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TWENTY SIXTH SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME A
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The prophet
Ezekiel railed against the presumptive spirit of the people. These "good" people felt they were being treated unfairly, even as they judged sinner. Yet, as the prophet proclaimed, it was the people who were unfair, unfair in their pride and unfair in their judgment. God only cared for repentance, not self-righteousness.
Psalm 25 was a hymn of supplication, but it also extolled the virtue of faithfulness.
St. Paul wrote to the
Philppians about the need for humility. Christians are to follow the Lord and do as he did. As he emptied himself and suffered, so must we be willing to do for the good of others and the glory of God.
St. Matthew presented a short parable about the choice of two sons. One refused his father's request, then relented. The other agreed to his father's request and did nothing. The point of the parable was not the moral character of the sons but their obedience to the father. Their choice was a question of doing the will of the Father and their place in his Kingdom.
Larry Broding (Copyright 1999-2017)
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BR
EAKING OPEN THIS SUNDAY'S READINGS
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| 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A |
The first son told the father he was not going to the vineyard, but then he changed his mind. His decision to respond to the father's request, although late in coming, eclipsed the empty words of the apparently compliant second son.
Throughout our lives Jesus presents us with opportunities for spiritual growth and participation in his mission. These opportunities can involve change of some kind.
We often instinctively respond to a suggestion of change in our lives by pushing it away, because it disturbs the status quo. The change may look like it will require work and commitment, as the request to go to the vineyard did. It may mean putting aside what we want to do in order to do respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
The change may require something small of us, such as offering help to a friend when we would rather do something else; or it may ask something big of us, such as a change in our work or location, or addressing some aspect of our personality which is destructive.
When the father asked the first son to go to the vineyard, the son did not want to leave whatever he was doing. Saying no to change is a very human first reaction, and well understood by the God who calls us to change. God does not give up and his prompting will follow us. If our initial "no" is followed by prayer and reflection, we will eventually find peace in making the change. If our thoughts are all about justifying our "no" and developing layers of reasons to support the "no", then we are in danger of putting what we want ahead of what God wants for us.
We all do this at times when the change seems too big or appears to ask too much of us. Our God is persistent, and he will present us again with the opportunity to respond, perhaps in a different way and in different circumstances.
Our initial "no" is always an interim rather than a final response in the eyes of the God who loves us and calls us to work in his vineyard.
Bishops of New Zealand
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ST JOSEPH BROOKFIELD NEW MOBILE APP NOW AVAILABLE
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Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are called "saints" because they are holy. But they are different from the rest of the saints because they are not human. They are angels; more specifically, archangels. They are protectors of human beings and we know something about each of them from the Bible.
Michael's name means "who is like God?" Three books of the Bible speak of St. Michael: Daniel, Revela-tion, and the Letter of Jude. In the Book of Revelation, chapter 12, verses 7-9, we read of a great war that took place in heaven. Michael and his angels battled with Satan. Michael became the champion of loyalty to God and the protector of the People of God. We can ask St. Michael to make us strong in our love for Jesus and in the practice of our Catholic faith.
Gabriel's name means "the power of God." He, too, is mentioned in the book of Daniel. He has become familiar to us because Gabriel is an important person in Luke's Gospel. This archangel announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of our Savior. Gabriel also announced to Zechariah that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son and call him John. Gabriel is the messenger of the Good News. We can ask him to help us be good messengers as he was.
Raphael's name means "God has healed." We read the touching story of Raphael's role in the Bible's Book of Tobit. He brought healing to the blind Tobit, and accompanied Tobit's son Tobiah on his journey. At the very end of the journey, Raphael revealed his true identity. He said he was one of the seven angels who stand before God's throne. We can ask St. Raphael to protect us in our travels, even for short journeys, like going to school. We can also ask him to help when we or someone we love becomes sick.
We can say a short prayer like this one to these three archangels: St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, be with me today. Protect me from whatever could cause spiritual or physical harm. Help me to be faithful to Jesus and a good messenger of his divine love. Amen.
From
Saint a Day app from the App Store
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The 2017
Blessing of the Animals will take place
next Sunday
October 8th at 12:30 on the lawn area near
Our Blessed Mother - all of God's creatures invited.
BRING YOUR BEASTS!!!!
(below pics from last year)
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***ALL DAILY AND WEEKEND MASSES NOW
STREAMED LIVE ON THE WEBSITE***
(DISCLAIMER: does not fulfill 3rd Commandment obligation, though - sorry)
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CATHOLIC FAITH FORMATION DIY AT HOME - FORMED.ORG
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ST JOSEPH BROOKFIELD
ACCESS CODE 2BJN6X
PARISH PAYS FOR YOUR ACCT - SIMPLY SIGN IN
"BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD..."
WE RECITE IT EVERY DAY AT MASS,
BUT DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT IT MEANS?
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LIFELINE SCREENING EVENT AT ST JOSEPH GYM
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SATURDAY OCTOBER 14
Saturday, October 14
St. Joseph School Gym
Pre-Registration Required:
Call 1-888-653-6450
Or Go To:
www.lifelinescreening.com/community-partners
(Receive $10 Discount when Registering)
Life Line Screenings offer participants the opportunity to discover their risk for chronic diseases such as athero-sclerosis, peripheral arterial disease or other vascular conditions. Screenings are performed by highly trained sonographers using the same sophisticated ultrasound equipment found in major hospitals. Results are reviewed by a board-certified, Connecticut-registered physician and sent to you within 21 days of the screening. All participants are then encouraged to review the results with their personal physician.
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Let us pray for those in our parish who were recently welcomed through
the Sacrament of Baptism
Easton Alexander Glowicki
May her lifetime journey in faith sustain her and light her way.
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FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED
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Let us pray for those in our parish who have entered into their eternal rest...
Vincent "Vince" Lupo
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
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Let us celebrate with great joy those within our parish who have recently joined hearts and hands in the most sacred union of Holy Matrimony.
May God continue to bless them and keep them in his watchful care for the rest of their lives as the two of them became one in their new seamless union of love.
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JUST A FEW THOUGHTS TO PONDER
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Why Infant Baptism in the Catholic Church
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Education in the context of Faith is Wisdom
COME AND SEE WHAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT.....
YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID!
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*** NEW ***
ST JOSEPH CHURCH 2016/2017 YEAR END FINANCIAL REPORT
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| Yours in Christ Jesus, 
Rev. George F. O'Neill
Pastor
(please excuse my typos etc...)
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