St. Matthew Newsletter Spring 2017

Transcription

1 St. Matthew Newsletter Spring 2017 In Humble Thanksgiving by Fr. Mike Smith The contacts renewed and celebrated during last year s celebration of 50 years of ministry in South Georgia made me even more deeply aware of the full and abundant life with which God has blessed me. When I was found to have terminal cancer between Mar 3 and 10, I found nothing on my bucket list to do except pay my taxes and give humble thanks. The cards of support in illness have far surpassed those of my anniversary. I have even heard from a childhood companion who addressed me as my first best friend. My first college roommate sent me an apology for being such a drag on my life, something I had never ever thought about. I keep being touched by the creative kindness of your words and the cards you have chosen. The beauty of nature sunshine and flowers here in our own yard, combined with the delightful recall of love and friendship over 75 years, leaves me with little desire to extend my earthly life but rest in the assurance that the love of God hidden with Christ in Glory is greater than any of the blessings already sampled. My walk with Jesus began with Lent, reached a decisive stage around Holy Week, and now I join the whole family of Christ being illumined anew with his words of wisdom, lifted up by singing chants of victory, made stronger than death by that food our hearts can never forget. So I find myself feeling very content and satisfied to live out whatever time God has planned for me here. My doctor has promised to monitor what the enemy is doing so I can plan how to say ADIOS with the same sense of joy, hope, and good humor that I have cherished and cultivated as long as I can remember (which isn t that long!). I did not get where I am now without all of you. I am depending on you to get me safely home where I will still not be retired till I can have you with me. My walk with Jesus began with Lent, reached a decisive stage around Holy Week and now I join the whole family of Christ being illumined anew with his words of wisdom, lifted up by singing chants of victory, made stronger than death by that food our hearts can never forget. Fr. Mike Smith INSIDE THIS ISSUE Created on Purpose...2 With Deep Gratitude..3 Welcome...4 Sacraments..5 Living Your Strengths...7 Vacation Bible school...8

2 Created for a Purpose Everyone who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; we are not here that we may go to bed at night and get up in the morning, toil for our bread, eat and drink, laugh and joke, sin when we have a mind, and reform when we are tired of sinning, rear a family, and die. God sees every one of us; He creates every soul,,... for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also. St. John Neumann, from the sermon: God s Will the End of Life 2

3 Our Most Valuable Player By Melinda Cannady In 1992 a Gatorade commercial aired featuring highlights of a famous star who is arguably the greatest player to ever dribble, shoot, or rebound a basketball. The commercial s catchy jingle, If I could be like Mike, was sung and hummed on playgrounds and basketball courts by sneaker-clad children and teens desperate to be the Most Valuable Player (MVP) ever. Who wouldn t want to be the best in the world, to be Michael Jordan? I know one person who wouldn t trade his life of humble service and discipleship in exchange for a perfect jump shot and the fame that comes with it. His name also happens to be Mike. It was with tears of joy, sadness, and hope that I read Fr. Mike Smith s words on the cover of this newsletter. My heart is so full of love and gratitude for this holy man of God. How blessed I am to know him, to walk with him, to hear his words of wisdom, and to witness his loyal service to God. Many of you have shared that you feel the same way. Before I ever attended a Mass, it was Fr. Mike who drew me to the Catholic faith. His happiness spoke to my broken heart, pushing me to seek the same peace for myself. St. Francis of Assisi said: Share the Gospel, and if necessary, use words. Fr. Mike s life is his testimony to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I, for one, am someone who was changed by that witness. If you ve ever noticed Fr. Mike enjoying the view from the pew during Mass, you ll see that he isn t merely present, fulfilling an obligation, he s leaning forward, head tilted, listening carefully to the readings and homily, singing the hymns as if he s never sung them before. Sometimes he closes his eyes as if he wants to absorb as much of the worship as possible. In every minute of his time on earth, he is seeking to know Jesus better; to walk closer Him, to submit to God s will. Fr. Mike has celebrated Mass tens of thousands of times, yet it never seems stale for him. When he is giving the homily, which always includes something unexpected and/or hilarious, he cannot be still! His feet move, he rises up on his toes, his hand goes up in the air, and the JOY of the Resurrection almost bursts from him as if his heart overflows and cannot contain his excitement in sharing Jesus with us. This happened not only at his first Mass, but at his 25,000th Mass. I went to Fr. Mike for my first confession. After I had shared my sins and cried over them, Fr. Mike said. I don t think you did that. You re too sweet. Well, I wish! But I did sin, and he did give me the words of absolution with the same joy that permeates everything he does. God s allpowerful mercy was reflected in those words and in Fr. Mike s gentle wisdom. There is nothing I can do that would cause God to turn me away, so why not be joyful? Fr. Mike s deep love for and commitment to the poor led him to recommend that 10% of the offertory income be tithed to local charities twenty years later the practice continues. To date, almost half a million dollars has been given by our parish to help assist the poor in our area. More importantly, many volunteers have followed his example and have given of their time and labor to share God s mercy in Bulloch County. In retirement, Fr. Mike felt called to minister to those in prison. He frequently stops by the office to pick up donations for the prisoners or to run copies of hymns and prayers to use when he celebrated Mass with them. I was in prison, and you came to visit me. (Mt. 25:26) He does not view anyone as beyond the reach of God s mercy. Fr. Mike is a gift to us, but you know, he doesn t see it that way. Fr. Mike views his ministry as a gift from God to himself. If the only measure of success is Christ-likeness, we ve been given the best example to follow. The accomplishments of our Mike are far greater than six NBA championships, a Hall of Fame induction, hundreds of millions of dollars in endorsement deals, and a meme. With deep gratitude for all he is to us, I d like to suggest that if we choose the right Mike to emulate as we walk the road to heaven together, we can be with him praising God in true glory forever. We are blessed to share this time with Fr. Mike on earth and to bear witness to his faithfulness and obedience to God s will. Thank you Jesus for Fr. Mike. He s the real MVP! 3

4 Please make welcome those who received the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil: Rachel Corbin, Trudy Counts, Bridgette Doran, Ty Hamilton, Antonio Jones, Anakin Martin Lease, Millee-Grace Kimsey, Alexandra Morris, Betsy Nichols, Farouk Tani, Eugenie Williams, and Bill Wright. Continue to pray for our newest Catholics as they grow in their faith. 4

5 Congratulations to those who made their First Communion this year: Brandon Barrera, Yamil Binuelo, Zoe Bostian, Nicholas Boudreaux, Claire Burton, Ethan Cason, Shay Cason, Christian Castro, Ashley Cerro, Harrison Emokpae, Caden Farmer, Alan Gutierrez, Karol Hernandez, Nicholas Koepke, Aaron Matthews, Declan Murphy, Marcos Rea, Brandon Reyes, Vanessa Sanchez, Gavin Sikes, Liily Stobb, Leah Waller, Alexis Weaver, Ben Wright, Flavio Xochicale, Leslie Xochicale, and Carlos Zambrano. Bishop Gregory John Hartmayer will celebrate the Confirmation Mass on Saturday, May 20 at 10 am. Congratulations to those who will receive the sacrament of Confirmation that day: Janely Binuelo, Oskar Cerpovicz, Leonel Cerro, Cindy Chavez, Jack Ferguson, Cristal Garcia, Elizabeth Garcia, Ivan Gonzalez, Jessica Gonzalez, Estefanni Gonzalez, Moncera Guzman, Bryan Hernandez, Martin Hernandez, Ansley Jackson, Octavio Jupp, Garrison Lee, Analieli Leonardo, Cesilia Leonardo, Braden Lott, Olivia Macy, Cynthia Martinez, Daniel Mendez Jr., Shay Murphy, Benjamin Perry, Matthew Perry, Alexis Romero, Adelind Sanders, Sandra Scott, Enrico Soriano, Arely Villegas, and Carlos Zambrano. 5

6 Fall 2017 The St. Matthew Stewardship Team invites you to learn more about the YOU God created. When are you the happiest? What comes naturally easiest for you? What do others see in you? God made you ON purpose FOR a purpose! Watch the bulletin for more information. 6

7 Vacation Bible School June 5 9, am until Noon Kids in Pre-K 5th grade ( school year) Register at or at the parish office. 7

8 St. Matthew Catholic Church 221 John Paul Avenue Statesboro, GA Return Service Requested Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Statesboro, GA Permit No Suscipe Prayer Take Lord and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, All I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me. St. Ignatius of Loyola 8