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Intentions and Memorials
Saturday
August 16th
Sunday
August 17th
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our web site.
The
"Acts of John"
For
those who have been attending the Thursday night Summer Adult
Faith Program featuring Pope Benedict XVI's lecture series on the
Apostles, you may recall that in studying the Apostle John the
Pope makes reference to an "apocryphal writing" entitled
the "Acts of John". That was one I had never heard of
before so I googled it and got several hits.
The
preface to the copy I downloaded states:
The beginning of the book is
lost. It probably related in some form a trial, and banishment of
John to Patmos. A distinctly late Greek text printed by Bonnet (in
two forms) as cc. 1-17 of his work tells how Domitian, on his
accession, persecuted the Jews. They accused the Christians in a
letter to him: he accordingly persecuted the Christians. He heard
of John's teaching in Ephesus and sent for him: his ascetic habits
on the voyage impressed his captors. He was brought before
Domitian, and made to drink poison, which did not hurt him: the
dregs of it killed a criminal on whom it was tried: and John
revived him; he also raised a girl who was slain by an unclean
spirit. Domitian, who was much impressed, banished him to Patmos.
Nerva recalled him. The second text tells how he escaped shipwreck
on leaving Patmos, swimming on a cork; landed at Miletus, where a
chapel was built in his honour, and went to Ephesus. All this is
late: but an old story, known to Tertullian and to other Latin
writers, but to no Greek, said that either Domitian at Rome or the
Proconsul at Ephesus cast John into a caldron of boiling oil which
did him no hurt. The scene of this was eventually fixed at the
Latin Gate in Rome (hence the St. John Port Latin of our calendar,
May 6th). We have no detailed account of this, but it is
conjectured to have been told in the early part of the Leucian
Acts. If so, it is odd that no Greek writer mentions it.
The
document is 28 pages long. I have posted a copy on this web
site if you would like to see it click here.
Lou Barbuscio
Let
us fill this house of prayer with our petitions
to the Lord on behalf of those who are in need.
That
we, the church, will welcome the stranger among us: we pray to the
Lord.
That we will
become a community of inclusion; we pray to the Lord.
Let us continue
to pray for our Capital Campaign and for a marked improvement in
the economy. Let us pray for the ground breaking of the Faith
Formation Center and for all our parishioners and benefactors who
support out campaign through their donations, time and talent; We
pray to the Lord.
For an end to
abortion; We pray to the Lord.
For the Safety
of our troops: We pray to the Lord.
For those who
are nearing life’s end, that the Lord will give them guidance
and strength, and for those who have passed from us especially; Anthony
Leo, Gerard Hagerty, your friends, relatives and benefactors;
We pray to the Lord
Voter's
Prayer
Gracious and
loving God, let your Spirit be with us today. Hear our prayers, and
increase in us the will to follow your Son Jesus. Help us to draw on
the resources of our faith as we use the opportunities of our
democracy to shape a society more respectful of the life, dignity,
and rights of the human person, especially the poor and vulnerable.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.
Amen.
Our
Parish Concerns
The
following are our Parish concerns for this week:
Super
50/50 tickets are now on sale in the rectory office.
Project
Appalachia
has begun and runs through the month of August. Please pick
up an envelope from the baskets at the foot of the Sacred Heart
Statue. Thank you for your support of this fundraiser.
St
Vincent de Paul members are in the back of the
church taking registration for Walk-a-thon, please register today.
Visitation
Soup Kitchen will be held on Wednesday, August 20 from 12:00 noon
to 1:00 PM
Next
Sunday is Community Sunday. Join us downstairs after all
Masses for refreshments and fellowship. Tickets for the
Carnival and the Gift Auction will be on sale during Community
Sunday.
SOUP KITCHEN
 Visitation
Parish will hold a free soup kitchen on the third Wednesday of
each month from 12:00 to 1:00 PM in the Church Auditorium.
For additional
information, please call Frank and Isabel Kronicz at 732-255-2835
if interested in helping.
Summer
Adult Faith Program
A series will be offered this summer entitled “Apostles: Chosen by
Jesus”.
The program will be conducted by Father Will and Deacon Len. It
will be based on a book entitled The
Apostles, by Pope Benedict XVI.
The Pope emphasizes that the Church was built on the foundation of
the Apostles as a community of faith, hope, and charity and that through
the Apostles, we come to Jesus Himself.
The sessions are offered on Thursday evenings in the Daily Chapel
from 7:30 to 9:00 PM. beginning July 10.
Each topic is independent of the other, so feel free to attend all
or selective sessions
SUPER 50/50
TICKETS $100
GRAND PRIZE- $10,000
(based on the sale of all tickets)
ONLY 200 TICKETS WILL BE SOLD
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR TO RESERVE YOUR TICKET
CALL 732-477-0028 EXT. 216
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Today's
Gospel Reading
Inspirational
speaker W Mitchell is world
famous for his talks on
persistence. He should know:
a motorcycle accident left
him burned over sixty-five
percent of his body and cost
him his fingers; and a plane
crash paralyzed him from the
waist down. His message is that,
of the 10,000 things he used to
be able to do, now he can do 9,000.
Why focus on the other 1,000?
His faith in the persistence
of the human spirit is
powerful.
In today's Gospel
reading from Matthew, Jesus
is confronted by a woman
asking for her daughter to be
cleansed of demons. Notice
that she does not ask Jesus
if he is Lord before making
her request, she already knows. Jesus does not answer her right
away; when she again pleads for his mercy and
refers to him as Lord, he grants her wish because of her
persistence and her faith.
Enabling this
woman's persistence was her hope. Hope for goodness is the promise
of God given through Jesus; it
is the anchor of our soul, and it allows us to be happy even in
the face of adversity. Hope is expressed and nourished
in prayer (CCC 1820). Perhaps you've been praying for something
but feel your prayers haven't been answered?
Continue to pray. Be persistent in your faith; never lose hope.
©2008 Liturgical
Publications Inc
Today’s Readings
Isaiah
56:1, 6-7 Thus says the LORD: "Keep justice, and do
righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and
my deliverance be revealed.
Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8 The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, has blessed us.
Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 For the gifts and the call of God
are irrevocable.
Matthew 15:21-28 He answered, "I was sent only to the
lost sheep of the house of
Israel."
Click
to hear the Daily Mass Readings
...then hear a Daily
Reflection!
- Both
projects funded by the Catholic Communication Campaign.
This is the Year of St. Paul
Feastday:
June 29
St. Paul, the indefatigable Apostle
of the Gentiles, was converted from Judaism
on the road to Damascus. He remained some days in Damascus
after his Baptism, and then went to Arabia, possibly for a year
or two to prepare himself for his future missionary activity.
Having returned to Damascus, he stayed there for a time,
preaching in the synagogues that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God. For this he incurred the hatred
of the Jews
and had to flee from the city. He then went to Jerusalem
to see Peter and pay his homage to the head of the Church.
Later he went back to his native Tarsus, where
he began to evangelize his own province until called by Barnabus
to Antioch. After one year, on the occasion of a famine, both
Barnabus and Paul were sent with alms to the poor Christian
community at Jerusalem. Having fulfilled their mission they
returned to Antioch.
Soon after this, Paul and Barnabus made the
first missionary journey, visiting the island of Cypress, then
Pamphylia, Pisidia, and Lycaonia, all in Asia
Minor, and establishing churches at Pisidian Antioch, Iconium,
Lystra, and Derbe.
After the Apostolic Council of
Jerusalem
Paul, accompanied by Silas and later also by Timothy and Luke,
made his second missionary journey, first revisiting the
churches previously established by him in Asia
Minor, and then passing through Galatia. At Troas
a vision of a Macedonian was had by Paul, which impressed him as
a call from God
to evangelize in Macedonia. He accordingly sailed for Europe,
and preached the Gospel in Philippi. Thessalonica, Beroea,
Athens, and Corinth. Then he returned to Antioch
by way of Ephesus
and Jerusalem.
On his third missionary journey, Paul visited
nearly the same regions as on the second trip, but made Ephesus
where he remained nearly three years, the center of his
missionary activity. He laid plans also for another missionary
journey, intending to leave Jerusalem
for Rome
and Spain. Persecutions by the Jews
hindered him from accomplishing his purpose. After two years of
imprisonment at Caesarea he finally reached Rome, where he was
kept another two years in chains.
The Acts
of the Apostles
gives us no further information on the life
of the Apostle. We gather, however, from the Pastoral Epistles
and from tradition that at the end of the two years St.
Paul was released from his Roman imprisonment, and then
traveled to Spain, later to the East again, and then back to
Rome, where he was imprisoned a second time
and in the year 67, was beheaded.
St. Paul untiring interest in and paternal
affection for the churches established by him have given us
fourteen canonical Epistles. It is, however, quite certain that
he wrote other letters which are no longer extant. In his
Epistles, St.
Paul shows himself to be a profound religious thinker and he
has had an enduring formative influence in the development of
Christianity. The centuries only make more apparent his
greatness of mind
and spirit.
Diocesan
Charismatic Rally "O God, Let Me Hear Your Voice"
Saturday
September 27, 2008 8:30AM-4:00PM St. Raphael-Holy Angels Church
Hamilton, NJ. This year's rally is an invitation to weigh
and discern the many clamoring voices seeking our daily
attention. The teachings and sharing's offered during
this rally will provide an enduring challenge to these worldly
voices and their values. The day will feature the following
presentations:
-
"Hearing
God Above the Clamor of the World" by Father Luke Mary
Fletcher, Franciscan Friar of the Renewal
-
"Seeing
Beyond 6 Figures" by Father Jeff Kegley
-
"Choosing
More than the Moment" by Caroline Gambale-Dirkes
-
Witnesses will
be Tom and Enza Cerami and Debbie Gaudino
-
Worship will be
led by Dan Dirkes
-
Mass celebrated
by Father Brendan Williams. Mass homilist will
be Father John Jakub
Pre-Registration is
preferred and there is a $25.00 fee which includes a hot
lunch. Checks can be made payable to Trenton CCR and mailed
to St. Raphael-Holy Angels Church 3500 S Broad Street Hamilton, NJ
08610 attn. Santa Trombino. The deadline for
pre-registration is 9/22. The fee at the door will be
$30.00 Childcare is available for children ages 3 and
over. Children must be registered for childcare. For
more information please contact Santa Trombino at
strombino1@verizon.net
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need
JavaScript enabled to view it
or 609-581-8853.
Come with me to a third grade
classroom..... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his
desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet
and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is
going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has
happened It's never happened before, and he knows that when
the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the
girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he
lives.
The boy believes his heart is
going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer,
'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes
from now I'm dead meat.'
He looks up from his prayer and
here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he
has been discovered.
As the teacher is walking toward
him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that
is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and
inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.
The boy pretends to be angry,
but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord!
Thank you, Lord!'
Now all of a sudden, instead of
being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of
sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym
shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other
children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his
desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it,
the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to
someone else - Susie.
She tries to help, but they tell
her to get out. You've done enough, you klutz!'
Finally, at the end of the day,
as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie
and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie
whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'
May God help us see the
opportunities that are always around us to do good..
Remember. Just going to church
doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your
garage makes you a car.
Each and everyone one of us is
going through tough times right now, but God is getting ready
to bless you in a way that only He can. Keep the faith.
Prayer
is powerful, and prayer is one of the best gifts we receive.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards. Let's continue to pray
for one another.
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A response from
Bishop John M. Smith to the article on 'Faithful Citizenship'
appearing in The Trenton Times
August 4, 2008
The article in the 7/30 issue of The Times regarding the Diocese
of Trenton's presentation on the statement, "Forming
Consciences for Faithful Citizenship", failed to provide
readers with an adequate understanding of this program and
misrepresented the very spirit of the document.
"Vote your
conscience," as the Times' headline says of the U.S.
Bishops' instruction, is a serious oversimplification that
undermines the core message of their statement. In truth, the
Bishops state that Catholics are called to form their
consciences in order to exercise faithful citizenship. The very
title of the document points to the centrality of this message.
Numerous sections of the document are devoted to the
"lifelong obligation to form their consciences in accord
with human reason and the teachings of the Church" (Section
17). We are told that this requires serious engagement and
commitment and that it does not begin or end at the polling
booth. We are even told how to form our consciences, beginning
with a "willingness and openness to seek the truth and what
is right" through the study of sacred Scripture and the
Catechism of the Catholic Church and continuing with an
examination of the background related to the choices before us.
We are told that forming our conscience also requires
"prayerful reflection to discern the will of God"
(Section 18).
And yet, nowhere in the article
is the need to form one's conscience ever addressed. Instead,
readers are led to believe that they should vote on the basis of
what they "think" or "feel". There is no
reference to this active process Catholics are instructed to
perform. The very essence of what it means to be a
"faithful citizen" is omitted.
Faithful Citizenship is the
compilation of general principles applied to the obligation that
Catholics have to exercise political responsibility in the light
of their faith, regardless of whether it is an election year,
and irrespective of the candidates who are running and the
issues on which they are basing their campaigns. The unfortunate
decision by The Times to insert the names of candidates where
none had been given led readers to believe that the document and
the presentation by diocesan representatives focused on
candidates. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The Times' handling of the very
delicate and complex challenge of voting also failed to
represent the full scope of the Bishops' instructions. The
statement goes into great detail to emphasize that not all
issues carry the same moral weight, and that "opposing
intrinsically evil acts has a special claim on our consciences
and our actions" (Section 37). The document further
cautions against the "moral equivalence that makes no
ethical distinctions between different kinds of issues involving
human life and dignity. The direct and intentional destruction
of innocent human life from the moment of conception until
natural death is always wrong and is not just one issue among
many. It must always be opposed" (Section 28).
These instructions were not
included in the article and the true meaning of the language
used in the document was subverted in The Times' trivializing of
the issues and voting choices facing Catholics this year. This
handling may have succeeded in getting readers' attention, but
it did little to advance a full and accurate understanding of
such an important and complex story.
We encourage readers to clarify
the confusion generated through The Times' article by reviewing
for themselves the full statement, Forming Consciences for
Faithful Citizenship, which is available on the website, www.faithfulcitizenship.org,
Most Rev. John M. Smith
Bishop of Trenton
the Faithful Citizenship Bulletin Resources
literature, a portion of which we featured here last week.
Every Wed. and
Fri.—Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon,
and Friday from 2 pm to 4 pm members of the St. Elizabeth
Ann Seton Respect Life Committee witness at the
Options abortion site in Candlewood Commons in Howell.
Pray the Rosary, Mercy Chaplet and prayer to end
abortion. All are welcome. Call M. Sherry for information
at 732-350-5474.
October 4,
2008, Saturday, Faithful Citizenship Information Evening
St. Joseph Parish in Toms River at 6 pm. Father Trammell will
speak on Catholic Social teaching
and our civic responsibility as
citizens of the world and as people of God.
October 5,
2008, Sunday, Respect Life Sunday Celebrated
in the Diocese of Trenton and in all parishes throughout
the United States. This is an opportunity for parishes to
focus on the great gift on human life. Materials from the
USCCB Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities are provided to
each parish by the Office of
Family Life/Respect Life. The theme
for this year’s packet weaves together the key pro-life
messages Pope Benedict brought to
America and is titled Hope and
Trust in Life!
October 5,
2008, Sunday, Life Chain
The 18th Annual LIFE CHAIN will take place from 3:00 to 4:00
PM on Sunday, October 5, in front of St. Veronica’s rectory.
LIFE CHAIN is an annual
nation-wide event to provide a peaceful
and prayerful public witness against abortion and for greater
respect for all human life. Pro-life witnesses will be forming
a “Life Chain” along Rt. 9 in front of the St. Veronica’s
rectory. Signs which state “Abortion
Kills Children,” “Jesus
Forgives and Heals,” etc. will be available. Only these
National Life Chain signs are
permitted. Please join us and stand
up for life! Refreshments will be served in the school cafeteria
following the witnessing.
October 11,
2008, Saturday, Faithful Citizenship Information Evening
St. Gregory the Great Parish in Hamilton Square at 6 pm. Father
Trammell will speak on Catholic Social teaching and our civic
responsibility as citizens of the world and as people of God.
Every Saturday,
Prayer Vigil for Life
7:30 am to 9:30 am. Join the St. Ann Lawrenceville Respect
Life Committee at abortion clinic
in West Windsor, in office park
directly behind Pep Boys on Route 1. Take Route 1 South just
past Market Fair to Emmons Drive (Pep Boys on corner). Make
a right onto Emmons Drive. Gather halfway down the block
at the parking lot entrance. Stay for as long or as little as
you are able. All are welcome
Proclaiming
Christ 2008:
Sharing the Gift of Our Catholic Faith
Join
people from all over the
U.S.A.
for an online conference dedicated to Catholic evangelization!
Proclaiming Christ 2008 will take place over the internet
September 9-October 16, 2008. Pre-recorded presentations will be
posted September 16, 17, and 18, 2008. Access to presentations,
exhibits, daily prayers, and discussion groups will continue 24/7
through October 16, 2008. This conference is recommended for
fulltime and volunteer parish ministers who want to deepen and
expand their knowledge and skills for evangelization. All you need
is a computer, an internet connection (56k or above) and a headset
to hear the presentations.
Learn
more and register at www.proclaimingchrist2008.org.
Use
this coupon code OFC25 by August 22, 2008 and get the individual
Early Bird registration for $50 instead of $75.
| Each
week we will be looking at other parish web sites and
reporting back items of general interest to Visitation
parishioners |
Healing
Mass: Tuesday August 26, 2008 at 7:15PM at St. Peter's Church
in Point Pleasant. Father John Campoli will be the celebrant
and Lorrie Tomlinson will be leading music. For more
information please contact Dawn Risinko SFO at
greyhavens4@aol.com
St.
Veronica's Church "From Ashes to Fire" program
is hosting the following events during the month of August:
For more information contact Larry Pighini at 732-477-1303 or
visit www.stveronica.com:
- Men's Breakfast
Meeting: Saturday August 23, 2008 at
8:00AM. The morning will include Mass, Teaching
Fellowship, Witness and Breakfast
WEEKEND RETREAT FOR SEPARATED OR DIVORCED
A
weekend retreat will be given on September 12, 13, 14, 2008 in
Newton
,
NJ
by a Franciscan Retreat Team.
For more information contact Fr. Tom Kelly, OFM at
973-985-9736 or Deacon Milt at 973-271-5097.
ST.
JUDE’S SHRINE
Knights
of Columbus Council #836 is sponsoring a trip to St. Jude’s
Shrine in
Baltimore
,
Maryland
on November 15, 2008. The cost is $ 69.00 per person and
includes: round-trip deluxe motorcoach transportation, a visit
to St. Jude’s
Visitors
Center
and Gift Shop. Attend the 12 Noon Healing and Anointing
Mass at St. Jude’s Shrine. A luncheon will take place at
2:00 PM at Phillip’s Restaurant on the
Inner
Harbor
and a visit to Delaware Park Slots. All taxes and meal
gratuities included. Bus departs from Wal-Mart on
Jack Martin Blvd.
and Rte 70 at 7:15 AM and should return to Brick by 9:30 PM.
For more information call Camille Frederick at 732-920-7538.
NEXT
WEEKEND THERE WILL BE
ONE COLLECTION.
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WEEK
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