St. Mary’s Catholic Church

Hamburg, Iowa May 6, 2018

Please join us downstairs for coffee and donuts after Mass

Bulletins are online at—http://www.parishesonline.com/find/st-marychurch-51640

Last week the word “remain” was repeated over and over in the secondreading and the Gospel. This week the word is “love.” In both his firstletter and his Gospel, John writes “love one another.” It is a commandto all Jesus’ disciples, from the apostles at the Last Supper to all of usgathered around the table of the Lord today. To love each other as weare loved by God is what we are all called to do.

Cycle B -- Reflections on the Readings

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Acts 10:25-26,34-35,44-48; Psalm 98; 1 John 4:7-10; John 15:9-17

Theme: God who chose you!

God's ways are mysterious. Each of us, at one time or another, has wished for an opportunity to address a question to the Lord -- face to face. We would prefer to go right to the top and eliminate all those in the middle. Today's readings tell us that God's mind and attitude are reflected in believers. Believers are God's spokespersons.

Do you remember the story of Harold Hughes, United States Senator and former Governor of Iowa?

Well! A gist of his life.

God drastically changed his life. He was a hopeless alcoholic, wallowing in his own vomit, and so despairing that he was ready to take his own life away.

He was uncontrollably addicted to alcohol. He reached a point where his wife and children left him, and he lost his job. One day, he ended up drunk, sitting in his bathtub with the barrel of a gun in his mouth and his finger on the trigger. He sensed an agonizing cry of despair. Then he fortunately cried out to God. Immediately, he felt a spreading sense of peace within that delivered him from the cries of the moment. Through much struggle and pain, heartache and failures, God led him along until he was at last free from the grip of alcohol. He eventually became the governor of his State and a United States senator.

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Beloved, we are all precious in the eyes of God. He has created us for a purpose and we all have some mission to accomplish in our lives. The important verse in today’s Gospel is “You have not chosen me, I have chosen you.” We, often, mistakenly think that it is we who have chosen our God. It is God who calls us even into existence. We are not creatures of accident. We have not come into existence, just because our parents decided to love each other. We were born, and we are alive today because God wills it. God said to the prophet

Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you and before you were born, I consecrated you ( Jer.1:5).” God is aware of our existence, and we are embedded deeply in the mind of God. Jesus very beautifully said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid, you are of more value than many sparrows (Mt 10:29-31.”

We may be unwanted by people; we may be rejected and shunned by people. I may be an unwanted son in the family; or you may be an unwanted mother or daughter in the family but keep this in mind: we are wanted by God; we are worthy, we are precious in the eyes of the Lord. In the prophet Isaiah, the Lord said, “Because you are precious in my sight, I love you (43:4)” and at another place He said, “I have carved you on the palms of my hand (49:16).”

The gospel passage develops the imagery of the vine and the branches. Like the second reading, the gospel speaks of the love that unites God and the believer. Jesus' fundamental command is mutual love. Jesus' love of the disciples flows from God's love of Jesus. Far from being a personal acquisition, the love of God looks to others. "I appointed you to go and bear fruit" (John 15:16).

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We are called and chosen by Jesus for three things:

1. We Are Chosen for Joy

A Christians needs to feel joyful always. He or she rejoice always in good times and in bad. Christian joy is independent of all things on earth because it has its source in the continual presence of Christ. The Christian can never lose his or her because Christ is never lost in our lives. We need to be joyful because we have royalty, victory and dignity.

2. We Are Chosen to be Jesus’ Friends

Jesus has called us to be His friends. He said, “You are friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer…”

Nowhere else can people call God as a friend. It is Jesus who has brought in this new kind of relationship between God and us. Now we are the friends of God, because of Jesus. Joseph Scriven wrote:

What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carryEverything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry. Everything to God in prayer!

3. We Are Chosen for Love

As the disciples of Jesus, we are sent out into the world to love one another. Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment: Love one another, just as I have loved you.”

The thing that is destroying the world today are hatred and intolerance. God has called us not to be agents of death, but rather to be agents of love and life. It is only love, which can save the world from destruction. And love shall be the only thing that is eternal. To Pg. 5…………

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Christianity demands that the believer not only grasp intellectually the main tenets of the faith but also act on them in daily life. Within the context of community, the believer is linked to Jesus who is linked to the Father. If God is love and Jesus' self-giving is the supreme expression of that love, then we must communicate the depth of that love by the way we live in the world. We are spokespersons for God.

May God Who created and called us for a purpose, and planted His love within our hearts, help us to bear fruits worthy of His calling.

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Naming ceremony among some Ghanaians

When asked “Wo den de sen?”  Translated; “What is your name?” by responding with your name you are easily identifiable as being born on a certain day & also of your order of birth. Let’s not forget about the all-important naming ceremony. After an Akan baby is born he or she is kept indoors for eight days. The eighth day is the day of the naming ceremony. The first name received is called the “soul name”, and is determined by the day of the week that the child was born. This is because the Great God and the Great Goddess respectively, whom together constitute the Supreme Being in Akan culture, placed seven of their children over the seven days of the week. The child also receives its formal name or good/ideal name, on the eighth day. The formal name defines the function of the child in the world as it relates to his or her specific Ancestral Clan and his or her potential for manifesting wisdom and influence. The “good name” carries the vibrations that will empower the individual to properly incorporate Divine Law and restore Divine balance throughout his or her life according to Ancestral protocol.

Traditionally the naming ceremony begins and ends before sunrise. It is the father that has the responsibility of naming the child, thus the family comes together in the early morning at the father’s house. The Elders invoke Nyame (God), to assist with the proper naming of the child. After the name is acquired, the infant is given to an Elder from the father’s side of the family who announces the soul name (day born name) and family name to the family for the first time.

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There are two cups ritually utilized during the ceremony. One cup contains water and the other Nsa (drink). The Elder dips his index finger into the water and places it on the mouth of the infant saying, “When you say it is water, it is water.” He dips his index finger into the drink and places it on the mouth of the infant saying, “When you say it is drink, it is drink.” This is repeated three times. This is done to instill within the infant a consciousness of morality-the necessity of always living in harmony with the truth for all of her/his life. After this is completed gifts are presented to the newborn, after which the remainder of the drink is shared with members of the community. The full name of the newborn is spoken to each member of the community, and each member sips some of the drink as a show of respect for the child and as a gesture towards the newborn’s health.

CONFIRMATION PRAYERSpirit of God, grant me:

The gift of wisdomTo see the world through your eyes,

The gift of counselTo make difficult decisions,

The gifts of knowledge and understandingTo use my mind to know you and to love

you,The gift of fortitude

To have the courage to live in the faithDespite the difficulties and

disappointments,The gift of piety

To be able to express my special loveAnd commitment to you,

And the right kind of awesome fearThat makes me pause to wonder and

revere God’s Love. Amen.

Please join us Wednesday @ 7 p..m. as we host Confirmation

services with Bishop Pates for St. Mary’s -Hamburg candidates:

Alex DewhirstMaddy DuncanLayne EttelmanKelcie GainesCale Phillips

Jed Whiteheadand

St. Mary’s -Shen candidatesElizabeth Adkisson

Kayla SheltonNicholas Mather

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COMING SOON……May 9—CONFIRMATION @ HAMBURG—7 P.M.

May 16—Holy Spirit as Fire—6 P.M.

May 17—Drinking Deep (Bible Study)—6:30 P.M.

Still looking for a new ICC member! Please consider being a new member on the ICC council.

We need someone to help represent St. Mary’s! PRAYERFULLY consider this.

High School Sunday Funday at Waubonsie park

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Watch out: Drinking deep (Bible Study)

Mother Church desires that all members come to the knowledge of the faith. Do you know WHY things are done in the church? Come and let’s break the word of God for in depth knowledge of our faith.

Shenandoah: Every Tuesday: starting May 15, 2018 Time: 3pm

Hamburg: Every Thursday: starting May 17, 2018 Time: 6pm

Come with Catholic Bible, note book and pen

Readings for the Week of May 6, 2018

Sunday: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48/Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 [cf. 2b]/1 Jn 4:7-10/Jn 15:9-17Monday: Acts 16:11-15/Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b [cf. 4a]/Jn 15:26–16:4a

Tuesday: Acts 16:22-34/Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8 [7c]/Jn 16:5-11Wednesday: Acts 17:15, 22--18:1/Ps 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14/Jn 16:12-15Thursday: Ascension: Acts 1:1-11/Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 [6]/Eph 1:17-23 or Eph 4:1-13 or 4:1-7, 11-13/Mk 16:15-20Friday: Acts 18:9-18/Ps 47:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 [8a]/Jn 16:20-23Saturday: Acts 18:23-28/Ps 47:2-3, 8-9, 10 [8a]/Jn 16:23b-28Next Sunday: Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26/Ps 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20 [19a]/1 Jn 4:11-16/Jn 17:11b-19

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Copyright © Sermons4Kids, Inc. • All Rights Reserved • www.sermons4kids.com

Love One AnotherMy command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12 (NIV)

The puzzle is based on John 15:9-17

G V O S G Y I W C R U O N I DR M A S T E R T D Y I A B Y HU E W E E Q K F W J K N U E ZF R M V H I O R P F V Q F D YR T O A I U S U F Y N U F X BI L O A I L Y I K C W B Y L OE X U L W N A T F A T H E R VN E N A T M J L I F E S E A OD D K Y X E X W D J O Y Q I WS C O Y D H X N Q E C Z O H RF H L W Z W A E D I G L L R VW O K K N M A F R E C V G A WT S T Y M S E R V A N T O I RN E V O L M V C L A A T N J WL G C H K M F E G R E A T E R

COMMAND LIFE OBEY CHOSE FRIENDSGREATER MASTER LAY FRUIT DOWNFATHER JOY REMAIN SERVANT LOVE

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5-1-- Beth Mayberry 5-5--Layne Ettleman 5-5--Kylee Foster 5-12--Bill Ettleman 5-15--Larry Moores 5-16--Becky Lockhart 5-16--Wendy Duncan 5-16—Maddy Duncan 5-17--Maryn Phillips 5-19--Tom Lockhart 5-20--Judy Clark 5-21--Joe Travis 5-21--Emily Magel5-24--Rochelle Wood5-27--Henry Martin

ST. MARYS HAPPENINGS

Greg AndersenGrady SechtReese Kemp

James DowlingLeRoy Herscheid

Noah HoweMary Lou MillerDottie Dankof

Isacc DurrRobert & Nancy Dalton

Todd QuickHarold &Verona Mitchell

Joel LogginsFrancis NahkunstKenneth Russell

Bill LongHenry Johnsen

Lawrence DuBoisAngie Witter-Childers

Pat SheldonJoe Kirk

Tim KonecnyGene SparksJeffry Sweat

Esther McCowanJeff Guinane

Shawn CollinsDrake TravisMartha Gude

PRAY FOR THOSE SERVING IN THE

MILITARY

CHRIS HINES

DUSTIN BRAKE

JOSH SIMMONS

TREVOR ANDERSON

JACOB ANDERSON

JUSTIN PHILLIPS

DERRICK HUBARD

STEVEN ANDERSON

COLBY MCGINLEY

Your Contributions April 29, 2018

Tithes—$2051.66 Plate—$57.00 Coffee—$61.00

Thank You!!5-11-Tom and Becky Lockhart 5-23-Shane and Connie Smith 5-28-Robert and Mary Burkhiser

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PASTORAL ASSISTANT BOOKKEEPER DIRECTOR OF FAITH FORMATION

Cheryl Phillips 712.382.2668 (h) 712.350.0169 (c)

cheryljphil@gmail.com

Anne Hendrickson Bookkeeper

712.382.2432

Scott Mayberry 712.374.3300

2018May 6

6th Sunday of Easter

8:30

May 13

7th Sunday of Easter

8:30

May 20

Pentecost Sunday

8:30

May 27

The Most Holy Trinity

8:30

June 3

The Most Body and Blood of

Christ

8:30

Greeters and Ushers

Henry & Helen Martin

Robert & Mary Burkhiser

Randy & Wendy Duncan

Vince & Susan Hilton

Terry & Kim Travis

Eucharist Ministers

Bill Green

Vince Hilton

Denny Travis

Dan Goodman

Joella Travis

Robbi Travis

Annie Wakefield

Ann Hendrickson

Joe and

Robbi Travis

Servers

Layne Ettelman

Seth Ettelman

Dane Lyons

Tate Mount

Jed Whitehead

Bryson Duncan

Cameron Whitehead

Ryan Roberts

Emily Hutt

Joseph Roberts

Lector Carolyn Maher Rick Jamison Mark Gude Dave Dowling Michael Gallagher

Mass Setup Joe Rosie Joe Rosie Joe

Cantor Kim Laumann Beth Phillips Youth Choir Beth Phillips Kim Laumann

Accompanist Nancy Pitts Donna Whelan Kate/Emily Nancy Pitts Kate Roberts

Coffee and Donuts

Jeff & Lisa Phillips

Shane & Connie Smith

Emily Van Houten

Tim & Donna Whelan

Lisa Welch

Angie Sheldon

Troy & Monica Whitehead.

Wash Linens Annie Wakefield Annie Wakefield Annie Wakefield Annie Wakefield Bev Finnigan