Volume 2017 Number 32 Christ is among us! He is and will be! Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Welcome to Saint Nicholas Catholic Church of Roebling, NJ. We greet you and welcome you to our parish church. Our Church is a holy place. Our Church is where we get together in Jesus Name. It is holy because we come here to worship, to be nourished in faith through Sacred Scripture and preaching, to open our hearts and minds to celebrate the mystery of salvation in Jesus Christ and to dedicate ourselves to a life of holiness and service to the Lord and others. The church building itself reflects this faith and calls us to enter into communion with God. We invite you to share our faith in Jesus Christ, to experience our worship and to live a life dedicated to the service of God and one another in Jesus Name. Mystery of Reconciliation Daily before Divine Liturgy Schedule of Divine Liturgies for the week of August 6 August 12, 2017 Sunday The Transfiguration of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ 8:00 a.m. Health & Blessing Ryan Murphy req. by Mary Matthews Sunday (8/13/17) 8:00 a.m. Health & Blessing John Matthews req. by Mary Matthews Readers: 8/6 Martha Hatrak; 8/13 - MaryAnn Yurcisin; 8/20 Julie Winder; 8/27 Nick Ladomirak. [For a schedule of the Divine Liturgy at Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Trenton go to the website; [www.avmbcc.org} THE UNBELIEVER S PRAYER Many a time faith and unbelief remain mixed up within us. This was true of the father who presented his demon-possessed son to Jesus. Lord, help me overcome my unbelief. (Mark 9:24) This is true of the most hardened unbeliever; sometimes he doubts his unbelief. This is also true of the most fervent believer; sometimes shudders as wisps of doubt chill his soul. Do you really want to believe in Christ more than you do now? This question is important for everyone, not only those who wander where there is only faithlessness, because we all, from time to time visit that place in our lives. It also is important for those who have
believed, but have somehow lost the zest of it because they pray little, read Sacred Scripture even less and only now and again attend the Divine Liturgy and receive the Holy Mysteries. When they do receive it is only out of form, not because of any impelling spiritual need or devotion to our Saviour. But there is heartening news in God s revelation to us. Whatever our faith standing, we can pray for greater faith. The father in the Gospel dis just that. But how can we pray for faith when prayer takes faith? We must understand that our Heavenly Father sees the sincerity of our prayer if we truly desire to become more faithful and grow in faith to Him. If we truly want to believe, we must ask our Heavenly Father to overcome the unbelief that clutches our souls so strongly/ Jesus did not turn aside the father s prayer. He performed a miracle of great release for the father s beloved son. If we truly want to forge a commitment to the Saviour; if we truly want to strengthen our already existing commitment; if we want to eliminate the periodic forays into the land of unbelief in our lives, God will not ignore the most earnest plea of any of us who on this day, feeling weak and empty, earnestly ask for stronger faith and faithfully plan on continuing our commitment to the loving God Who created us. If we just do it soothing our conscience, we will remain unbelievers. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ GOD WORKS IN US Who can look upon the famous masterpieces executed by Michelangelo and not realize what a great and marvelous sculptor he was? Beginning with a great block of marble, he would chip away just enough in the right places of the marble until he created a life-like figure in stone. When God wants to create a masterpiece in us, He begins with our mind and heart. He changes the center around which a person s life revolves. It is no longer a selfish me but the inextinguishable desire to please our Heavenly Father. And our Heavenly Father wants us, in turn, to create a world that builds character, rather than destroys it. But the real change must come from within. We must ardently desire to be better people; we must want to be more loving towards others so that we mirror or reflect God s love within us to others.