Saint Casimir Parish

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January
2016

                        


MINISTRY OF PRAISE
 

JANUARY, 2016
 
St. Casimir Parish
 

Almighty God,
grant that with the help of St. Casimir’s intercession
we may serve you in holiness and justice.

 

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING INTENTIONS

 

  • That sincere dialogue among men and women of different faiths may produce the fruits of peace and justice.               
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      (January Papal intention)

  • That the riches of creation be preserved, valued, and made available to all, as precious gifts from  God to mankind.
     

  • That  those to be baptized, especially those preparing for baptism at Easter Vigil this year, will find in the mystery of the Baptism of the Lord the happiness of their destiny in Christ.
     

  • That through the selfless compassion of those who love Christ, care and protection will be provided for those afflicted by the cold of winter or poor weather.
     

  • That  Mary, Queen of Peace, will intercede to bring a genuine and lasting peace to all the world.
     

  • That God bless Father Bacevice and the Pastoral and Finance Councils in their efforts to secure the future of St. Casimir Parish.

  • That all parishioners recognize their responsibility to St. Casimir Parish’s future through financial support, fund-raising efforts, commitment to parish activities, sharing ideas, and most importantly prayer.

  • That married couples will be blessed with the grace to live their lives with fidelity, holiness, and joy.
     

  • That our deceased relatives and friends sleep in the peace of Christ.
     

  • That our Ministers of Praise be validated in their belief in the power of prayer.

 

 

WHAT’S HAPPENING            AT ST. CASIMIR PARISH?

  • Jan. 13th    -  Evening Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, 6:00 – 9:00pm in Church

  • Jan. 30-31 -  Altar Society’s “Soup for the Soul” after all weekend Masses


SAINT FOR JANUARY

 

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Priest and Doctor
(1225 - 1274)

January 28th

      "Why did the Son of God have to suffer for us? There was a great need, and it can be considered in a twofold way: in the first place, as a remedy for sin, and secondly as an example of how to act.

     It is a remedy, for, in the face of all the evils which we incur on account of our sins, we have found relief through the passion of Christ. Yet, it is no less an example, for the passion of Christ completely suffices to fashion our lives."                               (from St. Thomas Aquinas' Commentary on the Creed)

     St. Thomas Aquinas has been called “the preeminent spokesman of the Catholic tradition of reason and of Divine Revelation.” At the age of 5 he was sent to the Benedictine Abbey at Monte Casino. His mother hoped that he would one day be the abbot. However, in 1244 Thomas chose to join the Dominicans. He completed his studies under St. Albert the Great and was ordained a priest at Cologne, Germany in 1248. For the next several years he taught in Paris, Rome, Naples and other cities.

     His greatest contributions to the Church are his philosophical and theological writings. He taught that faith and reason help us to arrive at certain conclusions. However, as brilliant as his theological writings are, it is in his many commentaries and spiritual writings that we find practical advice and guidance. St. Thomas saw Christ on the Cross as an example of humility in submitting to the judgment of Pilate, and in obeying the will of his Father.

     St. Thomas Aquinas was very learned, yet he was also a man of great humility and holiness. Thomas continues to teach us by his word and example. He is the patron of universities, colleges and schools. His theology dominated Catholic teaching for seven centuries. He died in 1274, was canonized in 1323, and proclaimed Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius V in 1567 .

Source:  IN HIS LIKENESS by Rev. Charles E. Yost, SCJ, STL.

 

THOUGHTS FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Grace as Gift

 

# 1996 Our justification comes from the grace of God.  Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of divine nature and of eternal life.

#1999 The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our souls to heal it of sin and to sanctify it.  It is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in Baptism.  It is in us the source of the work of sanctification:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
 All this is from God, who through Christ has reconciled us to himself.   (2Cor 5:17-18)

 

REFLECTION

 

PERSONS ARE GIFTS


Persons are gifts that God sends to me wrapped.
Some are wrapped beautifully; they are attractive when I first see them.
Some come in ordinary wrapping paper.
Others have been mishandled in the mail.
Once in a while there is a “special delivery”. 

Some persons are gifts that come wrapped loosely, others tightly.
But the wrapping is not the gift.
It is easy to make that mistake.
It is amusing when babies do it—
when they play with the wrapping instead of the gift.

   Sometimes the gift is very easy to open up.
   Sometimes I need others to help.
   Is it afraid?
   Does it hurt?
   Maybe it has been opened before and thrown away.
   Could it be that the gift is not for me?

I am a person.
Therefore, I am a gift too—a gift to myself first of all.
God, the creator, gave myself to me.
Have I ever looked inside the wrappings?
Am I afraid to?
Perhaps I have never accepted the gift that I am.
Could God’s gift be anything but beautiful?

                                    I love the gifts that those who love me give to me
  Why not the gift from God?
  Am I gift to other persons?
  Am I willing to be given by God to others?
  Do others have to be content with the wrappings,
  never permitted to enjoy the gift?


Every meeting of persons is an exchange of gifts.
Friendship is a relationship
      between persons who see themselves as they truly are.
A friend is a gift not just to me but to others through me.
Persons are gifts, gifts received and gifts given.
                                                      (Fr. George B. Nintemann, O.P.)