Our parishioners have FREE access to Formed.org, a website that has thousands of movies, children’s programs, eBooks, audio, programs and studies. Go to formed.org and click “Sign-Up”, search by zip code 44113 to find “Near West Partner Parishes” to create your FREE account! Visit the site at watch.formed.org/the-pope/ for many timely, informative pieces on the life of Pope Francis, conclave, “Why do we have a pope?” & “How a New Pope Is Chosen: Inside the Papal Conclave”.
This week Bishop Malesic issued his first Pastoral Letter to the people of the Cleveland Diocese. Please find a link to an introductory video as well as the letter itself, at the website below. This letter will also be coming in the January/February issue of Northeast Ohio Catholic Magzine. www.dioceseofcleveland.org/a-flourishing-apostolic-church/overview
“The Church should be at the crossroads of society, so that Christians may fill our pessimistic societies with the hope and joy of the Gospel. Let us make Jesus’ desire our own: to help fellow travelers not to lose the desire for God, to open their hearts to Him and find the only One who, today and always, gives peace and joy to humanity.”
Jesus tells him, that is, that when you forgive, you do not calculate, that it is good to forgive everything. God acts out of love and gratuitousness. We cannot repay Him, but when we forgive our brother or sister, we imitate Him. Forgiveness is therefore not a good deed, that one can do or not do! Jesus’ message is clear: God forgives incalculably, exceeding all God acts out of love, We cannot repay Him, but when we forgive our brother or sister, we imitate Him. Forgiveness is therefore not a good deed, but a fundamental requirement for Christians. Forgiveness is the oxygen that purifies the air polluted by hatred, it is the antidote that heals the poisons of resentment, it is the way to defuse anger and heal so many diseases of the heart that contaminate society. Let us try, now, each of us, to think of a person who has hurt us, and let us ask the Lord for the strength to forgive them. And let us forgive them out of love for the Lord. It will do us good, it will restore peace in our hearts. Angelus Prayer, Sept. 17, 2023
Jesus says to not be afraid, not because all will be well in the world, but because for the Father, we are precious and nothing that is good will be lost. Jesus says to be fearful, instead, of one thing: throwing one’s life away. One should not be so afraid of suffering misunderstandings and criticism, of losing prestige and economic advantages in order to remain faithful to the Gospel, but of wasting one’s existence chasing after trivial things, which do not fill life with meaning. Let us ask ourselves, then…What am I afraid of? Of not having what I like? Of not reaching the goals that society imposes? Of the judgement of others? Or of not pleasing the Lord and not putting His Gospel first? Let us ask our wise Mother Mary to grant us her wisdom and courage as we consider in the choices we make. Angelus Prayer, June 25, 2023
By ourselves we can do nothing. Never forget the importance of placing yourselves before the Lord to hear what he wants to say to you. In fact, listening to God’s voice deep within our hearts and discerning his will is indispensable for our interior growth, particularly when we encounter urgent and difficult tasks. We should recognize that we are part of one great people which has received God’s promises as a gift, not as a privilege. In the same way, your vocation is a gift to be placed at the service of building up the body of Christ.” The Church needs your enthusiasm, generosity and zeal in order to show everyone that God is always with us, in every circumstance of life. I pray that, in the various educational and charitable apostolates in which you are already engaged, you will always be signs of a Church that goes forth, bearing witness to and sharing the merciful love of Jesus with all the human family, especially the poor and those in need. Pope Francis to Bishop Malesic, Cleveland priests, deacons and seminarians in Rome, celebrating the 175th anniversary of St. Mar’s Seminary March 6, 2023
Source of Divine Light, Emmanuel, God with us,
Your radiant love illuminated our waiting world
With the surprise of your Bethlehem birth.
Each year since then we celebrate this astonishing event,
rejoicing in your coming anew, not as a newborn Babe,
but as a hidden presence of divinity contained within each of us.
To our greatest astonishment, we have become your dwelling place.
We are now your Bethlehem.
Now you are Treasure birthed in the secret place of our soul.
Now you are Light gleaning through our gestures of generosity.
N ow you are Hope radiating inside the core of our courage.
Now you are Joy shining into the dark caves of our gloom.
Now you are Peace glowing quietly in the crevice of our anxiety.
Now you are Love brilliantly reflected within our kindness.
O Christ, Light of all lights, Star of all stars,
dweller within these human homes of ours,
open our wandering minds and hesitant hearts
So your endless goodness radiates more completely in us.
We welcome you again and again, with gratitude and trust,
not only in this Christmas season of remembrance and celebration
but all through the New Year that awaits us.
By: Joyce Rupp —-Catholic Cemeteries Association
Reread your life’s story to discover Christ. Even things which in the moment seem of little importance can reveal to us something deeper upon further reflection. These events, he said, are like precious, hidden pearls the Lord has sown” in our daily lives. Good is hidden, silent. It requires slow and continuous excavation. Because God’s style is discreet, it does not impose; it is like the air we breathe. We do not see it but it allows us to live, and we realize this only when it is missing. The more we reread our life’s story, added the Pope, the more refined our perception becomes, making it easier to discover God’s action in our lives. Papal Audience, Oct. 2022
In today’s second reading we hear Saint Paul urging the members of the community at Thessalonica to direct their hearts to God’s love through Christ. He wants them to be laser-focused on Christ, and nothing else. He desires that they be strengthened by the Lord and shielded from what is not Christ-like. Good stewards cultivate a “laser-sharp” focus on Christ; not on things that could give them false or superficial images or ideals. Let’s think about our own daily focus: Do we direct out hearts toward Christ or are there other “gods” that claim our attention? Our career? Material possessions? Sexuality? Favorite sports team? Political leanings? Does our daily life point to Christ so that those who are younger and less mature in their faith learn from our example?
November is a festive month here at St. Malachi with our traditions of All Saints, All Souls, the Feast of St. Malachy of Armagh, our Mass of Remembrance and the Solemnity of Christ the King. We need your help in creating a shrine to celebrate the communion of our own family saints who have gone before us. Bring a framed or loose photo of your loved ones with their name on the front, YOUR name and contact info affixed to the back. Any photo 8X10 or smaller will work. Bring it to church (large baskets provided at the front entrance). The shrines will be set up through the month of November and you can retrieve photos on or after November 20.
