"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."
This is Jesus' invitation! He invites. Come! I will give you rest!
This is the Good News! We are loved!
What does Jesus do? How does He speak to His Father?
At that time Jesus exclaimed: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.
Then to us Jesus invites:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
How does God the Father Feel about US?
"You are a people sacred to the LORD, your God; he has chosen you from all the nations on the face of the earth to be a people peculiarly his own. It was not because you are the largest of all nations that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you, for you are really the smallest of all nations. It was because the LORD loved you and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn your fathers,
that he brought you out with his strong hand from the place of slavery, and ransomed you from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Understand, then, that the LORD, your God, is God indeed, the faithful God who keeps his merciful covenant
down to the thousandth generation toward those who love him and keep his commandments, but who repays with destruction a person who hates him; he does not dally with such a one, but makes them personally pay for it. You shall therefore carefully observe the commandments, the statutes and the decrees that I enjoin on you today."
that he brought you out with his strong hand from the place of slavery, and ransomed you from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Understand, then, that the LORD, your God, is God indeed, the faithful God who keeps his merciful covenant
down to the thousandth generation toward those who love him and keep his commandments, but who repays with destruction a person who hates him; he does not dally with such a one, but makes them personally pay for it. You shall therefore carefully observe the commandments, the statutes and the decrees that I enjoin on you today."
What are We Called to Do?
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.
This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.
God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.
This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.
God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.
Today is my last day at ICA before surgery on Monday, June 26. You are in my prayers and your will be in my prayers. Pray for catechists! I will be out of commission for at least a week. So email me after the 4th of July with comments or concerns. Email is the preferred method of communication, we can do it at any time. I'm happy to speak with you, just email me your phone number and a good time to call.
My address for July is Sr. Cora Lombardo, Sacred Heart Manor, 261 Benham Ave., Hamden, CT 06514. Phone number is 203-248-4031.Today is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. His words: Come to Me! ring in my ears. I hear His call to me and to you. Come! You have a choice. Open your heart to Him who opened His Heart for you! Let Him love you!
My prayers and love,
Sr. Cora
CALL TO BE A CATECHIST
If you hear the call to be a catechist, don't be afraid! You are not alone!
Yes, we will be using textbooks with teacher manuals that are excellent with plenty of activities. Children have the attention span of their age. So if a child is 5 years old, they can pay attention for about 5 minutes!! So part of what we will do is change activities often. The textbook helps focus on the Message. So we'll tell the story, discuss the story, act out the story, sing a song about the story, create a drawing of the story. If you hear God call you to be a catechists, attached is the Preliminary Catechist-Adult Volunteer Application form. Complete it and return it to me as soon as possible.
What is Family Friendly Catechesis?
Family Friendly Catechesis means families with multiple children can all come at the same time and day, if you choose!The Parish Religious Education Program (P.R.E.P.) will offer all 8 grades at the same time on the same day of the week. So if you have children in Grades 2, 5 and 8, you can sign them all up for PREP for the 4:15-5:30 PM Session on Wednesdays or the Wednesday 6:45-8:00 PM Session.
What Can Yo Do? Volunteer as a Hall Monitor, Aide, Office Assistance and Catechist or occasionally help out with hospitality. To volunteer complete the Preliminary Catechist and Adult Volunteer Application and return ASAP in the collection basket with my name on it or drop off or mail to the Rectory.
FLEXIBILITY ABOUT WHAT WE CAN BE FLEXIBLE!
If you hear the call to be a catechist, don't be afraid! You are not alone!
Yes, we will be using textbooks with teacher manuals that are excellent with plenty of activities. Children have the attention span of their age. So if a child is 5 years old, they can pay attention for about 5 minutes!! So part of what we will do is change activities often. The textbook helps focus on the Message. So we'll tell the story, discuss the story, act out the story, sing a song about the story, create a drawing of the story. If you hear God call you to be a catechists, attached is the Preliminary Catechist-Adult Volunteer Application form. Complete it and return it to me as soon as possible.
What is Family Friendly Catechesis?
Family Friendly Catechesis means families with multiple children can all come at the same time and day, if you choose!The Parish Religious Education Program (P.R.E.P.) will offer all 8 grades at the same time on the same day of the week. So if you have children in Grades 2, 5 and 8, you can sign them all up for PREP for the 4:15-5:30 PM Session on Wednesdays or the Wednesday 6:45-8:00 PM Session.
What Can Yo Do? Volunteer as a Hall Monitor, Aide, Office Assistance and Catechist or occasionally help out with hospitality. To volunteer complete the Preliminary Catechist and Adult Volunteer Application and return ASAP in the collection basket with my name on it or drop off or mail to the Rectory.
FLEXIBILITY ABOUT WHAT WE CAN BE FLEXIBLE!
- What if I registered for such and such a date and I need to change it? No problem!
- What if I registered for this session and I need to change to... No problem!
- PRAY THE ROSARY EVERY DAY! We are Immaculate Conception! We are Assumption of Our Lady! We have to have a devotion and love for the Blessed Mother. We have to pray for ourselves, our families and each other! WE have to pray for the world. If enough good people pray, the world will change! Jesus told us: Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find! Knock and the door will be opened! So I challenge you to pray the Rosary every day Start small like in exercise. Walk around the block once. So pray 3 Hail Marys the 1st week; then 6 Hail Marys the 2nd week and work your way up to a whole Rosary a day! This is a non-negotiable!
- Mass Mass, the Eucharist, is the greatest gift Jesus gave us. Himself, Body and Blood, soul and divinity in the small host. When we receive the Eucharist our God is in us for at least 15-20 minutes. Each of us is a Monstrance carrying Jesus. Each of us is like the Blessed Mother when she was pregnant with Jesus. St. Augustine taught: Be what you receive! If we receive the Eucharist, we are called to be Eucharist! This is a non-negotiable!
- Class The children need to participate in class. You entrust your children to us. We are here to support you in your role as the First Teacher of your children. They need to come. We can't let them get away with taking time off. This is a non-negotiable!