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July 16, 2019Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In this week’s Gospel reading, we witness Jesus being invited into the home of Mary and Martha. While Martha bustles about in the home, preoccupied with the demands of hosting; Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and listens. Even if both actions on the women are admirable, Jesus elevates the action of Mary to be the most valuable: to listen to the proclaimed word of God.
We all have much to do in our lives. We have demands on our lives from every side. The challenge for us is to make sure that the word of God is foremost in our live and that everything else is secondary. Putting God first takes effort, however, if we don’t put God first, then something or someone else will always take God’s place.
Church attendance during the summer months tends to drop off as vacations and weekend sporting events often conflict. On the other hand, the services St. Hyacinth provide with the parish and for the larger community continue year round, as do their associated expenses. Thus, your consistent financial support of our parish is vital to achieving our stewardship mission. The easiest way to be sure that your gift of treasure reaches us, even when you can’t be here, is through enrollment in our electronic offertory program: Faith Direct. Enrollment forms are available in the Church Narthex and the Church office or you can visit Faith Direct’s secure website at www.faithdirect.net to enroll on line. Our parish code is TX526. As always, know that your generosity is truly a gift from God.
Paragraph 1526 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
“Is any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters (priests) of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:14-15).
One of the Sacraments that we celebrate in the Church is The Anointing of the sick. This sacrament is administered to bring spiritual and even physical strength during times of illness, especially near the time of death. It is most likely one of the last sacraments one will receive. A sacrament is an outward sign established by Jesus Christ to confer inward grace. In more basic terms, it is a rite that is performed to convey God’s grace to the recipient, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Like all the Sacraments, Holy Anointing was instituted by Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry. The Catechism states, “This sacred anointing of the sick was instituted by Christ our Lord as a true and proper sacrament of the New Testament. It is alluded to indeed by Mark, but is recommended to the faithful and promulgated by James the apostle and brother of the Lord” (CCC 1511; Mark 6:13; James. 5:14-15).
The Sacrament of The Anointing of the Sick conveys several graces and imparts gifts of strengthening in the Holy Spirit against anxiety, discouragement, and temptation, and conveys peace and fortitude (CCC 1520). These graces flow from the atoning death of Jesus Christ, for "this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, ‘He took our infirmities and bore our diseases’" (Matthew. 8:17).
If you are experiencing a serious illness, in the hospital or will be on the receiving end of a major medical test or procedure, please do not hesitate to call the Church office to receive the Anointing of the Sick. STHY offers a Healing Mass at 8:00am on the First Saturday of each month. The Church is here to pray for you.
Finally for 2019, Cardinal DiNardo has assessed our parish 2019 DSF goal at $84,000. Currently the DSF collection is at $42,274 with 170 participants. DSF supports more than 60 ministries that serve the faithful of the Archdiocese and us here at St. Hyacinth. From chaplains at the hospitals, to religious education training for our teachers (who pass on their faith to our children), to outreach to seniors, to youth ministry, to soup kitchens, to Catholic Charities ministry to the poor and disenfranchised, and to training for seminarians, deacons and priests, the DSF provides funding for people and program that serve us all. We have been asked to “Do Not Neglect to Share What You Have.”
God Bless,
Fr. Reginald Samuels