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Our Lady Queen of Peace
4696 Notre Dame Lane, House Springs, Mo 63051 636-671-3062
www.olqpparish.org
January 25, 2015
PASTOR
Reverend Michael Murphy
ASSOCIATES
Reverend James Beighlie, C.M.
Reverend Donald F. Molitor, Retired
DEACONS
Reverend Dr. Thomas Gerling
Reverend Mr. Paul Turek, Sr.
5:00 pm
7:30, 9:30, 11:30 am
as announced
8:00 am
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
The Blessed Sacrament is exposed for prayerful
Adoration every Wednesday after the 8:00 am
Mass until 8:00 pm.
PERPETUAL HELP DEVOTIONS
Tuesday after 8:00am Mass
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Mr. Bob Ellison
GRADE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Mr. Curt Baker
PSR COORDINATOR
Mrs. Debra O’Donnell
YOUTH MINISTER COORDINATOR
Mrs. Terry Ostlund
PARISH COUNCIL
Bailey Alexander, Cathy Carley, Joe Corio,
Lawrence Giovanni, David Holmes,
Mary Luebbert, Dave Mills, Rick Mraz,
Julie Vermillion, Maria Webb, Tim Webb
Parish Office
School
Cafeteria
SCHEDULE OF MASSES
Saturday Evening
Sunday
Holy Days
Weekdays
636-671-3062
636-671-0247
636-375-5335
ROSARY
Monday through Friday after 8:00 am Mass
For vocations 2nd Monday of month after 8:00 am
Mass
Rosary before 5:00 pm Mass - Fatima Prayers
included on 1st Saturday
Before 5:00 pm Mass on Saturday evenings
SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
First and third Sunday of the month after 11:30 am
Mass. Make arrangements by calling Parish Office.
SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
Saturday
4:00 - 4:45 pm or by appointment
SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY
As soon as marriage is contemplated, contact one
of the parish priests.
Welcome to Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish
Registration forms may be found on our website (olqpparish.org/parishregistration.htm), in the
Church lobby or you may stop by the Parish Office to fill one out. If you have recently changed your
status, married, moved out of your parents’ home or graduated from high school, you need to
re-register. Please help us keep our records accurate.
Welcome to Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish
Actually the following is a message
from Deacon Paul:
2015 LENTEN FISH FRIES
2015
February
Wed 18
Sat 28
March
Sun 15
Ash Wednesday
Daughters of Isabella Antique Tea
Red Hat/Ladies Bingo & Luncheon
Sat/Sun 28/29 Youth Bake Sale after Mass
April
Sun 5
Sun 19
Sat 25
Easter
First Communion
Daughters of Isabella Tailgate
Sale
May
Wed 6
June
Sat 13
August
Sun 23
Confirmation
OLQP Picnic
Knights of Columbus Ladies
Auxiliary Quarter Auction
September
Sat 12
Sun 27
October
Sat 3
Daughters of Isabella Tailgate
Sale
OLQP Quilt Social
OLQP Auction
Brad Darby and Liz Ortmann
OLQP ~ February 7, 2015
Parish Activities ~
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thur
Fri
Sat
Sun
January 26th to February 1st
Jan 26 PSR, 6:15 - 7:30 pm
Jan 27 Perpetual Help Devotions after 8:00 am
Mass
Quilters, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, 4:30 to
7:30 pm, Parish Office, Quilters Room
Jan 28 Eucharistic Adoration after 8:00 am
Jan 29 Choir Practice, 7:00 pm, Church
Jan 30 Preschool Art Fair, 6:30 pm, Cafeteria
Jan 31 Family Dance, 6:00 pm, Cafeteria
Feb 1 First Sunday Breakfast serving after
7:30 and 9:30 am Mass
“Yes, Lent is early this year. Ash Wednesday is
February 18th, the start of our Lenten Fish Fries.
Last year was one of the best we had for both
dinners served, and profitability.
Anyone who has worked one of the two shifts at a
Fish Fry, knows it takes a lot of hard working
people to make sure that the dinners are served
as quickly as possible when the lines are long,
and that the quality of the dinners are the best
we can serve, to keep our “customers” coming
back and, spreading the word!
The sign-up board will be set up in the Church
lobby on the weekend of the 31st of January and
the 1st of February. We now have a web site just
for the Fish Fries, (Thanks Mike Besemer) in order
to make online sign up easier to find and use.
olqpcodsquad.org, will be up and running the
weekend of the 31st/1st.
If you’re new to the parish or have never been
part of the “cod squad”, join us.
We have a lot of fun working together as a parish
family. It can be a time to make new friends or
rekindle some old ones, just ask one of the fryers
who work in the fryer trailer, or the workers in
the kitchen or carry out.
Take the enclosed flyer and post it in the
neighborhood or on your “frig”.
Oh yes, one of the things that make our “Fries” so
special, are the homemade desserts we are able
to serve with our dinners. Thanks to all the
bakers who come up with all those “goodies”
week after week.
If you have any questions or need any
information, call Deacon Paul @ 314-954-0378,
email [email protected]. or tweet
Deacon Paul @TurekPaul”.
The Little Sisters of the Poor Are Coming
I gave the Little Sisters of the Poor permission to
come to Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish next
weekend (Jan. 31/Feb.1) to take up a collection in
order to support the work that they do with the
poor. (How could I say “no” to nuns who work
with the poor?) So, next weekend we will have a
second collection to help the sisters in their
ministry. Please come prepared.
~ fr. mike
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Congratulations to Notre Dame
Honor Roll Students
2014-2015 Semester 1
Madison A. Becnel
Patricia A. Larson
Mary D. Turney
Winter Weather
With winter weather approaching please be aware
that the Parish Office sometimes closes in the
event of bad weather.
Marriage Preparation
“Living a Joy Filled Marriage”, a marriage
preparation program, which fulfills the
requirement for those preparing for the
Sacrament of Matrimony, will be offered starting
February 8, 2015. The program will be held on
four consecutive Sunday evenings from 6:00 to
9:00 pm at the home of Deacon Tom and
Margaret Gerling. The cost of the program will be
$60, which will cover the cost of materials. To
register please call Deacon Tom or Margaret, 636671-0627.
Big Ticket Raffle
Still Time to Get Your Ticket!!
Don’t forget to get your ticket (or
tickets!!!!!) in the Church lobby by
the Scrip table or in the Parish Office,
Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to
4:00 pm!
Youth Council News
A Big Thank YOU for your Support of the
Pro-Life Trip
Thanks to everyone who donated money,
supported fundraisers, and offered prayers for our
safety on the Pro-Life Trip.
January 25, 2014
We had 35 people from Our Lady Queen of Peace
who marched with hundreds of thousands of other
people from across the country to be a voice for
the voiceless, to stand up for protection of all
human life, from conception to natural death.
Thank you for helping us to be that voice as we
carried your voice with us.
We delivered your Roses for Life to our elected
officials.
Continue to pray for conversion of heart and that
all human life will be treated with the dignity that
God created us with.
TIME TO REGISTER FOR STEUBENVILLE
$50 Down Payment-due Monday, Jan. 26th
All current 8th graders and high school youth
are invited to join us for the Steubenville
Conference in Springfield, MO held on the campus
of Missouri State. This year there will be over
5,000 youth attending. We are attending this
year’s conferences on July 17-19, 2015. We leave
on Friday morning and return about 5 pm on
Sunday. The conference theme is “Limitless,”
which is taken from John 10:10, “I came that you
might have life and have it abundantly”. The cost
of the conference is $200 which includes meals. A
$50 down payment will hold your spot for the
conference. To reserve your spot put your contact
information and $50 in an envelope marked Terry
in the collection basket or drop off at the parish
office no later than Monday, January 26th.
High School Youth Group
Sundays: February 1st, 8th, and 15th
6-8 pm Cafeteria Meeting Room
Get your homework done before 6 pm on Sunday
evenings, invite a friend and join us from 6-8 pm
in the Cafeteria Meeting Room. Strengthen your
relationship with Jesus and become the best
version of yourself. We also have time for fun
and food.
Junior High Youth Retreat at OLQP
For 7th and 8th grade youth
10 am February 21st thru 22nd at 11 am
For more information about any of our Youth
Ministry activities contact Terry Ostlund, 314-5668363 or [email protected].
Welcome to Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish
Archdiocesan Financial Assistance
Application Due Date: March 15
The Catholic Education Office will be using the
FACTS Co. to input the data of those families
applying for the Archdiocesan financial programs
for the 2015-16 school year. Families must
complete the FACTS Grant and Aid application
when applying for the following programs:
 Catholic Families Tuition Assistance
Endowment Fund (CFTA)
 Parish Employee Endowment Fund (PEEF)
 School Funds
Families meeting the above requirements may
apply online for the CFTA and PEEF Funds
beginning in late December at https://
online.factsmgt.com/aid or obtain a paper
copy from the Parish Office.
Only one application per child will be accepted. In
a divorce situation, the application from the
custodial parent will be accepted.
Information and documentation required for these
programs includes:
 An application completed online or a signed
and completed paper application.
 Payment of the $30 application fee made
payable to: “Facts Grant & Aid Assessment”.
Please do not send cash.
 Copies of your 2013 Federal tax forms
including all supporting tax schedules.
 Copies of your 2014 W-2 forms for both you
and your spouse.
 Copies of supporting documentation for Social
Security Income, Welfare, Child Support, Food
Stamps, Worker’s Compensation and TANF.
Failure to submit all of the required information by
the deadline may result in your family not
receiving financial aid or limit the amount given
due to incomplete information.
Christmas Flowers in Memory of
Please accept our apologies...
Unclassified Ads in the Bulletin
Do you have an old car you want to sell? Old baby
furniture or clothes? Electronic items or toys and
games your kids have outgrown? Are you having
a garage sale, a block party, a Tupperware party?
Why not consider advertising in the Parish
Bulletin?
The Fundraising Committee is initiating a program
for posting unclassified ads in the bulletin. These
ads will feature personal items for sale and
personal/family events. No business related ads
will be allowed since these would conflict with the
advertisers using the back page of the bulletin
whose ads make the publication of the bulletin
possible. All ads will be posted on a first come,
first served basis.
The ads are restricted to 21 words (about 3 lines
of text) and must be submitted by Friday (nine
days before bulletin publication) at 4:30 pm. All
items are subject to approval by the Fundraising
Committee, whose decision about publication is
final. If an item is deemed inappropriate for
publication in this forum, the $10 fee will be
returned to the applicant. The ads will appear in
the bulletin and on the parish website in the
weekly online posting of the bulletin.
This new program has the potential, on its
utilization, of adding $10,000 to parish revenues
annually and moving us closer to our goal of
establishing financial stability and implementing
plans for building a parish center and making
needed improvements to Church and school
facilities.
Unclassified Bulletin Advertisement Request
Name___________________________________
Address_________________________________
Daytime Phone____________________________
Date to be Published_______________________
Advertisement Text (must be limited to 21 words)
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
In the confusion of writing down names, Ed Krshul
was suppose to be on our list of names in memory
of for Christmas Flowers.
(Publication subject to approval by the Fundraising Committee.
All items must be submitted by Friday, nine days before the
requested Sunday publication date. $10 fee must be paid at
time submitted.)
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 25, 2014
Seven Days of Inspiration
Take one a day…
and feel great all week!
Day 1
Every Friday Night
Knights of Columbus Hall
Doors Open at 4:30 pm
Bingo starts at 6:45 pm
Everyone welcome!
We would like to thank
Bill Williams Construction,
parishioners Bill and Mary Williams,
for advertising in our parish bulletin.
Because of their generosity we do not
pay for our bulletins to be printed.
Please patronize our advertisers and
thank them for supporting our parish.
You will soon have
new blessings to count!
Day 2
There is so much to
admire about you!
Day 3
Miracles happen,
especially when
people care.
Day 4
You deserve a
joyful life.
Day 5
St. Vincent De Paul
We have received so much from
the Lord that we wish to encourage
others to experience His love for
them through our ministry of
assistance.
Let something light
your fire.
Day 6
It’s okay to want
more for yourself.
Day 7
Daughters of Isabella
Antique Appraisal and Tea
February 28, 11:30 - 2:00 pm
OLQP Cafeteria
Attendees bring items to be appraised for
insurance value. They are served a light lunch,
tea and desserts. There is a fee of $15 to be paid
before (mail check to Ruth Haen, 9736 Ridge Rd.
Dittmer, 63023) or you can pay day of sale. Call
Jan, 636-671-3093 or Fran, 314-809-2676.
All funds will be used for St. Vincent de Paul,
Peace Pantry, Birthright, Women in Transition,
Veterans, Retired Priests, baptismal bibs and the
parish.
Unplug. Unschedule. Unwind.
You need a break!
Parish Office email
[email protected]
OLQP Web Site
www.olqpparish.org
submit articles for bulletin
[email protected]
Deadline Friday at 4:30 pm
(9 days before publication)
4 Signs of a Dynamic Catholic
2015 Tentative Calendar
February— “Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic”
Schedule
2015 —Year of Prayer
2016 — Year of Study
2017– Year of Generosity
2018— Year of Evangelization
Small groups to start– will discuss the first part
“Prayer” of Matthew Kelly’s book
Lent— Stations of the Cross every Saturday
morning after Mass
 Join a Bible study.
March 11—Divine Mercy Presentation—an
explanation of the history and relevance of
Divine Mercy Sunday 7:00 pm, Cafeteria
April 8—How to use the Catechism, 7:00 pm,
Cafeteria
 Enter RCIA if you are thinking of becoming
Catholic.
 Encourage someone who is thinking of
becoming Catholic to enter RCIA.
April 27—Praying the Rosary— 6:40 to
7:20pm, Church
May 13—Patriotic Rosary, 7:00 pm, Church
May 25—Memorial Day Cemetery Mass at
House Springs Cemetery, 9:00 am
July 4— July 4th Mass at Chapel Hill Cemetery,
9:00 am
July 18 - Retreat at Il Ritiro, 8 am to 4:00 pm
September 7—Labor Day Mass at Byrnesville
Cemetery Pavilion, 9:00 am
September 16 and 23 –Explanation of the
Mass, Fr Don, 7:00 pm, Church
Oct. 7 and 14—Two evening discussion on
discovering your personal “Charism”, 7 pm,
Cafeteria.
November 4— “Lectio Divina” discussion,
7:00pm, Cafeteria
Advent—begin 2015 Year of Study
 If you are not going to Mass every Sunday, the
Church and your parish want you back.
 Attend Eucharistic Adoration.
 Learn to pray the Rosary.
 Subscribe to a monthly prayer resource, such as
Magnificat or Word Among Us.
 Consider finding a spiritual director
 Attend daily Mass.
 Pray for an increase in vocations.
 Reflect on the daily readings.
 Pray before all meals.
 Spend a few minutes on spiritual reading.
 Start your day with prayer.
Sign ups
If you are interested in signing up for any of the
above programs, please call:
the Parish Office at 636-671-3062
or email: [email protected]
 Make a list of everything you are grateful for.
 Reflect slowly on the words of the Our Father.
 Pray for someone you know is suffering.
 Seek full and active participation at Mass.
Our Lady Queen of Peace
Fish Fry
All Fridays During Lent
Also Serving on Ash Wednesday
3:00 to 7:00 pm
Good Friday Serving
Noon to 6:00 pm
Adult Dinners $7.00 and $9.00
Children’s meals available for $4.00
(Cheese Pizza or Grilled Cheese)
Fried Cod Fillets-Jack Salmon-Baked White Fish
Catfish and Butterflied Shrimp
Choice of Two Sides
(French Fries-Spaghetti-Slaw-Green Beans-Mac and Cheese)
Dinners Include:
Hushpuppies-Applesauce-Dessert
Drinks: Coffee-Iced Tea-Lemonade
Carryout and Drive Thru Service Call 636-375-5335
Welcome to Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
We will have adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
This coming Wednesday, January 28,
after the 8:00 am Mass and conclude at
8:00 pm with Benediction.
Our Gifts to God and Parish
790 registered members
202 online, loose and envelopes used this week
Thank you for your generosity!!!
Special Collections
Sat. Louis Review ........................... $1,222.00
New Building Fund.................. $763,082.90
Offertory
Sunday Loose ................................... $697.00
Sunday Envelopes .......................... $9,976.73
First Offering ..................................... $25.00
Parish Enrichment .............................. $40.00
Total Offertory .......................... $10,738.73
Weekly Offertory Goal .............. $13,000.00
Thank You to Knights
As of January 19, 2015
Contributions Year To Date ..... $366,545.49
Projected Year to Date ........... $390,000.00
Stations of the Cross:
Thanks to the Knights of Columbus for replacing
the wooden structures at the House Springs
Cemetery. Special thank you to the individuals
making this happen. Mr. Pete Wallach donated
much of the Cedar wood used in the project. Paul
McDonnell was the fabricator with the assistance
of Lou Bartoloni. The removal of the old stations
was done with the help of Butch Mattingly and his
back hoe. Instrumental in the labor was John
2014 Contribution Statements
If you would like a 2014 contribution statement,
please send a note (marked Linda) to the Parish
Office. It may be placed in the collection basket,
mailed to the Parish Office or use the mail slot in
the Parish Office door.
Thank you,
Linda
Holmes, Dave Mills, William Mikko, and Michael
Heller. Butch donated the steel angle used to
mount the new stations. These gentlemen also
poured the new concrete bases and angle iron.
John Holmes and Michael Heller installed the new
structures. The old stations were constructed in
the early 1960"s and were in poor condition. The
expenses of the project were donated by your
Knights of Columbus. Watch the bulletin as Lent
Stewardship
Start With Prayer
approaches, we are going to hold the Stations of
the Cross each week during Lent at the
“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Mark 1:17
Cemetery. Please drive by the cemetery to see
these beautiful stations. If you need directions
please call 636-274-2733.
God Bless,
Mike Heller
Jesus’ call to “Follow me” is a call to all Christians!
Jesus asks us to help Him build His church on earth by
generously sharing all our gifts of prayer, talent and
treasure. Remember, Jesus calls us to generously
develop and share all our gifts, not just the ones we
pick and choose.
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Please pray for those who are ill
(parishioners are in bold)
Maryann Barnett
Wally Freihaut
Jackie Nappier
Tim Lodes
Paul McDonnell
Madylin Mikko
Ed Kelemen
Jon Resmer
Danielle Enghauser
Joyce Stenger
Andy Nappier
Vicky Duckworth
Janice Robertson
Lou Bartoloni
Sam Pierceall
Lorraine Mace
Christy Dickerson, friend of Debby Maloney-Reeves
Kenny Froud Sr., friend of Debby Maloney-Reeves
Neil Bingaman, friend of Debby Maloney-Reeves
John Abell, brother of Helen Maloney
Francine Strange, sister of Frank Saggio
Albert Winkeler, grandfather of Peggy Lay
Marcia Moore, sister of Rhonda Malin & Mary Mottert
Marty Unterreiner, cousin of Sharon Jasper
Henry Wheeler, great nephew of Bernice Grimwood
Delbert Swanson, step-father of Scott Reimer
Ed Rabbitt, father of Tammy Groppe
Mary Stone, sister of Susan O’Shea
Gene Barnett, husband of Maryann Barnett
~those serving in the military, the homebound,
shut-ins of the parish and all in nursing homes. To add
a name please call the Parish Office, 671-3062. Names
will be removed after 3 weeks or as space permits.
January 25, 2014
Mass Intentions
Mon
Jan 26 8:00 am
Tues
Jan 27 8:00 am
Joan Oermann
Wed
Jan 28 8:00 am
Wayne Thome
Thurs
Jan 29 8:00 am
Reverend Joseph Wolf
Fri
Jan 30 8:00 am
George Gantner
Sat
Jan 31 5:00 pm
Marilyn Menke
Sun
Feb 1 7:30 am
Rick McCain
9:30 am
11:30 am
5:00 pm Judy Lorentz, Ralph and Sandy Munzlinger.
2 needed
7:30 am
Jo Jahnsen, Mary Bjornstad, Rich Ortmann,
Cathie Frede, Barb Oppelz
9:30 am
Anastasia Shaffrey, Chris Camden,
Don Moeller, Joanne David, Bruce Gallion,
Margaret Gerling
11:30 am
Angie Ecker, Carol Freihaut, Dan Horn,
Kim Horn, Thom Ecker
Proclaimers
5:00 pm Dave Mills, Judy Janos
9:30 am
about the suffering involved in being crucified.
People of the Parish
Special Ministers of the Eucharist
11:30 am
Each Friday at 3:00 pm spend one minute thinking
Ray Wieschhaus
January 31st and February 1st
7:30 am
For Reflection…
Terry Frede
Scott Reimer, Terry Soer
Dale Andrews, Joanne Sauer
Gary and Carol Freihaut
Servers
5:00 pm Matt Grimes, Amanda Kohne, Madylin Mikko
7:30 am
Alyssa Jones, Peter Kenney, Zach Morlock
9:30 am
Courtney Gaddy, J. Grosvenor, D. O’Donnell
11:30 am
Jess and Nathan Mose, Ava Stagner
Ushers
5:00 pm Dixie Garrett, Darleen Allmeroth, D. Brooks
Ken Ganey, Ben Slodkowski, Bart Heinzer
7:30 am
Ted Hempen, Vince Rocchio, Tim Webb,
Jerry Terry, Butch Mattingly, D. Bjornstad
We offer sympathy and the assurance of
our prayers to the family of
Mary Harig,
sister of Fran Davis
Mary Winkeler,
grandmother of Peggy Lay
9:30 am
R. Munzlinger, R. Schultheiss, T. Broadbent,
Tim Diffey, Jerry Sheets, Dale Sudholt
11:30 am
Paul McDonnell, Mary Buckey, C. Duncan,
J. Younkins, Gary Freihaut, Rebecca Mose
Thank you for cleaning Church
Cathy Morlock,
Patsy and Carl Boyer,
Gail DeGunia,
Carol Delue
and Maria Webb
February 1, 2015
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Cycle B
THEME: Be free of anxieties and live the present
moment well.
We have hopes and dreams. We live with an eye to what
can be, to growing and improving and living into what is
possible. This is a responsible way of living, but it has its
dangers. Sometimes living for what can be becomes so
overpowering that we can miss the opportunity of the
present moment. Sometimes we can become so anxious
about what will be or could be or should be, that what is
passes us by.
THE READINGS:
FIRST READING: Deuteronomy 18:15-20
The first reading is taken from the Book of
Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy has its origins in the
Southern Kingdom of Judah after the fall of Israel to the
Assyrians. The purpose of the book, and of the historical
books that were also shaped by Deuteronomic hands,
was to show the people that they could turn about and
avoid the mistakes and infidelities that led to the
destruction of the Northern Kingdom. The concept of
prophecy plays a determining role in Deuteronomy and
the Deuteronomic History. Prophecy arose in Israel with
the rise of kingship and with the passing of kingship,
prophecy went out of existence. Against popular belief,
prophets were not clairvoyants; they were not predictors
of the future, but men of faith, passionate for living a right
relationship with God. Their role was to critique the
present order, to point out the inevitable consequences of
social injustice and sin, of living our relationship with God
unfaithfully. They were men, ultimately, who held out
hope, hope that we could live a right relationship with God
if we would but turn around and live the present moment
faithfully and justly and well.
A basic claim of Deuteronomy is that in God’s Word, we
have all that we need. And we have people who can call
us back to God’s Word, to right living. We also have
people who will speak of alternate values and people who
will manipulate God’s Word to speak a message of selfinterest rather than justice and right. We have the ability
to judge what is right, to see and understand who speaks
the truth, and we are accountable for how we live now.
SECOND READING: I Corinthians 7:32-35
In the second reading, taken from Paul’s First Letter to
the Corinthians, Paul offers, essentially, the same
thought. Taken out of context, what Paul says can seem
to speak against marriage as something that is less, that
detracts from devotion to the Lord. In a context when the
Second Coming of Christ was considered to be imminent,
Paul was speaking about anxious cares that distract
believers from the importance of the present moment. He
used concern over marriage as an example, not to
disparage the married state, but to highlight a concern
and a value that can become misplaced.
How many high school students seek out a relationship
with a boyfriend or girlfriend, or stay in a relationship that
is going nowhere, because that’s what’s “supposed” to
be, because they are concerned that they will be less or
will not fit in with their peers if they are not in that
relationship? How much time and energy is wasted on
inauthentic living? How many adults enter a marriage
because the “biological clock” is ticking, because all their
friends and siblings are married and they “should be”
too? How many other anxious cares can we name about
what should be or could be; cares that keep us from living
the present moment fully? Yet it is only by living the
present moment fully that I can find fulfillment and
contentment in myself, only by living the present moment
fully that I can recognize the fulfillment and contentment I
have in another who can be that life partner, with whom I
can live my relationship with God. It is only by living the
present moment fully with God that I can let go and let
God lead me to what could be.
GOSPEL READING: Mark 1:21-28
In the Gospel reading from Mark, we hear the “prophetic
voice” of Jesus teaching that the present moment is a
moment to stand against evil, to stand against what hurts
people. In telling his story of Jesus, Mark often uses the
device of bracketing to highlight the central point he
wants to make. In today’s Gospel, mention of Jesus’
teaching brackets the expulsion of the unclean spirit.
We don’t always know what to make of “unclean spirits”
in the Gospel stories. Literalists and fundamentalists
want to see examples of demonic possession.
Rationalists want to explain them away as instances of
epilepsy or mental disorders that were not understood by
the pre-scientific minds of the day. In the Gospels, and in
Mark in particular, there is a logic to the story in which
unclean spirits and instances of human illness are paired
together and what is understood as evil in the world. This
evil is what hurts people – including injustice and
sinfulness. What Jesus teaches with authority is that the
Kingdom of God that He announces has come near is
God’s presence and will with us to stand against evil, to
stand against what hurts people. Uncompromisingly, the
moment to stand against what hurts people is
NOW. Many Gospel cures and triumphs over unclean
spirits take place on the Sabbath. This causes
controversy. Care should be taken to observe our
relationship with God and not be anxious and concerned
about work and human needs. But the prophetic voice of
Jesus claims that it is precisely by accomplishing God’s
will and caring for hurting people that we live our
relationship with God, that we accomplish His will. That
is Jesus’ teaching. That is the ultimate concern.
All the readings today speak to us about living in the
present moment and in that moment finding our God and
following His will. They all assure us that God’s presence
with us can be found not in some obscure future but in
the present moment. And they all assure us that we find
that presence of God in community with those around us,
that we find true fulfillment in not only how we choose to
live for ourselves, but in how we choose to live with each
other. Now is the moment of our salvation.
FOR REFLECTION:
 What anxieties and worries do I have about the
future. How do my concerns for the future keep me
from living fully in the present moment?
 How do I hear the call to "turn about" in my
life? What past mistakes am I prone to
repeat? What changes do I need to make in the
way I live right now?
 In what areas of my life do I tend to settle, to choose
something less than what is fully possible because I
believe that this is all that I can get, because I
believe I am less or missing something if I don't
settle for what is immediately available rather than
waiting for what could really be?
 How willing am I to see the present moment as a
call to service? How willing am I to live true religion,
not in pious and prayerful acts, but in building up the
community of believers, meeting the needs of
members of the community, serving the needs of
others?
 In my life with God, is my focus more on the future advancing to heaven, or on the present moment finding God with us now? Do I live now with an eye
to the future or do I live in hope for the future by not
being involved in my present circumstances now?