A Word On The Word For The Fifth Week Of Lent 2007

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Recorded at Saint Gregory the Great - Danbury, Connecticut March 25th 2007 - noon Mass.

Peace be with you. This is A Word on the Word recorded live at Saint Gregory the Great, the Diocese of Bridgeport - Connecticut USA for the fifth Sunday of Lent 2007. Our pastor is Fr. Angelo Arrando. This week Music from Edj at the Podsafe Music network, the Homily from Father Angelo, news from Saint Gregory the Great and the Vatican plus the Crossroad message: God’s Love and Forgiveness plus a prayer for peace from Pope John Paul II, Asking for the intercession of Mary to bring an end to evil in all its forms and to reveal the light of hope to all the world. ... Please pray for Wilhelmina S., Victims of the Iraqi Conflict, Victims of terrorists and all sick and deceased members of the parish.

The readings for this week are from the prophet Isaiah, the letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians and the Gospel according to John. To hear them click on our link to the left. But here is Father Angelo ...

Welcome visitors to our New England Spring
Sometimes it takes something shocking to wake us up, to cause us to focus.
We encounter an extravagant Jesus in his dealings with the woman.
Jesus knows people change when they are accepted and loved.

Announcements from the bulletin

Holy Week is approaching. Please check with your local parish for the times of sacraments and additional services. At Saint Gregory the Great, as in most parishes, the information is in the bulletin. In the diocese of Bridgeport you can also look to Fairfield County Catholic for many of the schedules.

Attention Senior Citizens, Every Tuesday and Wednesday mornings through April 11th, AARP volunteers will prepare federal and state income tax returns for seniors for free at the Danbury Senior Citizen Center, 10 Elmwood Place in Danbury. Call for an appointment.

The last Soup ‘AND’ will be hosted on Wednesday, March 28th at the King Street United Church of Christ, 201 South King Street, Danbury, Connecticut.

Now here is a word from Vatican Radio...

We come to the Crossroad and find - True freedom is rooted in the person of Jesus, not in observance of the law. It is Jesus who challenges us to examine our own hearts before self-righteously judging others. So we ask Adults & Teens: From whom among my family and friends do I need to ask forgiveness so I can experience true freedom? And Children: When have I had to say “I’m sorry” this week?

In today’s gospel John recalls the story of the woman caught in adultery and Jesus’ challenge to the religious norms that governed such situations. Jesus teaches that we are all guilty of sin, and as such in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. The abundance of God’s willingness to forgive is exemplified in Jesus’ response to the Pharisees.

Jesus chose mercy as His solution to judgment. Our sins are all around us; others see what we do not. Our challenge is to remain mindful of our own vulnerabilities and arrest our tendencies to reduce another. We are to judge actions as good or evil, not the people doing the action. Through thoughtful awareness of our own inclination to sin, we discover that we share the same humanness of the ones we judge. When we cultivate compassion and forgiveness toward ourselves, we become less likely to pick up that stone and throw it at others.

Repentance for our transgressions includes both a dying and a rising. Making changes to our actions is the dying; a new relationship with Christ is the rising. Encountering Christ and desiring to be more like Him changes our attitude. The closer we become to Christ, the more able are we to recognize our sinfulness and repent of our ways.

Sometimes we feel that we live in the same old rut, day after day; that there is never anything new in our lives. Yet in our first reading, the prophet Isaiah says that God is always doing something new if we can truly SEE. Ask each member of your household to try this: Live today or each day this week in greater awareness. Make a list of every “new” gift of God you see, both small and great. Watch for things like: a child’s smile, a sunset, the call of a bird, a conversation with a friend. Take turns sharing your lists at the end of each day. Read one gift aloud, taking turns, until all gifts have been named. Then say a prayer of thanks for the newness of everyday life.

Today's music is from Edj and his composition Forgiveness Of A Fathers Sins which can be found at the Podsafe Music Network

Edj's style, is like Edj himself, quirky, original but with that underlying hint of danger. Never wanting to be in the spotlight, but he was never far from it's shadow.

Our prayer this week written by Pope John Paul II.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today, and whose immeasurable effects already weigh down upon our modern world and seem to block the paths toward the future.

From famine and war, deliver us.

From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from every kind of war, deliver us.

From sins against human life from its very beginning, deliver us.

From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the children of God, deliver us.

From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us.

From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us.

From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of God, deliver us.

From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us.

From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.

Accept, O Mother of Christ, this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual human beings, laden with the sufferings of whole societies.

Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit conquer all sin:individual sin and the "sin of the world," sin in all its manifestations.

Let there be revealed once more in the history of the world the infinite saving power of the redemption: the power of merciful love.

May it put a stop to evil.

May it transform consciences.

May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of hope. Amen.

This PodCast is released under a Creative Commons license, some rights are reserved. On behalf of Saint Gregory the Great Parish and Father Angelo, thank you for joining us. God bless and Peace be With you.

A Word On The Word For The Fourth Week Of Lent 2007

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Peace be with you. This is A Word on the Word for the fourth Sunday of Lent. Our pastor is Fr. Angelo Arrando. This week the Music is from Guardian Mind Mix at Music[.]PodShow.com, the Homily from Father Phil, news from Saint Gregory the Great and the Vatican plus the Crossroad message: Reconcile and Rejoice and a prayer from prayerbook[.]com. Please pray for Genevieve T, Victims of the Iraqi Conflict, Victims of terrorists and all sick and deceased members of the parish. ...

The readings for this week are from Joshua, the second letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians and the Gospel according to Luke. To hear them click on our link. Here is Father Phil ...

Love involves forgiving.
It is easy to forgive those who are part of us, our family.
It is harder to forgive those who are not as close to us.
Yet we must forgive all who have wronged us.

It is very hard but we must forgive those who hurt us in order to follow Christ.


From the Saint Gregory the Great Bulletin:

Bishop William Lori will celebrate a Mass, to commemorate significant marriage anniversaries, at Saint Theresa Church, Trumbull, Connecticut on Sunday, June 3, 2007 at 3:00 pm. Bishop Lori will be the homilist and will administer both the renewal of marriage vows and the presentation of commemorative certificates.
Couples who were married between January and June who will be celebrating their 25th or 50th wedding anniversary are invited to participate with their family and friends. Interested couples in the Bridgeport diocese should register with your parish office as soon as possible. The deadline for registration is May 24, 2007. For more details and which additional anniversaries qualify for this celebration look in the bulletin.

This weekend, we remember in a special way, the members of our parish family who have died over these past few weeks. We celebrate their past presence and the knowledge of their embrace by our Father. We also want their bereaved to know that they do not have to grieve alone.
This week we especially remember Donata B., Virginia (Ginny) L., and Leonard S.
Please remember them in your prayers. Fr. Ray with the Bereavement Ministry of St. Gregory the Great Church is here to support you.

The social concerns committee wants you to know the Annual Catholic Relief Services collection is going on now. The Catholic Relief Services has provided core funding for the work of five separate Catholic social ministry agencies in the United States.


The annual appeal provides an opportunity for Catholics to support the less fortunate as part of Lent. Catholic Relief Services supports agencies that aid the powerless and impoverished, victims of earthquakes, floods, war and religious and ethnic persecution.
Catholic Relief Services asks Catholics to see “Jesus in disguise” in the faces of the poor, the hungry and the disadvantaged and to support ongoing efforts to respond to their needs through the Church’s international social ministry.
Some specific examples of how these funds are used include:
*Providing emergency aid--shelter, water, sanitation, education and food to thousands of Sudanese refugees and internally displaced people in the midst of civil unrest.
*Resettling refugees from countries like Afghanistan, Burma, and Liberia who have fled persecution.
*Offering life-saving legal services to victims of torture to help them obtain asylum in the U.S.More info about Catholic Relief Services is available at usccb.org/.

Now here is a word from Vatican Radio...

We stand at the Crossroad, where generations meet.
Christ, our Passover, has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation. Let us forgive one another and celebrate the unconditional and abundant love of God our Father.
This week we ask adults & teens: When have you been generous enough to forgive someone who has hurt you deeply? And children: Who among your family or friends do you need to ask forgiveness of or to forgive?
Come home. Please...just come home. Forget our disagreements; don’t let them separate us anymore. Just come home. What parent who deeply loves his or her child would not echo the sentiment of the Father in our gospel today? But the older son is locked up with jealousy and resentment.
As we go through our lives, we resonate with the different characters of this story. In our youth, we understand the gambling young man who experiments and risks it all. Later on as we toil and sweat, we identify more with the older son, critical of the behavior of others. And in our elder years, we stand in the shoes of a seasoned parent, putting aside obstacles and wanting loved ones close by. God asks us to love always,regardless of circumstances.
Our experience of God may go through similar transitions. Our images of God can become transformed gradually in our human encounters throughout life. Gradually we discover the generosity of God, the hospitality of the One who yearns for us to come home. This can also affect the way we treat ourselves. Slowly, if we let it, we gradually begin to forgive ourselves for our shortsightedness in our choices, our resistance to reconciliation and our distance from God, and often from others.
At the 9:00am Mass this weekend, the second of three scrutinies is celebrated with our RCIA catechumen and candidate. These scrutinies are rites of purification and strengthening for the sacraments to be received at the Easter Vigil. All over the world those approaching the sacraments of initiation come before their communities to be prayed over by the Church-the whole Church not just their individual communities.
Today marks the mid-point of Lent-traditionally known as Laetare, Latin for rejoice, Sunday. We joyfully anticipate the Easter mystery. Our journey leads us to recognize that God lives within us and is all around us. Let us pray for each other that we will be given the eyes to see and the wisdom to ask for the life-changing moments that affirm this recognition.

The background music is Michael Guardian and Going Home. Michael Guardian Music Productions has been producing and recording since 1989. Michael is a vocalist, synth player and recording artist working both in the studio and on stage. For more of his music stop by Music[.]PodShow.com.

We close this week with a prayer for A Death in the Family and the Pope's blessing:
Dear Lord, sometimes it is hard to understand the pain that comes into our lives. This is most true when we lose one we love. At this time, we remember that life is a circle. You have given us eternal life. In dying, our loved one has come back to you; as will we all, in our time. The mystery of life is - that sadness brings us to our greatest happiness. Bless, with your presence, those we love and miss. Amen.

Well that's A Word on the Word for fourth Sunday of Lent. The Podcast is released under a Creative Commons license, some rights are reserved. Links to the Daily readings, Morning and evening prayers, music and more can be found in our show We would love to have your comments at A Word on the Word@gmail.com, or the Saint Gregory Home page is danbury.org/stgreg.

Thank you for joining us.

A Word On The Word for the Third Sunday in Lent 2007

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Peace be with you. This is A Word on the Word recorded live at Saint Gregory the Great, the Diocese of Bridgeport - Connecticut USA for the Third Sunday in Lent 2007. I'm Gregory Wencek. Our pastor is Fr. Angelo Arrando. This week Music from Strange Ensemble at Music dot PodShow dot com, the Homily from Fr. Raymond Scherba, news from Saint Gregory the Great and the Vatican plus the Crossroad message and a prayer written by Monsignor Nicholas V. Grieco of Saint Francis of Assisi Parish. Please pray for Victims of the Iraqi Conflict, Victims of terrorists and all sick and deceased members of the parish. ...

The readings for this week are Exodus, the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians and the Gospel from Luke. To hear them click on our link to the left. But now here is Father Ray ...

Can we presume to walk right in, past the Pearly Gates?
What does it mean to do the will of the Father?
Today's Gospel reminds us we have to be productive, to reduce suffering in this world.
We can't do it all but we must do something. Say a prayer for those in need.
Think of what the Lord is calling us to do? What is He saying to each of us?

Recorded at Saint Gregory the Great - Danbury, Connecticut March 11, 2007, noon mass. Thank you Father Ray.

Announcements from the bulletin

Soup ‘AND’ continues every Wednesday during Lent. Future hosts are:
on Mar. 14-St. James Episcopal Church
Mar. 21-First Congregational Church
and Mar. 28-King St.United Church of Christ

Within each of us is a failure to live up to the Gospel values. Evil does exist in and around us. We are not as steadfast as we are called to be. Ash Wednesday began our journey to Easter. We acknowledge our weakness and our need for grace and strength, for mercy and blessings in order to grow.

ASHES, signifying dust, old ways, former sin, and are used as a reminder that our old sinfulness is done away with through forgiveness and conversion. The ashes we received have only as much meaning as we give them. Make this symbolism a beginning. Our actions during Lent will reinforce our resolve to become a new people.

The St. Gregory the Great Pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Egypt will be this October. If you are considering being a part of this wonderful once in a lifetime event, we need to have a deposit of $250 per person so that we can finalize the plans. Please make checks payable to St. Gregory the Great Church and put “Pilgrimage” in the memo spot. Deposits are refundable if circumstances change. Tentative dates are October 8 - October 22, 2007. To help you decide here is a word from Vatican Radio.

Now here is another word from Vatican Radio...


As we stand at the Crossroads we know that: From the burning bush, Moses is called by God to lead his people out of slavery into freedom. Like the Hebrews of Scripture, we too often fail to heed God’s call. So we ask Adults & Teens: What “cultivating” do I need to do in order to bear good fruit as a disciple of Jesus? And Children: What will I do this week to show that I am a follower of Jesus?

In today’s second reading, St. Paul shows how the early church interpreted the sacred books of Israel, especially our first reading from Exodus. According to St. Paul, God’s help and punishments of Israel during the Exodus “happened to them as an example and they have been written down as a warning to us”. St. Paul finds Christ in the Exodus even though He is not explicitly mentioned. He concludes that this account is aimed at Jesus’ followers in the time of St. Paul. It is also for our time.

In the gospel, Luke recalls the parable of the fig tree. Barren of fruit for the last three years, the owner calls for it to be cut down. Yet the gardener asks for one more year. Such is the tolerance of God who waits “one more year” for us to repent and to bear the fruit of the kingdom.

At the 9:00 Mass this weekend, the first of three scrutinies is celebrated with our RCIA catechumen and candidate. These scrutinies are rites of purification and strengthening for the sacraments that will be received at the Easter Vigil. All over the world during the next three weeks, those approaching initiation into the death and Resurrection of Jesus come before their communities to be prayed over by the Church-the whole Church-not just their individual communities. As one community, we are reminded of our own Baptism and the unique status it gives to each of us, leading us to a deeper understanding of and appreciation for our status as sons and daughters of God.
This is a good time to review our Lenten journey.
Are we on target with our promises to God when Lent began? What changes are needed to correct our direction?
How is your household doing with silence and/or listening space? Discuss these questions with each other and make adjustments.
If you have questions drop us a line at AWordOnTheWord@gmail.com.

Music used this week is Winter Song by Strange Ensemble from Music.PodShow.com. Strange Ensemble is a Japanese designer looking for a "Strange sound".


We close this week with a prayer written by Monsignor Nicholas V. Grieco of Saint Francis of Assisi Parish. Monsignor is a member of the Pastor Advisory Committee

God, our Father in heaven, life itself and all we have are gifts you have freely bestowed upon us in love. It is from your hand that we have received all that we have… all that we are … and all that we will be. We praise you and we thank you.

In baptism you have called each of us to be a faithful disciple of your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Living our faith and working together, may we become what we are called to be — the Catholic Community in Fairfield County — bringing a message of love, hope, justice and peace to all through the good works of our ministries and apostolate.

Bless us with generosity that in love we may freely share our gifts with others. Bless us with understanding that we may recognize that everything we have is God’s gift. Bless us with wisdom that we may wisely use the gifts God has given us. Bless us with a true sense of joy — the fruit of generous and grateful giving.

May the Holy Spirit inspire us to respond to the 2007 Annual Bishop’s Appeal with generous love. May Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, be with us to inspire, guide and protect us.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Well that's A Word on the Word for the third Sunday of Lent. Thank you for joining us.

God bless and Peace be with you. From Saint Gregory the Great parish, and Father Angelo.

A Word on the Word for the Second Week of Lent 2007

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Peace be with you. This is A Word on the Word from Saint Gregory the Great, the Diocese of Bridgeport - Connecticut USA for the Second Sunday of Lent 2007. This week Music from Bree Noble, the Homily from Deacon Bill, news from Saint Gregory the Great and the Vatican plus the Crossroad message: Transformed by Christ. Please pray for the Victims of the Iraqi Conflict, Victims of terrorists our RCIA and confirmation candidates, Deacon Dan and all sick and deceased members of the parish.

The readings for this week are from Genesis, the Letter from Saint Paul to the Philippians and the Gospel from Luke.

Announcements from the bulletin

We wish to welcome everyone who is listening to this podcast.

We pray that joining us will give you a sense of fellowship with Jesus and with us God’s people, as well as comfort and strength for all your needs. If you have no Church of your own, we invite you to make Saint Gregory the Great or a nearby church your home Church. But above all, we invite you to come to listen any time. as

Just as God enjoins Peter, John and James to listen and to focus on Jesus rather than to rush around building tents, so too God invites us to pause from all of our busyness and to enter reflectively into the deep mystery of God’s abiding covenant with us. This spiritual space is a wonderful gift in the midst of a very busy world and, as we hear God’s word in the scriptures and receive the body and blood of our risen Lord in the Eucharist, may we also discover that it is good for us to be here.

The observance of Lent continues with five evenings of a lite supper, personal Bible sharing and a Prayer Service. We will be with our other Christian brothers and sisters, Wednesday evenings from 6:30 - 8:00 PM.

LENT is one of the most important seasons of our Liturgical Year. Let us try to do something just a little bit extra for God during this most holy time of preparation for the upcoming celebration of the “Resurrection”. For details stop by danbury.org/stgreg.

Our SOCIAL CONCERNS committee wants you to know that there were 744,000 homeless people in the U.S. in 2005 according to the first national estimate in more than a decade. A little more than half are living in shelters and nearly a quarter were chronically homeless. Most were homeless single adults, but about 44% were families. This is the first national study since 1996. Communities need to make things better. Please consider volunteering at the Dorothy Day Shelter or the overflow shelter. There is also need to feed the hungry in our midst. Located at the doors of Saint Gregory the Great are large baskets to collect your donations for The Daily Bread Food Pantry. The Food Pantry operates year round with your generosity. Please bring non perishable food and canned fruit juice for use by Daily Bread. Thank you for your continuing weekly donations of food. Your contributions help relieve the hunger that is with us year round. As always if you have any questions drop us a line at AWordOnTheWord.gmail.com.

Now here is a word from Vatican Radio

Standing at the Crossroad we see that the transfiguration of Jesus anticipates the transformation in glory that awaits us when we share in the paschal mystery - the dying and rising of Jesus.

To be Transformed by Christ we ask Adults & Teens: What role does silence play in your Lenten journey?

And Children: What do you most want God to help you with?

As we travel through the Lenten Scriptures approaching the Triduum, the three solemn days commemorating the last days of Jesus' life, we see Jesus facing the most trying period of His life in this world; His conviction as a criminal, His walk to calvary and His execution. In His humanness, the events leading up to His crucifixion would be as painful emotionally as the actual dying. They included betrayal, misunderstanding, abuse and desolation, but mostly, the seemingly absence of God the Father in Jesus’ most crucial hour.

The Transfiguration came as an incredible blessing, filling Jesus with the support, grace and inspiration He needed to walk those difficult days. Each of us needs graced memories to turn to when we face the crosses in our journey. These “God-moments” may be more subtle than a transfiguration on a mountaintop, but their impact can help sustain us if we recognize them by reflecting on the ways we have been inspired at our times of trial.

In today’s Gospel, the voice from heaven speaks to the disciples saying, “Listen to Him.” The Transfiguration was a focused moment for the disciples when they heard God speaking to them and experienced Jesus in glory. They most certainly left this focused moment with a new appreciation for the importance of Jesus’ words even if they did not yet understand everything that He had taught them. During Lent, we are invited to consider our attentiveness to Jesus and to one another. In the pace and noise that often characterize family life, how well do we listen to one another? What opportunities do we have for quiet prayer?

Gather as a family to count the pieces of equipment in your home that produce sound: televisions, radios, CD players, computers, video games, etc. Is more than one on at a time? Discuss this question: What is it like to try to talk with one another when this equipment is on? Can our household communication be improved by turning electronic sound off for a short time each day? Try it and give God the opportunity to speak to you through the members of your household.

The music playing is Agnus Dei from Mozart's Mass in C. From Music.podshow.com once again we hear from Bree Noble. This time with the Trinity Presbyterian Chancel Choir, Santa Ana, CA recorded April 1998. Bree has a different perspective to convey, one of not just a woman of faith, but of an individual who has learned to overcome great adversity; she has glaucoma and has been legally blind since birth. There is a link to Bree Noble's web site in our blog AWordOnTheWord.Blogspot.com. Well that's A Word on the Word for the Second Sunday in Lent 2007. Links to the Daily readings, Morning and evening prayers, music and more can be found in our show notes. We publish them at AWordOnTheWord.blogspot.com. Drop us a line at AWordontheWord@gmail.com, or the Saint Gregory Home page is http://www.danbury.org/stgreg.

Thank you for joining us.

God bless and Peace be With you.