News - July 2020 RSS Feed

The month of August is upon us! “Vacation” time is ending. School will be beginning soon. Parents please continue to monitor the websites of your child’s school. Things may change. St. Peter School is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 17 th . Did you know that St. Peter School is beginning its 90 th year of teaching students in Reserve and the River Parish area? Let us keep in our prayers all administrators, faculty, staff, students, and parents of school age children. Let us continue to pray for all who have been affected by the coronavirus—COVID-19.

First Communion will be celebrated on Saturday, August 15th at a special 10:00 A.M. Mass.

The Christian life ought to be a source of joy for us. Some of this joy is reflective in the first two parables that we hear in today’s Gospel. In each parable, people sell whatever they can to take possession of a prized object. This is what it ought to be like for us with respect to the kingdom of heaven. Once we realize what it is—what a prize we have—we joyfully reorient all of our priorities in light of it. We want that one prize above all else—and what’s more, we have it! Christian joy should be the hallmark of our witness in the world. It is an essential element of our living the paschal mystery.

This week we continue to read from the thirteenth chapter of Saint Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus speaks to the people in parables. We will hear three parables today: the grain and the weeds; the mustard seed; and yeast that makes bread rise. In the last two parables, the tiny mustard seed will grow into a tree, and yeast is only a starter for bread to rise, and that the kingdom of heaven requires work and patience.

LECTORS NEEDED We need Lectors to proclaim the Word of God at our weekend Masses, especially at the 5:00 P.M. Saturday Vigil Mass. The ministry of Lector proclaims the Word of God at Mass and in doing so serves as the mouthpiece through which God speaks to the Church. If you feel that you are being called to the ministry of Lector, please contact Father Marse at 536-2887. Training will be provided.

In the middle of the summer we hear readings from Sacred Scripture that speaks of the fruitful earth. Today and the next two Sundays Chapter 13 of Saint Matthew’s Gospel will be proclaimed. This section of the Gospel is often referred to as the “Parable Discourse” because Jesus will use parables to teach the people. Today we hear about the parable of the seed. Jesus will teach us that there is different type of seeds: good, bad, and wasted. As we gather this weekend for Mass our faith is nourished by the Lord through Word and Sacrament. We pray that we may be rich soil for the Word of God to take root, bloom, and thrive across the earth.

As we celebrate the Fourteenth (14th) Sunday in Ordinary Time, this weekend is also the Fourth of July holiday. Our celebration of our nation’s independence will be a little different this year because of COVID-19, but that should not deter us from reflecting on the freedom that is ours because of our “founding fathers and mothers.”