FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
ST. NICHOLAS PARISH From the Pastor’s Desk This past week has seen many changes and activities in Washington D. C. The one that is of particular interest is the Annual March for Life. Numerous groups from all over the country had gathered in Washington to listen to various speakers with reflections on the precious gift of life. Those who gathered for this event were encouraged and strengthened to stand up for a genuine respect for the gift of life in the face of the Culture of Death. I am writing this after morning mass last Tuesday. The readings for the day sparked some thoughts on the March for Life and the Pro-Life position of the Catholic Church. The Gospel was from Mark 3:31-35. “The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house. Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’ But he said to them in reply, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking around at those seated in the circle he said: ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’” By virtue of our Baptism we become brothers and sisters of Christ. Our Baptism speaks to our desire for salvation in and through Jesus Christ. This is God’s will or we can say it is God’s desire that all may be saved in and through His Son: Jesus Christ. We seek (or our parents do on our behalf) Baptism because we desire eternal life in Jesus Christ. Through Baptism, the gateway to the Sacraments, we begin our journey to the Kingdom of Heaven. Our journey consists in living God’s Will. Through God’s grace we are called to the Sacraments. Our response is a positive affirmation of our desire to live God’s Will in our lives. One organization that presents itself at the March for Life is the group known as “Catholics for Choice”. This is a so called “Catholic” organization that supports a woman’s choice for abortion. Now as citizens of this great country we pride ourselves on our freedoms; our liberty. We put a high priority on our freedom to choose. Even in our tradition we know that we are created with “free will”. We make choices. This notion that we are free to choose, when pressed further, also leads to the notion that we are free to define our lives. This is a secular notion and a way of looking at life as if we are master of our own life and the highest principle is the right of human beings to freely make choices about our behavior: Free Choice. It ultimately says that we are only responsible to ourselves. At a certain point this falls apart. Under serious consideration this notion is contrary to our Christian Faith. We believe that our life is not our own: it belongs to God who created us. Thus we are answerable to God for our lives. Our Christian Faith also tells us that we did not choose Jesus; he chose us. We find in the Gospel of St. John Jesus’ words to his disciples; “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” (15:16) God’s choice (call) comes first; we respond. When we consider this “call” and “response” sequence we find a perfect example in the model for all Christians: the Blessed Virgin Mary. We recall that God chose Mary to be the mother of his Son Jesus. The Angel Gabriel delivers God’s message to Mary and Mary’s response was “Let it be done unto me as your have said.” Mary’s response was a desire to accept and do God’s Will. Who then are the Mother, the brothers and sisters of Jesus? It is those who respond to the grace/call of God and desire to do the Will of God. The Christian way of life is a life living the Will of God in Christ. This calls to mind the ancient tension between God’s will and my will.
The whole notion of “Catholics for Choice” is very deceptive. It sounds intelligent, thoughtful and desirable. It also sounds catchy. But at its core it is so very wrong. The reality for Catholics is only one choice. That choice is the response to the call of God with the desire to do God’s Will. The Will of God “is that all should be saved”. God desires our salvation and gives us the means to salvation. To desire to do God’s Will is the path to eternal life. To prefer our will and the choices that come with it over God Will is the path to destruction. The struggle between our will and God’s Will goes all the way back to Adam and Eve and the Original Sin. There are numerous speculations on the Original Sin but it is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that defines the temptation for Adam and Eve. Together they would be the ones who decided what was good and what was evil. With this power they thought that they would be God’s equal. They wanted to be the ones, not God, to make what is good to be good and what is evil to be evil. The difference between the two is not insignificant. The difference has to be absolute. It should be considered that even God could not make what is evil to be good because God does not act arbitrarily or on a whim. The secular world and its influence is to do this very thing: to make what is evil to be a good. It’s our free choice. Jesus had only one desire, and that was to do God’s Will. Jesus even prayed in his agony in the garden saying “Not my will but your will be done”. He made the greatest sacrifice in doing God’s Will in that he laid down his life for our salvation. At one time in the debate for justifying the legalization of abortion there was language used to soften the opposition: “safe, legal and rare”. As abortion was couched in this language it was presented as thoughtful, intelligent and desirable. It was said that abortion should be safe because it is dangerous on many levels. It should be legal because it was not legal. But why should it be rare? If abortion is a “good” then why should it be rare? If it is good then there should be more of it! The reality is that abortion is not a good. Abortion is an evil. The whole idea that it should be rare betrays its evil nature. “Rare” is to say that a little or an occasional evil is acceptable. Sorry, evil is evil and it is never acceptable: not a little or occasionally. To choose to do something evil is not doing God’s Will. “Whoever does the will of God are my mother, brother and sister”. We take our Christian Faith seriously, we also take God’ Will seriously. “Not my will, but your will be done.” And as odd as it sounds, our life is not our own; our life belongs to God. “It is not you who have chosen me; it was I who choose you.” We are given the gift of life from God and we are, in the end, responsible to God. Pray for a greater respect for life. Father Ralko NOTE WELL: the St. Vincent de Paul Society: This is the fifth weekend of the month and we take up our collection for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. We are also making another appeal to the parish. We need some new members to join the charitable work of our Chapter of St. Vincent de Paul Society. We are working on a new and innovative way to help those in our community who are in need. Please consider joining in the good work of the society. You may be surprised in how you could be a great help in this work. Please give it some thought. Our next meeting is Monday, February 13th in the parish office building at 7:00 pm.
JANUARY 29, 2017
Church Support JANUARY 22, 2017 OFFERTORY $7,770.00 Diocesan Tax ($650.00) Fenwick Subsidy ($3,060.00) Rosecrans subsidy ($290.00) Available for Parish Operations $3,770.00 Parish Operating Expenses ($8,200.00) Religious Education Expenses ($800.00) Other Income $2,300.00 Weekly surplus ($2,930.00) May God bless you for supporting your parish
Thank you and God Bless. This week we pray Week IV of the Liturgy of the hours.
10th Annual Columbus Catholic Women's Conference Courageous Faith Contagious Joy Over 3000 women from our diocese will gather together on Saturday, February 18th to pray, reflect, and be inspired. The day is filled with amazing speakers, faith filled music and Mass with Bishop Campbell. You will enjoy 2 of our life giving Sacraments; Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation as well as share the beauty that Eucharistic Exposition brings. Wherever you may be in your journey of faith, please join us! If you have attended before, bring a friend! You will not be disappointed spending the day with your sisters in Christ at the conference. Brochures may be found in the Church and you can register online at ColumbusCatholicWomen.com. A bus will be leaving St. Nicholas Church parking lot at 6:30 a.m. on February 18th. Call Patty (740) 453-5173 or the Parish Office to reserve your seat. The bus has been sponsored and is free.
ZANESVILLE CATHOLIC TEENS NEWS ZANESVILLE CATHOLIC TEENS HIGH SCHOOL ONLY! GAME NIGHT! Do you know how to play Euchre? Want to learn? Prefer board games? Bring your favorite to share. Sunday, January 29th 6:00-8:00 p.m. St. Nicholas Teen Center
Registration is OPEN! 2017 Catholic Men's Conference - February 25, 2017 The Men’s Conference Theme is: “Into the Breach - Call to Battle“- The speakers will be: Deacon Harold Burke–Sivers, Father Jonathan Morris, Mr. Steve Bollman and Bishop Fredrick Campbell. The MC will be Doug Lessells To register, go to: http://www.catholicmensministry.com/
PRE JORDAN CLASS St. Nicholas will hold a Pre Jordan class for parents and godparents of infants and small children to be baptized on Tuesday, January 31 at 7:00 p.m. in the St. Nicholas Office Building. Please call Mary Lou at 740-453-7141 to register for the class. REMINDER: Women’s Spirituality Group will meet this Monday at 3:30 p.m. in the parish office.
St. Vincent DePaul will “hold the hat”, this weekend. Please be generous. Thank you.
SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS NEEDED AT BISHOP FENWICK SCHOOL For anyone interested in being a substitute teacher at Bishop Fenwick School, please contact Karen Hardman for details at
[email protected]. BISHOP ROSECRANS HIGH SCHOOL PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT For parents and students interested in being a part of and attending Bishop Rosecrans High School, there will be a Parent information Night, Wednesday, February 15, 2017 from 6:00-7:0 p.m. Applications for enrollment and tuition assistance will be provided at this event. We will also be providing general information about attending Bishop Rosecrans. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Jennifer Mallett, Principal or Mrs. Chelsea Tolliver, Academic and Admissions Counselor at 740452-7504.
ATTENTION: All those who do needlecraft are invited to get out their knitting needles, crochet hooks and sewing machines. We are in need of adult hats scarves and mittens for the homeless. These items can be dropped off at the Salvation Army on Putnam Avenue. We also need to restock the closet at Muskingum Valley Health Center on Adair Avenue. We are in need of baby, toddler and children’s hats, scarves, mittens, toys, sweaters, receiving blankets, afghans, bibs and booties. These can be taken to the parish office or call Judi Peterson (740-453-5288) for pickup of your items.
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY OF 'ENCOUNTERED' COUPLES Take a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend, and you become part of a local network of “encountered” couples who meet regularly and hold special events that keep the joy of your weekend alive for years to come. The next two weekends are February 17-19 and April 21-23, both in central Ohio. For more information or to register, contact Paul & Marilou Clouse at 614-834-6880 or visit our website at www.wwmecolumbus.org
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME LITURGICAL MINISTERS SCHEDULE It is your responsibility to find a substitute if needed. February 5, 2017- Fifth Sunday in ordinary time Saturday, February 4 @ 5:15 p.m. Lector: Nicole Hannahs, Bill Sullivan Server: Rex Hankinson, Mason Harmon Eucharistic Minister - Coord: Jim Pottmeyer Eucharistic Minister - Wash Vessel: Charlotte Snider, Dan Snider Eucharistic Minister: Ronald Davis, Pauline Davis, Margaret Kronenbitter, Karen Robinson Sunday, February 5 @ 7:30 a.m. Lector: Stephanie Bridwell Server: David Eppley, Will Conroy Eucharistic Minister – Coord: Jeff Shawger Eucharistic Minister - Wash Vessel: Carol Kohler, Vicki Burns Eucharistic Minister: Alan Burns Sunday, February 5 @ 9:30 a.m. Lector: Keena Hansel, Diane Hoffer Server: Christina Rozsa, Nicholas Hoffer Eucharistic Minister - Coord: Rosalyn Headington Eucharistic Minister - Wash Vessel: John Haswell, Erin Roush Eucharistic Minister: Linda Haswell, Michael Drake, Chris Drake, Larry Taylor Sunday, February 5 @ 11:30 a.m. Lector: Sam Palleschi, Wendy Hart Server: Justin Hart, Nathan Hart Eucharistic Minister- Coord: Karen Hardman Eucharistic Minister - Wash Vessel: Sandy Black, Roger Jones Eucharistic Minister: Rose Jones, Dodi Sealock, Jim McKee, Carolyn Arnold
Our thoughts and prayers remain with those serving our country at this time and with their loved ones at home. We pray for a safe homecoming and that the world may one day be at peace.
PLEASE REMEMBER ST. NICHOLAS PARISH IN YOUR WILL. CALL THE PARISH OFFICE AT 453-0597 FOR MORE DETAILS. Please join us each Monday at St. Nicholas Church at 2:00 P.M. as we gather to pray the Rosary asking Our Lady’s Intercession for the many needs of our nation, community, and parish.
What’s Happening in Our Parish MONDAY, January 30 8:00 a.m., Mass: Linda Lasure Smith, Church 3:30 p.m., Women’s Spirituality Group, parish Office 5:30 p.m., Sign Language Class, Parish Office
TUESDAY, January 31, St. John Bosco 8:00 a.m., Mass: Stella Tomson, Church
WEDNESDAY, February 1 8:10 a.m., School Mass: Russell Glaub, Church 7:00 p.m., R.C. I. A., Parish Office, lower level
THURSDAY, February 2, The Presentation of the Lord 8:00 a.m., Mass: Leona Hohman, Church
FRIDAY, February 3, St. Blaise Adoration until 4:00 p.m., Church 8:00 a.m., Mass: Robert & Audrey Ralko, Church
5TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME SATURDAY, February 4 4:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Confessions, Church 5:15 p.m., Mass: Freiermuth Family: Edward J. & Clarice, Wayne and Don, Church
SUNDAY, February 5 7:30 a.m., Mass: Helen Mercer Palmer Osborne, Church 9:30 a.m., Mass: St. Nicholas Parishioners, Church 9:45 a.m., Religious Education, School 11:30 a.m., Mass: Paulette Bronkar, Church
Readings for Week of January 30, 2017 Mon. . . . . . . . Tues. . . . . . . . Wed . . . . . . . . Thurs. . . . . . . . Fri. . . . . . . . . . Sat. . . . . . . . . . Sun . . . . . . . .
Heb 11:32-40 Heb 12:1-4 Heb 12:4-7, 1115 Mal 3:1-4 Heb 13:1-8 Heb 13:15-17, 20-21 Is 58:7-10
Mk 5:1-20 Mk 5:21-43 Mk 6:1-6 Lk 2:22-40 Mk 6:14-29 Mk 6:30-34 Mt 5:13-16
INCOME TAX If you would like to have a record of your donations to the Church for tax purposes, please fill in your envelope number, name and address or email and place it in the collection basket. A statement will be sent to you. Envelope No._____________________________ Name___________________________________ Address_________________________________or Email address____________________________
JANUARY 29, 2017
