9/1/24
Hi everyone! I really enjoyed the parish picnic last week! I would like to give a huge “thank you” to Janet and all of the volunteers. Many people worked very hard to put this event on and it came together really well! I enjoyed the opportunity to see people and meet others for the first time. Our Lady of Guadalupe is a wonderful community and I am blessed to be with you all.
After reading through the Gospel of John chapter 6 for the last several weekends, we are now back to the Gospel of Mark which we will maintain for this Liturgical year. As I encouraged you to read through John chapter 6, I will now encourage you to read through the Gospel of Mark. Mark is not a long Gospel. It moves quickly but is packed with some great scenes to pray with and to engage the Word of God with in our daily lives. You could even do a little Bible Study with your spouse, family, or friends with Mark’s Gospel. Just go through it a chapter at a time, and discuss how it relates to your life with each other. Try to use a Bible with good commentary to help you with more difficult passages. I would recommend the Ignatius press Catholic Study Bible.
In chapter 7 for this weekend, Jesus says, “Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile. From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.”
Often, we see bad action and want to correct it. Maybe we personally struggle with a habit we do not like and try to fix it. We try to eat or drink moderately, or give up a lustful behavior. Or we try to curb our anger better and not react as quickly to people. All of these efforts are really good and really important to work on, and at times, encourage other people to work on these too. Sometimes we find that no matter how hard we try or how many times we tell someone to change, the behavior remains even with a willingness for it to change.
Jesus’ words about going into the heart are extremely important here. The Christian journey of drawing closer to Christ is about changing exterior habits for the better, and also an interior journey of allowing the Lord to cleanse and heal our hearts. As our hearts are “made new” in Christ then our actions will follow. But to be clear, there is definitely a “both/and” approach of working on outward actions and being willing to take the interior journey through prayer.
Remember the heart is the deep center of the person. Our hearts or souls are created good by God (along with our bodies) but are infected and need healing. Inviting Jesus into places of interior suffering or struggle is a really good way to pray. If I feel inner anger a lot, I can ask Jesus to enter that place of my heart and I can ask Him to help me understand why I am angry. Then I can ask Him to bring grace and healing to that place of my heart. The interior journey is often one that works well with someone to help accompany us, so don’t be afraid to share some of these things with a Catholic friend you trust or who has experience with the faith.
Have a blessed weekend
Fr. James
Matthew
A Devotional Commentary
Wouldn't it be exciting if we could have a personal conversation with the authors who first captured the words and deeds of Jesus. What would we hope to gain from such an exchange? When we approach the gospels with an eagerness to receive this truth, we can actually do more than have a dialogue with an evangelist. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit we can have a level of communication with each other and learn more about Jesus.
Join us as we journey through the Study of the Bible, Tues. Sept 10 at 6:30 pm at OLG. You can come just to listen, to express your opinion or just sit back and enjoy being with faith minded people. PS: The book we are using is Matthew, A Devotional Commentary and can be ordered on Amazon
Coffee and Conversation
Welcome to Coffee and Conversation…my goal is to encourage women daily…to pray for each other who request prayer…to be a blessing and to add smiles along the way…stop by and say hello and share what is in your heart & on your mind… we strive to bring a bit of happiness with our support of each other…we hope you will share your experiences that may help someone who is going through the same thing… sharing Gods love for us, is our main focus. Love & blessings ~ Mary Leben
Join me at Our Lady of Guadalupe 10am-11am. Mondays weekly starting Sept 9th and ending Dec 16. Text or call me at 216.780.6529
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
Commemorative Bricks
Mark your special occasion by purchasing a commemorative brick at Holy Mary Shrine here at OLG.
Bricks are a $100 donation each and are installed in 7-10 days. Proceeds will benefit the OLG Groundskeeping fund for ongoing beautification.
Make your lasting message in celebration of, in memory of, in gratitude of, in honor of or just because! Order forms are in the periodical kiosk in the church lobby and here on the OLG website with the link below.
Your lasting message can be:
- • In celebration of a special occasion (birthday, anniversary, baptism, communion, confirmation,
wedding, graduation, etc.) - • In memory of
- • In gratitude
- • In honor of
- • In support of
- • A family, organization or group name
Minimum donation per brick: $100
Please include donation with order. Proceeds benefit the OLG Groundskeeping Fund.
