I hope that everyone is having a great week so far.
Summer is almost over so I hope that everyone enjoyed themselves.
I would like to invite everyone again to join us this Thursday August 27th at the FCC as we continue our Summer Scripture Study Series.
The format for the prayer session is the following:
1) Sign of the Cross
2) Song #1
3) PRAYER: Holy Spirit Prayers: "Please come Holy Spirit"
4) Song #2
5) PRAYER: Praise to God: "Praise be to God"
6) Read the Gospel
7) Discussion on the Gospel
8) PRAYER: Thanksgiving: "Thanks be to God"
9) Song #3
10) PRAYER: Supplication (Requests): "Lord hear our prayers"
11) Song #4
12) PRAYER: Final Prayer
The reading will be next Sunday's Gospel. Please see the Gospel passage below. You will also notice below a nice meditation on the Gospel provided to us by Ira.
We will gather at around 7:00pm and start the prayer session at 7:30pm. We will wrap up at about 8:30pm.
We will not be serving any food or beverages so please bring your own if you want anything to eat or drink.
We will be singing some Japanese songs this week!
Naoko-san has brought in some very nice Japanese songs for us to try.
Maybe this will be good Japanese practice for us all :D
I look forward to seeing you all again soon. Please feel free to invite your friends. Our doors are always open!
God Bless
Anthony
Here is next week's Gospel for Sunday August 30, 2009:
Gospel - Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands,keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” He responded,
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
He summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. 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. All these evils come from within and they defile.”
Meditation for Sunday, August 30 - Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
More and more people were following Jesus. After all, he reverenced
God, taught with authority, and healed everyone who came to him. And the more the people wanted to make Jesus the king, the more his enemies wanted to trap and destroy him.
Then came the moment when some of the Pharisees caught Jesus'
disciples eating food with unwashed hands. This violation mattered to many Jews because this good human tradition had taken on significant meaning as a symbol of purity and detachment from the world. In fact, many Jews believed that this human law had a binding force equal to that of the Torah, the Law of Moses.
Jesus answered their accusations by telling them that it is what is on
the inside of a person that counts, not what is on the outside. As we celebrate the Eucharist today, we can be like those Pharisees, often without even realizing it. It is easy to go through the motions at Mass: saying the prayers, standing and kneeling at the appropriate times, singing out loud, receiving communion, and staying until the end. But these outward displays may or may not reveal what is on the inside. For instance, we may be distracted, tired, preoccupied, holding on to some sin, or just attending this tradition because it is the right thing to do.
What does Jesus want us to have on the inside? Love. He wants his love to be the fire in our hearts that moves us to kneel in humble adoration, to sing with joy, to listen attentively to his word, and to greet everyone with a true desire for their peace and well-being.
So while you are at Mass today, look up at Jesus and see how he loves
you. See how his body was broken so that you might be made whole. See how he was put to death so that you might have new life. See how he was enslaved so that you might be set free.
Meditation on Jesus will lead you to love him in return for all he did
for you. What other response could there possibly be ?
Hello Everyone!
I hope that everyone is having a great week so far.
Summer is almost over so I hope that everyone enjoyed themselves.
I would like to invite everyone again to join us this Thursday August 27th at the FCC as we continue our Summer Scripture Study Series.
The format for the prayer session is the following:
1) Sign of the Cross
2) Song #1
3) PRAYER: Holy Spirit Prayers: "Please come Holy Spirit"
4) Song #2
5) PRAYER: Praise to God: "Praise be to God"
6) Read the Gospel
7) Discussion on the Gospel
8) PRAYER: Thanksgiving: "Thanks be to God"
9) Song #3
10) PRAYER: Supplication (Requests): "Lord hear our prayers"
11) Song #4
12) PRAYER: Final Prayer
The reading will be next Sunday's Gospel. Please see the Gospel passage below. You will also notice below a nice meditation on the Gospel provided to us by Ira.
We will gather at around 7:00pm and start the prayer session at 7:30pm. We will wrap up at about 8:30pm.
We will not be serving any food or beverages so please bring your own if you want anything to eat or drink.
We will be singing some Japanese songs this week!
Naoko-san has brought in some very nice Japanese songs for us to try.
Maybe this will be good Japanese practice for us all :D
I look forward to seeing you all again soon. Please feel free to invite your friends. Our doors are always open!
God Bless
Anthony
Here is next week's Gospel for Sunday August 30, 2009:
Gospel - Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/083009.shtml
When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands,keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” He responded,
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
He summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. 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. All these evils come from within and they defile.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Meditation for Sunday, August 30 - Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
More and more people were following Jesus. After all, he reverenced
God, taught with authority, and healed everyone who came to him. And the more the people wanted to make Jesus the king, the more his enemies wanted to trap and destroy him.
Then came the moment when some of the Pharisees caught Jesus'
disciples eating food with unwashed hands. This violation mattered to many Jews because this good human tradition had taken on significant meaning as a symbol of purity and detachment from the world. In fact, many Jews believed that this human law had a binding force equal to that of the Torah, the Law of Moses.
Jesus answered their accusations by telling them that it is what is on
the inside of a person that counts, not what is on the outside. As we celebrate the Eucharist today, we can be like those Pharisees, often without even realizing it. It is easy to go through the motions at Mass: saying the prayers, standing and kneeling at the appropriate times, singing out loud, receiving communion, and staying until the end. But these outward displays may or may not reveal what is on the inside. For instance, we may be distracted, tired, preoccupied, holding on to some sin, or just attending this tradition because it is the right thing to do.
What does Jesus want us to have on the inside? Love. He wants his love to be the fire in our hearts that moves us to kneel in humble adoration, to sing with joy, to listen attentively to his word, and to greet everyone with a true desire for their peace and well-being.
So while you are at Mass today, look up at Jesus and see how he loves
you. See how his body was broken so that you might be made whole. See how he was put to death so that you might have new life. See how he was enslaved so that you might be set free.
Meditation on Jesus will lead you to love him in return for all he did
for you. What other response could there possibly be ?
"Jesus, reduce me to love!"