Be doers of the word and not hearers only.
These words from the letter of James tell us, in a very succinct way, what the Christian life requires of us. It presumes, however, that we are actually hearing the Word of God. We may listen to the Sunday scriptures as they are proclaimed, but are we hearing? Are we better at doing than we are at taking the time to listen and hear the challenges of the scriptures? And if we are not effectively listening, is the work that we are doing really a response to discipleship or a fulfilling of our own agenda? The Sunday scriptures (and the entirety of God’s Word) are meant to be encountered like any other relationship. We need to be engaged in the active dialogue to which God invites us.
In our relationships with significant people in our lives, we often hear words of approval, consolation and validation. We are encouraged when we hear those words. If we take them to heart, we feel better about ourselves and are empowered. There are also times we hear words that are critical, calling us to improvement or making us aware of a destructive behavior. Taking these words to heart, we can improve who we are. There are also times that our conversations are not a validation or a critique but are instead inspiration. When we take these words to heart, we are driven to dream more, learn more, do more and become more. Hearing the Word of God ought to be as effective in our own personal growth and discipleship.
We are called to be people of action, not simply passive listeners, but first, we must truly hear the word of God so it may inspire us to be the doers that our baptism calls us to.
LABOR DAY – In the Catholic tradition, work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continued participation in God’s creative action. We pray for all who work to protect our world, nation and communities. We pray for those who work in science and medicine, caring for the sick and developing cures from illness. We also pray for men and women whose jobs have been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic, that they may find employment.
BACK TO SCHOOL – As our children and teachers return to school, we are mindful of the challenges of the day, but trust that together, we will create safe environments for learning, growth and faith formation. As an expression of that hope, we invite students and teachers to next Sunday’s 10:00 am Family Mass. We will be blessing the children, their backpacks and the teachers as the school year begins.
WELCOME, ROBERT WALKER – I am happy to announce that we have hired a new teacher of religion and leader of campus ministry for our school and coordinator of youth ministry for the parish. Rob comes to us with the experience of teaching in one of our neighboring schools as well as active participation in ministries in both high school and college.
LITURGICAL MINISTRIES – As we begin again the many activities of parish life, the one that is most central is Sunday Mass. Please consider belonging more deeply to our parish community through service as a Liturgical Minister.
Please find the below cut-off in the weekly bulletin:
I am interested in becoming involved with one of the Liturgical Ministries of my parish…
Please check all that apply
____ Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion ____ Adult Lector ____Usher
____ Youth Lector (Family Mass) ____ Youth Lector (Sunday 5:15 pm) ____ Altar Server
____ Adult Choir ____ Youth Choir ____ Junior Bell Ensemble ____ High School Bell Ensemble
____ Sunday Night Mass Vocalist _____ Sunday night Mass Instrumentalist __________________ (instrument)
_____ Family Mass Committee
Name ________________________________________________________________________________________
Email address __________________________________ Phone # _____________________________________
Please drop off in the rectory office, place in collection basket or email frgerard@srolchurch.org.
Peace,