october 18
Weekend Bulletin
Children’s Bulletin
Fr Terry’s Teaching
Gratitude & Prayer
A gratitude that is in my heart lately is for those who are responding to our needs for the sake of others. Maybe that is in the ministries of Mass such as Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Ushers, and more. Maybe it is in the ministries our parish is involved in outside our parish such as at the Banquet. But the deepest part of my heart of gratitude is for those who teach in our religious programs. While we have put in place ways of keeping everyone safe, none the less, those who teach are determined that the ministry of passing on our faith is extremely important. We have a need for the sake of our (and I mean our) children, to help them grow in their knowledge and relationship with God. That really is a huge responsibility God gives to all of us. So as a pastor I say with all sincerity THANK YOU! The importance of prayer in our lives is seen in the scriptures for this weekend. In multiple ways, Jesus mentors us in that importance in so many ways. I love the response of people asking for prayers when I say I will keep you in my prayers. I believe if we don’t say that at least once every day, we are failing God and others. This leads me to ask you: how is your prayer life. That question is the first thing my spiritual director asks when I meet with her once a month. She always tells me that everything in my life should either flow from prayer or leads me into prayer. Praying is one of the most important tools we have to meet the needs of our life and to help prepare us for the life to come. My family has faithful reminded each of us the importance of praying for those who have died. We often use to stop at the graves of those of our family to say a prayer. My parents taught us when we were leaving the cemetery to say a concluding prayer for all those buried there. So I ask you: do you have hearts of gratitude? Do you have the lives of loving service? And how is your prayer life? These questions should be asked every day. These are important keys to a life with God!