ST. AGNES CHURCH. Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. October 29, 2017

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1 ST. AGNES CHURCH Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time October 29, 2017 Rev. Vincent L. Parsons Pastor Rev. Michael E. Wetovick Associate Pastor Sr. Vera Meis, C.S.J. Pastoral Minister Mass Schedule: (October - May) Saturday: 4:00 pm Sunday: 8:00 & 10:30 am (June - September) Saturday 6:00 pm Sunday: 8:00 & 10:00 am Monday, Tues, Wed, Friday 7 am Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturdays one hour prior to evening Mass or by appointment ( ) Sacrament of Baptism Please call the Parish Office Jesus said, You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart...you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments Third Avenue, Scottsbluff, Nebraska (308) Mailing address: PO Box 349, Scottsbluff, NE Fax: Website: Parish Office Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9am - Noon & 1pm - 4pm

2 Page 2 Year A October 29, 2017 Saint Agnes Catholic Church Today s Readings Exodus 22:20-26 Psalm 18 1Thessalonians 1:5c-10 Matthew 22:34-40 Parish Administration (308) / (308) (Fax) office@st-agnes-church.com Pastor Rev. Vincent L. Parsons (ext. 2) pastor@st-agnes-church.com Pastoral Minister Sr. Vera Meis (ext. 4) srvera@st-agnes-church.com Director of Religious Education Mrs. Terri Calvert (ext.5) dre@st-agnes-church.com Church Office Manager Mrs. Danni Koeteman (ext. 3) office@st-agnes-church.com School Head Teacher Mrs. Julie Brown ( ) office@stagnesonline.org School Office Manager Kristie Neilan ( ) office@stagnesonline.org Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time A scholar of the law attempted to trap Jesus with this question: "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" However, Jesus' answer zipped the scholar of the law's mouth with these words: "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love of God and love of neighbor are inseparable. They are not competing commandments; they compliment each other. Love for God comes first and is the foundation for the second. The second is the proof that we understand the first and put it into action. Yet, each demands a total commitment. The intensity of our love for God should be expressed in our love for our neighbor. It is like the CROSS. Our love for God epitomizes the vertical beam of the cross, and our love for neighbor represents the horizontal plank of the cross. The love of Jesus to his Father is also the love he has shared with us, and this loving relationship leads us to know the Father and understand our neighbor. It is hard to believe that our love for God is real and genuine if our treatment towards our neighbor is unjust. If we receive communion every Sunday or pray everyday but refuse to greet a neighbor or talk to a brother, our mass or prayers are defective and deceptive. In plain language, we become hypocrites. The way to heaven is not a road, not a highway, and not a street; it is by loving a brother and a sister, a father and a mother, a family and a community, a person and a people. And Jesus reminds us of this interpersonal relationship when he said, "Love one another as I have loved you." It's only when you share your love to others that love begins to have meaning and purpose. The time you touch others is the moment you really love. Love is a language which the deaf can hear and blind can see. Let our goal each day of our lives be this: "to touch one's heart, encourage one's mind, and inspire one's soul." May this goal always be rooted in the commandments : Love God and love neighbor! Monday, Oct 30, 2017 Daily Mass (7am) Intention: Mary Cook by Jerry & Eileen Young Communal Rosary (4:45pm) Liturgy of the Hours (5:05pm) Tuesday, Oct 31, 2017 Daily Mass (7am) Intention: Gabriella & Todd Brooks by Zita Bolinger Insight Discussion Group (8-9 am) Liturgy of the Hours (5:30pm) RCIA (7pm) Location: Garden Room Wednesday, Nov 1, 2017 All Souls Day Mass (7:00am) Intention: Sister Vera by the Altar Society All Souls Day Mass (Noon) Intention: For the Parish All Souls Day Mass (7:00 pm) Intention: Eleanor Wolf by Robert Wolf & Family This Week s Schedule Wednesday, Nov 1, 2017 cont... Liturgy of the Hours (5:30pm) Contemplative Prayer (6:00pm) Thursday, Nov 2, 2017 Mass at Residency (10:00am) Liturgy of the Hours (5:30pm) Friday, Nov 3, 2017 Daily Mass (7am) Intention: Cashmere Apperson Liturgy of the Hours (5:30pm) Saturday, Nov 4, 2017 Weekend Mass (4:00pm) Intention: Dean Young by Jerry & Eileen Young Sunday, Nov 5, 2017 Weekend Mass (8:00am) Intention: Souls of the Faithful Departed Weekend Mass (10:30am) Intention: Charles Zack by Jerry & Eileen Young

3 Page 3 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Parish News This Week s Readings All Saints Day November 1st Mass Times 7:00 am Noon 7:00 pm The TIMES they are a changing Don t forget to set your clock back on Saturday night. Daylight savings time ends on November 5th. Welcome Oaklyn Elaine Hall! Baptized September 30, 2017 Veterans & those serving in the military who have attended or now attend St. Agnes Church will be honored November 11 &12 in the bulletin. Please send info including a picture to: chriswolf74@yahoo.com or call the parish office ( ). Needed are the person s name, branch of service and dates of service. If you have a photo that needs scanning, bring it to the parish office. All photos will be returned to you. November 1st is the deadline for submission. Premiere Auction Catalogs will be distributed to ticket holders after masses on November 4th & 5th. Make your pledge now! Appeal envelopes are in the message centers. Please return yours this weekend to the collection basket or mail to: St. Agnes Church PO Box 349, Scottsbluff THANK YOU! Monday: Rom 8:12-17; Ps 68:2, 4, 6-7ab, 20-21; Lk 13:10-17 Tuesday: Rom 8:18-25; Ps 126:1b-6; Lk 13:18-21 Wednesday: Rv 7:2-4, 9-14; Ps 24:1-6; 1 Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12a Thursday: Wis 3:1-9; Ps 23:1-6; Rom 5:5-11 or 6:3-9; Jn 6:37-40 Friday: Rom 9:1-5; Ps 147:12-15, 19-20; Lk 14:1-6 Saturday: Rom 11:1-2a, 11-12, 25-29; Ps 94:12-13a, 14-15, 17-18; Lk 14:1, 7-11 Sunday: Mal 1:14b 2:2b, 8-10; Ps 131:1-3; 1 Thes 2:7b-9, 13; Mt 23:1-12 Coming to St. Agnes Church Oct 26 - Nov 1 ST AGNES SCHOOL S PREMIERE - NOV This year's Premiere event, "Puttin' On The Ritz," is proud to offer a camper for the family who wants to make lots of happy memories exploring the great outdoors. Plan to walk through this unit on Saturday, October 21 after the 4pm Mass or on Sunday, October 29 after the 8am and 10:30 Masses. It will be located in the alley between the church & school. ROAD TRIP!! A display of 40 panels highlighting Some of the most powerful Eucharistic miracles of the world

4 Page 4 October 29, 2017 November Ministers EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS Saturday, 4 pm Ciborium: Doris Flohr, Chalice: Jean Ahrens, Susan Flohr, Deb Hilzer, Connie McDonnough, Mark Rueb, & Brooke Talkington Sunday 8 am Ciborium: Susan Lessert, Chalice: Nancy Kerr, Thresa Cary, Jordan Colwell, Dick Lessert, Mark Neifert, & Daniel Warburton 10:30 am Ciborium: Terry Bailey, Chalice: Rick Cantril, Joanne Krieg, Gabby Montanez, M. C. Schaff, Judy Schwartz, & Steve Viessman GREETERS Saturday 4 pm: Philip & Shelley Encinia (E), Mike Merrigan (N), Ed & Cecilia Hagerman (S) Sunday 8 am: Zita Rice Bolinger (E), Missy & Gene Hauck (N), Paul Tyler (S) Sunday 10:30 am: Matt Parsley (E), Danni Koeteman (N), Robin & Mark Loose (S) USHERS Sat 4pm Alan DeHaven (Captain) Kevin Wagner, Salvadore Franco, Jim Ellison Sun 8 am Jim Kerr (Captain) Francis Heumesser, Adam Hoesing, William Carr 10:30 am Michael Schroeder (Captain) Danny Guzman, Delton Herman, Dennis Parks LECTORS Nov 4, 4pm Chris Burbach Nov 5, 8am Carol Herman LECTORS Nov 5, 10:30am Krystal Rodriquez Nov 11 & 18, 4pm Nellene Mailander Nov 12 & 19, 8am Tim Madden Nov 12 & 19, 10:30 am Cindy Nelson Nov 25, 4pm Kathleen Roehl Nov 26, 8am Nichole Hoesing Nov 26, 10:30am Kristin Schiff SACRISTANS Sat 4pm: Ann Anderson Sunday 8 am: Nick Reyes 10:30 am: Robert & Sarah Quijas SERVERS Nov 4, 4pm Osiris Saucedo & Megan Kicken Nov 5, 8am Mitch Moravec & Allyson Gion 10:30am Ryan Hinman & Tori Bogus Nov 11, 4pm Landon Malm & Emery Wineman Nov 12, 8am Logan Moravec & McKenna Hackett 10:30am Megan Golden & Kenny Witcofski Nov 18, 4pm Jacob Mark & Kyle Henderson Nov 19, 8am William Pieper & Joseph Pieper 10:30am Natalie Williams & Raymond Palmer Nov 25, 4pm Katie Forsstrom & Jace Henderson Nov 26, 8am Dalton Gass & Ethan Gion 10:30 am Emma Marks & Gianna Gonzales Wholehearted Love God with the whole of your being, and love your neighbor as you love yourself. We have heard these words so many times before. How easy they are to say, and how difficult to do. Yet Jesus insists that all religious laws and rituals, the witness of holy people such as the prophets and saints and everything else we associate with faith, rests entirely on these two commandments. Not long ago, a woman named Carla could not sleep one night. She watched TV and then, still restless, she opened her Bible and came upon the two greatest commandments. She thought intently about Jesus words and realized, guiltily, how many things and people and issues often displaced God in her life. Because of health issues, she had recently lost about fifty pounds, but she still hid behind baggy clothes and believed herself not good enough. Complicating it all for Carla was a rather rigid religious upbringing, in which her parents had emphasized sin and a God who judges harshly. In the silence of the night, Carla looked again at Jesus words and saw the commandment was to love God, love neighbor, love self. The common thread was love. Not a word about sin, unworthiness, or judgment. Carla felt as if a great light was shining inside her, and she went to bed and fell asleep immediately. The next morning Carla opened her Bible and read the words again. What struck her were the words love your neighbor as yourself. Carla equated self-love with selfishness and pride. If she didn t love and accept herself, how could she love God or anyone else? So began a new path for Carla, in which she prayed gratefully every day for God s love and made lists of all she was grateful for about herself. Step by step, she changed. Copyright 2010, World Library Publications. All rights reserved. Please save "Best Choice" bar codes! The Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (DCCW) of the Grand Island Diocese is collecting bar codes from "Best Choice" products. The DCCW turns the codes in for cash, using it to help with their on going project for clean water wells in Haiti. "Best Choice" products have recently been stocked in several grocery stores. Please clip codes, put in an envelope marked "Best Choice," and drop in the Sunday collection basket. Thanks from DCCW!

5 Page 5 TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION This week we have in All Souls Day a commemoration that is linked to the Halloween customs. The big-spending sugar shock holiday is a long way removed from Thursday s grateful remembrance of the souls who are hidden from our sight, but alive to Christ. Old pagan superstitions might find us holding our breath when going by the graveyard, whereas others might actually go to the cemetery to tend the family graves, to share good food, and remember dear ones. Nowhere does a culture embrace this day as fully as in Mexico. The Day of the Dead is a national holiday that unfolds over three full days. For three thousand years, the indigenous people of Mexico have been mocking death in an annual festival, and the invading Spaniards were shocked at the spectacle. To the Aztecs, life was a dream, and death was the entry into full life. Skulls were thus a symbol of joy and release from life s sorrows. The missionaries found all this a bit creepy, but they moved the threeday feast from August to synchronize it with the Christian calendar. So today, graves are decorated, altars are built in the home to honor the family dead, children feast on candy skulls, and people dress up in elaborate skeleton outfits. The devout spend hours in the cemetery, and there is a lively sense of the communion of saints, the living and the dead. Rev. James Field, Copyright J. S. Paluch Co. thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary time From the Seminary A s humans, we tend to want to circumvent laws, to find an exception to the rules. Then we can pat ourselves on the back for our ingenuity and feel pleased we have outwitted the law by doing something unexpected. The Israelites needed adopted some 600 regulations to supplement and to clarify God s meaning with the Ten Commandments because the people wanted to stretch the rules instead of following the intent of what God asked. These restrictive laws required rabbis to interpret whether violations occurred, for example, in how to maintain Kosher dietary requirements or how far one could walk on the Sabbath, or what constituted working on the Sabbath. The religious requirements were so onerous that the Israelites felt strapped as to know the appropriate actions to take in their daily life. Jesus breaks through this clutter of laws simplifying God s message to two sentences and challenges us to not to look for the exceptions. The Commandments that Jesus speaks of in simple, straightforward words seems more difficult for us to follow than we can imagine. Jesus tells that we are to love God in every possible way and to the degree that we cannot hold anything back. All that we have is to be offered to the Lord. Once we hear the statement on how we are to love the Father, Jesus then directs us to make the same effort to love every other person we encounter as if it were our body, our mind, or our soul. Jesus says the accomplishment of one act of love is not possible without doing the other. If we truly love God, then we cannot be chasing down exceptions on who to love. How quickly we label people who we imagine are not being worthy of our love. Do we view God as worthy of our love but question our need to care for the ragged man propped up against a storefront, or the wealthy woman who claims she has everything she could want? Neither has found the love that God offers, and we can correct that deficiency in how we respond to their deficit of love. Jesus does not exclude anyone when He speaks of a neighbor, therefore, neither can we. How can we seek the Lord asking for his mercy unless we first have been merciful to others? How can we ask for compassion from God unless we first are compassionate? How can we plead for God s immeasurable love until we first give our love? While we may find some distasteful because of personal appearance, their politics, or unsightly actions, we cannot put ourselves in the judgment seat of who is deserving of our love. There have been exceptional people who have offered out their hands to pull in the distraught, the ill, the disabused, all those who are in need of physical and spiritual help. We praise them for their actions and ask them to intervene for us for we call these people saints. Who else could perform such feats of caring, feeding, and tending the downtrodden all the while with a smile knowing that the Lord is with them? Well, there is another person that can accomplish these same acts of mercy, compassion, and love. And who is this person you may ask? YOU that who. The saints did not begin their lives as saints. Many saints struggled to overcome thoughts of fear, selfishness, or unworthiness to tend to the spiritually lost, the lepers, or the unwanted. However, with prayer and devoutly living the commandments, that Jesus taught, the saints touched lives and in the process purified their hearts. You too have the capability of the saints we venerate for they understood the simple message that God offers to each of us to love. Let us, therefore, begin our saintly ministry by following Jesus simple request to love His Father and love our neighbor in all that we say and do.

6 Page 6 October 29, 2017 Religious Educa on Program dre@st-agnes-church.com Religious Education Office Celebrating Sunday for Catholic Families Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel: Matthew 22:36-40 On the Way to Mass: What would it look like to love with your whole heart, mind, and soul? On the Way Home From Mass: How do you show love to yourself? Living the Word: Bring the family into the prayer space and discuss how doing God s will starts with loving ourselves. Encourage family members to pay attention to the way they talk to themselves this week. Ask them to think about whether they love themselves the way God love them, or if they criticize themselves. Next, everybody should write down something kind to say to a person with whom they have had a hard time getting along. Can the family think of a time to say these brave and kind words? Celebrating Sunday for Catholic Families Find Us On Facebook Twitter: stagnes-church Instagram: st.agnescatholicchurch Parish Website Grade School (pre-school 5th grades) Formation Sessions will begin on Sunday, October 2nd from 9:15-10:15 a.m. in the school building. November Sunday Schedule: 5th - 12th - 19th - 26th (No formation sessions) Middle School Formation Sessions (grades 6th-8th) meet from 7-8:15 p.m. in the school building. November Wednesday Schedule: 1st - All Saints Mass at 7 p.m. 8th - 15th - 22nd (No Formation Sessions)- 29th High School (CYM) Formation Sessions youth gather in catechist s homes from 7-8:30 p.m. November Wednesday Schedule: 1st - All Saints Mass at 7 p.m. 8th - 15th - 22nd (No Formation Sessions)- 29th 11th CYM October Schedule: 1st All Saint s Day Mass at 7 p.m. 8th - CYM Leader s home 15th - Confirmation - Garden Level 22nd - No formation sessions 29th - Confirmation - Garden Level All Saints Day Wednesday, November 1st Mass Times: 7am - Noon - 7pm* *All Wednesday RE and CYM youth meet in the Church to celebrate Mass at 7pm Parent s Meeting Sunday, November 12th 9:30 a.m. St. Agnes School Learning Center Why Do Catholics Do That? Why do Catholics pray for the dead? All who die in God s friendship go to Heaven. But if we haven t properly atoned for our sins, we are purified in Purgatory first. The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls Purgatory, a final cleansing of human imperfection before one is able to enter the joy of heaven. Praying for the souls in Purgatory helps them pass through faster than they would otherwise. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin (2Maccabees 12:46). Partners in Faith - November 2017

7 Page 7 thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary time Meet the Confirmation Candidates My name is Seth Dvorak. I have 2 older siblings, John and Sarah. My father s name is Mark and my mother s name is Angie (Hilbert) and my step-father s name is Brian. I am attending Banner County High School where I am a junior. I am involved in Football, One Act, Basketball, Track, Speech, FFA, and Cat s Committed Leadership Group. My goals for confirmation are to be more involved with the church and to better my faith. Pope Francis s Month Intention November Christians in Asia That Christians in Asia, bearing witness to the Gospel in word and deed, may promote dialogue, peace, and mutual understanding, especially with those of other religions. Follow God s Best Friends to Heaven God wants us to get to know his best friends, the saints. In fact, the saints were such good friends to him on Earth that they get to spend eternity face-to-face with him in Heaven. Learning about God s best friends can help us to become one, too. Choose someone new. Choose a saint you don t know but would like to meet. Research the saint whose feast day fall on each family member s birthday or learn about the patron of your diocese or parish. Discover what made him or her a saint and brainstorm ways you can imitate such holiness. Choose a cause. Is there an event from the news that has touched you or your family? Find a saint devoted to that cause. For example, St. Vincent Ferrer, the patron of reconciliation, might be a good choice if you are praying to end a conflict. St. Thomas More, the patron of politicians, can intercede for our elected leaders. Choose a habit. To help practice more virtue in your family, pick one and find a saint who exhibited it. St. Teresa of Calcutta illustrates kindness, as she showed extraordinary kindness to the poor. St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe would be a good model of generosity, since he generously gave his own life to save that of a man with a family. Partners in Faith-November 2017 Feasts and Celebrations Nov. 2 All Souls Day. This is a day when we pray for the dead, especially our loved ones and souls in Purgatory. Our prayers and sacrifices can help them get to Heaven faster. Nov. 9 Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (1646). The Lateran Basilica was built by Emperor Constantine and is the pope s cathedral. The Churchwide feast of the Lateran s dedication is an expression of the Church s unity with Rome. Nov. 18 St. Rose-Philippine Duchesne (1852). Born in Grenoble, France, she joined the Visitation nuns at age 19. After the French Revolution, she came to the Louisiana Territory as a missionary in She opened the first free school for girls west of the Mississippi River, and the first Catholic school for Native Americans. Nov. 30 St. Andrew (1 st Century). The son of a Galilean fisherman and brother of Simon Peter, he introduced Jesus to Peter. After the Resurrection, he conducted missions in Turkey, Greece and Macedonia. He was martyred on a X-shaped cross. Partners in Faith-November 2017

8 Page 8 October 29, 2017 The Ten Commandments Directions: 1. On a large piece of paper write the Ten Commandments as listed below. 2. Alternate the color of marker or pen you use so each line stands out. 3. Decorate your poster and hang it in your room to recite each morning when you wake up. Jesus said, You are to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the First Commandment. Mt 22:34-40 Directions: Use the letters in heart, soul, and mind to spell 10 new words. 1. The Ten Commandments 1. I, the Lord, am your God; you shall not have other gods besides me. 2. You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain. 3. Remember to keep holy the Lord s day. 4. Honor your father and your mother 5. You shall not kill 6. You shall not commit adultery 7. You shall not steal 8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 9. You shall not covet your neighbor s wife. 10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor