Dear Friends in Christ,

Here are a few updates from the parish for the week of Sunday, January 24, 2021.
1) 9 Days for Life Novena - JANUARY 21-29, 2021: 9 Days for Life is a novena for the protection of human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. Click on the image below to sign up for daily emails to pray the novena.
2) Watch the MARCH FOR LIFE LIVE - Friday, January 29, 2021: Watch the livestream of the March for Life beginning at 11 a.m. ET. The live broadcast will include inspiring speeches from pro-life leaders, information on how to stay involved in the pro-life movement all year long, and a performance by Christian singer and songwriter Matthew West.
3) A Pastoral Note from Archbishop Vigneron on the Word of God Sunday:

A Church alive in Christ is a Church whose members love the Scriptures, study them, pray them, and live by them. As the Archdiocese of Detroit continues to undergo its “missionary conversion,” so that every Catholic may be formed and sent forth as a joyful missionary disciple, I would like to highlight the necessity of turning to the Word of God to equip and inspire us for this task. In doing so, I am taking up the charge Pope Francis gave to the whole Church when he established the Sunday of the Word of God, celebrated annually on the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time: to encourage the prayerful reading of the Bible and greater familiarity with God’s word. READ MORE

4) New Podcast From Fr. Mike Schmitz, featuring Jeff Cavins: The Bible In A Year:

If you’ve struggled to read the Bible, this podcast is for you.

Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast, hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz and featuring Jeff Cavins, guides Catholics through the Bible in 365 daily episodes starting January 1st, 2021.

Each 20-25 minute episode includes:

  • two to three scripture readings 
  • a reflection from Fr. Mike Schmitz
  • and guided prayer to help you hear God’s voice in his Word.

Unlike any other Bible podcast, Ascension’s Bible in a Year Podcast for Catholics follows a reading plan inspired by the Great Adventure Bible Timeline® learning system, a groundbreaking approach to understanding Salvation History developed by renowned Catholic Bible teacher Jeff Cavins.

Tune in and live your daily life through the lens of God’s word!
5) The Chosen: The Chosen is the first-ever-multi-season TV show about the life of Jesus. Created outside of the Hollywood system, The Chosen allows us to see Him through the eyes of those who knew him.

The series is incredibly done and I have been mesmerized by each episode I have watched.

The series is available on Pure Flix or you can purchase a digital copy or a DVD of Season One on The Chosen website (https://studios.vidangel.com/the-chosen).

Below is the series official trailer. If you are interested in being part of the watch party and discussion group, please click on the watch party flyer below.
6) 2020 Tax Statements: With the many changes to the tax laws, itemizing deductions will not benefit as many people as in the past. As a result, many people will not need or benefit from the usual end of the year tax statements normally generated this time of year.

Please consult with your tax preparer to determine if you still need a contribution statement from us. If you need a statement of your offertory, capital campaign, and sponsorship appeal contributions for your 2020 income taxes, please click on the button below and complete the form found there. We will then generate a statement for you toward the end of January.


7) Holy Hour This Week: Please consider joining us for Holy Hour this Thursday (also live-streamed) at 7 PM. This week's Holy Hour will be silent (there will be no music).

8) This Sunday's Readings - Sunday, January 24, 2021

9) Grow+Go for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time:
Grow+Go, content is designed to help you understand what it means to be an evangelizing disciple of Christ. Using the Sunday Scriptures as the basis for reflection, Grow+Go offers insight into how we can all more fully GROW as disciples and then GO evangelize, fulfilling Christ's Great Commission to "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19) The concept behind the weekly series is to make discipleship and evangelization simple, concrete, and relatable. Look for Grow+Go in our weekly emails.
10) Sunday Reflection by Jeff Cavins:
In this week’s Encountering the Word video for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jeff Cavins draws the connections between fishing and evangelizing. 


11) Giving to SJA: I'm truly grateful for all of your support of SJA during this pandemic. Your support means so much. The increase in electronic giving has been tremendous. Giving electronically, whether on a one-time or recurring basis is pretty simple. For more information on online giving, please click on the following button.

12) This week's edition of TALLer Tales:
The Golden-Child vs. the Golden-Grandchild: Just about every family has them. There’s the Golden-Child AND the Golden-Grandchild. It’s not necessarily a title one places on him or herself but is instead a title given to you by your siblings or cousins. Usually, the title is “bestowed” upon you because you are the oldest in the family. It’s funny to watch and hear the banter that happens (at least that’s what happens in my family) between the other siblings or cousins when the “Golden One” is perceived as getting special attention or treatment. “OH, there’s the Golden-Child” or “There’s the Golden-Grandchild.” The “shout out” usually includes massive eye-rolling or “air quotation marks.”
 
Now, I’m lucky because I was the oldest AND the priest in the family. I have a hunch that the priest in the family can sometimes “bump” another sibling from the “Golden” designation no matter where he falls in the line-up. But what happens when the Golden-Child comes up against the Golden-Grandchild. Who wins?
 
It was December 19, and my mom and dad were already roommates in what Fr. Rich calls the “Honeymoon Suite” at Grosse Pointe Beaumont Hospital. Given that many in the family were testing positive for COVID just before Christmas, phone calls were happening rather frequently during this time to check up on people.
 
My dad was the master of the daily COVID stats for many months and would often report to my mom the number of new COVID positive cases, the number of total COVID cases since the pandemic swept our nation, and the number of total deaths. He always had a handle on those numbers. So, as people in the family came down with COVID, he was greatly concerned. He hated the fact our family was now included among those statistics. On this particular day, my dad was still very talkative. He placed a call to the “Golden-Grandchild,” my nephew J.J., to check up on him. J.J. had just been diagnosed with COVID and was in isolation up at the Finn house in Allenton. My dad and J.J. had a special bond because J.J. lived with my parents for the four years he went to school at Oakland U. J.J. was the “Roomie.” My dad especially liked his “Roomie” because he had someone who would watch endless hours of football or baseball with him. So, Grandpa was checking up on one of his grandkids. As they were yapping away, my dad had another call coming in. He told J.J. to hold on as he checked his caller I.D. “Oh, it’s Uncle Mike; I’ll call him later,” my dad said. J.J. was completely stunned. “Grandpa, it’s UNCLE MIKE. You probably should take the call. He’s busy. It might be something important,” J.J. said. I’m sure my important matter was to remind my dad that he had to drink more water or something else he probably didn’t want to hear me nag about. I’ve learned that the Golden-Child or Golden-Grandchild can nag about an issue more than the other siblings or cousins. My dad hated the thought of how much water and fluids they wanted him to drink. My mom would tell us kids what the docs were saying, and we, in turn, would tag-team to try to get our dad to do what he was supposed to do. As J.J. tells the story, Grandpa made it pretty clear he was going to finish this conversation with his “Roomie” a.k.a., the Golden Grandchild, before he moved onto a phone call with me. “Ah, he can wait. I’ll call him later.” And, with that, I went to straight voicemail, and Grandpa and J.J. continued yapping away.
 
Yikes, the Golden-Child got “bumped!” I would have it no other way. It highlights the special bond that exists between a grandparent and grandchild. Someone once said, “The most precious jewels you’ll ever have around your neck are the arms of your grandchildren.” It’s pretty cool to watch. Blessed be God!
End of the Year Tax Statements: With the many tax laws changes, itemizing deductions do not benefit as many people as in the past. As a result, many people do not need or benefit from the usual end of the year tax statements we generated years ago. If you need a statement of your offertory, capital campaign and/or sponsorship appeal donations for your 2020 income taxes, please complete the online form found at sjascs.org/taxstatements. We will generate a statement for you toward the end of January. Statements for contributions to the Catholic Services Appeal are generated separately by the Archdiocese of Detroit.
 
Virtual March for Life: Not surprisingly, with all the security concerns in Washington, D.C., this year, the annual March for Life scheduled for January 29, 2021, has turned into a total virtual event. You are invited to live-stream the March for Life beginning at 11 AM on Friday, January 29. The live broadcast will include inspiring speeches from pro-life leaders and information on staying involved in the pro-life movement throughout the year. The virtual event will also have a performance by Christian singer and songwriter Matthew West. To receive a link to the virtual event, go to https://marchforlife.org/2021-virtual-events/.
 
9 Days for Life: If you have not done so already, I encourage you to participate in the annual novena for life called 9 Days for Life. The novena began on January 21 and will go through January 29. By signing up at 9daysforlife.com, you will receive daily emails with the day’s intention accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life in the United States.  There are also iOS and Android apps available. You can also take advantage of prewritten content on the 9daysforlife.com site for sharing on Facebook or Twitter. Let’s do all that we can to pray for and help build a culture of LIFE!
 
Project Rachel: We also need to pray for those many people who somehow were touched by an abortion experience and are now seeking healing and reconciliation with God, themselves, and their family. Project Rachel is a beautiful healing ministry within the Church for people in these situations. If you have been touched by an abortion experience and seek healing, please call the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Project Rachel Hotline (888-RACHEL5 / 888-722-4355) for confidential assistance or information. You can also send an email to projectrachel@aod.org. Additional information can also be found at HopeAfterAbortion.com (the U.S. Bishops’ website for post-abortion healing) and RachelsVineyard.org (a website that offers English/Spanish articles for men and women, resources, and information on weekend retreats for healing after abortion).
Enjoy the week. Know of my prayers.

In Christ,
Msgr Mike Simply Signature
13) Tire Tracks in the d’Arc
Boots on the Ground: The 1st reading today is a story of how God uses us to show mercy to others. It’s part of the beautiful and short book of Jonah, an unusual prophet if ever there was one. God is calling the wayward people of the city of Nineveh to repentance, to conversion. It’s the capital city of Assyria. The Assyrians had destroyed the Northern territory of Israel and occupied southern Israel. There was much depravity and belligerence in the city. Worship of God is not on their minds. And God calls Jonah to go to tell the Ninevites to repent of their evil or he’ll destroy the city. Jonah is an Israelite. The Ninevites, some 600 miles to the east, are his enemies.
 
So Jonah sets off immediately right? Wrong! We’ve already missed the more famous part of the story by the time these readings pick-up Jonah’s travels. God calls Jonah and he catches the first boat going west, to Tarshish in modern day Spain – 2,200 miles in the opposite direction! Why…? Because he’s afraid? No, because he’s angry! God’s asking him to warn the Ninevites so they can repent and He can show them mercy. And Jonah doesn’t think they deserve mercy. Jonah’s not just a reluctant prophet, maybe like Moses, who doubts he has the skills needed to do God’s bidding. No, Jonah doesn’t want to serve God because he’s annoyed.
 
Jonah runs away, and God sends the storm. Jonah is identified as the storm’s culprit and thrown-off the boat, swallowed by the fish and spat out onto the shore in Nineveh, wet and grumpy. So what does he do?... He walks thru the streets yelling, “40 days more and Nineveh will be destroyed!” The king hears it and, surprisingly, tells the people repent, and God spares the city. 
 
The miracle is that there is a conversion at all, considering the attitude of Jonah and the lack of love in his mission. Sure, he eventually does what God asks, but he shows no concern for the people and then goes on to vent his anger to God. In the end, it’s Jonah who’s in need of conversion, not the Ninevites. And God shows him later that he has no right to be angry because it’s not his place to choose who deserves mercy.
 
It’s an example of how short-sighted we can all be at times. The immediate verses before today’s first reading is Jonah’s long prayer of thanksgiving to God for saving him from the belly of the fish. God was merciful to Jonah but it wasn't enough for Jonah to pay it forward. His heart was not converted by this experience. He still sees his relationship with God as “private.” It’s not a relationship that inspires him to reach out to others, that they too will experience that mercy.
 
Sure, Jonah does what God asks, but the end of the story reveals how Jonah still needs conversion. Jonah builds himself a hut so he can watch the outcome for the city. God continues to show him mercy, making a plant grow-up to shade Jonah from the sun, which pleases him, until God sends a worm to destroy it and Jonah begins to sulk again. He tells God he’d be better off dead. He thinks he has a right to be angry. So God finally reminds Jonah that he did nothing to receive the gift of the plant. That was all God’s gracious mercy. So if Jonah can feel so aggrieved by something he did nothing to gain by merit, God Himself has every right to care what happens to the Ninevites, who He created and who have now repented of their sins.
 
In the Gospel, Jesus says, “This is the time of fulfillment.” This is it, it’s now. Time to commit. Now that the last prophet, John the Baptist has been rejected, arrested— “I’m here, Jesus is saying, “the Kingdom is here. Come follow after me. Come let the Kingdom be shown in you.” When we pray, “Thy kingdom come” it’s not a passive request, just calling on God for the kingdom to come to us while we sit back and wait for God to do something. It’s an expression of our commitment to be a part of the mission.
 
On Monday at Mass I mentioned that I recently heard it put that Christ’s mission for us is “to give the Gospel a footprint on earth.” I really like that way of putting it. We always hearing about what kind of carbon footprint we are making with our lives and how we are impacting our world. But what kind of Gospel footprint are we leaving? Do our lives help the Gospel to have an impact? The Gospel footprint will have a more lasting effect than the carbon footprint because the Gospel points us to eternity. Let’s hope our Gospel footprint is bigger than our carbon footprint.
 
How do we respond to the mission God calls us to? Are we Jonah, who tried everything to avoid responding to God; do we lack love for others, maybe think they are not worthy of the gospel? By avoiding the mission, do we place a limit on salvation? Or maybe we just think speaking the gospel, telling people the awesome truth about God and His mercy is just not a task meant for us? If His mercy has been for us, as it was for Jonah, then His mission is for us too as it was for Jonah. And it’s for others as well.
 
There is a danger sometimes that those of us who are practicing our faith can look down on those who are not. But those are the people Jesus came for. He came to seek the lost—the Good Shepherd, going after the sheep in trouble.
 
Anyone who has come from outside the Church and experienced a conversion or re-conversion knows that God is patient and merciful and continues to call us to turn back to Him. Often He will find someone to be the guide for us—the person who introduces us to the Lord and to His merciful love. At times, we’ll struggle and we all need to be that for each other. We live in a world that desperately needs this message. Resentment never attracts anyone to seek what we have. If God can work through a reluctant and “ticked-off” prophet like Jonah, He can surely make use of us.
 
If you’ve ever been “in the belly of the fish,” so to speak, running away from God and God has pulled you out to continue His mission, then remember His mercy and pay it forward to someone else. Everything we have is God’s gift and a sign of His love and commitment to us. Let’s commit. Be disciples of Christ, abandon ourselves to Him, be detached from our comforts, from familiarity and comfort-zones, get caught-up in His net, the net that needs no mending.  
 
Whatever’s happening on the national and global scene, this is our mission: to make sure the Gospel is wearing big boots this year and leaves a huge, Neil Armstrong-sized footprint in our local community.
 
Our mission on the local scene…. simply put, to make our zip-code holy.
 
You are in my prayers this week!

Fr. Andrew

 
14) Words on the Word: January 24, 2021 – Psst! Spread the Word:

When God calls, we are compelled to listen.

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah, saying: ‘Set out for the great city of Nineveh,’” we hear in today’s first reading form the book of Jonah, “’and announce to it the message that I will tell you.’”

We know from this and similar scriptural stories that God reaches out to his people for help in spreading the word; in communicating the saving message of his great love.

There are times the intended recipients hear the message and act on it. There are times they hear it and don’t act on it. And there are times they don’t hear it to begin with.

A national story a few weeks ago reported on a biblical-themed podcast originated by a Catholic priest out of Minnesota that had reached the top of Apple’s podcast rankings. Not just in the religion/spirituality segment, but over all segments.

“This (the bible) is a true story about real life that I think even people who don’t have faith would get a lot out of it,” the priest was quoted in one story as saying.

Amen. In creating the podcast, then, the priest was clearly heeding one of the lessons of today’s gospel.

“As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen,” St. Mark writes. “Jesus said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’

“Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.”

Clearly, the podcasting priest has heard God’s call, and is acting on it. He’s a fisher of men.

The next move, as it were, is for those who have subscribed to the podcast already, and even those who have not yet done so. The question to ponder: Are we open to hearing?
 
© 2021, Words on the Word

 
This week's LIVE Stream
Schedule at St. Joan of Arc:
  
Monday (January 25):
7 AM - Mass


Tuesday (January 26):
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FR. RICH!
7 AM - Mass
8:30 AM - School Mass (Grades 5-8)
10 AM - Funeral of Louis Mascia (Click HERE for Obituary)
12 Noon - Funeral of Janet Sopanaro (Click HERE for Obituary)


Wednesday (January 27):
7 AM - Mass
8:30 AM - School Mass (Grades 1-4)


Thursday (January 28):
7 AM - Mass


Friday (January 29):
7 AM - Mass


Saturday (January 30):
10 AM - Funeral for Ann Rabaut (Click HERE for Obituary)
4 PM - Mass
6 PM - Mass


Sunday (January 31):
8 AM - Mass
12 Noon - Mass


Please note that all of our masses and events can be accessed through the ARCHIVE section of our Live stream page if you are not able to watch it live!

We also have our own ROKU Channel. Search for "CATHOLIC" in the ROKU channel store, and you will find SJA's channel. A Fire TV Channel is also available.
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Bulletin for Sunday, January 24, 2021
The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
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