Reverend James Rodia, O. Praem.

ST. RICHARD PARISH PHILADELPHIA, PA

Third in Ordinary Time

SUNDAY January 24th

8:00 Carlo Lioy requested by wife Rose and daughters

10:00 HOLY SPIRIT Raffaele Chieffo req. by wife, Maria

11:30 John Kearns requested by wife

MONDAY January 25th

8:00 Margaret Emma Reilly

TUESDAY January 26th

8:00 Peter Barattini requested by Denise

WEDNESDAY January 27th

8:00 Anthony & Angelina Piccone requested by

daughter, Rose and children

THURSDAY January 28th

8:00 Bill Smith requested by Mary & Eric Smith

FRIDAY January 29th

8:00 Sal Messina requested by sister, Maria

SATURDAY January 30th

8:00 Jillian Trepaczka requested by Mom and family

4:30pm Catherine Galiano requested by Joann Pasquarella

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our SANCTUARY CANDLE will be burning this week

In Loving memory of Catherine Brown requested by daugh-

ter, Catherine Sullivan and family VOTIVE CANDLES

ILM Louis DeAngelis requested by wife, Mary

IMO Frank Campanaro req. by Frank & Nicole Talamo

ILM Dec’d members of Stenta and Whitcraft families

requested by Joe & Claire Whitcraft

ILM Dec’d of the Assante and Marclesai families

Requested by Joe & Claire Whitcraft

IMO Nicholas Stenta requested by Maria,

Carmen and Alileen

FROM MY HOUSE

TO YOURS

Dear Parishioners,

All of us are familiar with inaugural addresses, espe-

cially when presidents take office and begin their elected

terms. Some of these addresses are, of course, more memora-

ble than others. Unfortunately, much of the content of these

inaugural addresses bears little relationship to the subsequent

actions of these leaders.

Similarly, Jesus gave an inaugural address of sorts

shortly after he returned to Nazareth from the desert, where he

had spent 40 days and 40 nights preparing for his public minis-

try. We heard his inaugural address in today’s gospel account.

Can we carry the torch and make Christ’s saving mission our

own? It seems to me the answer is “yes.” This is because

Christ entrusted the continuation of his saving mission to the

Church and because each of us, by virtue of our baptism, has

become a member of Christ’s body, the Church. As such, each

of us is called to use our unique gifts and talents to further the

work and mission of the church and help build up God’s king-

dom on earth.

How can we further the mission of the Church and

help to build up God’s kingdom on earth? The first thing we

can do is to seek to set aside our differences, and work to-

gether with people of good will to help bring peace and heal-

ing to the world. Ultimately, the way we live our lives, should

say to others: “Today this Scripture passage is being fulfilled

in your hearing.”

Jesus Christ’s saving mission, example and activities

matched the words of the inaugural address he gave at the be-

ginning of his ministry. He did bring freedom to those held

captive in webs of lies and deceit, to those held captive in ad-

dictive behavior patterns, along with freedom to those held

captive and victimized under exploitative power. In and

through his life, death and resurrection, Jesus defeated the

power of sin and evil and opened the way to eternal life. He is

the true light of the world that illumines our minds and hearts,

and allows us to see the truth plainly.

The Bible, you see, isn’t so much a creed to be ac-

cepted as it is a mission to be accomplished. We, walking to-

gether in Christ, are to be out there in the world, working to

advance and move Christ’s saving mission toward its fulfill-

ment. We can bring good news to the poor, liberty to those

bound by addictions and compulsions, and we can give the

light of knowledge and vision to those who are blinded by this

world’s starkness.

Third Sunday in ordinary Time January 24, 2016

Continued

Living our Christian values by respecting life, living

in honesty and truth, establishing justice, working for peace,

and building up our families allows us to further Christ’s mis-

sion on earth.

The spirit of the Lord is upon you. He has anointed

you and given you his gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowl-

edge, steadfastness and carriage. Live your commissioning

boldly and courageously. With those first apostles, burst out of

your private rooms and go into the public square. Proclaim and

give witness to the gospel by the example of your lives so that

many others may come to know the new life, healing, peace,

freedom and salvation Jesus offers.

God Love Ya!

Fr. Reilly

Sacrament Calendar

Feb. 20 Confirmation Preparation Session 3

9-11:30 a.m. in School Hall

Feb. 27 First Holy Communion Family

Retreat 9-11:00 a.m. in School Hall

Newly Enrolled in the

St. Richard Memorial Society

Christian Robert O’Neill

Lord, your Word is eternal, dynamic,

and gives meaning to my life. Increase

my desire to spend time with you in

sacred Scripture. Joyful Meditations for Every Day of Advent and the 12 Days of

Christmas, Rev. Warren J. Savage and Mary Ann McSweeny

Are We Listening? By Janel Esker

What if today’s Gospel played out in your

church? A man—someone you’ve never seen

talk—steps to the ambo and reads from the

Old Testament. He’s a compelling speaker—

you feel like you’ve never heard this passage

before, even though it’s been read hundreds

of times before. He gives it new voice. And

then, after finishing the reading, the man de-

clares that he is the fulfillment of what was

just proclaimed. The reading was about him!

If that were Jesus right in front of you, would

you recognize him? Would you have heard

God’s word spoken to you, or would you be

thinking about work, wondering what the

homily would be about, or worrying about

those antsy little kids? Would you have

missed Jesus present in the proclamation of

the word?

Today’s first reading from Nehemiah de-

scribes a similarly rapt audience—engaged

and focused as they listen to God’s word.

They praise and thank God for the powerful

words that leave many of them in tears. Does

this scene resemble our weekly liturgies and

our experience of reading the Bible? I’m not

so sure.

It’s easy to take the word of God for granted.

We’ve grown up with the Scriptures, we hear

them every week at Mass—we probably have

a Bible at home. But do we make God’s word

a meaningful part of our lives?

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time January 24, 2016

• When do I spend time

with the word of

God?

• How has Scripture

spoken to me and

changed my life?

For a list of Calendar of Events throughout

the Archdiocese, please visit:: http://archphila.org/mercy/calendar/

A Word from Pope Francis

“Those who have opened their

hearts to God’s love, heard his

voice and received his light,

cannot keep this gift to them-

selves. Since faith is hearing and seeing, it is

also handed on as word and light….The

word, once accepted, becomes a response, a

confession of faith, which spreads to others

and invites them to believe.” —Lumen Fidei, 37

As a Christmas gift from the parish, everyone was given a copy of Matthew Kelly’s book

Rediscover Jesus- an Invitation. There are extra copies in the back of Church if you need a book.

Every chapter ends with a valuable point on how we can discover the beauty of our faith and grow in our

relationship with Jesus Christ. We published the Prologue point Jesus wants you to carry on his work, a few

weeks ago. This week, a summarization of Chapter One - NEW BEGINNINGS

Sacred Scripture is full of stories of how the grace of God transformed people and their lives: Moses,

David, Mary, Peter, Mary Magdalene and Matthew to name a few. God is always wait-

ing for an invitation to transform our lives; to restart our spiritual batteries and begin again

to live our faith in word and deed. “Jesus is he ultimate new beginning.”

Point to Ponder: It is never too late for a fresh start.

Verse to Live: “Ask and it will be given to you; search and you will find;

knock, and the door will be opened for you.” Matthew 7:7

Question to Consider: In what area of your life is God inviting you to experience a

new beginning?

Prayer: Jesus, help me to believe that a new beginning is possible.

In this Jubilee Year of Mercy, let us rediscover the beauty of our Faith and the love Jesus

Christ has for everyone of us all the time. Let us allow ourselves to be welcomed into the open arms of Jesus

Christ our Redeemer.

(Statue of Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and a logo used for Jubilee Year of Mercy

Sunday’s Readings Nehemiah 8:2–6, 8–10

“Ezra read clearly from the book of the law of God, inter-

preting it so that all could understand.”

1 Corinthians 12:12–30

“The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the

more necessary.”

Luke 1:1–4; 4:14–21

“He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the

Prophet Isaiah

Pre-Cana Classes

In preparation for the sacrament of Marriage, Pre-

Cana classes are required for all couples. You must

register in advance for this class. For registration and

more information visit

www.philamarriageprep.com .

Pre-Jordan Classes

In preparation for Baptism Pre-Jordan classes are

held the third Monday of the month at 7:00 pm in the

Church. The parents of the child are required to at-

tend the class; godparents are also welcome but not

required to attend.

Please call the rectory to make arrangements for the

Baptism and to attend the class. After you have at-

tended the class and acquired certificates of eligibil-

ity for your godparents, you may then call the rectory

for an appointment to book the date of your choos-

ing. The next scheduled class is :

February 15, 2016

March 14, 2016

ST. RICHARD COMEDY NIGHT

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20TH

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