Father's weekly message
March 16, 2025, Second Sunday of Lent
Prayer in the life of Jesus (2)
Did Jesus pray? If he did pray, how did he pray? The four gospel writers show how Jesus prayed throughout his earthly ministry. During his early years in Nazareth before beginning his ministry, Jesus prayed with his parents. Every year, they went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. When Jesus was twelve years of age, he withdrew himself from his parents and stayed in the temple. When the parents found him in the temple after three days of search for him, he asked them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house? (Luke 2:29). He prayed and prepared himself for the ministry. We see him praying at his baptism (Luke 3:21) and praying in the desert for forty days and forty nights and then conquering the temptations of the devil (Luke 4:1-13). On every Sabath, Jesus went into the synagogue to pray with his local community. There, he also preached about the kingdom of God and healed various illnesses of the people. Often, he went out early in the mornings or late at nights to the lonely places to pray and to be alone with his Father. He prayed for humanity. He prayed for himself to have the courage and strength to accomplish his Father’s will. He also prayed before the decisive moments of his ministry, for example: before his baptism, before electing his twelve apostles, before his transfiguration, before rising Lazarus from his death (John 11), and during his Last Supper with his apostles (John 17), and finally, we see him praying in the garden of Gethsemani, and while hanging on the cross. Prayer was an essential and primary ministry of Jesus. The Letter to the Hebrews expresses in dramatic terms how the prayer of Jesus accomplished the victory of salvation: "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered, and being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him." During this Lent, let us learn from Jesus how to pray always and in every circumstance. — Fr. Jesu
Announcements for March 16th, 2025
We have a Lenten Retreat at our Parish this coming Saturday, March 15, from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Please complete an RSVP card and place it in the offertory basket, give it to a hospitality member or the church office. Kindly see the green flyer in the Narthex for the retreat schedule.
Tendremos un Retiro de Cuaresma en nuestra Parroquia el sábado 29 de marzo de 1:00 a 5:00 pm en español. Complete una tarjeta de confirmación de asistencia y colóquela en la canasta de ofrendas, entréguela a un miembro de hospitalidad o a la oficina de la iglesia. Por favor, consulte el folleto verde en el Narthex para conocer el calendario del retiro.
Our Parish Festival is on Saturday, April 26th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We need your help! Please consider volunteering for the event if only for a few hours. If unable to volunteer, we have several sponsorships available for purchase. We are also in need of canned soft drink donations that can be dropped off at the church office. Raffle tickets are on sale now to win one of three prizes: $1,000, $2,000 & $3,000 to be drawn at the festival. Tickets are available in the church office and through committee members. You do not need to be present to win.
Nuestro Festival Parroquial es el sábado 26 de abril de 10:00 a.m. a 4:00 p.m. ¡Necesitamos tu ayuda! Considere ofrecerse como voluntario para el evento aunque solo sea por unas horas. Si no puede ser voluntario, tenemos varios patrocinios disponibles. También necesitamos donaciones de refrescos enlatados que se puedan dejar en la oficina de la iglesia. Los boletos para la rifa ya están a la venta para ganar uno de los tres premios: $1,000, $2,000 y $3,000 que se sortearán en el festival. Los boletos están disponibles en la oficina de la iglesia y a través de los miembros del comité. No es necesario estar presente para ganar.
The Ladies Guild are asking for donations for the Women’s League garage sale on April 12. Please drop items off at the Food Pantry. No clothes please. Contact Joyce Fleming (512) 786-5967 or Jane Miller (903) 348-5099. Also, all ladies are invited to attend the Ladies Guild meeting today in the Parish Hall after the 9:00 a.m. Mass.
El Ladies Guild está solicitando donaciones para la venta de garaje de la Women's League el 12 de abril. Por favor deje los artículos en la Despensa de Alimentos. Sin ropa, por favor. Comuníquese con Joyce Fleming (512) 786-5967 o Jane Miller (903) 348-5099.
Stations of the Cross begin this Friday, March 7th at 6:00 p.m. with Mass following at 6:45 p.m.
El Via Crucis comienza este viernes 7 de marzo a las 6:00 p.m. con misa a continuación a las 6:45 p.m.
The Knights of Columbus are currently accepting applications for the Jack Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund. Please submit your application no later than March 31st.
Los Caballeros de Colón están aceptando solicitudes para el Fondo de Becas Jack Smith Memorial. Envíe su solicitud a más tardar el 31 de marzo.
Donations are needed for the Parish Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday! Please leave your candy stuffed plastic eggs in the "Easter Egg Donation Box" in the Narthex or drop them off at the Church office..
¡Se necesitan donaciones para la búsqueda de huevos de Pascua de la parroquia el domingo de Pascua! Deje sus huevos de plástico rellenos de dulces en la "Caja de donación de huevos de Pascua" en el nártex o déjelos en la oficina de la iglesia.
Raffle tickets are on sale now to win one of three prizes: $1,000, $2,000 & $3,000 to be drawn at the festival. Tickets are available in the church office and through committee members. You do not need to be present to win.
Los boletos para la rifa ya están a la venta para ganar uno de los tres premios: $1,000, $2,000 y $3,000 que se sortearán en el festival. Los boletos están disponibles en la oficina de la iglesia y a través de los miembros del comité. No es necesario estar presente para ganar.