Church guide

Parish Prayer for August 25, 2019 Strive to enter through the narrow path! This statement is the highlight of today’s gospel being Jesus’ response to a question about who would be saved. The one who would be saved is the one who strives relentlessly, one who is willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the gospel. Entering through the narrow gate here could mean a whole lot of different things including the choice of humility over pride, generosity over selfishness, tenderness over mean spiritedness and so much more. The second reading speaks of adversities and punishments encountered by those whom God loves. These adversities, like gold purified in a furnace, become means of pruning and preparation for higher purposes. In line with the gospel, the adversities we deal with could serve as the narrow gates that lead to a glorious inheritance. In other words, what is seen as pain can become gain just as a seeming stumbling block can become a stepping stone. We have to always trust in God’s great plans for us and to see through these difficulties to the immeasurable blessing that await the faithful. Almighty God, teach to trust your will for us and to embrace it fully confident that in your will is our peace, Amen.

Join us tonight as we celebrate Mass on Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary 6:30 p.m. Parish Center Chapel.

Parish Prayer August 18, 2019 We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. Such witnesses are those who became so by their huge sacrifices in view of the Ultimate price. Jeremiah, in the first reading, witnessed to his faith by enduring untold hardship; including being thrown into a pit. The second reading from the letter to the Hebrews talks about the shame of the cross which Jesus endured and overcame. And, Jesus, in the gospel speaks of a baptism with which he must be baptized and which filled his heart with so much anguish. Yet, he dared to embrace it. And, through this cross came the crown. Jeremiah, Isaiah, Peter, Paul and many more are the cloud of witnesses. Above all, Christ is the ultimate witness who endured all hardships and afflictions because of what lay ahead: The crown of unfading glory. The eternal legacy of their exemplary faith and trust lies in their ability to be unyielding despite all odds and in a God who would never forsake them. Loving God, grant us the wisdom to know where the true treasure lies and the courage to seek after it with a commitment that is total and sincere, Amen.

Parish Prayer August 11, 2019 Today’s second reading strongly reinforces what we heard last week from Ecclesiastes: All life which is not rooted in God is vanity. Faith in the things of this world alone: In the self, in wealth and riches, is faith without foundation. Abraham, our father in faith, knew this clearly enough that while he lived this material life he looked forward to an eternal destiny. Indeed his faith drew strength from hope in that other worldly inheritance with God. This faith in the Almighty was the reason for his every action and the reason for his apparently reckless sacrifices; like departing his home to live in a land he knew not just because God said so. This for him was a demonstration of faith in the eternal city, a city with unshakable foundation. Jesus reminds his disciples in today’s parable that they must live this life in view of the life to come. This life and everything in it should be at the service of the life we hope to live with God. And when we realize this, all we must do is to act like servants waiting for the return of their master .Ready at all times! Loving God, you give meaning and foundation to all we do, help us to use our every grace and every breath to love and to serve you our one true and eternal treasure, Amen.

Parish Prayer for August 4, 2019 It is indeed inaccurate to say that all of life is vain and Ecclesiastes is not saying that .What is vain, as we hear in the first reading of today, is any life, any project, any wealth or riches that exults the creature over and above the creator. We build in vain if God is not the foundation and we toil fruitlessly if He is not our ultimate goal. That would be an appropriate interpretation of the mind of Paul as expressed in the second reading of today: ‘to seek the things which are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.’ In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns against greed; which is basically living ONLY for oneself. Seeking to acquire more and more of what we already have enough of without regard or concern for the needs of others. The overflowing supply of food that filled the rich man’s barns could have filled a few empty stomachs. Certainly, his intention was to provide material security for himself except he forgot to recognize that wealth only provides a false sense of security. The Psalm accordingly reminds us of God’s Lordship over our lives. He brought us into being and can take us out of being at will. We owe Him our lives! Dear God, teach us wisdom, teach us humility, teach us generosity. And, may your love be upon us as we place all our hope in you, Amen.

Join us tonight for our Neighborhood Mass at 6:30 p.m. With the inclement weather the Mass will be in the Church Hall. Please bring a food item to share after the Mass.

Parish Prayer for July 28, 2019 Prayer is the most effective way to bring our needs to the attention of the Almighty. In our prayers we bring to God our earnest heart’s desires: Our families, children, jobs and indeed our entire life’s projects. But we also offer prayers for the needs of others as we see in the petitions of Abraham in the first reading and most importantly in the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples. While it is wonderful to pray for ourselves it is extraordinary to intercede for others. For the sake of his people, Abraham would entreat God relentlessly for mercy; even though there was not much in it for him. In the Our Father, phrases like: ‘Give us, forgive us’ go to highlight the communal dimension and significance of prayer which makes it not just a petition for me individually but also, as importantly, for the needs of our neighbors. It may sound disappointing that despite Abraham’s relentlessness God still did as He pleased. The Lesson therein is that our prayers do not necessarily force God’s hands. They do well in bringing our desires to Him who knows all things and always acts in our best interests. Ultimately though, we have not started praying well until we have learnt to say ‘Thy Will Be Done’. This is the single most important article of that most extraordinary prayers that at the end of the day we are able to surrender our wills to the will of God as we say: Thy Will Be Done!

Join us tonight for Adoration 6:30 p.m. Parish Center Chapel!

Join us tonight for our Neighborhood Mass at 6:30 p.m in Jubilee Hall. Please bring a food item to share after Mass!

Parish Prayer for July 14, 2019 What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ No question could be more critical and more urgent than the above and yet so few bother to even give it a thought. If we desire to have an inheritance with God, how must we live our lives? What must I do or not do? The first reading of this Sunday reminds us that God’s precepts and ordinances are ingrained in our hearts. By nature every human being is gifted with a sense of right and wrong. In our consciences, we hear God’s silent voice constantly reminding us to avoid evil and to do good. The Sacraments, beginning with baptism, equip us even more with the grace of the Holy Spirit that helps us discern what is right and wrong. As we receive these Sacraments and encounter Him in His word we are constantly enriched with the grace to live a virtuous life. Living virtuously, a holy life, is the requirement for the Kingdom of God. In the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus shows us in a concrete way what virtuous living means: Not being judgmental, being charitable even to the seemingly undeserving, being self-sacrificing not self-centered, loving without measure which is the true measure of love. This parable does indeed reveal to us the true nature and character of God and exactly how God wants us to live our lives as Christians. Doing so is the highway to eternal life! Dear God, help us to live as you lived and to love as you loved, Amen

Parish Prayer for July 7, 2019 After a long period of tribulation, the prophet Isaiah in the first reading of today invites the people to rejoice. The Psalm re-echoes the theme of joy for the marvels the Lord has done just as the seventy two disciples are reminded of the right reason to delight in their missionary success: Their names are written in heaven. When we stay close to God or keep Him in view, when God becomes the center of our lives who gives meaning to all we do, no matter what challenge we may face or what trials may come our way, we shall find reason to rejoice. A God-less life is a joy-less life. Everything becomes dark and gloomy, hopeless and worthless. From the Season of Lent until now, we have experienced the celebration of such awesome mysteries of faith that should enrich our lives and fill us with joy. The most recent, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is an acknowledgement and celebration of His loving heart wounded for our salvation and which continues to reach out to us in love. It is for this reason and more that we should rejoice aware that no matter what life may bring, God never abandons his own .Loving God, may the mysteries we celebrate each day fill is with hope and confidence in your tender and unfailing love for us your children, Amen.

Join us tonight June 12 for our first Neighborhood Mass of the year! The parish will host an OUTDOOR MASS at 6:30 p.m.ON THE GROUNDS OF THE PARISH. Food and followship will follow the Mass. Please bring a food item to share after Mass.

Father Kingsley's Weekly Prayer Week of June 16, 2019 The church resumes the ordinary season of the year with the celebration of the Most Holy Trinity. A mystery beyond human understanding: That there are three persons in one God or one God in three divine persons. Beyond the mystery and the complex theology, the Trinity is unity and union. It is harmony. It is love, above all. God the father is the lover, God the son is the loved one and God the Holy Spirit is that love between the father and the son. The Trinitarian model of community compels us to live and act as one community united in Christ. It helps to underline the need for the church of God to live and act as one family. In an ideal family, the young are cared for, the old are honored, the weak are strengthened and loved. To live according to the Trinitarian model, we must learn to forgive rather than condemn, build up rather than tear down, see the best in each other rather than the worst, be self-sacrificing rather than self-serving. Unless we did this our worship would be worthless. And so we pray: That the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communication of the Holy Spirit be with us all, Amen

SAVE THE DATE! Appreciation Party for Father Emmanuel Ihemedu Saturday, May 25, 2019 6:00 - 11:00 p.m. Jubilee Hall

Pastor's Weekly Reflection May 5, 2019\ The resurrection of Jesus was so powerful in its immediate effect. It assured the disciples of his divinity putting to rest every previous doubts that they may have had. But it also emboldened them to embrace the good news to preach it and to bear witness to it ready to give their lives for it. The many appearances of the risen Lord did more than reassure them of his abiding presence. And now they would thread where they once dreaded and face those they once feared. It definitely caused a radical change to take place in their lives enabling them to realize more than ever before that the Lamb that was slain is worth of adoration, worthy of honor and worthy of offering their very lives to his glory. What did the experience of the past 40 weeks do for you? What impact did his humble service as he washed the feet of his disciples have in your life? What about his last words on the cross? Did they just result in a moment of fleeting emotion that was forgotten as easily as it came. Did the kissing of his cross, the greatest symbol of his love, make you a different person? Ready to sacrifice, open to generosity, more prone to kindness, drawn to compassion and committed to love. These are the hoped for effects of his suffering, death and resurrection. Oh God of love, enkindle in us the desire to love you and to serve you above all else, Amen.

What Do Catholics Believe? Every Sunday during Mass, we declare that: “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible…etc.” Have you wondered why we have a creed, or how the creed came about? In the first centuries after Christ, Christians wondered “how God worked.” Questions surfaced that were not explained in the New Testament record of Jesus’ teaching. People needed answers to such questions as, “How can one God be Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? How can Jesus be both divine and human?” Many great theological debates, and not a few religious wars, sprang from questions concerning the nature of God. In 325, the bishops gathered at a Council held in the city of Nicaea and adopted the Nicene Creed as the true and orthodox belief of the universal Church. The word creed comes from the Latin word credo– which means I BELIEVE! As we profess our faith this Sunday, I invite you to think of one belief about God that is important to you!

Parish Prayer for Week of January 14, 2018 Today begins the ordinary season of the year, not ordinary because it is of any less significance than the other seasons of the liturgical year, but because the remaining Sundays are numbered consecutively up to the Sunday preceding the beginning of Lent. Moreover, it is a season in which the church celebrates the mysteries of salvation not in one specific aspect, but in all aspects. This season is characterized by hope as symbolized by its dominant color--Green. Isaiah's message to a broken people spells out this hope in terms which cannot be mistaken. This message is through Israel the people of the old covenant to you and I the heirs of the new: The Lord has chosen you, through you he shall show his glory; because he formed you from your mother's womb, the Lord will make you glorious in his sight, he will be your strength, he will restore all your lost fortunes and make you a light for all nations (Isaiah 49:3-6).May your life be a testimony to these promises, Amen.

Parish Prayer for Week of November 5, 2017 Why we call our priest father! Saint Justin – Saint Michael parishioners call their Priest, Father; they don’t practice what the bible says (Matthew 23:9) According to Ephesians 3:15: Every family in heaven and on earth is from God. This means that God is our true Father. Every other form of fatherhood comes from him. And we cannot give the honor due to our true Father to anyone else. This is what Jesus is telling us in Matthew 23 verse 9 when he says: Call no one on earth your father, you have but one Father in heaven. If Jesus meant that we should literally call no one father, Jesus himself and St. Paul would not have called Abraham “father;” Stephen and Paul would not have called the Jewish elders “father.” Paul would not have told the people of Corinth that he “is their father in Christ” (1 Cor. 4:14-16). We would all be wrong by calling the man who planted the seed in our mother’s womb father. Our priests, like the apostles are our spiritual fathers. Their role is to raise a family of God’s children. And that’s what they do when they give us new life in baptism, feed us at the table of Word and the Eucharist. May the blessings of our One True Father be upon us as we worship, honor, adore and glorify Him together with our spiritual fathers, Amen!