Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church Sunday Bulletin

Photo taken by David Bruce © 2010

Twenty- third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sept. 5, 2010

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness, that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days. - Psalm 90:14

TODAY’S READINGS

First Reading — Who can ever know God’s counsel unless God gives wisdom and sends the Holy Spirit from on high? (Wisdom 9:13-18b).

Psalm — In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge (Psalm 90).

Second Reading — Paul asks Philemon to accept back his slave Onesimus, not as a slave but as a brother (Philemon 9-10, 12-17).

Gospel — To be a disciple of Jesus one must carry one’s own cross and renounce all possessions (Luke 14:25-33).

EMBRACING YOUR CROSS

We often speak of the "crosses" we must carry in life. These can range from loss of a job to a serious or terminal illness to unhealthy relationships, and so on. The cross has become the wide-ranging metaphor for the trials, ills, and discomforts that are part and parcel of every human life. While we all understand this use of the word "cross," it does a disservice to what the Jesus of the Gospels means by it. For him, a "cross" is not something that fate, bad luck, or unfortunate circumstances foists upon one. It is, instead, something one chooses, something one embraces.

For Jesus, carrying the cross in discipleship was the rejection of earthly possessions or status, it was the sundering of bonds of kinship or friendship. It was, above all, the necessary kind of self-sacrificing, self-surrendering choice one had to make in order to be a true disciple. When life hands us a "cross," we pray to the Lord to give us strength to bear it. If we are to be true disciples, we must also pray for the strength to reach out and willingly accept a cross as well. To bear up, with God’s grace, under the burdens that are not of our own choosing does take a strong faith. But to walk willingly under the weight of the cost of discipleship shows an even stronger desire to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. © Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.

Saint Peter Claver (1581-1654) September 9

Nearly two hundred years before the Declaration of Independence proclaimed "that all men are created equal," two hundred fifty years before the Emancipation Proclamation mandated an end to slavery, three hundred fifty years before Martin Luther King’s "I Have a Dream", and four hundred years before the election of an American president boasting African heritage, Peter Claver left his native Spain behind to volunteer for the Jesuit missions in Colombia. There, he was horrified both by slavery as an institution and by the inhuman brutality inflicted upon the slaves. He solemnly vowed to become "the slave of the slaves," and lived that vow heroically for close to forty years. Not knowing their language, Peter began his ministry among the slaves by using the universal language of practical charity, providing medical care and a tangible though wordless assertion of their human dignity: "We spoke to them not with words but with our hands, kneeling beside them, bathing their faces and bodies, encouraging them with friendly gestures" (see Liturgy of the Hours, Volume 4, p. 2018). Then came evangelization and baptism. Holiness as human wholeness: Peter Claver’s enduring witness.

—Peter Scagnelli, © Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.

THE DIFFERENCE

It is labour indeed that puts the difference on everything. —John Locke

HUMILITY

Humility is a divine veil that covers our good deeds and hides them from our eyes.

—St. John Climacus

MASS INTENTIONS

Sat. Sept. 4 – 4 p.m. – Intentions of Gary & Karen Whinnery by Gayla Wolf

Sat. Sept. 4 – 6 p.m. – Pro Populo (Big Pine)

Sun. Sept. 5 – 8 a.m. – Intentions of Father Andy Dachauer S.J. by Robin LeCavalier

Sun. Sept. 5 – 11 a.m. – Pro Populo

Mon. Sept. 6 – 7 a.m. – Intentions of Brother Dan Corona S.J. by Robin LeCavalier

Tues. Sept. 7 – 7 a.m. – Repose of the soul of Dana Boyd by Pastor

Wed. Sept. 8 – 7 a.m. – Repose of the soul of Barbara Toth by David Bruce

Thur. Sept. 9 – 7 a.m. - Intentions of Margaret Karaffa by David Bruce

Fri. Sept. 10 – 7 a.m. - Intentions of Jerry Hardy by David Bruce

Sat. Sept. 11 – 4 p.m. – Pro Populo

Sat. Sept. 11 – 6 p.m. - Repose of the souls of Frances Mendes/Victims of 9/11 by Rose Todd

BISHOP BLOOD DRIVE STARTING SEPTEMBER 15th, 2010

This year’s United Blood Services annual blood drive will take place starting on Wednesday, September 15th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday, September 16th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. & Friday, September 17th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To schedule an appointment: Contact 937-9911 or log on to our website at www.Bloodhero.com and use the sponsor Code: Bishop.

ONLINE DONATIONS

Are you one of the many people using on-line banking to pay your bills? Do you pay your utility bills on-line? Do you pay your rent or make your loan payments on-line? Do you make your credit card payments on line? Why not make your contributions to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church and St. Stephen’s on-line! You can set up your on-line banking account to make your gifts to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church and/or St. Stephen Mission and save yourself the task of writing the checks. You can even set it up to make the payments automatically at regular intervals of your choice. Some good reasons for using on-line banking for you’re giving: No need to write checks or bring cash to church. Peace of mind knowing that your church is receiving your contribution even if you are unable to attend. Remember your parish needs your consistent support. All contributions are recorded for you on your bank statement with the date given. There is no extra charge to you or your parish!! When you set up your payments, use your envelope number as the account number and we will credit your name each time we receive your on-line check.

CCD INFORMATION

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church is now taking student enrollments. For your convenience you can now print out your 2010 - 2011 enrollment forms on our website at http://www.olphbishop.com/ccd.htm please fill them out completely and return with payment to: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 849 Home St. Bishop, CA 93514. Please write attention CCD on the front of the envelope. Starting dates for CCD are as follows: Tuesday, September 14, 1st thru 3rd grade, 2:45 -3:45 p.m., Tuesday, September 14, 4th grade, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m., September 15, 5th thru 8th grade, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Sunday First communion classes start September 19, 8 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. & Sunday evening classes start the same day for 9th thru 11th, 6:00 to 7:15 p.m.

OFFICE CLOSURE

The Parish Office will be closed on Monday, September 6th in observance of Labor Day.

STAND FIRM IN THE FAITH – SCRC CATHOLIC RENEWAL CONVENTION

This event is scheduled for September 3-5, 2010. Opening Convention Prayer & Praise Service will start on Friday, September 3 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30. Featuring many priests & guest speakers and a live performance by John Michael Talbot who has made more than 51 albums, received the Dove Award, has performed for both Pope John Paul II & Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, has authored twenty books and is an acclaimed lecturer, teacher & retreat master. Don’t miss this annual opportunity to be renewed in your Catholic faith. For more information please visit www.scrc.org on the web or call (818) 771-1361.

  GOD BLESS!