lent is just around the corner. Wednesday February 22 is Ash Wednesday. We will continue to have 7pm Thursday evening Mass and Stations of the Cross during Lent.

SCRIPS: Please purchase gift cards before or after Mass, for your own use or for gift giving. This is a very easy fundraiser for our parish, but requires participations of as many of us as possible. Use of a SCRIP gift card gains St. Anthony a percentage back on the purchase.

                                                        Fr. Joe

Bulletin Connection
Mother-in-law jokes used to be a staple of stand-up comics. The comic strip Hagar the Horrible continues the tradition even today, often with Hagar taking off on a voyage just as Helga’s mother arrives for an extended visit. In Mark’s Gospel, Simon’s mother-in-law appears not as a comic foil but as someone through whom the power of God is made manifest. When Jesus cures her of a fever, she is restored to her position in the community, offering the customary hospitality to guests. In what way has God’s power been made manifest in our own lives?

Forming Good Stewards
Good stewards are formed by other good stewards!
Everyone is looking for you.  Mark 1:29-39
Of course everyone was looking for Jesus.  He cured their sick and drove out their demons.  They believed in him because of what they had seen him do.  But had they listened to his message and did they believe what he had to say?  Jesus would eventually tell others that “It is your faith that has healed you.”  In the first reading Job recants his life of drudgery, loss and pain.  The passage concluded, “I shall not see happiness again.”  But Job did not lose faith in God when the Lord allowed Satan to test him, so God restores Job’s fortunes and gives him a beautiful family.  Faith that does not endure when tested is not faith.  As long as Jesus stayed in Capernaum and healed their sick and drove out demons, they believed in him.  The test of their faith is whether they continued to believe in him when he left to preach the gospel to others by his words and actions.  The test for us is whether we believe the faith they passed on to us.


 

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