29th Sunday in Ordinary time -Year A
Occasionally, I’ll slip into a parish I’ve never visited before, pick up the bulletin, and find one of my Gospel reflections. My heart usually swells with a bit of affection for my creation. I imprint a bit of myself into my little “literary labors of love.” Anyone who has created something — a piece of writing, a garden, a meal, a child — knows that feeling. We love the things into which we put ourselves. We are happy when they return to us. With this in mind, listen to Jesus’ classic line in this Sunday’s Gospel: “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22:21). He presents this little riddle to deepen the theme from taxes to human beings. A Roman coin bears Caesar’s image, so it belongs to Caesar. Therefore, he has a legitimate claim to it. Fair enough. But what belongs to God? What bears His image? Every human being. God has imprinted Himself on every person. Which means everyone — including Caesar — belongs entirely to Him. Jesus, who is God’s perfect image, has come to draw everyone back to God. We can be tempted to imagine that our lives are made up of “things for God” and “things not for God.” The good news is that no such division is possible because everything in life is a gift from God to us. Therefore, all is meant to be placed at the service of God’s kingdom. He loves everything He has created. We have the privilege of giving it all back to Him. – Father John Muir
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Last week I mentioned my mom has cancer. As many of you know I have been dealing with my own health issues and I have people ask me how it is that even though it has been years now that I don’t get down over it. Well let me share a story with you:
A young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out he dropped to his knees in prayer. “Lord, I can’t go on” he said. “I have too heavy a cross to bear.” The Lord replied, “My son, if you can’t bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then open that other door and pick out any cross you wish.” The young man was filled with relief. “Thank you, Lord,” he sighed, and he did what he was told. Upon entering the other door, he saw many other crosses, some so large the tops weren’t even visible. Then he spotted a tiny cross leaning against the far wall. “I’d like that one Lord,” he whispered. And the Lord replied, “My son, that is the cross you just brought in.” My brothers and sisters whenever I feel my cross is getting too heavy I remind myself there are others carrying even bigger and heaver crosses and I say a prayer for them and as I do I find mine isn’t all that heavy after all.
God Bless you and have a wonderful week, Fr. Michael
“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”
Everything we are and everything we have belongs to God. We aren’t “owners” of anything, we are merely “stewards” of the gifts God has given each of us. All God is asking is that we give back a portion of what He gave us. This is the essence of Stewardship. God should be our first priority in everything. All else comes second, especially our money.
Everyday Stewardship
Many years ago, during faith formation in my parish, one of the children wrote something that wasn’t very nice on a textbook that belonged to someone else. Being the pastoral associate that oversaw the program, I began the investigation immediately. Slowly I began eliminating suspects until it became obvious who the perpetrator was. He denied he was the one, but after much pressure he broke down and confessed. Of course, I derived no satisfaction from finding out the culprit. Of course, it was my own son. My son didn’t want to come clean because he naturally feared what I would say and do when I found out. He also knew that our pastor would find out as well. He felt accountable for his actions and that made it very difficult for him. He realized he let himself, others that loved him, and God down. It was a lesson learned that wasn’t much fun to go through. What I was grateful for was the fact that he felt the weight of what he had done. If he hadn’t, things would have been very different. That was a long time ago and when I reflect on it, I think about how often we all do things we regret and then have to face the consequences. But that’s what being accountable is all about. We are accountable to those we love, to our neighbor, and to our God. When we begin to slide into a worldview that focuses too much on ourselves, we can easily make decisions that hurt others. We must always seek to do what is good in the eyes of God and that respects others. When we are children this is easier said than done. Alright, let’s be honest–it isn’t always so easy as adults either. -Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS
Prayer for Autumn
Dear God, As the weather changes, the birds migrate, and autumn’s flowers, colors, and clouds make their entrance. We thank You for the gift of this beautiful season! Help us use this season to draw closer to each other and to You. Amen.
Prayer for Vocations
Dear God, Give us the courage and strength to answer when You call! Give us clarity and trust to hear Your soft invitations. Give us the love to respond, and the bravery to take the steps that will bring us ever closer to You. Amen.
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, Colleen Emery, Richard, Joan Russo, Christina Martin, Mornia Evans, Valerie Valverde, Diana McGuckin, Cheryl Prinjinski, Stephen West, Bryan Westfall, Cathy Bruno, Anne Trainor and Lheny Sunga.
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.
Attention families of 8th grade students planning to attend Catholic High School in Fall 2027!
The High School Placement Test (HSPT) administered as part of the Cooperative Admissions Program for Catholic High Schools in the Archdiocese of Newark will be given on Friday, November 6, 2026. Registration information for the HSPT exam is online at www.njcoopexam.org. The deadline to register for the HSPT is October 23, 2026. For more information about the Cooperative Admissions Program, go to www.catholicschoolsnj.org/hs-admissions.
THANK YOU
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.
Attention families of 8th grade students planning to attend Catholic High School in Fall 2027!
The High School Placement Test (HSPT) administered as part of the Cooperative Admissions Program for Catholic High Schools in the Archdiocese of Newark will be given on Friday, November 6, 2026. Registration information for the HSPT exam is online at www.njcoopexam.org. The deadline to register for the HSPT is October 23, 2026. For more information about the Cooperative Admissions Program, go to www.catholicschoolsnj.org/hs-admissions.
Please support our advertisers at the back cover of bulletin.
