Pastoral Messages from Fr. Rick 1/23/22
Pastoral Messages from Fr. Rick 1-23-22
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https://www.covidtests.gov/?utm_campaign=20220120_cvd_prv_frd_gal&utm_content=english&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery . If you go to Pastoral Messages on our St. Christopher’s website, you can click on this link.
PLEASE GIVE US ALL YOUR MONEY
Thank you for your donations to the Church in Latin America.
Sunday, January 30 is the 5th Sunday, so we will take up the special collection for our charity account, the vast majority of which gets used here in Kane County and most of it going toward food support for local families.
You will soon be receiving your solicitations for the Annual Bishop’s Appeal, aka, the Diocesan Development Drive. Please send your donations in pronto before you divert your money into something more fun. More on the DDD later. It’s really important.
Donation Statements You should have all received your St. Christopher donation statements by now. If you have any questions, please leave us a message at the office and we will address any concerns. Thank you ALL! Your generosity is never taken for granted.
Utah Legislature is in Session – Join the Salt Lake Diocese Office of Justice and Peace in following some key bills through the lense of Catholic Social Teaching. If you have not already done so, please consider signing up for the Prayer and Action Network for regular updates. https://www.dioslc.org/offices/life-justice-and-peace/prayer-and-action-network . Recall that Eucharistic Prayer V3 states: “Grant that all the faithful of the Church, looking into the signs of our times by the light of faith, may constantly devote ourselves to the service of the Gospel.
Diocesan Respect for the Dignity of Life Day:
January 29th, 2022 at 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Sign up for live stream at: https://www.dioslc.org/events/56. (Facebook)This event will begin with a bilingual Mass at 9:00a.m. We will then hear talks on Catholic Teaching on the Dignity of Human Life by Father Sam Dinsdale, End of Life issues with Dr. Catherine Stokes, and a legislative update by Jean Hill.
National Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn was yesterday, January 22. Also the annual March for Life to the capitol was held in Salt Lake City yesterday as was the same event held in Washington, D.C. on Friday. This year’s marches took on a more celebrative note in anticipation of a likely overturning this year of Roe vs. Wade, the legislation that legalized abortion throughout the U.S. in 1973. This indeed would be a great victory for LIFE since the laws of a land tend to represent the ‘normal’. Three generations have grown up with the impression that abortion was characterized necessary for the ‘health of the woman’!
This could be a great transitional point in the life of our country and our Church which reminds us to ‘read the signs of our times through the light of faith.’ Today’s first reading from the Book of Nehemiah recalls the joyful days after Israel had been released from slavery in Babylon and were now rebuilding the walls around the devastated Jerusalem. Just previously under Ezra the temple had been rebuilt. The freeing of the captives now required a massive rebuilding process and a recommitment to the Law of Moses. Recall that it was Israel’s infidelity to the laws that made them vulnerable to their enemies in the first place despite their previous power, wealth and security.
We know that abortion is not primarily a legal problem, but rather an attitude which flowed out of a preexisting ‘culture of death.’ We have lost our sense of humanity at several key junctures along the way long before 1973. We can now rebuild our society with a greater sense of joy and confidence knowing that God answers our prayers. “…Rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!”