St John Baptist de LaSalle
 

Bulletin For The Second Week Of Advent

St John Baptist de LaSalle Catholic Church

December 4, 2022

In due course John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea and this was his message: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ This was the man the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said: A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight. This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming? But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruit, and do not presume to tell yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father,” because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe is laid to the roots of the trees, so that any tree which fails to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire. I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who follows me is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’

MATTHEW 3:1-12

Sunday December 4, 2022

Reading 1, Isaiah 11:1-10
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Gospel, Matthew 3:1-12
Reading 2, Romans 15:4-9

Monday December 5, 2022

Reading 1, Isaiah 35:1-10
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 85:9-14
Gospel, Luke 5:17-26

Tuesday December 6, 2022

Reading 1, Isaiah 40:1-11
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 96:1-2, 3, 10-13
Gospel, Matthew 18:12-14

Wednesday December 7, 2022

Reading 1, Isaiah 40:25-31
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10
Gospel, Matthew 11:28-30

St John Baptist de LaSalle Catholic Church

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RCIA will begin Oct 9th, downstairs in the church. For people who are seeking baptism into the Catholic church, converting from another faith, or are interested in receiving the Eucharist or confirmation, Speak with Ann Stone. You are also encouraged to invite anyone that may be interested.

You all may have seen the Toys for Tots box in the vestibule. When you donate to Marine Toys for Tots you are helping to bring the joy of Christmas and send a message of hope to America’s less fortunate children. Please consider buying a toy for the box.

Adam is organizing a committee to plan a party to celebrate Fr John's 40th year as a priest. The first meeting will be in January after the holidays. He needs just a few people to sign up and be willing to help make this celebration special. Approach Adam at Mass or contact him at (336-262-5869) if you are interested. Thank you!

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We're considering taking bulletin submissions. This would consist of news that parishioners feel the need to share, recent deaths or prayer intentions. We'll do it if there's enough interest. Talk to Adam (Hes the fat guy with glasses) if you are interested. 

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Wednesday Mass in English 11:00 AM

Saturday Vigil in English 4:00 PM

Sunday Mass in English 11:15 AM

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Lunes Misa en Español 6:30 PM

Misa del martes en Español 6:30 PM

Misa del jueves en Español 6:30 PM

Misa Dominical en Español 1:00 PM

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Adoration Thursday 7:00 PM

Adoration Sunday 6:00 AM

Reconciliation Saturday 3:00 PM

Jueves de Adoración 7:00 PM

Domingo de Adoración 6:00 AM

Reconciliación Sábado 3:00 PM

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December 4, 2022

November 5 4:00 PM Katie Potter (L) Mary White (EME)

November 6 11:15 AM Deana Shirk (L) Marc Hauser (EME)

November 12 4:00 PM Gene Sorel (L) Mary Sorel (EME)

November 13 11:15 AM Mark Davis (L) Ann Stone (EME)

November 19 4:00 PM Tom McMahan (L)Rodney Caudill (EME) 

November 20 11:15 AM Judy Gorich (L) Anne Miller (EME)

November 26 4:00 PM Robyn Cappelli (L) Katie Potter (EME)

November 27 11:15 AM Ann Stone (L) Matthew Leach (EME)

December 3 11:15 AM Judy Gorich (L) Mary White (EME)

December 4 11:15 AM Deana Shirk (L) Bertha Mora (EME)

The Catherine H. Barber Memorial Shelter 

Questions or Donations: Call 336-984-1592

ITEMS CURRENTLY NEEDED AT THE SHELTER

• Coffee and cups with lids

• 30-gallon size trash bags

• Clorox wipes

• Microwavable meals

• Individual canned food items

• Canned Drinks

• Individual snack crackers

• Monetary donations gratefully accepted

 With positive cases of the virus confirmed within our region, St. John's has taken steps to prevent its further spread: 

• Refrain from shaking hands during the Sign of Peace.

• Refrain from holding hands during the Lord’s Prayer.

• Prayerfully consider receiving the Holy Eucharist only in your hands instead of on the tongue.

• Priests and EMEs are using hand sanitizer near the sanctuary to cleanse hands before and after Holy Communion.

• We have ceased distribution of the Precious Blood.

• We have removed holy water from the fonts.

• Anyone who is ill, or suspects they are ill, should not come to Mass.

"Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me." Mt 25:40 This year St. John's is collecting money for Head Start families for Christmas. We will send the funds to Head Start and the staff will shop for their families. The funds will be used to purchase gifts for the children and parents. In addition, we will provide a gift card to shop for Christmas dinner. Last year our parish sent $1500 to Head Start. The funds provided gifts for four families which included 10 children, ranging in age from 2 to 8 years old, and 6 adults. In addition, each family received a $75 food gift card. The Head Start program is grateful to have our church sponsor these needy families. It makes a big difference in their lives, by helping them to provide a joyful Christmas for their families. Head Start is a federal preschool program for families who meet low-income guidelines and have preschool children (ages 3, 4 or 5) who need an extra boost preparing for kindergarten. Parents/guardians may also become involved in the program as volunteers and advocates. The Deadline for donations is Sunday, December 11, 2022. Give monetary donations to Anne Miller or Temoc Herrejon, or place donations in a marked envelope in the weekly collection basket. (Some envelopes are available at church.) For more information, contact Anne Miller: Home: 336-838-1672 or Cell: 336-957-6431 Email: millerao@charter.net

St John Baptist de LaSalle Catholic Church

December 4, 2022

Now if you've been reading my little reflections down here, then you already know what I'm on about this week after reading the title. You're probably already rolling your eyes as you wonder why, for the ninetieth time, I'm getting ready to huff and puff and lecture my few readers about the need for volunteering, the need for us, as a community, to do more to help the poor and impoverished around us. Well seeing how pope Francis's prayer intention for December speaks on this very topic, I feel it is commonsensible that I should follow suit. So, you know that feeling when your dad is standing over you as a child, probably seeming larger than life, wagging his finger about you neglecting your homework or failing to clean your room? Well, it's not my intention to be that guy today. I tend to try and take a more measured and even-handed approach. I've been on here, browbeating all of you with the CCC and scripture, begging all of you take heed of the words that it says about the motivation for working, the perfection of faith and the requirement for charity. it can be something so simple, such as picking up trash, sending some canned food to the homeless shelter, or even just a monetary donation to a charity like cross catholic. 

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We live, on average, about 28,000 days. (Gosh I'm depressing myself, putting it like that) In those days, we are on a pilgrimage towards heaven. There are two paths of course, that lead to very different gates. The right path, or path of righteousness, (see what I did there?) is the one that leads to the narrow gate, and our ultimate goal. We can't store up our time like grain in a silo. We can't wrap it in plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer for later. Its fleeting and before you know it, over. On many major hiking trails, hikers will set markers to let other hikers know how to stay on the path. They may emblazon a tree with white spray paint, stack rocks in such a way that is obvious or lay out sticks in the shape of arrows. Likewise, because God wants us to stay on the right path, he has also defined what we must do to stay on the path he has set out before us. Amongst those things are prayer, the reading of scripture and of course, helping the poor. These three things take time and by giving it as a gift, you are doing something very meaningful.

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I don't feel like I'm good at much of anything. As an autistic person, I need things to be clearly defined and laid out in a certain way if I'm to accomplish what someone wants me to do. In 1 Peter 4:10 St peter says, "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God." Pope Francis recently said, “The world needs volunteers and organizations committed to seeking the common good." There are things we can all do, with our or, in my case, a complete lack of talent. We can call the homeless shelter and see what they need, (cough, cough, the list is right above. cough, cough.) Visit the sick and elderly, pray for those who are in a bad way, or help out at the parish. Giving of our talent like this, with no need for recompense, enriches us and everyone around us in such impactful ways. 

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I have a neighbor that owns no less than 7 trucks, all brand new and all tagged. I can only imagine the insurance bill every month. His house is not lavish by any means, but his toy collection is seemingly endless. My guess is that he's either not a Christian or has never been properly educated about the absolute necessity of giving of our treasure to others. The CCC states, 2444 "The Church's love for the poor . . . is a part of her constant tradition. This love is inspired by the Gospel of the Beatitudes, of the poverty of Jesus, and of his concern for the poor. 235 Love for the poor is even one of the motives for the duty of working so as to "be able to give to those in need." 236 It extends not only to material poverty but also to the many forms of cultural and religious poverty."  Love for the poor is even one of the motives for the duty of working. I absolutely adore that wording. It means, when you get up every morning, dragging yourself to work with your cup of tepid coffee, that it be motivated by giving to the poor. A motivation, not an afterthought. Of all the things we can do, this is perhaps the most meaningful, as the charities we can work for or that homeless shelter you can take food and drinks to, require money to stay alive and function. There is nothing so precious as giving our money to these people who will the use it to bless those around them. Be happy that you help fund food stamps and disability with your tax dollars, as there may be a kid who gets clothes and food because you do. Let it be a motive. Your gift of treasure is a direct gift only you can give. Remember the words of St. Francis of Assisi: "It is in giving that we receive." This Christmas, please reach out and bless those around you.  God bless you all, Adam