Vol 4, No.1, Jan/Feb 2019
Vol. 4, No. 2, Mar/Apr 2019
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Vol. 4, No. 4, July/Aug 2019
Vol. 4, No. 5, Sep./Oct 2019
Volume 4, No. 6, Nov/Dec 2019
Volume 5, No. 1, Jan/Feb 2020
Volume 5, No. 2, Mar/Apr 2020
Volume 5, No. 3, May/June 2020
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Please join Fr. David for the celebration of the Holy Mass for Sunday, July 5, the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary time. Click here to view the Mass.
The Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: July 12, 2020 Matthew 13:1-23
I’ve always loved gardening. Seeds I’ve planted include carrot, cucumber, and of course, zucchini. In each case, I’ve planted seeds in neat rows, expecting nearly all of them to sprout and yield fruit.
But the farmer in Jesus’ parable (Mat 13:1-23) uses the broadcast method. Lots of seed cast everywhere. And predictably, many of these seeds do not produce. Some get eaten by birds. Some sprout but then wither. Some seedlings get choked out by weeds. Finally a few yield varying amounts of grain.
At the end of the story, Jesus says “they who have ears, let them hear.” In other words, he wants us to learn something and take some action steps. To respond to this parable adequately, we must view it from two different angles.
The first is to look at the story as if we are the seed. Many who hear the gospel never seem to “get it.” The message is stolen before it ever takes root. Then there are the 50% of Catholic kids who receive the sacraments but disappear somewhere between age 18 and 25. Shallow roots fail to equip them to take the heat of our pagan culture.
Then there are the 89% of lifelong, regular churchgoers who, according to George Gallup, have values and lifestyles identical to those of their pagan neighbors. Their faith has been neutralized by bad theology and worldliness so though they look like wheat plants, their religion is fruitless.
Then there are those who stay out of serious sin, manage to do some good for some people, but all in all produce a mediocre harvest Finally come the few who are not satisfied with just getting by. They sink their roots deep into Scripture, Tradition, prayer and the sacraments, and produce a bumper crop. We call these people saints.
In speaking to us as seed, Jesus is saying, “Be careful. If you don’t make the effort to get thoroughly rooted in your Catholic faith, you just might not make it. If you do manage to survive, you might produce absolutely nothing. But you are called to bear much fruit (John 15), to yield 100 fold, to be a saint, to leave a mark on the lives of many that will last forever. Don’t settle for anything less!”
On the other hand, we can look at the parable as if we were the farmer. Vatican II and all the Popes since have stately repeatedly and unequivocally that each of us is called to be an evangelizer, to tell others that Jesus Christ changes lives eternally and that the place to encounter him most fully is within the Catholic Church. “But,” you may protest, “I tried it a few times and got nowhere. I just don’t have the personality, don’t have the gift.”
Jesus, the Son of God, indisputably had both the personality and the gift. Yet when he sowed seed, much of it still ended up as bird food. Consider the thousands he fed with loaves and fishes, the multitude that heard his sermon on the mount, the throngs that welcomed him on Palm Sunday. Yet on the day of Pentecost, there were only 120 left in the cenacle, awaiting the Holy Spirit. Notice, though, that the fruit borne by these 120 plants eventually filled the whole world!
To get the few that bear fruit, lots of seed must be sown by lots of people. So regardless of whether or not we think we have green thumbs, we are being commanded through this parable to get the seed out there, sowing it everywhere we go, undeterred by the birds, the weeds, and the scorching sun.
The parable of the sower has a twofold message: as seed, our job is to get busy growing. As farmers, our job is to get busy sowing.
Copyright 2014, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.
Parish News & Updates
- Cedar Crest Buddies
Cedar Crest Buddies:
Anyone who is interested in becoming a Cedar Crest Buddy should contact Kathleen Edwards Chase (973.934.0939/kathleen@frc>-pp. org) or Stephen Kass(973.879.3102/stephen. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Virtual training will be provided and contact with Seniors will be by phone only.
- Diocesan Food Collection is "Virtual" this Year: Now through July 31
Please find information on our annual food collection at the link below:
- CARES Act – New Charitable Deduction
Please click HERE for Charitable Deduction information.
- Free Blood Pressure Screening at Holy Spirit: Second Sunday of the Month SUSPENDEDBlood Pressure Screening will be offered by parishioner Beverly Kass on the 2nd Sunday of the month following the 1100 am (10:30 in summer) Mass.Screening will be done in the church basement meeting room on the following dates:Jan 12Feb 9Mar 8Apr 19 (third Sunday due to Easter)May 10Jun 14Jul 12Aug 9Sept 13Oct 11Nov 8Dec 13
- Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
Do you know any adults who need to receive the sacraments of Baptism, First Eucharist or Confirmation? The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
(RCIA) is the process by which adults are formally received into the Roman Catholic Church. RCIA is for adults who were never baptized, or were baptized in
another Christian tradition or those who were baptized as Catholics and never received Confirmation or First Eucharist. RCIA is a process of adult faith formation
that involves prayer, instruction, and discernment within the context of a small faith community.For more information about the RCIA process at Holy Spirit, please contact Steve Kass at 973-879-3102 or stephenbkass@ gmail.com.
- CLERGY SCHEDULE for Sunday, July 11/12, 2020
Clergy Schedule
5:00PM Fr. David Monteleone
7:30AM Fr. David Monteleone
10:30AM Fr. David Monteleone
7:00PM Fr. Ed Lambro
- RECENT CATHOLIC NEWS
- Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
What is R.C.I.A.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the coming home of any adult into the full and warm embrace of God the Father and Holy Mother Church. It is a joyous time of growth, healing, and love in the life of any adult who comes to a relationship of faith, hope and love in God through Jesus Christ. Receiving the Sacraments of Initiation, namely Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist, the adult catechumen or candidate is welcomed into the full life of the Church and encouraged to engage in the life and ministries of the Church as faith leads to action.
The adult catechumen or candidate is also exposed to the life of holiness, a call from God experienced by all people, and the many ways he or she can live that call as a servant of Christ and His Church. The catechumen or candidate is exposed to the different spiritual traditions of the Church, as well as her charitable and liturgical activities and ministries, so that he or she can find a home in the life of the Church and contribute his or her gifts and talents to the building up of the kingdom of God.
RCIA is an 8-month process by which adult, baptized Catholics complete their sacraments of initiation, and those who would like to become Catholic for the first time receive their sacraments, is beginning registration now. If you, or someone you know, is interested in joining these sessions, please call the Parish Office at (973) 696-1234.
- Visits for the Homebound
If you know of someone who is homebound and would like to schedule a visit from one of our Eucharistic Ministers for Holy Communion, please have them call the Parish Office at (973) 696-1234. Homebound individuals who would like a visit from Fr. David for the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick or the Sacrament of Reconciliation may also call the Parish Office to arrange for a visit.
About Us
Rev. David Monteleone Pastor
Deacon Michael Scruggs
Parish Trustees:
Mrs. Kathleen Bekker
Mr. G. Michael Foulon
Holy Spirit Church
318 Newark-Pompton Turnpike
Pequannock, NJ 07440
Office Hours
Monday to Friday
9:00 am - 3:00PM
318 Newark-Pompton Turnpike
Pequannock, NJ 07440
Office Hours
Monday to Friday
9:00 am - 3:00PM
Phone
973-696-1234
973-696-1234
Weekday Masses:
Monday - Friday
8:30AM
Monday - Friday
8:30AM
Weekend Masses (Summer Schedule May 31 to Labor Day)
Saturday
5:00PM
Sunday
7:30AM
10:30AM
7:00PM
Eucharistic Adoration
Tuesdays
9AM to 10:00AM (following the 8:30AM Mass)
Rosary and Miraculous Medal Novena
Fridays @ 9:00AM
Fridays @ 9:00AM
Reconciliation:
Saturday
4:00 to 4:30PM
Saturday
4:00 to 4:30PM
Holy Day Masses:
As Announced.
As Announced.
View daily Mass HERE from Bishop Barron's Chapel
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