Friday, May 07, 2021
EASTER WEEKDAY
Connect with creation and Creator
If you have a garden, you might be checking the forecast these days to see if conditions are right for planting. Gardens play an outsize role in the Christian imagination. From the Garden of Eden to the Garden of Gethsemane, key events happen in gardens. For centuries communities of sisters, brothers, and priests have cultivated gardens for food, edification, and connection to a major metaphor for spiritual development. Seek out a patch of green, and whether you plant a seed or enjoy a bloom, connecting with creation will connect you with the Creator.
TODAY'S READINGS: Acts 15:22-31; John 15:12-17. “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain.” #takefiveforfaith
We need to remember that simple lesson. The Catholic faith is not an ideology. It’s a romance. It’s a love affair with God. We’re a people who believe in Jesus Christ – not the ideas, but the person of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen for our sake purely out of his love for us. And living the Catholic faith should be an experience of gratitude and joy that flows from a daily personal encounter with God’s son and a communal relationship with God’s people.
~ Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Pray for all young people. This is the prayer intention from Pope Francis, part of the prayer marathon for the Month of May: Pray for the end of the pandemic.
John 15:12-17
Jesus said to his disciples:
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
#dailyingodsword
🎨by Jack Medved
Today's prayer intention: Pray for all children and adolescents. This is part of #PopeFrancis' monthlong prayer marathon to end the pandemic.
PAVE THE WAY!
Our first round of engraving with pavers for our legacy of pastors and parishioner orders is underway with a second soon to follow! Thanks to all who are supporting our new amenities with this project and ordering pavers! Order soon to be in the next batch! Forms are available in the parish office. And special thanks to Tara @lajollastoneetching
BAGS OF LOVE
Small Church Communities' members have been doing Mother’s Day “Baskets of Love” since 2009. Each SCC group was responsible to create a specific number of baskets depending on the number of members in each group. Initially we were donating the “baskets” to Culture of Life Family Services but several years ago we decided to donate the “baskets” to Fr. Joe’s Villages for the children living there to give to his/her mother as a Mother’s Day gift. Two years ago we were given the task to prepare over 100 baskets, which forced us to use “gift bags” instead of baskets. This year, Fr. Mike asked us to include gathering donations from our parish community, so more could participate in this good work, which resulted in great success. Although we only had 50 bags to donate this year, SCC members sorted the collected items and were able to create larger bags for the mothers. Each year his particular SCC project is organized by one of our group leaders, Chris Kalasho, who found the cute reusable gift bags. Thank you, Sacred Heart for your generous donations!
Thursday, May 06, 2021
EASTER WEEKDAY
Focus on the essentials
One of the earliest conflicts in the church had to do with whether Gentiles should have to follow the laws and customs of Judaism. Because Christianity grew out of Judaism, early church leaders had a hard time sorting out what was essential to the emerging Christian faith and what was simply the “way we’ve always done it.” This question continues to vex church leaders to this day and has gone through many iterations—from questions about ritual practices, to prayers and social norms. What is essential to the faith? That we love God with our whole heart, mind, and soul, and love our neighbor as ourselves. Everything else may well be a matter of custom. When it comes to faith, take time today to get back to the basics.
TODAY'S READINGS: Acts 15:7-21, John 15:9-11. “It is my judgment, therefore, that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God.” #takefiveforfaith
John 15:9-11
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete.”
#dailyingodsword
📷SH Women’s Retreat
(pre-pandemic)
