Services

6/26/22 - Following Jesus - Cycle C

Dear Families,

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a message: “Follow me.” We can do this by putting Jesus first in all we do. We love our families. We are grateful for our homes. Those things are gifts, and God is the gift-giver. We should love the giver more than the gifts.

As a family watch video in its entirety then ask each other these questions.
What did Jesus say to the three people who wanted to follow Him? When we have a choice to make will we put Jesus first?

Family Prayer: Lord, help us to remember that every good thing comes from you. Amen

"Follow Me"

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(La versión en español sigue al inglés)

5/8/22 - Jesus Is Our Good Shepherd - Cycle C

Dear Families,

Sunday’s Gospel helps us recognize that we are part of God’s family. Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice.” We are his sheep. He also tells us that he and the Father are one. We know God the Father because we know Jesus. Likewise, when others meet us, they should see Jesus in us.

As a family watch video in its entirety then ask each other this question.
How can you show Jesus to others through your words and actions?

Family Prayer: Jesus, help us to be like you. So that when others meet us, they see you in us. Amen

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(La versión en español sigue al inglés)

3/19/23 - Seeing and Believing - Cycle A

Dear Families,

This fourth Sunday of Lent is Laetare Sunday. “Rejoice”, Easter is drawing near!

In the Gospel of John, Jesus spits on the ground, makes clay with saliva, and smears the clay on a man born blind. Then sends him to wash off the clay in the pool and the man can see. Unfortunately, some people are upset because Jesus broke the Sabbath to heal him. However, the blind man rejoices because he can see. Jesus did not just heal him of his physical blindness where he now sees the glory of creation on earth. Jesus has also revealed to him that he is the Son of God and he believes.

Jesus invites us to use our eyes for both kinds of seeing, the wonders of creation and to see and believe in God’s unconditional love and in his healing actions. Each of us need to explore what Jesus wants us to see and believe who he is.

As a family watch video in its entirety and then ask each other these questions.
What do you know about Jesus that you didn’t know before? Where do you see Jesus so that you can believe in him?

Family Prayer: God, open our eyes to see you in all of Creation and believe in you. Amen.

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(La versión en español sigue al inglés)

2/6/22 - Jesus Calls His Followers - Cycle C

Dear Families,

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to the crowd from Simon’s boat. After speaking, Jesus asks Simon who had been fishing all night to cast out his nets again. Simon questions him but does as he is instructed, and to his surprise catches many fish! So many fish that other boats were signaled to come and help because their nets were tearing.

When Simon saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and says “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men” and from that day forward the fishermen Simon, James, and John leave their fishing boats and follow Jesus.

Jesus calls us to follow him too. One way that we follow Jesus is by telling others about him. Jesus speaks the same message to us today to be fishers of men for his Kingdom. God wants others to see the light of Christ in us in the way we live, speak, and witness the joy of the gospel.

As a family watch video in its entirety and then ask each other these questions.
Like Simon (who would be called Peter), do you have feelings of unworthiness that make you afraid to approach God? What do you do with that fear?

Family Prayer: Jesus, you remind us that we shouldn’t be afraid and that you have a mission for us too. Help us to be open to sharing our faith with others. Amen

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(La versión en español sigue al inglés)

1/30/22 - People Reject Jesus - Cycle C

Dear Families,

This Sunday’s Gospel is a continuation of last week’s Gospel. Jesus fulfills the words of the prophet Isaiah as he announced in last week’s Gospel. In this Sunday’s Gospel, people begin to recall that he is the son of Joseph the carpenter. Jesus confronts them about what they are thinking. He said they wouldn’t appreciate a prophet from their own town. They get angry when Jesus reminds them that sometimes people of other countries believed more in Israel’s prophets than their own people. He gives them the examples of Elijah and the widow of Sidon and Elisha and General Naaman who were not Israelites but believed in the prophets. The crowd did not want to hear the truth, they became so angry that they rejected him and forced him to leave town.

Jesus words were challenging to the people of his hometown Nazareth. He wanted them to respond to him differently from the way others had responded to the prophets. But they wouldn’t let his words change them or see a different perspective. At times we can be like the people of Nazareth, we don’t trust Jesus’ message because we find his words to us challenging. We need to trust his words to us and rely on his guidance in our lives.

As a family watch video in its entirety and then ask each other these questions.
What is love? How difficult is it to listen to those who love you, especially if they are trying to inform or correct you?

Family Prayer: Jesus, help us to be humble enough to listen when we are corrected by people who care about us. Help us to remember that they are looking out for our good. Amen