Hallelujah. This is A Word on the Word recorded live at Saint Gregory the Great, the Diocese of Bridgeport - Connecticut USA for the Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday. Our pastor is Fr. Angelo Arrando. This week the Music is Belief from The Svengali Project at the PodSafe music network; the Homily from Father Angelo; news from Saint Gregory the Great and the Vatican plus the Crossroad message: 'Belief Demands Action'; and a prayer from Saint Faustina.
The readings for this week are from the Acts of the Apostles, the Book of Revelation and the Gospel according to John. To hear them click on our link. Here is Father Angelo' message:
- Thomas was not a doubter.
- Revelation is not about the future but about the Resurrection.
- Jesus is already victorious. He has defeated death and has risen to Heaven.
- Jesus is Lord and God.
- Be faithful to Him as He is faithful to us.
- Be His Witness.
- Forgive as we want to be forgiven
- Be accepting and loving to all.
- Thomas is witness to the Christian Community.
Announcements from the bulletin.
THANK YOU
A special “Thank You” to all the generous hearts who gave to our Easter collection. May our risen Lord shower you with His blessings.
BIBLE STUDY GROUP !!!
Would you like to know about the stories in the Bible? What do they tell us about God’s relationship with His earliest followers? Would you like to be more comfortable discussing the Bible with others? Please join with other members of the parish in a study of Israel’s Story. We meet Wednesday mornings in the parish office community room between 9:30 and 11:00 A.M.
HELP OUR HOMELESS WITH WELCOME BASKETS
Let us try to help Danbury’s homeless families. Leave the following items in the baskets by the chapel. Needed are: Laundry baskets, laundry detergent, liquid chlorine bleach, all fabric bleach, dish towels and sponges, anti-bacterial spray, trash bags, food storage bags, aluminum foil, bathroom cleaner, dust pans, adhesive bandages, First Aid cream, cotton balls and q-tips, toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoo, bath soap, hand soap. Bring one item or bring many. The homeless will be so grateful. To paraphrase Saint Mathew: “When I was homeless, you gave Me a home.”
DAILY BREAD FOOD PANTRY
Also located at the doors of the Church are large baskets, there to collect your donations for The Daily Bread Food Pantry. The Food Pantry operates year round with your generosity. Please bring cereal, spaghetti sauce, macaroni and cheese, canned fruit and 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.
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For more information, details or questions, about Bulletin announcements go to the Saint Gregory the Great web site or contact us at A Word on the Word at G-Mail dot com and we will forward your request.
Now here is a word from Vatican Radio...
We come to the Crossroad and find: As Thomas believed - because he saw the risen Jesus, so too were many brought to faith through the various signs and wonders wrought by the apostles. We ask Adults & Teens: What doubts do I experience about my faith? What can I do to strengthen my beliefs? And Children: When have you felt afraid? When do you feel peaceful?
The fifty days of the Easter Season are an invitation to explore more deeply “the weather of the heart” to awaken our memory of God’s presence and power in our lives, to look more closely at all the rich and varied textures of creation. In short, Pentecost is a time for learning how to say yes to God’s calling in a culture that wants us to keep on saying no.
This season is a time to grow in our understanding of the paschal mystery and to make it part of our lives - through our renewed attentiveness to God’s Word, that we hear each weekend; through our participation in the Eucharist; and through our renewed dedication to acts of charity and justice. As we celebrate this season, we become more deeply aware of Christ’s abiding presence with us that is daily transforming us into the image of Jesus.
Since the Easter season is 50 days long, it will take some effort on our part to extend its celebration for the full seven weeks - until May 27th. One way to turn Easter into a series of celebrations and to keep its spirit alive is to connect ourselves to the long chain of Christian witnesses who have preceded us. Gather your household and read aloud First Corinthians Chapter 15 verses 1 through 11. Invite your household to update this chain of witnesses from Paul’s time to your present time by naming those who have been most important in handing on the living traditions to you and yours (Be they: family, friends, mentors, spiritual persons you have admired, patron saints, etc.) Write down the names to create your household’s unique connection to the Easter tradition of spreading the good news.
The readings for this weekend show us how belief spurs people on to a new relationship with God and others. In trusting God’s goodness, their actions change the lives of those around them.
In the first reading, the believers bring their sick to the apostles, certain of healing. The gospel tells us of doubting Thomas as we reluctantly admit that we sometimes have doubts. It also shows us that by accepting Jesus, Thomas had to find ways to live out his faith. We too are called to action in living out our faith and by doing so we are led closer to God and to one another.
The music is Belief from The Svengali Project. The Svengali Project is Aaron Jackson with help from friends. The project was designed to take one look at the expanding world of downtempo music. There is more of this and other musical styles at the PodSafe Music network.
This week's prayer, The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy, is from Saint Faustina:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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Well that's A Word on the Word for Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday. This 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 to the left. The Saint Gregory Home page is triple dub danbury.org/stgreg.
Thank you for joining us.
A Word on the Word Executive producer is Father Angelo Arrando, and is produced by Gregory Wencek. Please let us know what you think, click the e-mail link. On behalf of Saint Gregory the Great parish. God bless and Peace be With you. Hallelujah.
