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citizens of heaven brought together by our Lord,
sharing in one faith and one baptism.”
PRAYER LINE
In your prayers, please remember to pray for all our parishioners, and friends who are ill.
Prayer Line, call Frances at 225.357.2833.
DEATH NOTICE
Please remember, Mary Maranto Carlino, recently deceased, and her family in your prayers. Mrs. Carlino was a long time parishioner of St. Gerard’s. May she rest in Christ’s eternal peace.
Seelos Blessing after all masses Feb. 18th & 19th
Mass, Church
8:00AM Rite of
Acceptance for
Catechumens
NO MASS
Valentine's Day
Meeting: All Lectors, Sacristans, Cantor
& Organist, 5:30PM, Redemptorist Rectory
NO MASS
President's Day
Lundi Gras
Office Closed
NO MASS
Mardi Gras
Office Closed
NO MASS
Ash Wednesday
12:00 Noon
5:30PM Mass
All Masses in
Church
NO MASS
First Sunday of Lent
Lenten Mission 5:30PM in CH
Lenten Mission 5:30PM in CH
Lenten Mission 5:30PM in CH
Fr. Marcel’s Bulletin Message for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Peace and blessings to you church family, and to our visitors! As we gather to worship our God and King, we look to our second reading for our reflection. This time we hear from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. He is rejoicing in God’s faithfulness and calling us to do the same.
I remember going to a retreat when I was in high school. It was the first time I heard the song, “Jesus is the Answer” by Andre Crouch. It is a beautiful song. “Jesus is the answer, for the world today. Above Him there’s no other, Jesus is the Way.” We sang that song over and over at this retreat. I remember one smart-aleck young man asking, “If Jesus is the answer, what is the question?” I’m pretty sure he didn’t understand the song.
In our second reading this weekend, Saint Paul asks the people to recall the promises that God has made. You see, Jesus is not simply the answer to a question; He is the answer to a promise, in fact the answer to all God’s promises. Saint Paul writes, “For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in Him.” Everything that God has promised to His people is fulfilled in Jesus.
Remember that Jesus taught, “I have not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them.” Whatever God has promised, whatever we hope for in the future, it is all to be found in Christ. This is an important way for us to view the history of salvation. For Christians, the prophecies and laws of the Old Covenant all find their meaning when understood through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. I will offer a few examples.
In the Law, God required the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins. There was a whole system of animal sacrifices for the purification of God’s people. Christians understand that this was all to lead us to
Another example would be the manna that came from heaven to feed the people in the desert. God saw their hunger and He fed His children. In the Gospel of John, Jesus states, “I am the Bread of Life. This is the true bread come down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but still died. Whoever eats this Bread will live forever.” He is speaking, of course, of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. God fed His people with manna, but the True Manna was His Son, Who would become our food and drink. Jesus in the Eucharist is the fullness of what manna represents.
All of God’s promises find their “Yes” or “Amen” in Jesus. That is why He is the center of our attention, the center of our worship, and the center of our lives. All that we look for from God will be found in Christ, if we believe and follow Him. Jesus is the “Amen” of the Father, and to that we say, “Amen!”
Parish News & Events
2012 Diocesan Celebration for 25th & 50th Wedding Anniversary
Bishop Muench will celebrate Mass honoring couples on their 25th, 50th, and 65th or greater wedding anniversary on Sunday, March 4, 2012. The Mass will be held at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church at 3:00 PM. The families of the honored couples are also invited to attend the liturgy and the reception following. Couples celebrating these anniversaries in 2012 are asked to call the parish office, 355-2553 so information can be sent to the diocese. Deadline is February 22, 2012.