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TWENTY FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME —YEAR A: SEPTEMBER 17, 2017 Upcoming projects There are a few projects that we want to do at St. Joseph Parish in the coming days… • Installing a fire alarm system and security system for the Church. • Installing new lights in the sanctuary • Pavement of laneway and parking lot. You are invited to support these projects through your donations. Thank you for your generosity towards St. Joseph Parish. PREPARATION FOR FIRST COMMUNION... for Grade 2 will begin in October. The first Parents/ teachers meeting will be held on October 4th at 7:00 pm at St. Joseph Church. All parents who are preparing their Children for Communion are requested to attend this meeting. Collection for the Needs of the Church in Canada: Why is there such a collection? Every year, the Bishops of Canada make an appeal for financial assistance to support their work and the work of each diocese/eparchy by means of the Collection for the Needs of the Church in Canada. The President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), the Most Reverend Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., Bishop of Hamilton, has described this Collection as an invitation to “all the faithful to participate in the life and mission of the Church through their active involvement in the life of their parish community, their prayers, their diverse charisms, their moral support, and the contributions of their time and talents. The Collection for the Needs of the Church is an opportunity for Catholics to truly help their diocese/eparchy participate in the regional episcopal assemblies and the CCCB. Any additional revenue which is raised is used by the diocese/ eparchy for its own pastoral programs and other activities.” The Collection for the Needs of the Church in Canada will take place on 23 and 24 September 2017. This annual charitable initiative furthers the collegiality and synodality of the Bishops’ ministry in leading, shepherding, teaching, guiding, sanctifying and pastorally caring for all of God’s children, disciples of Christ in Canada. For the Twenty-Fourth week in Ordinary Time we are invited to reflect on how we forgive. Peter asks Jesus “how often” we must forgive, asking the extent of Jesus’ call for mercy. The parable of the forgiven servant who can’t forgive is meant to give us clear guidance for our lives as followers of Jesus: if we are forgiven, we must forgive others. This week we celebrate the Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs and the Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist, as well as the Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina. We continue reading from Paul's First Letter to Timothy. It begins this week with the great prayer for our leaders. He then says how bishops and deacons should behave. He urges Timothy to be especially caring for the youth. Paul warns Timothy of the troubles of riches. Finally, Paul encourages Timothy to be faithful. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus praises the faith of the Roman centurion who understands Jesus’ power to heal. Jesus then raises from the dead the son of the widow of Nain. In response to constant criticism from religious authorities, Jesus compares the critics to children taunting their playmates. We read of the woman who entered a dinner Jesus was attending and wept over his feet, washing them with her tears, showing what real love is. Luke, who highlights the role of women in his gospel, tells us of women who accompanied Jesus and his disciples. Finally, Jesus gives us the Parable of the Sower and its interpretation about how temptations and shallow roots can prevent the Word from growing in us or how “the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life” can choke the Word. For the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time we receive the powerful parable about the landlord who represents God's way of caring for us. Though workers go out into his vineyard at various times of the day, he pays them all the same. When they grumble, he simply explains that he desires to be generous. How can this change our view of God and our own sense of justice?
