Church guide

3rd Sunday of Easter C We must obey God rather than men. (Reflection by Fr. Alphonse Gollapalli) Every time a new Pope is elected, there are a whole lot of rituals and ceremonies that have to be gone through, in accordance with tradition. Well there is one tradition that very few people know about. Shortly after the new Pope is enthroned, the Chief Rabbi seeks an audience. He is shown into the Pope’s presence, whereupon he presents him with a silver tray bearing a velvet cushion. On top of the cushion is an ancient, shriveled parchment envelop. The Pope symbolically stretches out his arm in a gesture of rejection. The Chief Rabbi then retires, taking the envelop with him and does not return until the next Pope is elected. This ritual, whose origins were unknown to him, intrigued Pope Francis. He instructed the best scholars of the Vatican to research it, but they came up with nothing. When the time came and the Chief Rabbi was shown into his presence, he faithfully enacted the ritual of rejection but, as the Chief Rabbi turned to leave, he called him back. “My brother,” the Holy Father whispered, “I must confess that we Catholics are ignorant of the meaning of this ritual enacted for centuries between us and you, the representative of the Jewish people. I have to ask you, what is it all about?” The Chief Rabbi shrugged his shoulders and said, “But we have no more idea than you do. The origin of the ceremony is lost in the traditions of ancient history.” The Pope said, “Let us retire to my private chambers and enjoy a glass of wine together, then, with your agreement, we shall open the envelop and discover at last the secret. The Chief Rabbi agreed. As they were sipping the wine, they pried open the curling parchment-envelop and with trembling fingers, the Chief Rabbi reached inside and extracted a folded sheet of similarly ancient paper. As the Pope peered over his shoulder, he slowly opened it. They both gasped with shock. It was the check for the LAST SUPPER. It was the Last Supper that Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist. He told the apostles at the table: “Do this in memory of me.” The disciples contrary to Jesus’ command returned to their normal way of life. They utterly forgot to celebrate the Mass. Peter tells the other disciples, “I am going fishing.” And they also accompanied him. So much has happened in a short time. The Hosanna on Palm Sunday; the Passover and washing of the feet on Holy Thursday; Jesus sweating blood during the prayer in the garden that night; the disciples abandoning their master and escaping for their life; the arrest and interrogation through the whole sleepless night; the flogging of 39 lashes; judgment and condemnation of Jesus by Pilot; the carrying of the cross in the streets of Jerusalem; crucifixion and death on the cross; the burial of Jesus; and on the third day, allegedly reported by the women that Jesus’ is alive and that he will meet the disciples in Galilee. Perhaps they were tired of all this. To insist the importance of celebrating the Eucharist, Jesus appeared to the disciples repeatedly in a meal setting. Today’s appearance is one among several. Peter and his 6 companions, work all night long but caught no fish. Encouraged by Jesus, they cast nets again and caught an abundance of fish. John and Peter immediately recognized their Master. Jesus prepared them a meal. He said to them, “Come and have breakfast!” Bread and fish and it was a sumptuous meal for tired disciples! After the meal Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Peter answered Yes! Then the command, “Feed my Sheep.” Jesus means, feeding the sheep with the Eucharist. It is a command to celebrate Mass. For us Catholic Christians, Mass is a meal setting that is done in obedience to Jesus’ command! In it we encounter Jesus. He prepares a meal for us, a sumptuous breakfast. He prepares his own body and blood for us to eat and drink. We forget all our frustrations, fatigue, desperation, hopelessness, etc. Every time we come to celebrate the Eucharist, Jesus commands us, “Do this in memory of me and/or feed my sheep.” All along the history of Christianity, there have been some who had difficulty in accepting this teaching of Christ. Particularly from the time of reformation Holy Communion is considered to be a symbol and not the real presence of Jesus for many Christians. In our own days we face challenges from our separated brothers and sisters on this aspect of faith. But as Peter said in the first reading, “We must obey God, rather than men! We celebrate the Eucharist on Sundays! It is not just a Sunday Service! It is Jesus preparing a meal for us!

2nd Sunday of Easter C Put your finger in my wounds and believe! Homily by Fr. Alphonse Gollapalli In a large city, a priest parked his car in a no-parking zone because he couldn’t find a parking space. He put a note under the windshield wiper that read: “I have circled the block 10 times. If I don’t park here, I will miss my appointment. “Forgive us our trespasses.” When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note: “I’ve circled this block for 10 years. If I don’t give you a ticket, I’ll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation.” God forgives our trespasses. He is merciful and loving even to the worst offenders. He is the fountain of mercy and grace. God’s forgiveness flows freely through the wounds of Jesus. His wounds remain opened even after his resurrection. There are no barriers to shut them. You only have to put your finger and touch and believe. Jesus came through the locked doors and stood in the midst of the disciples and showed his hand and his side and said, “Peace be with you.” It seems that Jesus has forgotten completely the betrayal of his disciples. He wants them to come near him and touch him and enter into a union with him and finally believe that he is alive. He offered forgiveness and healing as he allowed them to touch him. He breathed on them and gave them the Holy Spirit. Thus, the healing and forgiveness they received should be shared with all people. And so he commissioned them saying, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." Through this commissioning the disciples worked miracles in the name of Jesus. In the first reading we read, “Thus people carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them. A large number of people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured. This healing ministry is continued through the Sacraments even now. The Confirmation for example is a powerful instrument for the reception of the Holy Spirit in full measure by which people are healed and forgiven. The Spirit of Life blesses the recipient with an abundant life here on earth and eternally in heaven. It offers healing and perfects the Baptismal grace. It gives you enough faith to lead a life of loyalty to Jesus even in times of doubt and despair. Doubting Thomas is example of people who want to follow Jesus yet doubt in his resurrection. Touching the wounds of Jesus strengthened Thomas’ faith. He confessed saying, “My Lord and my God.” Do you, who have received the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion, say that you have experienced the risen Christ? Have you put your finger in to his hands and your hand into his side? What all you have to do to obtain the Mercy of God, which offers forgiveness and healing through the wounds of Jesus, is to touch him and believe that he is alive. Believe that the Risen Jesus can help you. Believe that he can save you. “Look into my heart and see there the love and mercy which I have for humankind, and especially for sinners. Look, and enter into my passion.” These words were spoken by Jesus to St. Faustina in a vision. Saint Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament was 33-year-old Polish Catholic nun and mystic. Her apparitions of Jesus Christ inspired the devotion to the Divine Mercy and earned her the title of "Apostle of Divine Mercy". Today we are celebrating the Divine Mercy Sunday. As your priest, I ask you to learn the devotion to the Divine Mercy. We have installed this huge image of Divine Mercy. Take time to pray the chaplet of divine mercy from time to time. May God be merciful to you and answer your prayers. This could be your first step towards touching Jesus and obtaining Healing and Forgiveness!!

5th Sunday of Lent C “See I am doing something new!” (A reflection by Fr. Alphonse Gollapalli) In the last weekend’s homily I preached about the need for confession. This weekend the same theme of call to conversion continues. The mercy of God is calling us back to drink the waters of life that flow from Christ at the sacrament of reconciliation, as he did to the people of Israel in the past and to the penitent sinners during the life of Christ. The people of Israel experienced miseries and sleepless sufferings in their history. Every time they fell upon the thorns of life, God, the great cloud of mercy, rained compassion to quench the fire that burned their lives. We have heard and seen bridges constructed across the waters of the oceans. I just came to know about the 7-mile bridge connecting the Key Way Island and the mainland Florida. There are two bridges in this location. The modern bridge is open to the vehicular traffic; the older is only to pedestrians and cyclists. The new bridge is a box-girder structure built from the precast and pre-stressed concrete sections. This was the longest bay bridge in existence when it was built in 1912. At present the world’s longest sea bridge is in China. The Jiaozhou bay bridge is 26.4 miles long and 110ft wide and cost 1 billion sterling pounds to build. God the mighty liberator parted the waters of Red Sea for his people and did not necessitate the building of a bridge. The water stood like a dam on both sides and the people walked through the dry land. God works wonders to save his people. The first exodus proved God’s mighty power. The second exodus revealed the mercy and kindness of God to the distressed people. 7 centuries later, when the people are returning from the Babylonian exile, God cares about them. He says, “See I am doing something new for you.” This new thing is not parting the waters of the sea nor building bridges, He provides spring water to the people who walk through the desert. God said, “Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wastelands rivers.” Thus every time the people cried to God should a calamity strike them, He came to pluck the burden of sorrow from them. We have a third exodus; it is a new exodus; a spiritual exodus. It is the exodus from sin to salvation. The episode of woman caught in adultery is an example of this exodus. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. Their motive is to defeat Jesus and kill the sinner by stoning. So, they tested Jesus and said, it is lawful to stone and kill this woman what do you say? Adultery is, of course sin. It is deceiving of your spouse whom you married and promised to be true until death. But Jesus is doing “Something New.” He is interested in the salvation of the person and not her sins. He does hate sin but extremely loves the sinner. He said, “Let the one among you who is without sin cast the first stone on her.” This two-pronged response not only defeats his adversaries it also makes them think that they are not any different than the woman they are accusing. By asking to throw stones, he agrees that sinner deserves death but he also claims that no sinner is worthy to accuse another. God alone can either punish or forgive. The Son of God is always forgiving towards a repentant sinner, he said, “I do not condemn you.” If Jesus overtook even the flying eagle to embrace every sinner it was because he was the Sacrament of God, the ocean of boundless compassion. Jesus does not write our sins on rock to remain forever, but on dust, to be blown away by the mercy of God. It is happening again to us here and now, in the sacrament of confession, where the merciful Lord continues to forgive our sins. The mercy of God is calling us back to drink the waters of life. Are we ready to return and open ourselves to God’s Love? The greatest sin is not adultery but deliberately closing our minds and hearts to God’s Love. Look! He is doing ‘SOMETHING NEW’ in the Sacrament of Confession.

4th Sunday of Lent C Reconciliation!!! (A reflection by Fr. Alphonse Gollapalli) An old priest got sick of everyone in his parish confessing adultery. During one Sunday’s sermon he told them, “If one more person confesses to adultery, I’ll quit!” Since everyone liked him, they decided to use a code word: “Fallen.” This satisfied the old priest and the parishioners, and everything was fine for years, until finally the old priest passed away at the ripe old age of 93. Shortly after the new young priest settled in, he paid a visit to the mayor. The priest was quite concerned. “You have to do something about the sidewalks in this town, Mayor. You can’t believe how many people come to the confessional talking about having fallen!” The mayor started to laugh, realizing that no one had explained their code word to the new priest. But before the mayor could explain, the priest shook his finger at the mayor and said, “I don’t know why you’re laughing; your wife fell three times last week. The first reading says, “Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.” Sinful life is a life of reproach, a disgrace and discredit. It is a spiritual slavery. When a person commits sin, his face is downcast, He does not dare to look at God in face because of the shame it brings. Confession helps the sinner look to God in his face and share in his radiant glory. It brings back the lost dignity of adopted son-ship to the sinner. The responsorial Psalm says, “Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.” Confession is calling out to God for mercy and help. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sin is an offense against reason, truth and right conscience. It is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by perverse attachment to sin. It injures the human nature and infringes his true freedom. God forgives those who come to him with a contrite heart. It is your life. If you were not embarrassed to commit a sin, there is no need to be embarrassed to confess it. You are not alone in being a sinner. All of us are sinners. Every saint had a past and every sinner has a future. Our parish Lenten confessions are set for 11th of April at 5.30pm. I invite all to make a good confession so as to be able to celebrate Easter joyfully. The response of the Psalm said, “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” Confession is more than just telling sins to the priest. It is an encounter with God. It is a joyful celebration where God the Father embraces you when you, the prodigal son or daughter return with repentance. In confession you taste the goodness of the Lord through the boundless mercy and forgiveness he offers. I as your pastor have the obligation of bringing to your attention the need for you to go to confession. St. Paul feels the obligation of telling the Corinthians about their need for reconciliation. He said, “So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

God keeps his promises. Do you keep yours?

Go to “astatecnc/words with father” on Facebook and YouTube to watch Fr. Alphonse’s presentation on the title “God’s promise immutable.”

3rd Sunday of Lent C: Repent and Reform (A reflection by Fr. Alphonse Gollapalli) A Lady on a transatlantic flight in a jet became very upset when they hit a strong turbulence. She asked the stewardess, “Are we going to crash?” the stewardess tried to calm her down saying, “Don’t be afraid. We are all in the hands of God.” The lady exclaimed, “Oh, is it that bad?” to which the stewardess said, “No, it is actually that good.” Yes, God is good. He is always good. Just as he revealed himself to great personalities of the Bible, so he reveals himself to us. Those great personalities like Moses became great not only because they beheld the glory of God but also that they were willing to take on a new course of life in their new vocation. We say we believe in God. But I have known people who consider it a bad sign if the priest visits them in their homes especially if he is to offer the sacrament of anointing. I myself have had people look at me strangely. I recently read a news item on ucanews.com under the title: Superstition stops Indian Priest’s first Mass. Father Dibyaranjan, a newly ordained Catholic priest faced social exclusion in his eastern Indian village as Catholics now consider him a “bad omen” after 11 of his close relatives died in a road accident on his ordination day. The opposition came from his native parishioners most of them his own relatives. He lost 11 of his relatives when a bus carrying 50 people to his ordination ceremony overturned and fell in a gorge. Villagers believe that God is angry with Father Digal and that his celebrating Mass would bring danger to them. We read something like this in today’s gospel. Pilot had some Galileans killed. He mingled their blood in their sacrifices. We don’t know if they were killed so brutally for reasons of treason or it was the way Pilot wanted to show his cruelty to all who were under his governance. Those in Judea thought that these were killed because they were sinners. And again there was another incident when a tower fell and killed 18 people instantly. The Jews said that these who died in this accident were sinners as well. In our age and time we see calamities and disasters all around us. But providentially we are spared. On 26th Dec. 2004, 280,000 people perished in the devastating Tsunami in the Indian Ocean coastline. In the following year, that is August 23rd of 2005 a powerful hurricane hit the coastal Louisiana and killed 1,833 people and caused $108 billion in damages. We can’t forget hurricane Florence in September last year that killed 57 people and caused $24 billions in damages in the North and South Carolinas. Accidents happen. We see several people die in auto accidents in and around Jonesboro. Most recently the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max jetliner killing all 157 aboard is very hard reality. Among all this danger that exists around us, you and I are safe and are protected. God is patient, hoping that we would reform ourselves at least during this Lent, a chance he gives once more. A doctor, who tries a medicine a certain number of times and finds no change, abandons the use of the drug. As there is limit to every effort, so there is limit to God’s patient waiting. If we do not produce, at least during Lent, fruits in personal growth, prayer and community service, God may have to “cut down the fig tree to be burnt.” However, reform is not possible all by ourselves. We need grace and we cannot get graces from gadgets but only from God. Hence we need to come to God in prayer during this period of Grace.

Catholic Arkansas Sharing Appeal (CASA) (in Spanish)

Catholic Arkansas Sharing Appeal (CASA) (in English)

Announcement: Due to inclement weather and icy surface around the church, confessions and evening Mass today (Saturday, January 19, 2019) are cancelled. The 8:00 a.m. Mass tomorrow morning (Sunday, January 20, 2019) will also be cancelled. Stay home and be safe!

Construction Report August 2018. Fr. Alphonse Gollapalli speaks in Spanish.

Construction Report August 2018. Fr. Alphonse Gollapalli speaks in English.

Catholic Arkansas Sharing Appeal (CASA) (in Spanish)

Catholic Arkansas Sharing Appeal (CASA) (in English)

Construction Report August 2018. Fr. Alphonse Gollapalli speaks in Spanish.

Construction Report August 2018. Fr. Alphonse Gollapalli speaks in English.