St. Francis of Assisi Weekly Reflections

Alb

07-29-2018Liturgy CornerFr. Paul Turner © 2004 Resource Publications, Inc.

The alb is the fundamental vestment for any liturgical minister. It covers the body from neck to ankle like a light, close-fitting robe with sleeves. It is white. The vestment takes its name from the Latin word for this color.

When a priest or deacon vests for Mass, he wears an alb beneath his stole and chasuble or dalmatic. If the alb does not conceal his other clothing at the neck, he wears an amice beneath the alb. If the alb is too long, he ties a cincture around it, binding the vestment at his waist.

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17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

07-29-2018Question of the Week

Reading I: 2 Kings 4:42-44 - Elisha: the multiplication of loaves
Reading II: Ephesians 4:1-6 - Unity in the Mystical Body
Gospel: John 6:1-15 - Multiplication of the loaves
Key Passage: When [the people] were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. (John 6:12–13)

Adults: When has the generous gift of another offered you hope?
Kids: What loving gift could you give to another person this week?

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Jesus Gave Thanks and All Were Fed

07-29-2018Weekly ReflectionWe Celebrate Worship Resource, Vol. 43, No. 3

The Gospel today—the multiplication of the loaves and fish—is a familiar one. In fact, it is the only miracle story found in all four Gospels. Not only that, a similar miracle is recounted in the second book of Kings, which we hear today as well. An unnamed donor gives twenty barley loaves to Elisha, who immediately orders that they be given to the people to eat, for there was a famine in the land. In adding generosity to generosity, this "man of God" (2 Kings 4:42) has transformed as much as one person was able to carry from a distant town into what was more than enough to satisfy the hunger of a hundred people. In the Gospel, it is Jesus who "took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them," transforming the five loaves of bread into more than enough to satisfy a crowd of over five thousand (John 6:11). These two signs, Elisha and Jesus generously sharing what began as a meager amount of food and satisfying the hunger of many, point to God, the source of all generosity.

How can you share what you have been given to satisfy those who are hungry?

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Amice

07-22-2018Liturgy CornerFr. Paul Turner © 2004 Resource Publications, Inc.

The amice is a liturgical garment that may be worn around the shoulders under the long white alb. It is a rectangular or oblong linen cloth worn lengthwise. Two strings or tapes dangle from adjacent corners of the top, where a cross is sewn in the middle.

Not only the priest but the deacon and even the servers may wear the amice, alb and cincture (the belt that holds the alb in place). While vesting before Mass, the minister traditionally kisses the amice at the cross and then places it around the back of the head at the neck. The two long strings are crossed around the waist in the front, in back, and then in front again, where they are secured with a knot. The word is related to the Latin word amictus, meaning “wrapped.”

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He Began to Teach Them Many Things

07-22-2018Weekly ReflectionWe Celebrate Worship Resource, Vol. 43, No. 3

The great division of the early church, which St. Paul often addressed in his letters, was the division between Jews and Gentiles, or, more accurately, between Christians and Jewish background and Christians outside the Jewish tradition. Paul, formerly Jewish, now Christian and a missionary to the Gentiles, preached that Jesus “broke down the dividing wall” (Ephesians 2:14). Through the cross, “you who were far off” (Gentiles) and “those who were near” (Jews) have become one, the church, one body of Christ (Ephesians 2:17).

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16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

07-22-2018Question of the Week

Reading I Jeremiah 23:1-6 - Messianic reign
Reading II Ephesians 2:13-18 - All united in Christ
Gospel Mark 6:30-34 - Return of the disciples
Key Passage The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them,
"Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” (Mark 6:30–31a)

Adults: What do you do to rest so that you can return to work refreshed?
Kids: When will you take time to stop and pray this week?

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Are you following in the footsteps of the Apostles?

07-15-2018Weekly ReflectionWe Celebrate Worship Resource, Vol. 43, No. 2

Like we learned last week, it's not easy to be one of God's missionaries. Look at Amos. In the verse preceding today's first reading, Amos prophesied, "Jeroboam shall die by the sword/and Israel shall surely be exiled from its land" (Amos 7:11). This did not go over well. Jeroboam, after all, was the king of Israel. No wonder Amos was told to leave and never come back. But Amos did not leave, for he was sent by God to "prophesy to my people of Israel" (Amos 7:15). The apostles had it easier, for Jesus told them that if they are rejected they should merely "shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them" (Mark 6:11). But this delivered a strong statement, as it meant that that home was unclean, capable of polluting the rest of the town. Still, the apostles did not have it easy. They traveled without any food, money, or extra clothing. They had to trust God, had to be dependent on strangers. But in doing so, they successfully carried out Jesus' mission. They proclaimed the saving power of God in Christ Jesus, as did perhaps the most influential missionary of all time, St. Paul, whose Letter to the Ephesians begins with the rhapsody of praise we hear today.

How can we be part of God's mission?

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Vestures for Ministers

07-15-2018Liturgy CornerFr. Paul Turner © 2000 Resource Publications, Inc.

The diversity of vestments shows the diversity of ministries. At almost any Eucharist the priest's attire differs from the server's. A deacon also wears vestments pertinent to his ministry. Readers rarely do. The assembly wears no liturgical vesture. Communion ministers in some communities wear something to distinguish their role; in other communities they do not. There is no universal rule governing this choice.

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Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

07-15-2018Question of the Week

Reading I: Amos 7:12-15 - Amos called by God to prophecy
Reading II: Ephesians 1:3-14 - Blessing for Jew and Gentile
Gospel: Mark 6:7-13 - The mission of the Twelve
Key Passage: He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. (Mark 6:7)

Adults: What good news of Jesus can you share with others this week?
Kids: What good news of Jesus can you share with others this week?

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When I am weak, Then I am Strong

07-08-2018Weekly ReflectionWe Celebrate Worship Resource, Vol. 43, No. 2

The life of a prophet is not easy. Prophecy demands one go against the flow. Ezekiel had an especially difficult task. He was called by God to prophesy just after the Chosen People were driven into exile. Somehow, he had to restore a sense of trust that God was still God, still all-powerful and still faithful to the covenant. But the Israelites were understandably “hard of face and obstinate of heart,” having been defeated by the Babylonians and evicted from the Promised Land (Ezekiel 2:4). Jesus faced an equally stubborn people in his fellow Nazarenes. Whether they were resentful or just plain skeptical, they could not accept that a great prophet could possibly have come from among their number. But if there is to be a positive lesson here, Paul points us toward it. Initially he begs the Lord to remove the infirmity that afflicts him. Scripture scholars are not sure if this is a physical ailment, an opponent, or something else entirely. But whatever the case, Paul makes his peace with it, realizing that in his very weakness the grace of God show itself most strongly. The power of God manifests itself most clearly in overcoming a difficulty, not in being easily successful.

How is the power of God manifested in you?

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14th Sunday of Ordinary Time

07-08-2018Question of the Week

Reading I: Ezekiel 2:2-5 - The Lord speaks to Ezekiel
Reading II: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 - Paul's weakness
Gospel: Mark 6:1-6 - Jesus at Nazareth
Key Passage: [Paul said,] Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:8)

Adults: What unavoidable weakness in yourself do you struggle to accept?
Kids: What have you wished would be different or better about you?

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New Topics

07-01-2018Liturgy Corner

As the Liturgy Corner has just passed its first year in the bulletin, we would like to take this opportunity to ask parishioners if there are any burning questions that you have about Liturgy or liturgical items in the Church that have not been addressed. Have you had a question about the way we worship and never know what the answer was or why we do it? If so, you can send your questions to Jonathan Branton, Director of Music & Liturgy, by calling the Parish Office or by email at jbranton@stfrancisapopka.org.

If you wish to approach him while at Mass, please do so after Mass and have your question written down to give to him. All inquiries will be anonymous when published. As new topics for discussion come in, you will see them in the upcoming Liturgy Corner articles. Please feel free to submit as many questions as you wish.

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Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

07-01-2018Question of the Week

Reading I: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 - God's justice and its rejection by the wicked
Reading II: 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15 - Liberal giving
Gospel: Mark 5:21-43 - The daughter of Jairus; the woman with a hemorrhage
Key Passage: For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Adults: When have you felt enriched by a sacrifice you made for another?

Child: Whom could you help by your acts of kindness this week?

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Do not be Afraid; Just have Faith

07-01-2018Weekly ReflectionWe Celebrate Worship Resource, Vol. 43, No. 2

The goodness of God in times of need is in full display in today’s readings. The author of the book of Wisdom wrote at a time that Greek culture had permeated Jewish traditions and Greek rule had divided the Jewish community. Wisdom tries to reconnect the people to their ancestral faith. God’s creation is good, and did not include death. We were created to be immortal in the image of God. Though the devil brought sin and death into the world, “justice is undying” (Wisdom 1:15). Living in accordance with God’s goodness leads to unending life with God. A century or so later a severe famine in Jerusalem inspires Paul to write a primer on Christian charity. Those who have in abundance are obligated to give to those who are in need. After all, Jesus, though he was God, emptied himself for our sake, allowing us to become rich in his grace. In today’s Gospel, Jesus encountered two people in need: Jairus, whose daughter was ill to the point of death, and an unnamed woman, who had been suffering hemorrhages for twelve years. Despite the opposite ways they approach Jesus, the faith of both in the goodness of God and in the power of Jesus over disease and death leads to healing and new life.

Do you see yourself more like Jairus, pleading to Jesus for help, or like the woman, too timid to approach Jesus directly?

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