Father Madden's Sunday Reflection
7th Sunday of Easter
St. John's Church
May 21, 2023
What's in this email?
- Fr. Madden's Sunday Reflection
- Video Mass
- Sunday Mass Readings
- Prayer: Parish Needs, Intentions & Prayers
- Parish Resources
- Online Giving
Fr. Madden's
Sunday Reflection
Dear Friends in the Lord,
Even the most random among us can see that we have seal coated the parking lot. It is an involved and interesting process with many moving parts. One thing that was obvious during the process is the amount of activity and traffic there is here on a daily basis. I think I have taken for granted how many people are doing so many things here on Temple Street. Between the liturgies, the Food for the Poor, the recovery meetings, the UMass Medical and Spectrum Health Mobile Care Vans to name a few, the parking lot is well travelled. The work is being paid for through the Legacy of Hope campaign. Many thanks to those who donated and have remained faithful to the pledge payments. This generosity has made a significant contribution to our parish.
As we do each year, on Friday we began our participation in the Novena of the Holy Spirit. As we heard from the Acts of the Apostles on Ascension Thursday, Jesus enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’”
For these few, that is, nine, days then we devote ourselves to prayer so that, like the first believers we will be prepared to receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit. For, like them, we trust that wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord are available to us.
Please take a Novena booklet home with you and pray with us:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Finally, and most importantly, please pray for Fr. Conrad. As you know, he has been a great help to Fr. Brice and me over the last few years. I know how much the people of St. John’s have benefited from his presence and priesthood. We all know that he has experienced a variety of health struggles in the recent past and still today. At the moment, he is hospitalized in serious condition. I have been asking St. John Vianney to intercede for him. Please be sure to include Fr. Conrad in your prayers, as well.
In Christ’s Peace,
Fr John Madden
1st Reading: Acts 1
In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for “the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for “the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
When they had gathered together they asked him,
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, “Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, “Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”
Responsorial: Psalm 47
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
2nd Reading: Ephesians 1
Brothers and sisters:
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation
resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might,
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation
resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might,
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
Verse Before the Gospel
Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the world.
Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the world.
Gospel: Matthew 28
The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Prayer
St. John's Parish:
Prayer Needs & Intentions
Please remember the following needs and intentions in your prayers:
- For deliverance from our situation, my son’s brain injury and behavior issues, the mental health of my siblings (Kassandra R)
- Please Pray for my family. (Katie D)
- Please hold in prayer Patricia, Paul, and Debbie (Martha L)
- Please pray for Toby, Jim, Paul, Peter and Larry for good health as they battle their illnesses. (Cynthia D)
- Please pray for the health and intentions of Jeff Parson. (Steve S)
- Please pray for my mother and father. Please pray for repose of the kind soul of Darlene Perro, that she may rest in eternal peace. (William L)
- For a special intention (George V)
- Please pray for our children, Isabella, Anthony Thomas, Santiago, Elena and Alex. May they be protected from all harm and evil. May they make sound and just choices. May Isabella and Anthony Thomas return to the Catholic Church.
Please pray for Thomas. He is suffering from some serious health problems.
Pray for aunt Catherine celebrating her 89thbirthdat. May she continue to remain healthy and close to our Lord. (Zandra V) - Please pray for Father Conrad! (Judith H)
- For my mom, Lisa S., Lynn M., Tina A., Marie S. & Rene R. in their health battles. Thank you. Amen. (Barbara D)
- Please pray for healing for my brother and all of those I said I would pray for . Also for my sister who lost her fight with Cancer! (Kathleen L)
- For my mother, that her memories of my father sustain her. (Bronwyn T)
- Please pray for Doug McCusker (Donna M)
- For the soul of Helen Castong (Stephen W)
- Please pray for Cindy T. and her family as she goes through this current round of chemotherapy. (Susan M)
- Henry is doing great. Sitting on his own up to 30 minutes, holding his sippy cup by himself and rolling over. Lots of little steps that add up to amazing progress. We had a walk for the SMA disease that raised Over $100,000 today thank you all for your prayers and support (Brian M)
- Health and intentions of Joe, Amy, Cynthia , Larry , Frankie. (Dianne G)
To share a prayer request or intention in the Sunday Reflection, please click the REPLY button at the bottom of the Saturday morning Prayer Intentions email and post it in the comments.
Act of Spiritual Communion
by St. Alphonsus de Liguori
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Our Common Prayer
O God, whose Only Begotten Son bore the weight of human suffering for our salvation, hear the prayers of your Church for all our brothers and sisters in need and deliver us from our trials. Open our ears and our hearts to the voice of your Son:
"Be not afraid, for I am with you always."
Bless all those working for the common good; give us the wisdom to do what is right and the faith to endure this hour,
that, trusting in your loving protection,
we might see the end of our struggles
and rejoice in your mercy.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
by Pope Leo XIII
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against
the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
PRAYER PLEDGE
Join the team of St. John's parishioners pledging to pray daily
for the religious education and spiritual formation of our young people
In this challenging time our commitment to praying for our youth is more necessary than ever. Without prayer we cannot hope to transmit the riches of our Catholic faith to the next generation; join us as we lift our voices to God and ask for His blessing upon our efforts to teach our young people to become disciples of Christ.
We welcome you to pray a daily prayer of your own choosing, or to use the "Prayer for St. John's Religious Education" below. 👇
Prayer for St. John's Religious Education
Most gracious Lord, we ask your blessing upon the Religious Education program of our beloved parish of St. John’s. Please allow Your love and grace to flow freely and permeate the hearts and souls of our students and their families. Holy Spirit allow your gifts of Wisdom, Knowledge, and Piety to flourish in our Catechists as they pass on the teachings of Your Church to our students. Bless our volunteers for their generosity and loyalty which keeps our program operating properly. St. Joseph, intercede for our parents in this time so that they will recognize and accept their role as leaders of the Domestic Church.
We praise and honor you our Triune God, Father, Son and Spirit. Amen
St. Charles Borromeo, patron of catechists, pray for us.
St. Gemma Galgani, patron of students, pray for us.
Parish Resources
For our St. John's family
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