SUNDAY BIBLE REFLECTION The steward in today’s Gospel confronts the reality that he can’t go on living the way he has been. He is under judgment. He must give account for what he has done. The exploiters of the poor in today’s First Reading are also about to be pulled down, to be thrust from their stations (see Isaiah 22:19). Servants of mammon or money, they’re so in love with wealth that they reduce the poor to objects; they despise the new moons and sabbaths—the observances and holy days of God (see Leviticus 23:24; Exodus 20:8). Their only hope is to follow the steward’s path. He is no model of repentance. But he makes a prudent calculation—to use his last hours in charge of his master’s property to show mercy to others, to relieve their debts. He is a child of this world, driven by a purely selfish motive—to make friends and be welcomed into the homes of his master’s debtors. Yet his prudence is commended as an example to us, the children of light (see 1 Thessalonians 5:5; Ephesians 5:8). We too must realize, as the steward does, that what we have is not honestly ours, but in truth belongs to another, our Master. All the mammon in the world could not have paid the debt we owe our Master. So He paid it for us. He gave His life as a ransom for all, as we hear in today’s Epistle. God wants everyone to be saved, even kings and princes, even the lovers of money (see Luke 16:14). But we cannot serve two masters. By His grace, we should choose to be, as we sing in today’s Psalm, “servants of the Lord.” We serve Him by using what He has entrusted us with to give alms, to lift the lowly from the dust and dunghills of this world. By this we will gain what is ours and be welcomed into eternal dwellings, the many mansions of the Father’s house (see John 14:2). Copyright - St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology www.stpaulcenter.com NEWS & EVENTS Amazing Parish Page 2 ............................................ Talent Show Page 3 ................................................... Coat Drive Page 3 ..................................................... Parish Stewardship Page 3 ........................................ MINISTRIES EMHC Training Page 4 ............................................. Spiritual Adoption/Baby Bottle Project Page 4 ......... Sound Board Ministry Page 4 ................................... Living in the Spirit Page 5 ........................................ Young Adult Ministry Page 5 .................................... EDUCATION Adult Faith Formation Page 2 ................................... Understanding the Liturgy Page 5 ............................. For more information on these and other events, visit www.paxchristi.org September 22, 2019 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Transcript
SUNDAY BIBLE REFLECTION The steward in today’s Gospel confronts the reality that he can’t go on living the way he has been. He is under judgment. He must give account for what he has done.
The exploiters of the poor in today’s First Reading are also about to be pulled down, to be thrust from their stations (see Isaiah 22:19). Servants of mammon or money, they’re so in love with wealth that they reduce the poor to objects; they despise the new moons and sabbaths—the observances and holy days of God (see Leviticus 23:24; Exodus 20:8).
Their only hope is to follow the steward’s path. He is no model of repentance. But he makes a prudent calculation—to use his last hours in charge of his master’s property to show mercy to others, to relieve their debts.
He is a child of this world, driven by a purely selfish motive—to make friends and be welcomed into the homes of his master’s debtors. Yet his prudence is commended as an example to us, the children of light (see 1 Thessalonians 5:5; Ephesians 5:8). We too must realize, as the steward does, that what we have is not honestly ours, but in truth belongs to another, our Master.
All the mammon in the world could not have paid the debt we owe our Master. So He paid it for us. He gave His life as a ransom for all, as we hear in today’s Epistle.
God wants everyone to be saved, even kings and princes, even the lovers of money (see Luke 16:14). But we cannot serve two masters. By His grace, we should choose to be, as we sing in today’s Psalm, “servants of the Lord.”
We serve Him by using what He has entrusted us with to give alms, to lift the lowly from the dust and dunghills of this world. By this we will gain what is ours and be welcomed into eternal dwellings, the many mansions of the Father’s house (see John 14:2).
Copyright - St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology www.stpaulcenter.com
For more information on these and other events, visit www.paxchristi.org
September 22, 2019 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
With fewer priests, more demands from parishioners in a complicated society and a faster pace of life, no pastor can run a parish on his own. Every pastor needs a leadership team, a group of people who are collectively committed to helping him make the parish amazing and bring more people to Christ and his Church.
Amazing Parish exists to revitalize the Church by equipping her pastors and leaders with the training, resources and support they need to create vibrant and thriving parishes. Although every parish is unique, there are three common “building blocks” that form the foundation of an amazing parish -- prayer, discipleship, and teamwork. Our Amazing Parish Leadership Team at Pax Christi continues to focus on this foundation.
Please pray for the team and for our parish family as we strive to achieve the mission of Christ in Highlands Ranch. For more information about Amazing Parish, visit www.amazingparish.org.
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time -2- September 22, 2019
WISDOM: GOD'S VISION FOR LIFE by Jeff Cavins and Thomas Smith
Scripture and the Tradition of the Catholic Church provide an abundance of wisdom, though it can often be challenging to apply it to our lives. In this study, Jeff Cavins and Thomas Smith examine biblical wisdom as it relates to daily life.
Drawing on the wisdom literature of the Bible—Proverbs, Wisdom, Sirach, and Ecclesiastes—Wisdom will teach you how to actively seek out sound guidance and increase your sense of peace in navigating life. In everything from friendships to finances, from making decisions to attaining peace of mind, Scripture offers a vision for happiness and well-being. With this program, you will learn how to gather, gain, and grow in wisdom, and you will experience the joy it brings to your life.
Program runs for 8 weeks ~ Thursday mornings, 11:00am-1:00pm in Room 1: October 10th – December 5th.
33 DAYS TO MORNING GLORY Join us for a 6-week, small group retreat in preparation for Marian Consecration. This retreat is based on the popular book by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC, 33 Days to Morning Glory. Gain new insights into Marian Consecration, learn how key saints and blessed lived it out, and discover how you can live it out as well.
It's as easy as 1-2-3!
1. Read the select readings in the retreat book. 2. Ponder the daily reading and questions in the retreat
companion. 3. Meet weekly with your group.
Begins Tuesday, October 22nd and meets weekly for 6 weeks from 9:00-10:30am in Room 1. Cost is $40.
To register, please contact Rachel Daugherty at [email protected]. Registration deadline is October 11th.
COME, FOLLOW ME! Highlights of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Moral Implications of Following Christ
October 23, 30 and November 6, 13, 20 from 7:00 - 8:30pm in the Parish Hall
Presented by: Douglas Bushman, St. John Paul II Professor of Theology for the New Evangelization ~ Augustine Institute
The spontaneous response of those who heard the preaching of John the Baptist, Jesus, and the apostles is “What shall we do?” It is a question that disciples of Christ need to ask in every age. The third part of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, on our life in Christ, brings together the response of Christ and His Church to this question. In this series, Professor Bushman will consider the biblical foundations of Catholic moral teaching, the place of the commandments in God’s covenant, and the primacy of the two great commandments of love of God and love of neighbor. Other subjects include: the beatitudes, faith, hope, and charity, conscience, social justice, and the Ten Commandments. Each session will include a one-hour presentation, followed by question-and-answer discussion.
Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. ALL are welcome!
Pax Christi Catholic Church - 3 - Littleton, CO
PARISH STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE
Contributions to Pax Christi for September 9 - 15, 2019
Capital Improvements Collection Basket: $330 ............................................................. Online Giving: $845 ................................................
Weekly Offertory Needed: $24,082 ............................Number of registered Families: 670...........................
SPIRITUAL ADOPTION The Nine Months of the Child Jesus in the Womb of Mary Each year on December 25th we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. For centuries the Church has also celebrated his Conception on March 25th, the Feast of The Annunciation. This month begins the Third Trimester.
The Seventh Month - September 25 to October 25 Mary and Joseph knew in advance that their baby would be a boy. The angel Gabriel declared this at Mary's Fiat. And although Jesus was not his biological child, Joseph eagerly anticipated His birth. By the seventh month, a baby's hands grip strongly. His eyelids open and close as he surveys his increasingly cramped surroundings. He is now 15 inches long and weighs 2-3 pounds. The Infant Jesus listens intently for Mother Mary's recognizable voice. As many as 36 couples wait to adopt each available child. The average abortion takes 10-20 minutes. The average wait for adoption is 1-5 years. Pray for all adoptive parens who provide the loving care and nourishing environment which every child deserves, and for foster parents who lend their hearts and homes to those whose fate hangs in the Balance.
"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I love you very much. I beg you to spare the life of the unborn child I have spiritually adopted who is in danger of abortion." (The Adoption Prayer - Archbishop Fulton Sheen)
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - 4 - September 22, 2019
EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION TRAINING September 25th at 7:00 p.m. This training is for those who are currently a part of the ministry who did not attend the August training and for those who would like to join it. If you are not currently involved in this beautiful ministry, we invite you to join. Your presence and involvement will help to bring the Holy Body of Christ and the Precious Blood of Christ during the Holy Mass and to those who are in residential facilities, the hospital or homebound.
EMHC perform a very important ministry in the Church. They serve the Church in a particular way. More than simply a functionary, EMHC should express in their lives a sincere striving for the truth and holiness that characterizes the Church of God. EMHC must be a person of good moral character with full and manifest commitments to all those teachings and disciplines that the Church presents for our assent of faith. In a very special way EMHC must hold the truth of the real and substantial presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. At the very least, EMHC must never deny or speak against any teaching of the Catholic Church.
SOUNDBOARD MINISTRY
HELPERS NEEDED!
If you are twenty-one years of age or older, and want to contribute some of your time to the parish, we need you!
We are looking for some committed soundboard volunteers that can help us with the soundboard for weekend and holy day of obligation Masses. We will provide the training.
Please prayerfully consider helping. Your help makes a difference!
BABY BOTTLE PROJECT Remember to pick up your baby bottles, fill them with your spare change and return them any time before November 23rd.
Your generous gifts support Alternatives Pregnancy Center which seeks to meet "emotional, physical and spiritual needs" of women and men in pregnancy-related crisis as they "enable and encourage women and men to choose life every day."
Some of the services which Alternatives offer: • Abortion pill reverse services • Adoption resources and referrals • Counseling after abortion • Curriculum and education for positive youth development and
healthy relationships • Limited ultrasound services • Men’s support and pregnancy
consultation • Prenatal and postnatal medical
care referrals • Pregnancy tests and options
counseling • STD testing and treatment
UNDERSTANDING THE LITURGY... so we can fully participate in our liturgical celebration
Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, grant us the grace to receive your Son in the Sacrament of love with an open and pure, simple and obedient heart like yours, so that we can be transformed into a living sacrifice, in the “Body that is given” for the life of the world.
We live in a culture very sensitized to human rights. In this context, sometimes the mystery of Eucharistic communion is misinterpreted as if receiving the Lord under the consecrated species of bread and wine were a right of the faithful, regardless of any other consideration. The fact that the Eucharist is the most excellent gift of God to man, the gift of Himself, is easily forgotten. It is something that in no way can man “demand” from God.
Another of the factors that determine our social situation is the marked relativism and moral subjectivism. They try to make their own conscience the measure of all things without submitting it to any superior objective value. These principles affect life and decisively influence at the hour of evaluating the state of one’s own conscience and judging the possibility of receiving Communion.
Pope Benedict has written: “I would like to call attention to a pastoral problem frequently encountered nowadays. I am referring to the fact that on certain occasions – for example, wedding Masses, funerals and the like – in addition to practicing Catholics there may be others present who have long since ceased to attend Mass or who are living in a situation that does not permit them to receive the sacraments. At other times members of other Christian confessions and even other religions may be present. Similar situations can occur in churches that are frequently visited, especially in tourist areas. In these cases, there is a need to find a brief and clear way to remind those present of the meaning of sacramental Communion and the conditions required for its reception.” (SC 50)
St. Paul speaks clearly about the possibility of unworthy communions: “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the Body and Blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the Body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying.” (1 Cor. 11:27-30) The Apostle attributes the worst disgraces of the Christian community of Corinth to an abusive use of the Eucharistic Communion.
Pax Christi Catholic Church - 5 - Littleton, CO
LIVING IN THE SPIRIT Marisol Homes, including four homes, is a place that houses single women and their children who are experiencing homelessness. It is a safe and stable environment helping the women end the cycle of homelessness. The women can stay there indefinitely while receiving support for their family and assist to integrate back into the community. Marisol Homes is part of Catholic Charities, and these women continue to receive support as alumni once they are in the community so they can successfully live on their own. As a ministry at Pax Christi, we help one of the homes once a month by supplying a meal. As a member, how often you volunteer is up to you. It allows for flexibility for you to assist in a ministry without a monthly commitment.
As one of the organizers of this ministry, it started with a neighbor and I wanting to get our kids involved in a charity. We were able to serve them a meal once a month and eat with the families along with our families. As Marisol Homes’ needs changed, this ministry developed and we were able to get support through Pax Christi. I find it rewarding because I am able to help a little corner of the world in the busyness of life. ~ Lynn Huxley
Pope Francis commanded, “Pray for the hungry. Then feed them.” Adding a prayer for my hungry neighbors is an easy addition to my mealtime prayers. Donating a portion of a meal to Marisol Homes is easy, too. During a busy week, I sign up to donate non-perishable pantry items that I drop off before Sunday Mass. During less hectic times, I sign up to cook a hearty stew. There’s flexibility to participate as often as your budget and schedule allow. Jesus commanded, “Give them something to eat.” Join us in feeding our neighbors. ~ Kristana Hunter
_________________________________________________
YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY Young Adults—join us for Holy Hour and community on Friday, October 4th.
We will meet at Pax Christi at 6:30 p.m. for Holy Hour. After, we will enjoy one another’s company at the parish for games!
Please bring your favorite snack to share. Reach out to Matthew Morrison at [email protected] with questions you may have!
We look forward to seeing you October 4th!
THE WEEK AHEAD Monday September 23 9:45a-11:45a Apologetics Course 6:00p-7:30p RCIA Tuesday September 24 11:00a-12:00p Food Bank 1:00p-3:00p Prayer Shawl 4:15p-5:30p Choir-2nd Year 6:30p-9:00p MomsNext 6:30p-8:30p GIFT Catechist Wednesday September 25 40 Days for Life Campaign Begins 10:00a-12:00p Pantry 1:30p-3:30p Women's Schola 5:15p-6:30p Choir-3rd/4th Year 7:00p-8:30p EMHC Training 7:00p-9:00p SKD SAC 7:00p-9:00p Stewardship Council 7:15p-9:00p M/W Schola 7:15p-8:45p MS Youth Group Thursday September 26 4:15p-5:30p Choir-1st Year 6:30p-7:30p Adoration/Confession 6:30p-8:00p Spiritual Exercises 6:30p-8:30p Meeting 7:00p-9:00p HS Discipleship Friday September 27 10:00a-12:00p Pantry 10:00a-12:00p Hispanic Bible Study Saturday September 28 Ministry Fair 5:00a-7:30p Point Men 8:00a-9:00a MC/Altar Server Training Sunday September 29 Ministry Fair 9:00a-10:30a Bible Blast 9:30a-12:00p Donuts-Respect Life 9:45a-11:30a RCIA/RCIC
MASS INTENTIONS
Shopping at Amazon.com?
Did you know by shopping at Amazon.com you can generate $$ for Pax Christ? It’s EASY!
To shop, go to smile.amazon.com. Select Pax Christi Catholic Church, Littleton. This will be your default charity for all future purchases. Pax Christi will receive .5% of your eligible Amazon Smile purchases. The money earned from this website is electronically deposited into a Pax Christi bank account. You can change your default charity at any time.
Shop and support Pax Christi at the same time!
COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM
Link your King Soopers (KS) loyalty card to Pax Christi. Use the loyalty card each time you shop at any KS to get savings and support Pax Christi. Most items in your shopping cart qualify, but not all. If you don’t have a loyalty card, visit the customer service desk at any KS. If you have a loyalty card, go to http://kingsoopers.com. Sign into your KS account under “My Account.” Select “Community Rewards.” Search for Pax Christi in the “Find an Organization” field. Click “Enroll.” You’re done. The Community Rewards program replaces the KS Refillable Gift Card Program. Any funds currently on the gift card will be honored. ________________________________
RETURNING GOD'S GIFTS 2019 DIOCESAN
MINISTRY APPEAL as of September 9, 2019
Goal: $141,661 Total Pledged: $146,202.83 % of Goal Pledged: 103.21% Total Paid: $128,869 % of Goal Paid: 90.97%
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - 6 - September 22, 2019
Sat.: 5:00pm Sun.: 8:30am, 10:30am, 5:00pm Holy Days (weekday): 6:30am
and 7:00pm
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION
Mon., Wed. - Fri.: 8:30-8:50am Thu.: 6:30 - 7:30pm Sat.: 4:00 - 4:30pm Or by appointment
__________________________
9/21 5:00p Jonathan Post 9/22 8:30a Nicholas Joseph Leddin (d) 9/22 10:30a Mass for the People 9/22 5:00p The Sanctity of Each and Every Human Life 9/23 9:00a Jean Finegan 9/25 9:00a Franklyn C. Stanzel (d) 9/26 9:00a Rick Post 9/27 9:00a Michael Dauro
9/28 5:00p Charles Sanzotera (d) 9/29 8:30a John and Jeanne Gormley 9/29 10:30a Herb and Yvonne Engler 9/29 5:00p Mass for the People 9/30 9:00a Kenneth French (d) 10/2 9:00a Connor Lyle 10/3 9:00a Manuel J. Novoa, Jr. (d) 10/4 9:00a Armando Oliva (d)
PARISH STAFF Pastor: Fr. Marek Krol 720-419-0122 / [email protected] ...................................................................Deacon: Tom Sandusky 720-419-0131 / [email protected] ..................................................................Business Manager: Lisa Walker 720-419-0123 / [email protected] ....................................................Director of Music: Raymond Ortiz 720-419-0124 / [email protected] ................................................Director of Discipleship: Rachel Daugherty 720-419-0129 / [email protected] .................................Director of Youth Ministry: Marcela Garcia Lopez 720-419-0125 / [email protected] .....................Head Catechist: Becky Hensler 720-419-0127 / [email protected] .....................................................Administrative Assistant: Joanne Lafond 303-799-1036 / [email protected] .....................................Maintenance: Chris Rezabeck 720-419-0130 / [email protected] .......................................................St. Katharine Drexel School: Mandi Lupher, Director 720-419-0128 / [email protected].................
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