“Sons and Daughters of Encouragement” and More

Sons and Daughters of Encouragement

Greetings!

Salutations to you! How are you doing today? I hope that you are well on this Memorial of St. Barnabas. If you would like to wear a liturgically appropriate color for today it would be red since St. Barnabas ultimately gave his life to Christ as a martyr. There are three aspects of his life that are worth pondering in this article: (1) His names; (2) His generosity; and (3) His missionary zeal.

First of all, we read in Sacred Scripture that the Apostle whom we celebrate as Barnabas was actually born as “Joseph” (Acts 4:36). His nickname Barnabas came from Hebrew and could be translated into English as “son of encouragement” (Ibid). It’s remarkable but not unheard of that someone originally known by one name at birth would then be recognized by another. One of the more famous examples was when Jesus said that Simon the brother of Andrew was to be known as Peter or “The Rock” (Matthew 16:18). For our Saint of the Day, Barnabas, there was a time when he was sent to visit the Christian community at Antioch and he “encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart, for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:23-24). Saint Barnabas lived out his namesake through deeds of generosity.

The second aspect worth our consideration of St. Barnabas was his generous heart. In Acts 4:32-37 we read that the early Christian community shared their resources to support one another. Barnabas “sold a piece of property that he owned, then brought the money and put it at the feet of the apostles” (Acts 4:37). However, I don’t want to give the impression that his generosity was merely a matter of donating lots of money. His generous heart was open to the promptings of the Lord to such a degree that it was he who “took charge” of Paul “and brought him to the apostles” (Acts 9:26-27). This was a significant act of courage and a sign of his trust in the Providential Plan of God for the conversion of even someone like Saul/Paul. Their friendship with one another leads us to the third aspect of St. Barnabas: His missionary zeal.

The final aspect that we will consider for this article is the missionary zeal of St. Barnabas. He and St. Paul went out on several missionary adventures to preach the Good News to the Gentiles. They began in Antioch but went on to places like Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe to share the salvific message that Jesus was the crucified and resurrected Savior of the world. Barnabas and Paul had hearts that were set aflame with the radiant light of Christ. They strived to live out His words, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16). We ask that St. Barnabas the Apostle would pray for us to shine the Light of Christ and live as sons and daughters of encouragement in this life so that we might enjoy eternal life with him one day!

Mercy in Christ,

Fr. James

P.S. For more information take a look here: www.newadvent.org

Fr. James Daily Video Message - June 11, 2020

More daily video messages from Fr. James and Sunday Masses celebrated by Father James can be found on Facebook, YouTube, our My Parish App and on our website:

Daily Message from Father James Peterson -Thursday, June 11, 2020

Daily Video Messages from Fr. James

Sunday Mass Celebrated by Fr. James

Trivia Question of the Week

Which Gospel do we hear from in the Daily Mass readings for today?

A. Matthew

B. Mark

C. Luke

D. John

See the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.

Read the IC Parish Bulletin

Holy Land Pilgrimage

Make a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in November of 2020 with Fr. James! Spots are limited. Please see the Magi Travel website for more details:

Magi Travel - Holy Land Pilgrimage with Fr. James

You can watch with your free parish subscription by simply selecting our parish’s name during registration at formed.org/signup .

Enjoy a free subscription to FORMED.org

FORMED provides amaz ing online videos, audio and books 24/7 for you to grow in your faith. It's EASY and FREE to Register!

Go to iccsonline.formed.org and click next
Enter your name and email and click sign-up
Enjoy and share with others in our local community!

Prayer During A Health Crisis

Compassionate and Loving Father,

In the face of confusion and concern

impart to us the calm of your presence.

In You allow us to find hope and healing.

Be with those who serve the sick

and give them Your caring hands.

Be with those who lead

and give them Your Spirit of wisdom.

Be with those who have fallen ill

and give them Your comforting heart.

Wrap your arms around our world

and hold us in your love.

Allow us at this time of trial to then

serve as instruments of that love

to all we meet. We ask this

in Your Name. Amen.

©LPi

Pray for COVID-19 Anointing Corps, Patients, Families and Medical Support Teams

Parishioners across the Archdiocese are invited to prayerfully support those who are suffering most intensely, usually in sterile isolation, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Text archspm-anointing to 55321 or sign up here to receive a text each time a COVID-19 Anointing Corps Priest is dispatched to give the Last Rites. Upon receipt of the text, those in this ministry commit to take a moment to pray:

One Our Father for the patient who is in danger of death, as they prepare to meet our Heavenly Father face-to-face;
One Hail Mary for the patient’s family and friends, asking the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Sorrows, to intercede to comfort them; and
One Glory Be in thanksgiving for the priest and for his protection, as well as the medical team attending to the patient.

For more ways to pray for those affected by COVID-19, visit archspm.org/covid19prayers

Dinner and Auction to Benefit

Immaculate Conception School

September 11, 2020

Reserve seat(s) at iccsonline.ejoinme.org/QueenofMay2020 .

There is no obligation or need to purchase tickets now; you may pay at the door. If you do choose to purchase tickets now we will refund you should we need to move to a virtual event.

Answer to the Trivia Question of the Week:

A. Matthew

Immaculate Conception

Church and School

Church: 763-788-9062

School: 763-788-9065

info@immac-church.org | ICCSonline.org

You're receiving this email because of your relationship with Immaculate Conception Church and School. To no longer receive messages from Fr. James Peterson, please click the link at the bottom of this email to unsubscribe. Thank you.

Visit our website