OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE NOVEMBER 23, 2014 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me." Jesus insists that in ministering to others' physical needs, we are truly serving him. "Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me," he tells us. And in a similar way, what we fail to do for them, we fail to do for Christ: "What you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me." This means that we have been given both a gift and a task. The gift is the chance to encounter Christ in our brothers and sisters. The task is to be sure we don't neglect the encounter. The corporal works of mercy provide us with a kind of guide for how to live out this important mission from Christ. These works include feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and the imprisoned, and burying the dead. Based on the words of Jesus in today's Gospel, it's an important part of the Christian life to look for ways to engage in these kinds of bodily ministries. Traditionally, these "corporal" works are complemented by a set of "spiritual" works. The spiritual works of mercy ensure that we don't minister to the body at the expense of the soul. They include admonishing the sinner, instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, comforting the sorrowful, bearing wrongs patiently, forgiving all injuries, and praying for the living and the dead. By engaging in these diverse works of mercy, we serve others, love Jesus, and hope to "inherit the kingdom prepared for [us] from the foundation of the world. THE ROSARY – The Rosary is being said thirty minutes before each Mass. Please join us. Save The Date: St Mary of the Purification Blood Drive is January 4, 2015. Commit For Life! More details to follow. LECTORS: November 22nd & 23rd, 2014 5:00 PM Cordell Baham, Tracey Johnson, Heartha Boudreaux 8:30 AM Ronald Enard, Tony Brown, Erica Johnson 11:00 AM Erie Calloway, Johnnie May Roy, Mary C. Hamilton EUCHARIST MINISTERS: 5:00 PM Robin Brown, TBD 8:30 AM Dorothy Lewis, Darril Volair, Melina Volair, Robert Wesley, Stephanie Wesley, TBD 11:00 AM Laura Allen, Cheryl Cash, William Cash, Erika Edmond, May Walker, Sylvester Whitmire ALTAR GUILD: 8:30 AM Ella Pickney, Ethel Comeaux 11:00 AM Mary Joubert, Otha Barnes LECTORS: November 28th 7 PM Erie Calloway, Mary C. Hamilton, Johnnie Mae Roy EUCHARIST MINISTRIES: 7 PM Robin Brown, Nelda Davis, Margaret Riley Living Faith: A reflection based on a Scripture passage from the daily Mass 11/24/14 – 11/30/14 MONDAY: Rv 14:1-3, 4-5 * Ps 24:1-6 * Lk 21:1-4 She, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood. TUESDAY: Rv 14:14-19 * Ps 96:10-13 * Lk 21:5-11 Say among the nations: The Lord is king. WEDNESDAY: Rv 15:1-4 * Ps 98:1-3, 7-9 * Lk 21:12-19 You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives. THURSDAY: Sir 50:22-24 * Ps 138:1-5 * 1 Cor 1:3-9 * Lk 17:11-19 Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God? FRIDAY: Rv 20:1-4, 11--21:2 * Ps 84:3-6, 8 * Lk 21:29-33 My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. SATURDAY: Rv 22:1-7 * Ps 95:1-7 * Lk 21:34-36 Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life… SUNDAY: Is 63:16-17, 19b; 64:2-7 * Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 * 1 Cor 1:3-9 * Mk 13:33-37 Why do you let us weather, O Lord, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. MEETING FOR THE WEEK: Mon. Tues. Wed. Sat. 6:00 PM 6:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 7:00 PM 10:00 AM 7:00 PM Children Choir Practice Shabach Choir Practice Men’s Choir Practice Young Adults Choir Practice Thanksgiving Mass Liturgical Dance Practice AA Meeting – Rm 100 MEETINGS & ANNOUNCEMENTS MONEY MATTERS: First Sunday Collection Second Sunday Collection Third Sunday Collection Debt Reduction Collection $10,518.00 $ 9,654.00 $ 8,493.00 $ 2,534.00 Next Sunday’s Second Collection will be for our St. Vincent De Paul Society. Please be generous. MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK: Sat. 5:00 PM Thelma & Edward Donato by Toni McElroy Sun. 8:30 AM Kennedy Brown by Edith Franas Sun. 11:00 AM People of the Parish and Bertha Artis & Deborah Artis Oliver by Henrietta & Hadley Hartshorn Wed. 7:00 PM Clayton Tolliver, Josephine Jones, Myrtle Strauss & Sidney Willis by Sandria, Adrian, Lee & Johnathon Tolliver We are asking of donations to purchase flowers for Advent and Christmas, to decorate the Church. If you would like to donate, please write “Advent & Christmas Flower Fund” on your check, or envelope, place in the offertory plate or mail it to the church office. Thank you in advance, for your contribution. We will celebrate the Thanksgiving Day Holiday with the Celebration of the Eucharist on Wednesday, November 26th at 7:00 p.m. There will be no 7AM Mass on Thanksgiving Day. The 7:00 a.m. Mass will resume on Friday, November 28th. The Church Office will be closed on November 27th and 28th in observance of Thanksgiving. Please remember in your prayers Bishop Leonard J. Olivier, SVD, retired Auxiliary Bishop of Washington D.C., who died on Wednesday, November 19th. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen. BAZAAR 2014 NEWS: All outstanding funds (Dance Tickets, Ads & Patrons of the Commemorative Booklet, Raffle, Bingo, etc.) should be turned into the Church Office immediately. A Financial report on our 2014 Fall Festival and other church finances is forthcoming shortly. Religious Education News: PreK—5th grade and Young Catechumen classes will meet in St. Mary's Center for Religious Ed classes on Sunday, December 7th and December 14th. Parents are asked to attend classes with their child/children. Please visit St. Mary's website for other assignments and announcements. Please do the online assignments with your child/children before Sunday's class. Christmas Eve Nativity Scene Rehearsal Schedule: Dec. 6th - 9am-12pm, Dec. 13th – 1pm-3:30pm, Dec. 20th – 9am-12pm, Dec. 23rd – 5:30pm-8pm, Dec. 24th – Call @ 4pm - Mass @ 6pm. SAVE THE DATE!!! On February 8, 2015, the Parishioners of St. Mary of the Purification Catholic Church will celebrate the Fiftieth Anniversary of the ordination of Fr. Borgia Aubespin, SVD. The celebration will begin with a Mass of Celebration at 11:00 am, followed by a program in the Sanctuary and reception in the Parish Hall. The Life Teen Missionaries News: Youth Ministry open gym night Wednesdays for the rest of the semester. If you are in 6th-12th grade please join them in the Center from 6-8pm. Open House at the Robey-Holliday Youth House on November 16th, 23rd and December 7th and 14th, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. On Wednesdays and Thursdays at the RobeyHolliday Youth House the missionaries offer free math tutoring from 4-6pm. The Missionaries and Young Adult Ministry meet every Thursday at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Midtown from 6:30-8pm, with a short bible study at the beginning of the night and then just hang out, eat, talk, and watch sports for the rest of the night. We would love to have as many people show up as possible to share in some faith and friendship! If you have any questions about what is going on with the youth ministry at St. Mary’s or would like to just get into contact with the missionaries send an email to [email protected]. We are looking forward to serving with you this year! God Bless!