emoration of All the Faithful Departed
When I was 22, I entered St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time. It floored me. I could hardly take it in, its grandeur, majestic arches, vibrant colors, and the light that danced through its high windows. Somehow, amidst such splendor, I felt an overwhelming sense of belonging, as if I had finally come home. Jesus reorients how we Catholics see sacred buildings. In today’s Gospel He says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:13-22). His riddle implies, shockingly, that His own body is now the fundamental dwelling place of God and humanity. The temple in Jerusalem has been superseded. In our churches today — whether they mirror the basilica’s grandeur or embrace humble simplicity — we experience architectural symbols of Christ’s risen body. It is no accident we call them “churches”: they make visible in brick-and-mortar Christ’s body which is made up of the living stones we call Christians. Each church building, like St. John Lateran in Rome, or St. Peter’s, or any other, is meant to be a vibrant sign of Christ’s resurrected body. We should cherish and protect our churches as places where heaven touches earth, where we, as a community, are raised to the fullness of life in Christ. — Father John Muir
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I have a friend who is very much into health. He exercises every day. He eats what he considers a healthy diet. He sees a chiropractor on a regular basis as well as getting checkups. He is always checking up on me and pushing me to live the same way he does. I do try to get my exercise when I can, and I see my doctors when I need to see them. As to diet we disagree on what is a healthy diet, but we both feel we are eating in a heathy manner. The biggest difference between us is the fact that we agree on physical health being important, however, he neglects his spiritual health. He does not attend mass every Sunday, he does not go to confession to the best of my knowledge, and he does not pray daily. Which of course I do all these things and push for him to do the same. I am sorry to say he is like many people I know putting physical health above spiritual health. It is important to care for one’s physical health but no matter what we do and no matter how well we take care of ourselves we are still going to die. This is a fact of life; the body will stop working sooner or later. Whereas the soul is immortal and will go on for all eternity. So, which is more important to take care of the physical body or to take care of the soul? Continue to take care of your physical health, however, put the priority on your spiritual health for the soul will go on either in heaven or hell it all depends on how we take care of it.
God Bless you and have a wonderful week, Fr. Michael
SEND A SEM A SENTIMENT
On the bulletin board in the vestibule is a list of seminarians. The Archdiocese is encouraging the faithful to send cards, letters, and well wishes to the seminarians. Take a picture of the list with your phone and send one (or more) of them a little uplifting message. Thank You!
PRAYER REQUESTS
That God will relieve their suffering and restore them to health. Please pray for:
Kellie Salata, Kelly Chinchar, Jessica, Daniel Breslin, Stanley, Joseph Marrone, Anthony, Michael, Joseph, Jessica Esopo, Steve, Audra, Bernadette, James Weiss, Baby Ford, Rosemary Malangone, Elizabeth Malangone, Sue West, Danny, Colleen Emery, Richard, Joan Russo, Christina Martin, Mornia Evans, Valerie Valverde, Diana McGuckin, Manny Scarangella, Cheryl Prinjinski, Ron Barth, Stephen West, John K. Hammel.
Holy Name Medical Center is looking for Eucharistic Ministers, volunteers, who are willing to help out in giving out Holy Communion to their patients. If you are interested, you can email them at pokafor@holyname.org or call their office at 201-833-3243 or stop by their Pastoral Care Office, behind the chapel, lobby/ground floor at Holy Name Medical Center.
SCRIPTURAL REFLECTIONS ON STEWARDSHIP
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells within you?”
Simply remembering that we are “temples of the Holy Spirit” should make our daily decision making relatively easy. If we truly want to imitate Jesus, then our words and actions should reflect the love, mercy, and forgiveness that flow from His Sacred Heart. Try it for one week. Try to remember that we are temples of the Holy Spirit and see how it affects the way that you live.
The gift of Bread & Wine for the first two weeks of November has been given in memory of Rose & Carmine DeRiso by Mr. & Mrs. Raymond DeRiso. The second two weeks have been given in memory of William Panagia by Rose-Ann Cella.
The gift of Altar Flowers for the first two weeks of November has been given in memory of Juana Maldonado by Jesse & Joanna Sylvestri.
The Sanctuary Lamp for the first two weeks of November has been given in memory of Frank Pizza by the Pizza Family.
Please consider sponsoring our Bread & Wine, Altar Flowers, and the oil for the Sanctuary Lamp.
Opportunities for Parish Support
There are several ways you can help support our parish and honor loved ones at the same time. As you may have noticed on the first Sunday of every month in our bulletin, we thank the donors of our Altar Gifts. You can donate the Bread & Wine, Altar Flowers, or the Sanctuary Lamp in a two-week block for $50 in someone’s memory. We have blocks open for this year. We also need to purchase a new Easter candle each year (the tall candle on the altar) for $300-$400 which can also be donated in someone’s memory. You do not have to fund the entire amount, anything you wish to donate towards the purchase of our Easter candle is appreciated. We also have masses available for your intentions. If you wish to honor someone in any of these ways, please call the rectory.
Prayer for our Nation
God our Father, giver of life, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care. You are the rock on which this nation was founded. You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Reclaim this land for your glory and dwell among your people. Send your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nation’s leaders. Open their minds to the great worth of human life and the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Remind your people that true happiness is rooted in seeking and doing your will. Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, patroness of our land, grant us the courage to reject the “culture of death.” Lead us into a new millennium of life. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Praying the ROSARY
The Rosary is a meditation, a time to recall and think about the life of Jesus as seen and experienced by Mary. As the model of faith, Mary’s life sets a pattern that we strive to follow: saying ‘yes’ to God’s will in our lives and sharing His love and message with others. The Mysteries of the Rosary form a mini lesson of faith, using the highlights and significant moments of the life of Jesus. Like paging through a family scrapbook, we see in brief the events of salvation history that are the core of our belief and the hope of our eternal life.
WE NEED BULLETIN ADVERTISERS!!
We would like to thank all the advertisers who have supported us throughout the past year. Our parish benefits greatly from the ads you see in the bulletin. The revenue pays for the printing which is an important means of communication for the parish. If we do not have enough advertisers, the cost of our bulletin goes up. We thank the local businesses that advertise with us especially in these tough economic times. We have some spaces on the back of our bulletin that need filling so if you would like to advertise your business as well as benefit your church, please contact John Patrick Publishing at 1-800-333-3166.
Please support our advertisers at the back cover of bulletin.