FREEDOM AND PRIVACY In 1948 the free world was shocked by the trial of József Cardinal Mindszenty. The man who had valiantly
withstood Nazi and communist oppression in his native Hungary pleaded guilty to the charges of treason brought against him by the communist regime. But he was clearly a broken man. Somehow that brave, independent spirit had been overcome, but only at the cost of destroying the person. To invade the personal center of another human being is the ultimate act of violence. Each individual has a privacy which is his or hers and it cannot rightly be invaded. No human being may take away that privacy from another. Privacy is not just something to be enjoyed. Privacy means more than the right to unplug the telephone and shut the door and not be bothered by anybody. The other side of the coin, however, is our personal responsibility for our life. No one can take that responsibility for us. Even if we choose to hand over responsibility for our life totally to another, that is itself a deeply personal act.
GOD AND LORD Only God is Lord. The Creator alone can touch us gently at the deepest core of our being. God does not invade us from outside to break down our resistances and rob us of our freedom, as a human tyrant does. The Spirit is already within, at the very heart of our being. Yielding ourselves to God is opening ourselves to that life-force which creates us and carries us on to ever fuller life. By yielding ourselves to God we do not lose ourselves or find our dignity compromised. We discover ourselves in a new and exciting way. More than any external work that Jesus did, his power to touch and transform the human heart marks him as divine. His is not the destructive dominance seen too often in human beings, but the creative dominance which is God’s alone. The Christian discovers Jesus is Lord, and therefore knows him as God. The new law of the kingdom, as we hear it proclaimed in today’s Gospel, places exacting demands on the Christian. It is not merely our religious practice or external behavior coming under its scrutiny but our inner motives and desires. Jesus calls us to do God’s will not only externally but with the right intention: to love and serve the Lord and give praise to God.
“We can get a fairly accurate measure of our spiritual progress by examining our speech. The more we speak well of our brothers and sisters, the closer we will
come to God.“ Father Andrew Apostoli CFR
SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
MASS SCHEDULE RECONCILIATION/CONFESSION MASSES Fri. Feb 14… For the People Every Sat. at 3:30 Saturday: 4 p.m. Sat. Feb 15… Helen Stetler or by appointment Sunday: 11 a.m. Sun. Feb 16 … Maruja Ramirez Mon & Fri: 6 p.m.
FIRST FRIDAY ADORATION following the 6 pm Mass,
next – March 6
LADIES OF ST. MARY PCCW
First Sundays in the Parish Hall at Noon.
March 1
ROSARY 10:30 am First Sunday in the quiet
room adjacent to the entrance.
Sunday, March 1
Knights of Columbus Second Sundays at 7 pm at
the Parish Hall– next meeting is March 8
MASS OFFERINGS: Canon 946 states:”The Christian faithful who make an offering so the Mass may be applied for their intention contribute to the good of the Church and by their offering take part in the concern of the Church for
the support of its ministers and works.” We ask for the standard Mass offering of $10 per Mass; there are envelopes on the table at the right of the entrance for your offering.
PARISH MEMBERSHIP – COMMUNICATION - The parish family of St. Mary Catholic Church welcomes you; we are blessed and honored you are here, and we look forward to your registration as one of our
parishioners. Fill out a form located over the table at the right of the entrance. Place the registration slip in the basket at the offering and we will take care of the rest; you may also visit with Father Teter
Bulletin smiles: Do you keep your Bible as close as your cellphone?
Save your ink cartridges for recycling, and bring them to the Parish Hall along with your Best Choice UPC labels for the Ladies group. We no longer accept newspapers for recycling. There is a wire basket on the side of the shed in the parking lot to receive your
aluminum cans.
PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS February 16, 2020
The Ladies of St. Mary’s PCCW have placed a basket to receive gifts or congratulatory cards for Addison Nicole Strong in
lieu of a baby shower. Place your gifts or cards in the basket during the next couple of weeks. Thank you.
It’s time for the BABY BOTTLE BOOMERANG. The baby bottles are in a basket in the back of the church for you to fill
with your change. Return to the church by February 23. Your gift will help Birthright of Nevada to assist mothers seeking
help for themselves and their un-born babies.
Distribution of Ashes is at 5:30 pm. Wednesday, February 26.
Camp Re-NEW-All- is for Catholic young people in the diocese, who are going into the 5th -9
th grades. Those entering 10-
12th grade are invited to apply for a volunteer staff position. Deadline for staff application is Friday, March 13. Go to:
dioscg.formstack.com/forms/camp_re_new_all_2020 to apply on line, or call 417-866-0841 and speak with Katie Newton
- email: [email protected]. The PSR children will need sponsors to attend camp; details will be posted.
The Ladies of St. Mary PCCW are putting together an order for the coleslaw mix from Peculiar Spice Co. for the fish fry.
Take the opportunity to order any of the spices at the same time! Ms. Theresa Davis will pick them up in Belton the first
week in March, so don’t delay. Prices are $8 each and Ms. Nancy Washburn will take care of the order.
Call Nancy at 417-214-1481 to place your orders. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ladies of St. Mary PCCW are inviting all members of the parish to volunteer for this year’s Fish Fry –
Friday March 20. There are many different ways they need your help. Call Nancy Washburn at 417-214-1481 for more
information and to volunteer. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you, St. Mary in Lamar; because of you, 52 individuals and families received services in your four county region of
our diocese from Oct-Dec, 2019. Catholic Charities of So. Missouri appreciates such a wonderful partner in ministry. 17 of
these vulnerable individuals were Veterans, and your continued partnership made it possible for these families to have
permanent, safe housing.
First Communion Catalogues for the parents of those children receiving First Communion May 3 are available; contact Ms.
Virginia Dobler during PSR classes to receive the catalogues. By ordering through our church you receive a 20% discount.
See the cork board for St. Ann Church in Carthage annual Church-School auction. For additional information call the
church office at 417-358-1841.
Liturgical Assignments
We are grateful to Michael Pommier for updating our webpage and to Jessica Miller for updating our directory.
Birthdays Feb 15-21 Anniversaries Feb 15-21
Karen Riegel 18 Roy and Elva Weber (39) 20
Saturday February 22 Sunday February 23
Extraordinary Minister Louis Ballejos Francis Forst Extraordinary Minister Cathy McDonald Elva Weber
Extraordinary Minister Terry Riegel Lector Peggy Heinen Greg Clements
Altar Servers Jacob Jackson/Thomas Banta Ushers Dale Peters/Marge Hargis Marilyn Roth/Mackinley Miller
PRAYER LIST - We pray for those who are sick or in the hospital: Erlinda Roe Carl Jungmann Kip Jackson Rhonda Yates John Strong Carolyn Isaac Joleen Buffington Reed Davis Louis Diebold Lea Ann Gibson Elsie Anderson Troy Onstott Martha Timmerman Melvin Ladwig Myrna Ladwig Christie Moody Patricia Howe Merle James
Pray for Alexander Sutachan, while he is studying in the Seminary. We pray for our military, especially Jacob Boyer, Wyatt Davis, Derek Forst, Seth Fullerton and Josh Purinton.
COLLECTION February 9 30 Envelopes out of 81 $ 1,172.25 19 Loose collection $ 107.00 Votive candles $ 2.00 34 Mirror envelopes $ 396.00 2 directory donations $ 10.00 1 Mass Timothy Jones $ 10.00 TOTAL $ 1,697.25
The Discipline of tithing is the “square knot” by which God blesses
the tie that binds us to Him, our church and to others
