Deacon Tom's Homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Abundanza! Remember mama Celeste telling us how great her pizza was?  I don’t know whether it was the size of the pizza, the flavor of her sauce, or the amount of cheese that made her pizza “Abundanza.”

But, Mama Celeste taught us all the Italian word for abundance.

In today’s gospel, we see an abundance of water in six huge stone jars set aside for the Jewish Purification Rites: one hundred eighty gallons of water to wash the hands of the wedding guests and make them worthy of sharing in the wedding banquet.

What a blessing this abundance of water is, especially in this arid desert land. But, up to this point, even all this water cannot truly purify the wedding guests.  There’s nothing on earth that can truly cleanse them up to this point.  But, all this is about to change!

Many of Israel's ancient Prophets predicted that, at the Messiah’s coming, all the vines would yield an abundance of wine.  The Prophet Amos says: “The juice of the grapes shall drip down the mountains, and all the hills shall run with it.”  From the time the Jewish children were very young, they were taught to be on the lookout for this abundance of wine that would signal the arrival of the Messiah.

So, at Cana, when Jesus transforms 180 gallons of water into an abundance of the finest wine, Jesus is saying to all the wedding guests present and the whole Jewish nation, “Here I am. I, the Long-awaited Messiah, have arrived.”  We have here yet another epiphany, another manifestation of God’s saving presence breaking through into our world.

All the water on earth cannot purify us.  Only the Precious Blood of Jesus, poured out for us, can cleanse us.  Only the Precious Blood of Jesus poured out for us can make us truly worthy to share in the heavenly wedding banquet.

At the last supper, Jesus changes wine into His Blood, and then He generously sheds every drop of His Precious Blood for us during His Passion and His Crucifixion – showing us the abundance of God’s love for us.

Today, right now, God’s abundant Love is pouring down upon each one of us like a mighty waterfall.

St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians: that God can accomplish abundantly more than all we can ask.  He can do exceedingly more than we can even imagine!

Today, we ask: “Give me even more of your Divine Life, O Lord.  Give me even more of Your Holy Spirit!”  Jesus promises us that our reward for following His teachings will be “a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing.” 

Abundanza!

St. Thomas Food Pantry Updates

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Hello, friends of the St. Thomas Food Pantry!

I pray that you and your families are well. 

We read in the Book of Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Some of us may question, who is this “great cloud of witnesses”? The great cloud of witnesses are the many saints, the holy ones who have gone before us, those souls who opened themselves up to the grace of God by allowing God’s light to shine through them, bringing the Light of God’s love into the places where light was needed the most. By their witness, we can more imitate them and be like God. 

One of these witnesses is the Servant of God Catherine de Hueck Doherty. Catherine was born in Russia on August 15, 1896, to parents of deep Christian faith, who communicated to her an extraordinary love for the poor. Often, she accompanied her mother on her visits to the local poor. Frequently she saw her father get up from the table and wait on beggars who came to the door for food. ‘A love that is not incarnate is not real love,’ she would say. Catherine would become a dedicated wife and mother, a friend of Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton, a Servant of God. Similar to many saints, Catherine experienced a closeness to God. She heard the voice of Christ say to her, "Arise — go... sell all you possess... take up your cross and follow Me.” This divine calling brought Catherine to establish the Friendship House wherein she strove to clothe the Gospel with love and service to the poor in Harlem, Chicago, and Toronto. She also founded the Madonna House Apostolate, a Catholic community of men, women, and priests living in poverty, dedicated to loving and serving Jesus Christ. Through donations of clothing, food, goods, and money, members of the Apostolate are enabled to live out their promise of poverty and better identify with the poor they serve. Today the Madonna Apostolate has field houses located throughout the world. Catherine died on December 14th, 1985. Her cause for canonization as a saint is under consideration by the Catholic Church. I recommend you take some time to learn more about her.

Catherine de Hueck Doherty became God’s instrument by allowing His love to enter and move through her, most especially in her service to the poor. She is a beautiful model for us to follow. When we donate food to the St. Thomas Food Pantry, we become like Catherine de Hueck Doherty, an instrument of God, a channel of peace, a channel of love. When we love one another, we pass on God’s grace and mercy to others and to ourselves. Having been blessed, we can bless others in our parish community and outside our parish community. Grace is not meant to be hoarded and stored. And let us remember that giving to the poor is a foundational and non-negotiable Christian obligation: “If someone who has the riches of this world sees his brother in need and closes his heart to him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 Jn 3:17).

Thank you for your donations, past, present, and future. The food you donate to the St. Thomas Food Pantry is distributed to needy parishioners and local soup kitchens. If you or somebody you know needs food, please contact the parish center. All communication is completely confidential.

With that, we’d like to share a few reminders with you regarding donations to the food pantry:

  • Donated food should be left inside the "handicap accessible” doorway at the back south side of the Church. Be careful not to place bags or boxes in the path of foot traffic.

  • Only non-perishable food items are suitable for our Food Pantry (i.e., peanut butter, jelly, cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix, syrup, coffee, tea bags, canned tuna, boxed macaroni and cheese, canned vegetables, canned fruit, canned fruit juice, canned soups, canned stews, pasta sauce, pasta, bagged rice, canned or bagged beans, powdered potatoes, powdered milk, stuffing mix, cake mix, and baby food)

  • Supermarket Gift Cards are gladly accepted. Please drop them off at the parish center. Please contact the parish center if you wish to donate fresh/frozen beef or poultry (only current sell-by date).

LET US PRAY

O God, thank you for the abundance of life, relationships, health, comfort, and wealth you have provided.  Thank you that even in times of need, despair, and brokenness, you are there. And, Lord, guide us, so we can be your hands and feet, pursuing justice for the poor and upholding the cause of the needy. Amen.

Peace!

Your friend in Christ,

Deacon Brian

2021-2023 Synod Listening Session

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Pope Francis’s Invitation

Our Holy Father Pope Francis has invited the Catholic Church to embark on a journey together. Through listening and discernment rooted in the Holy Spirit, the entire people of God will be called to contribute to a process by which the Church deepens in understanding of Her mission and looks toward the future.

What is a Synod?

A Synod, which is the process by which the Church will begin this important work is not just a convening of Bishops reflecting on a particular topic and advising the Pope. A Synod is a journey of discernment, in which the people of God are called to pray and reflect upon the Holy Spirit’s will for the Church. Through our listening and our sharing, we will seek to understand what the Holy Spirit’s will is for the topic being discussed – and thus, for the Church.

Synod Listening Session

Pope Francis is asking all dioceses and parishes throughout the world to hold listening sessions to hear what the Holy Spirit is asking of the Church in the 21st century. All are invited to participate in a listening session to pray, listen, and discern where the Holy Spirit is leading the Church.

In the parish setting, parish staff, parishioners, youth, young adults, parents of children in the school or religious education program, and those missing — who may have left the parish during the pandemic or for other reasons should feel welcome to come. We encourage as many people as possible to participate!

The goal of the listening session is to gather together to share our experiences and ideas.

Our Deanery’s listening session will take place on:

Learn more about the synod here

Prayer for the Synod on Synodality

Every session of the Second Vatican Council began with the prayer Adsumus Sancte Spiritus, the first word of the Latin original meaning, “We stand before You, Holy Spirit,” which has been historically used at Councils, Synods and other Church gatherings for hundreds of years, being attributed to Saint Isidore of Seville (c. 560 - 4 April 636). As we are called to embrace this synodal path of the Synod 2021-2023, this prayer invites the Holy Spirit to operate within us so that we may be a community and a people of grace. For the Synod 2021-2023, we propose to use this simplified version, so that any group or liturgical assembly can pray more easily.

We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name.

With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts;

Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.

We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder.

Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions.

Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right.

All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever.

Amen.

Our Christmas Trees are Up!

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Our beautiful Christmas Trees are officially up!

Over the weekend, some wonderful parish volunteers assisted with carrying in and putting up the Christmas trees in the Church.

Many of the volunteers pictured have been assisting with the placement of our Christmas trees for years and we are so grateful for their help!

Make sure to come by one of our Christmas masses this upcoming weekend to see the trees all lit up as we prepare to celebrate the season. Click here for the schedule.

Want to offer a blessing over the Christmas tree in your own home this week? You can find a Christmas tree blessing here.

Thank you to this year’s volunteers, we couldn’t do it without you!

  • John Barbetta

  • Dan Bitecola

  • Bob Garrabrant

  • Jim Gasparini

  • Danielle Hunger Buhler

  • Joe Marshall

  • Jeff Monacelli

  • Anthony Nole

  • Frank O’Grady

  • Philip Oliveira

  • Guy Pilsbury

  • Anthony Raimondo

  • Joe Re

  • Mark Russillo

  • Chris Sabatelli

  • Tom Sciscione

Deacon Tom's Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

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How quietly God makes himself known to Elizabeth in today’s gospel. John the herald, unable as yet to speak, can only leap in His mother’s womb to announce that God has become human.

The holy spirit helps Elizabeth interpret her baby’s message as she asks: “but who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

Contrast this scene with God’s arrival on Mt. Sinai at the conferring of the Ten Commandments. God comes down on the mountain in fire amid peals of thunder and lightning.

The whole mountain trembled violently, and the people were terrified. So sacred has the mountain now become that any animal or person who touches it must be stoned to death.

And yet this is the same God who is in Mary’s womb – touching her, drawing sustenance from her. This is the same God who comes down quietly upon our altar today.

Throughout our lives, it’s our responsibility to balance our response to God’s awesomeness and His intimacy with us.

For centuries the Church has helped us keep this balance -- at one time, emphasizing God’s majesty by placing the altar half a mile away, up to forty steps with a communion rail separating us from the sanctuary.

These barriers have been removed. With our altar in our midst, the Church is currently emphasizing God’s intimacy with us.

On Saturday, as we kneel before the helpless infant in the feeding trough, remember the awe! See His greatness in His leaving behind the majestic appearance of God to become a human being.

Today, as we receive him in our hands in Holy Communion, remember the awe! See His greatness in leaving behind even the appearance of a human being to become our food.

What insight we get into our own worth. We ask: “but who am I that the God, who once came in a fire with thunder and lightning, who am I that the God who violently shook mt. Sinai, but who am I that my Lord should come to me.”

Welcome to our new parish website!

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Hello STA Parishioners and friends,

We are thrilled to welcome you to our brand new parish website! We appreciate your patience as we continue to transition over some of the additional content from the previous website.

We hope you enjoy the resources available and find the site easy to navigate. If you have any questions about where to find something, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at communications@stachurchbloomfield.org.

A special thank you to Tom Rossano for his hard work and dedication to the parish’s communications for the past 14+ years! You can read his farewell letter in the June 2021 newsletter here.

Through this new website and other modern media tools, we hope to help our parish, and the Church spread the Gospel message.

Yours In Christ,

The Communications Committee