Guía de la iglesia

A new year is beginning!!!

This Saturday, August 13th, is Mercy Meals Saturday. We will be delivering meals to the needy of our community. We ask that members of both ‘Group A’ and ‘Group B’ plus anyone who wishes to help with this worthwhile parish ministry to come help. Preparations begin around 6:00 AM in the parish hall. Volunteers to deliver meals are especially needed! Those who are doing deliveries can show up at the parish hall at 7:00 AM. Please come help if you can.

August 21st we will have a MANDATORY PARENTS meeting for ALL those WHO HAVE NOT registered their children AND THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY REGISTERED their children for the coming year. Father Stephen will be speaking with parents at this meeting. Please choose which meeting time you prefer: those who speak English can register at 6PM and those who prefer to speak Spanish can register at 7PM. A new First Communion class is forming at this time. Your child should at least be in 1st Grade. A new Confirmation class is forming also. Your child should be 14 within the year 2021. Both of these classes require a two year preparation before receiving those Sacraments. Any questions contact the office for Mrs. Vaughn's phone number or to speak with Father Stephen. Classes begin August 28th at 6PM.

La nueva serie de clases prebautismales para papás y padrinos comenzará este domingo el 21 a las 11:30 a Espíritu Santo en Hamburg

"AND WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?" cf. Luke 10:25-37 ** = all names and situations are fictional But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Or maybe it went something like this… The man wondered if his heartrate was returning to normal. He had told his wife that the mugginess of the evening was getting to him, and alone in the lobby he knew he could sort himself out. The abrupt change of temperature he found refreshing for his body, and the warm décor of the space refreshing for his mind – even the music and the chatter weren’t so bad now that they were softened by the glass doors. He took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes, as he had been instructed, trying to find his place of calm. “Hey, neighbor,” came a loud noise. “Well, it’s been a while; how you ‘been, young’un?” said the man, shaking his hand. He was glad for the interruption. “Good. Just running late, like always.” “Ahhh,” replied the man, “no one will notice. Folks will be glad to see you—it’s a great crowd. Food’s pretty good, too.” He realized with some distress that a mosquito had followed him in from outside; it was buzzing near his ear. He took a moment to swat at it before adding, “Yeah, it’s a fine crowd. Just keep an eye out for that Josephine**; she’s in fine form this evening.” He rolled his eyes for emphasis and felt short of breath again. “Ugh, she never does give it a rest, does she? “She’s harmless, of course, and she means well, but ‘incurable,’ is how someone once described her.” He paused for a moment and added warily, “She tried to corner me just a few minutes ago for another one of her lectures.” “Always blabbering on,” said the young man, “always the same topic. She’s been that way as long as I can remember. I’ll just talk real’ loud and keep movin’ around. You feelin’ alright?” “Fine,” replied the man, “just a little overheated.” The murmur outside began to die down as one voice, distant and muffled beyond recognition, began to announce something. “Well,” said the young man, “Looks like I’ve lost my chance to sneak in – ‘guess I’ll wait till there’s more commotion. Congrats, by the way, I heard y’all really raked it in on the fundraiser a few weeks ago.” “Well, thank you,” replied the man with a smile. He took a long breath and said “’Been involved for 14 years, and it was an honor to head things up this time around. Oli** and I got to be ones to drive over to deliver the check. That was somethin’ else, right there, somethin’ special.” Feeling for his wrist, he laughed, “Oli said he knew where he was going, but we got lost trying to find the place.” “Sounds about right,” said the young man, “By the way, I ‘been meaning to ask somebody: I noticed that the Daltons’** yard is looking pretty ragged.” “Yeah, I think they’ve been having problems of some kind or other lately – nothing too bad, someone told me, but it looks like they’ve been gone a lot.” “You know what’s up?” “Not a clue.” “Well, whatever it is, it can’t be nearly as bad as the Beckmans**. You heard about that yet?” The man now felt cool all over, even relaxed. “Yeaaaah, that’s sad business, that.” Rumpling his brow, he kicked his feet out in front of him and put his hands in his lap. He leaned forward. “It’s hard to know what to do in those situations.” “I’ve been meaning to give ‘em a call,” said the young man, “One, anyway. But I hadn’t seen either of ‘em in months.” “I don’t think that there have been too many public appearances. They’ll find their own path, I’m sure.” “You sound like a preacher.” Both men laughed. “Well,” continued the young man, “the Daltons need to get on it or the Association will get ‘em. Plus, I don’t need their weeds getting over onto my side. I spend enough time in the yard as it is.” “It’s all part of it,” the man said, feeling wise. “We’re trying to get ready for a get-together next weekend that my wife took the liberty to host; I guess that’s why I’m all on edge. Y’all wanna come?” “I would, especially to see your little one, but I gotta rebuild those cabinets like I promised the boys before the season starts or I’ll never hear the end of it.” The man felt completely serene. “Don’t overdo it. You’re important to a lot of people around here.” The man simply smiled. The lone voice outside had gone away, and the music was beginning again. Slowly, the sounds of conversation pushed their way through the glass doors. The young man opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, but the man looked away and said, “I guess that’s your cue.” “I figure you’re right. You take care – it’s been good seein’ you.” “Likewise.” They shook, and the young man passed by to the opposite side of the room. Alone in the cool of the lobby, his head now clear, the man again felt for his wrist, but to his delight, he couldn’t find a thing. ************************************************************** But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.' The woman drove into that section of town with the same knots in her stomach as when she first returned home four years beforehand. Well, this time was probably not so bad as then, but it wasn’t far off. Back then, it was what she knew about the people, but now it was what she didn’t know about them. She wasn’t sure she wanted to. “That would explain the knots,” she thought. Back then, she knew what to expect. She knew to expect to the mouths agape, the slow and polite stream of words resembling something of an attempt at conversation, and while there was no pearl clutching, one woman did keep adjusting her watch. She knew this, to expect this, so while there was indeed a price to pay that had been 25 years in the making, nerve wracking in the beginning, it was not so very bad once she got into it. She knew her purpose in returning, and she knew how to communicate it. And in time, it had worked, sort of. She quickly gained a reputation, though different than before, but people had seemed happy to go along with it. They seemed happy that she was doing something about all this, and in time they opened their pocketbooks. For the most part, it was disinterested, although for some people had become very personal. If not about the work, then about her herself. The Beckmans, for instance. She could still feel the sticky humidity of that night, still hear the summer bug songs as the thunder rolled into the distance, when Harriet** pulled her out onto the lawn and said, “My daughter and son-in-law will never know how to repay you for all you’ve done for them.” But the smile faded from the woman’s face as the landscape began to change in front of her. The personal types had proved few and far between, and her efforts didn’t need just money anymore. It needed people; it needed human hearts and warm bodies. “Time for a new approach,” the woman reminded herself, but again she felt the dread of all these scheduled conversations. This time, she didn’t know what to expect. And in a flash she saw all of the awful possibilities, the shuffles in garden chairs and the setting down of saucers, the sighs and the looks and the smiles: “Really, Ms. Kuntz**, you know I would love to help, but if I put one more thing on my plate I’m going to throw up…” Or “Maybe next year; you know we go to competitions in Tucker almost every week now.” Or “Ms. Kuntz, you know that I am very much in support of all you’re doing, but I have to think about the activities that my children are involved in.” Or “I’m sure you’ll find the right person out there, Ms. Kuntz.” Or even worse, “Now, you know I think highly of your efforts, but why do you think I would be good fit for something like that?” Or even worse, “I’ve already helped y’all at great cost to myself; I’m not sure I could do much more at this time.” The woman began to feel angry as she imagined these possibilities – the side-head glances, the big-eyed expressions. “All the priorities in all the wrong places,” she hissed to herself. A bump in the road made the rosary hanging from her mirror swing violently. She checked it with her hand. “This isn’t the way to go into it,” she thought. But there wasn’t much more time for thinking. She had arrived at the house. She decided to move quickly, instinctually; if not, she knew she might back out. It was time to ask for help, a different kind of help. Moving quickly up the stairs of the veranda, she stretched out her hand to lift the knocker, but to her great surprise, with her hand still outstretched, she heard the lock rise up, and the door swung open before her. ************************************************************** Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" The caretaker brought the man his coat in the foyer. “Thank you, Miss Ruby**,” he said. “Thank you, sir,” she replied. They heard a soft laugh from the other room. The man peaked back around to see the elderly man in his chair, looking into the distance of his own lap. He was smiling and laughed softly again. “I don’t think it’s going to be much longer,” the caretaker said. “I hate that,” the man replied. The caretaker looked down. After a moment, she opened the door and stepped out into the frigid air; he followed her and she shut the door behind him. Bells in the distance struck four times; at 6 it was already dark, but the lights and tinsel in the neighborhood sparkled brightly. “I meant what I said, thank you for coming by. But I gotta ask. You ain’t been here to see him in ages. What brought you by now?” The man opened his mouth to speak but he felt his chest catch. Where to begin? How to explain? How to begin to explain all of the changes since he had last been there. All of the turmoil. All of the death. The loss. All of the sleepless nights, the sweats, the fear, the gnawing despair. All the changes, the people who faded away, the growing pains of new beginnings, the hope-against-hope, the pain, the pain. Miss Ruby probably hadn’t heard anything about what had happened. And he didn’t feel like going in to all of that. “I was driving down the road not far from here,” he said, getting at the truth from a different angle, “and the idea just hit me. Spur of the moment.” “Well, I’m glad you came,” said the caretaker. She acted like she wanted to say more, but she only looked away. The man paused and waited, while the Angelus bells began to toll in the distance “Miss Ruby, don’t the others come?” The man hadn’t stopped by that place in ages. “Everybody calls or asks me how he’s doin’, but nobody comes by to see ‘em.” ************************************************************** Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

English at 0:00 Español at 0:45 It’s the Feast of the Sacred Heart, y’all! In Lake Village... Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: 6:45-8 am Confessions: 6:45-8 am Holy Mass: 8 am En Hamburg... Santa Misa: 8 pm Confesiones después

HOLY MASS AND COMMUNION: WHAT, WHO, & HOW-TO Feast of Corpus Christi cf. 1 Cor 11:23-26 The Apostle Paul, in his First Letter to the Corinthians, among many other things, has had to reprimand them for several abuses that were taking place among the people when they gathered for divine worship on the Lord’s day – for instance, some were drinking excessively, and others were not sharing their food. As a way of re-grounding their head and their hearts, then, in the meaning and purpose of divine worship (i.e. giving adoration to God in the way that He wishes and the manner that He has established), Paul reminds them of the Apostolic Tradition of the Lord’s action at the Last Supper, something that Paul, though himself an Apostle, had to receive from those who were present…the institution of the Most Holy Eucharist. Their reception of the Eucharist, Paul argues, is meant to be a participation in the Lord’s new covenant, wrought by his death, and a proclamation of that covenant while looking forward to the Lord’s return. Heavy stuff! Following Paul’s own attention to Eucharistic instruction, I would like to do something that we priests should generally avoid doing with homilies and turn our time here into a sort of instructional, a how-to, on the action of the Eucharist. That, much as last year on August 19/20 I had to turn my homily from the Bread of Life discourses in John 6 toward the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report and the scandal surrounding ex-Cardinal McCarrick, so now I discern it best to catechize about our presence at divine worship and the manner of receiving Holy Communion. Let’s start with what Holy Mass is, a topic I’m never shy in addressing. Just a few minutes ago, I talked about how it is not just worshiping God but worshiping God in the manner which He wishes and has established which is of utmost importance. And God the Father has indeed established something - the sacrifice of his Only-Begotten Son on the Cross for us. *That* was, is, and always will be the summit of divine worship, the definitive means of adoring the Almighty, something which Jesus Himself accomplished. As Priest, he offers; as the Victim, he is offered; as man, he acts on our behalf; and as God, he accepts the offering. But this offering is not distant, dead-and-done, brothers and sisters – God wills that this singular action may be made present again, re-entered into, in every time and place, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting, as the prophet Malachi says (1:11), a pure sacrifice may be offered to God’s name – this is what the Mass is: obedience to the Lord’s command to “do this in memory of him,” through which Jesus’ singular sacrifice is made present in all its mystical fullness for us to witness and participate in. In which case, to repeat a theme I addressed a few months ago…how do we prepare for this action? How do we get ready? Do we get ready? Do we come with adequate time for preparation and quiet, or are we experts at showing up just on time? Or worse, are we chronically late? Although there can be legitimate reasons for being just on-time or even late from time to time, oftentimes, it’s just a bad habit that we’ve fallen into and need to break. How do we prepare for this sacred action? How do we get ready? Do we get ready? And how do we participate once we are here? Or do we? As the priest, I can see nearly everything here. And while I am consoled to see many who make the responses and sing from the heart, I am sometimes astonished at the number of people who sit or stand with dead mouths when it is the people’s turn to speak – apparently, saying “and with your spirit,” with any gusto is too much work. And while I have some sympathy for those who do not feel that they have a strong enough voice to sing loudly, I am saddened to see so many who do not even bother to open their hymn books and mouth along with the words of our hymns and psalms. This is not acceptable. We can do better, brothers and sisters, than what we are currently doing. How do we participate once we are here? Or do we? What do we wear when we come to Holy Mass? I’m not going to argue that this be a white-tie affair, but there is significance to how we dress. Yes, having spent a few decades myself in the pew, I know that there are sometimes extenuating circumstances or events that impact how we appear, particularly if we are coming directly from or to work, but if we are perpetually casually dressed, if there is nothing special about our Sunday clothes, or perhaps if our clothes push the envelope of modesty, it can say a lot about how we value our presence at the moment of Calvary, of how we value being in the presence of Christ the King. Especially for those of us who are parents, our children will take their cue on the importance of mass, in part, based on how we dress and how we direct them to dress. Let’s turn now to the action of receiving Holy Communion. As we Catholics know, the Eucharist is not a simple memorial or a symbolic thing, but the Person Jesus Christ, who, through the action of His priest (worthless and “unprofitable servants” though we are [Luke 17:10]), changes the substance of the bread and the wine into that of His own: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity – present even in the smallest fraction of the host or smallest drop from the chalice. • Hence, when it is Communion time, and when the person immediately before us is receiving, the Church instructs us to make a slight bow of the head in reverence to our Lord and Savior, just before the Host is presented to us. • When the priest or deacon presents the host, saying “The Body of Christ,” our response is to be a firm assent through that ancient word, “Amen.” Not shouted or exaggerated, but stated crisply and with intention and obvious belief, even if done so at a low volume. • The United States is one of a few countries in the world where receiving Communion in the hand is permitted by papal indult. If we are to receive this way, we should place one hand clearly over the other and at a sufficient height that the priest does not doubt that that is our intention. We never, ever pick or grab for the sacred host. We should also ensure that our hands are worthy and clean, free from dirt or other day-to-day stains. If we see that they are not, we should receive on the tongue. Finally, afterward, we should examine our palms and finger for any fragment of the sacred host to ensure that it does not fall to be trampled underfoot. • The other form of receiving Communion is on the tongue – it is the universal norm for us as Catholics, and the Church’s most ancient and preferred means of receiving communion. I can direct in person to several Church documents/instructionals if you’re wondering why it is preferred over receiving in the hand, and I will add that it is actually my preference for you the faithful, because it avoids the possibility of fragments falling, the complication of dirty hands, and frankly, because it is not possible to receive communion nonchalantly when done on the tongue. If you receive on the tongue, simply open your mouth and stay still – the priest’s hand will adjust to administer. Don’t open your tongue out and bob your head forward. In talking about how to receive Holy Communion, however, we’d have to address the question of who may receive. Almost all of us are aware that the Church teaches that Holy Communion is for baptized or professed Catholics only, that while for other Christian denominations, intercommunion on the Lord’s Supper is a starting point for ecumenical dialogue and the reunification of Christians, for us Catholics, it is different. Most other Christian denominations do not share our understanding of the Real Presence of the Eucharist; hence, to let them come and receive when they do not believe would be to guide them into a dissonant action of belief. And even if they do share our belief, intercommunion of the Eucharist is the consummation, the endpoint – it is what it is done once there is absolute agreement on questions of faith and morals. Almost all of us are aware of that. But what perhaps is sometimes forgotten is who among us Catholics may receive – let us return to Paul’s letter. In the 1960’s, when the three year cycle of Sunday readings was being formed, those tasked with it included many Europeans, people who had lived through the horrors of WWII. Hence, there came to be a tendency to omit those verses from our Responsorial Psalms or other passages of Scripture which were imprecatory or spoke of violence or condemnation. While in a way understandable, this has at times created an unintended imbalance as we listen to the Scriptures – I venture to argue that today’s reading from Paul is just such a one. After reminding the Corinthians of the Last Supper, Paul says in verse 26, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes,” but he does not drop the topic there, instead continuing with it for three verses more. Let me supplement them: “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.” Paul, using technical, courtroom language, is speaking of sacrilegious communion, the unworthy reception of the Eucharist which is disastrous for the Christian soul. The Church has always interpreted 1 John 3 and its distinction between deadly and non-deadly sin to mean that there are sins which wound our relationship with God (venial sin) and there are sins which are deadly, also called mortal, grave, or serious sin. When we freely commit these kinds of sins, we bring to end the presence of divine charity in our soul, and it is necessary for us Catholics to use the sacrament of Reconciliation which Christ gave us, including a firm intention to change our ways, before we may receive the Eucharist anew. Otherwise, as Paul says, we eat and drink to our own judgment. I don’t want anyone, no matter what else may be going on in their life, eating and drinking to their judgment. I’m not going to stand here and give a grocery list of serious sins – I don’t think that would be helpful for you right now. Besides, most of us are already familiar with at least some of them, especially those concerning intimate activity, with ourselves or with another, and how it only belongs within the sacrament of marriage. Instead, I’ll take this opportunity to home in on one that I think is oftentimes forgotten, or if remembered, ignored or rationalized: when a Catholic fails to attend holy mass on Sundays or days of obligation without a just (i.e. serious) cause. I know we all learned this in our instruction as children – it didn’t change just because we stopped talking about it for so many decades. Remember what I said earlier about what the mass is? It is because this action, however humble or grand its appearance in this church or that, is so extraordinary, our Lord’s sacrifice is so essential to all creation, that it merits our obedient attendance unless we have a serious cause to miss. With all respect to other forms of prayer meetings, other ways in which “two or three gather in [His] name,” they are not the equivalent of holy mass. Yes, there are serious causes for missing – illness, infirmity (including recuperation), caring for the ill who cannot care for themselves (children and the elderly), other emergencies and accidents (floods, snowstorms, and things which endanger our safety by traveling), and possibly our jobs (although that one can depend) – these can be serious causes, but lots of things are not. Laziness is not a serious cause. Poor planning is not a serious cause. Compromising is not a serious cause. Vacation and travel, especially in the age of smartphones which can tell us where mass is close by, is hardly ever a serious cause. Sports and hobbies are not serious causes. Again, sports and hobbies are not serious causes. For us parents, like with how we dress for, prepare for, and act in holy mass will influence our children, just so—no, even more so—will our example of whether we place holy mass as *the* Sunday priority. We can talk all day long about how important it is, but our children will only begin to believe us when they see us making sacrifices to put it first; our children will only begin to believe us when they us making sacrifices to put it first. Casually coming to Communion, then, when casually missing holy mass on Sundays or days of obligation, or committing any other serious sin, without coming to Reconciliation first, constitutes sacrilegious Communion. You have been advised. I do not say these things to whip up “wailing and grinding of teeth.” I do not say these things to make us feel despondent or hopeless. I say these things because I have the care of your souls. I say these things because I wish to see you flourish with Christ’s abundant life (Jn 10:10) through a desire to live in a state of grace and to receive holy Communion reverently, worthily, and well. I say these things so that, if in examining ourselves, to use Paul’s courtroom language, we find that we are not worthy to receive, that we may change our ways and avail ourselves of Reconciliation. I say these things in the hope that, if they apply to us, they may stir up true compunction and guilt. I’m not talking about “Catholic guilt.” God knows we have enough of that already. Better called “shame,” it only makes us wallow in misery, pushing us further away from God. Catholic guilt does not come from God but the evil one. You will hear me say time and again – sin is simply the enemy’s left jab; his right hook, his endgame, is our shame and despair. No, I mean the good kind of guilt – that action of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that convicts of our failings and which impels us to seek pardon, to change our ways, and, if necessary, make amends. I say these things, as Paul did to the Corinthians, in hopes of re-grounding our head and hearts in the meaning and purpose of divine worship, the action of holy mass and receiving holy Communion, so that we may worthily participate in the “one Bread and one Chalice.”

REMINDER: Parish Religious Education classes will hold registration for all classes on June 23rd and June 30th after the 9AM Mass. A NEW FIRST COMMUNION CLASS AND A NEW CONFIRMATION CLASS WILL BEGIN IN AUGUST. All other classes will register at this time also. Parents are encouraged to register their children early so plans can be made for classes in August.

“Come Holy Spirit Make our ears to hear Make our eyes to see Make our mouths to speak Make our hearts to seek Make our hands to reach out And touch the world with your love. AMEN.” -Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman

This Saturday, June 8th, is Mercy Meals Saturday. This month is Group B's turn. Of course, anyone who wishes to help is welcome to come! Preparations begin around 6:00 AM in the parish hall. Volunteers to deliver meals are especially needed! Those who are doing deliveries can show up at the parish hall at 7:00 AM. Please come help if you can.

Parish Religious Education classes will hold registration for all classes on June 23rd and June 30th after the 9AM Mass. A new First Communion class and a new Confirmation class will begin in August. All other classes will register at this time also. Parents are encouraged to register their children early so plans can be made for classes in August.

From Sharon Henderson, Altar Society President: "There will not be a May Altar Society meeting! We do not have any business. We will contact members during the summer if we need to meet or events make it necessary. Please contact me if something comes up I need to know."

As we prepare for the traditional blessing of the fields on St. Isidore’s day, join us in making a(nother) novena, starting tonight and ending on his feast day on the 15th, asking the Lord to bless our farmers through Isidore’s intercession with better weather and conditions... “O God, source of all life and sustenance, who in St. Isidore the Farmer gave your Church an outstanding example of Christian diligence in labor and in virtuous family life, graciously grant through his intercession clement weather and favorable conditions to all the farms of our local communities, so that, reaping the bounteous fruits of your creation at harvest time, we may join him in giving you heartfelt thanks and praise. Through Christ our Lord. “St. Isidore the Farmer, pray for us in our need.”

Mercy Meals that was scheduled for this Saturday has been cancelled.

Interesting piece of information from this past week's COMMIT daily meditation in the LECTIO: Prayer series---"A recent study found that the average person in our technology-saturated society has an attention span that is literally shorter than that of a goldfish: only eight seconds for humans, compared to nine seconds for goldfish."

Now is the time to register for the 29th annual Little Rock Scripture Study's Bible Institute to be held at St. John Center on June 21-23, 2019. Visit their website, www.littlerockscripture.org, to download the brochure that can be found at the bottom of the Resources page. The paid registration deadline is June 7, but space is limited and will fill up quickly. Partial scholarships are available. Scholarship application is available in the church office.

Hunter Young, son of Whitney and Chris Williams, joined the church during the Easter Vigil this past Saturday night. He has been anxiously awaiting this day and you can see on his face the excitement he was feeling! Welcome Hunter!!

Did you wonder what that sound was last night?

As we begin Sacred Paschal Triduum, just a reminder that Good Friday is a day of mandatory abstinence and fasting (details in the first comment). Why do Catholics fast on Good Friday? Because Jesus Himself fasted in the desert (Matthew 4 and Luke 4) and expects us to do the same (Matthew 6:16-18). Why do Catholics abstain from flesh-meat on Lenten Fridays? Because Jesus sacrificed His flesh for us on a Friday.

A new year is beginning!!!

English at 0:00 Español at 0:45 It’s the Feast of the Sacred Heart, y’all! In Lake Village... Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: 6:45-8 am Confessions: 6:45-8 am Holy Mass: 8 am En Hamburg... Santa Misa: 8 pm Confesiones después

St. Ambrose says, "When you pick up the Scriptures, God speaks to you. When you share what's on your heart and mind, you speak to God." Although we're taught that prayer is a "conversation," we often feel the conversation is one-sided. In our next study from FORMED, Lectio Prayer: Finding Intimacy with God, we will look deeper into how to pray with Scripture where God speaks to US not just words spoken to people long ago. Join us on April 22 at 6PM as we begin our 6 session study, wrapping up on May 29th. Signup sheet will be at the entrance of the church. PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER JOINING US.

We didn’t take home the prize at the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame awards tonight, but we are proud to give y’all the 109th edition of our annual Spaghetti Dinner this Sunday, March 3rd! Take-out is from 8-11 a.m. and dine-in is from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Don’t miss it, y’all!

¡Vénganse este sábado a las 6:45 para la Presentación del Señor, también llamado el Día de Candelaria! [Translation in the comments]