Ponderings . . . . . . . by the Padre (In memory of Kathy) 02/02/14 When you in reading these “Ponderings” it will either be the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord or the vigil of that feast. In observation of the Mosaic Law, Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple when He was eight days old to present Him to the Father. It is the setting when Simeon said that God could dismiss him in peace because he had seen the Lord’s salvation, a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of God’s people of Israel. This feast is also called Candlem as because of the “Light of the Gentiles was brought to the Temple.” It is the day candles are blessed for home use as well as for use on the altar. The following day is the feast of Saint Blaise and the traditional day for blessing throats. Saint Blaise is credited for being the saint who can intercede for us to be delivered from all diseases of the throat and all other evils. O n this feast we remember a very special day in our Lord’s life and we pray that we will be spared from diseases and evil through Saint Blaise’s intercession. Take home a blessed candle to remind you that Jesus is the Light of the World and let it be a sign of God blessing your home and a symbol of His presence. This Tuesday evening, January 28, Brother Senan and I were privileged to bless the home that Donald and Christina Chastain had recently moved into. We visited their home and met their two pets and witnessed how they have settled in that home on Vick Street. It is the former hom e of Lisa Meyer. It was indeed touching to see how pleased they are to have a home of their own. M ay God continue to bless them . It is getting ever closer to the date for the ordination and installation of our new Bishop Joseph Kopacz. Bother Sean and I discussed our plans to attend the ceremony along w ith our parish secretary Robin Ridge. It will indeed be a day of blessing for our Diocese. I look forward to this historic occasion. To get into the ordination and installation of Bishop Kopacz, practically everyone, except of course those in the actual ceremony such as the Bishops and the acolytes, will need a ticket. So far, I have not see one. We are expected to be present by 11:40am for the ceremony. I understand that there will be a shuttle service from the First Baptist Church of Jackson to the Cathedral. So I guess the three of us will be leaving around 8:30am next Thursday, February 06. Incidentally, our Mississippi Catholic reported how it will be possible to have the ceremony streamed to your computer. I feel certain that you will want to do that if you have an interest in seeing this ceremony. I also hope that many of you reading this are excited about sending some of our youth to this year’s AbbeyFest. I know that the ones who went last year really enjoyed the experience. The AbbeyFest is set for March 22. The youth are raising funds for it. The $100 bill raffle will be drawn on February 23 and their spaghetti dinner will be on Feb. 08. I want to encourage as m any parishioners as possible to support our youth in helping them associate with other Catholic youth and attend an important spiritual event in their lives. Thank you. Well, today is Wednesday January 29 and it is a sunny day with very little breeze. Both of those factors are a welcome relief from the frigid temperatures and high, cold winds w e have been experiencing. In fact, I think this morning we had the same temperature as Chicago and Boston. Also a friend called me from Jackson this morning to tell me about her snow event. As we spoke, there w as still snow on her backyard deck. Next weekend w e w ill have our annual Catholic Service Appeal in-pew solicitation. This weekend you will hear the audio message from Bishop Latino. O ur them e this year is “The Power of Giving.” Next Sunday’s readings w ill be about how, through the Power of G od, we can be a light to the world by our loving concern for others - especially the poor and the oppressed. This is a most appropriate thought for our annual Catholic Service Appeal. Blessings, the Padre
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 06:03:00 +0000
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