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From the Homily
Of Father Jose

“Transfiguration of Our Lord”

 

The Transfiguration of our Lord gives us a glimpse of our eternal glory. It changed the heart of His disciples.  Life could never have been the same for them again.  They had seen their God in His glory.  Peter was very excited; he wanted to stay there forever. Peter’s offer to build tents was completely out of faith; he wanted to remain on the mountaintop enjoying the heavenly glory.

Lent is our opportunity to experience the glory of Jesus in us.  During this Lent let us ask ourselves: Can we live a simple life?  Can we trust God enough to sacrifice the normal things of life that we have relied upon to give us pleasure? Do we have the courage to abandon our comfort and pride and openly admit that we are sinners?  If we know our sinful life, then we need to change.  Many people are afraid to come close to God because they do not want to know their real nature, their sinful life.  They are not ready to change. If we are resolved to change our sinful lifestyle, we need to come close to our Lord through prayer and fasting.  And then, we can receive His abundant blessings in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). 

Let us pray that we may experience a change of heart through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Let us open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, so that He can transform our lives.

“Lord, we pray that we may experience your transfiguration, your glory, during the Consecration, which is the highlight of the Holy Mass. ”

                                                                Amen

Eucharistic Ministers

February 17th -

Bonnie Palleschi - Carol Tharpe
 

February 24^th –

Ken Cochran – Lois Nelson

Greeters

February 17^th – Vikki Griffin

February 24^th – Stephanie Carter

Lectors

February 16^th – Bonnie Palleschi

February 17^th – S. Carter

February 23^rd – Jim Palleschi

February 24^th – Maria Allen

Prayer List 

Gloria Cantrall
Lorraine DeYorio
Saneep Lalit
Sanjo Lalit
Rajamma Lalit
Teresa Maniyangat
Cibin Mathew
Trudy Montouri
Hong Nguyen
Jo Ann Sanchez
Barbara Stiveder
Claire Tillis
Lois Tobin
Louise Whitt
and all the sick and
travelers of the Parish

Mass Intentions for the Week  

Father George Kunnathu

Welcome Father George Kunnathu who is celebrating Mass for us while Father Jose is in India.

Prayer Requested

Father Jose is in India visiting his mother, Teresa and will celebrate the third anniversary of the death of his father Joseph who died on February 13, 2005.  Pray for a safe journey for Father Jose, and for his mother, family, and father.  

40 Hours of Eucharistic Adoration

St. Mary’s will have 40 Hours of Eucharistic Adoration beginning Friday, February 29^th at   1:00 a.m. and concluding Saturday, March 1st at 5:00 p.m.  

This is the highest form of devotion to Our Lord in the Eucharist. There is a sign-up book in the vestibule for you to choose your time to visit the Lord during these 40 hours.

       Healing Mass Saturday, March 1st 

Our next healing Mass will be Saturday,   March 1^st. This month the Holy Hour of Adoration will be from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. before the Healing Mass at 5:00 p.m.  Don’t forget to attend this hour of Adoration.  This is a very important part of the Healing Ministry. 

 Lenten Regulations    

The church's laws for fast and abstinence during Lent state: All Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence. Catholics who are 14 years or older should abstain from meat entirely. Soups and gravies made from meat are permitted.

Guest Speaker

Our church is sponsoring Pat Cook who will be speaking to us following Sunday mass on February 24th. She is a very inspirational speaker. Attending this class will go towards earned credit hours for our religious education teachers, but all parishioners are invited.

CCW

CCW will have a meeting on Wednesday,  February 20^th at 7:00 p.m. in the church hall.

Spring Fest Meeting

A meeting for St. Mary’s Spring Fest is Wednesday, February 20th at 8:00 p.m. in the church hall.  Everyone is invited to attend.

40 Hours with Jesus Christ

The Forty Hours Devotion is a special    forty-hour period of continuous prayer made before the Blessed Sacrament in solemn exposition. The number forty has always signified a sacred   period of time: the rains during the time of Noah lasted 40 days and nights; the Jews wandered through the desert for 40 years, our Lord fasted and prayed for 40 days before beginning His public ministry.

The 40 Hours Devotion remembers that traditional "forty-hour period" from our Lord's burial until the resurrection.

Actually in the Middle Ages, the Blessed Sacrament was transferred to the repository, "the Easter Sepulcher," for this period of time to signify our Lord's time in the tomb.

Three special dimensions surround this devotion:

·         The protection from evil and temptation; Reparation for our
          own sins and for the Poor Souls in Purgatory;

·         Deliverance from political, material, or spiritual calamities.

·         Pray for our Lord’s graces for our neighbors, our personal
          needs, and those of the world.

The Forty Hours Devotion provides a wonderful opportunity for the spiritual growth of each person.

 In a world where temptation and evil abound, where devotion to the Mass and our Lord in the Holy Eucharist have declined, where the practice of penance and confession have been forgotten, we need the Forty Hours Devotion more than ever.