Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at the Mass for your Sunday (obligation or none), either live or on the internet? Let us know what it was.
Too many people today are without good, strong preaching, to the detriment of all. Share the good stuff.
Also, are your churches opening up? What was attendance like?
If you are involved with preparing coffee and donuts after Mass (yes, this is returning) consider using Mystic Monk Coffee. Use my link. You help the monks, you help yourselves, you help me. A pretty good deal.
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NO mass so it was our Good Shepherd Sunday. Two good points. One is that in addition to being sheep we are also shepherds in that we may be responsible for leading others, such as parents of children or school teachers. The other is that we need to be able to differentiate between the true shepherds and the hired men who don’t really care about the sheep. Not only in our society but unfortunately also in our church.
NO for me too. It was at capacity, and they even had folding chairs in the back. We seemed to be the only family group, but that’s usually the case; it’s a downtown parish, with mostly single apartment dwellers and college students. (We’re there for the music and reverent liturgy, and we all seem to get something out of the homilies). Father talked about how the Good Shepherd knows us by by name. This is unlike shepherds of ancient times, who wouldn’t have named their sheep, because once you give it a name, it’s hard to offer it for slaughter. Jesus has something better to offer us, namely eternal life.
an emphasis that sheep with a shepherd are part of a flock that is kept together for safety. the hireling lets the wolf scatter the flock, but the Good Shepherd keeps the flock together. some pointed – and fair – questions about how each of us might disrupt the unity of said flock.
Sunday obligation returns on May 23. the pastor during announcements mentioned that attendance was averaging only about 1/3 of pre-lockdown. i don’t think we had even 100 people today.
I was quite distracted as a homeless man came wandering in during the confiteor, he took of his shirt (fortunately he was wearing an undershirt as well) and laid down in a pew. i was concerned he might act up, but he stuck around until right after communion and left quietly.
yesterday (or perhaps at some point between Good Friday and yesterday) the confessionals re-opened. since the lockdown started confessions had been at the corners of the foot of the altar with a kneeler and a shoji screen. the shoji screens were still up, so maybe yesterday was just a one-off.
I heard 2 wonderful homilies, this weekend.
Saturday, I attended (EF) Mass for a friend’s baby, who was stillborn. They had been fully prepared for the best and worst-case scenarios, as the poor child had been diagnosed with trisomy 18. We prayed for the best, but we are all in God’s hands and do not know His plans.
Father gave a beautiful homily (full transcription, here: https://www.facebook.com/137399903019092/posts/3937560136336364/) on the fact that God doesn’t make mistakes and no child is unwanted or unloved by God or His Church.
And he clarified and corrected the misguided notion that when we die we “get wings” or become angels:
“[We] offer the Mass of the Angels to ask these spiritual beings to accompany this blessed soul. Now, before we get swayed by the erroneous, albeit romantic, thought that human beings become angels after death, let us correct that thought with the truth, which is far better. We have been made higher than the angels in Christ Jesus. The souls of the faithful are guarded by the angels and brought to the face of God by the agency of these creatures. In perfect obedience to God, the angels serve humanity. So today, we entrust this child into the hands of his guardian angel to be brought before the throne of the one who said, “See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10)