RESP. PSALM: God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
TODAY’S MASS INTENTION: Magda Wood, by Mike & Sue Kacsala
MASS SCHEDULE & INTENTIONS FOR THE COMING WEEK:
| September | 3 | Saturday | No Traditional Latin Mass | |
| September | 4 | Sunday | 9:15 AM | Sándor Incze, by the Karácsony Family |
FROM THE DESK OF FR. BONA: Beside Jesus and Mary, there is only one saint whose earthly birthday is commemorated in the liturgy (in addition to a proper feast – usually on the day the saint died, or close to it). On Monday, August 29, we celebrate the Passion of Saint John the Baptist and as you know, we also celebrate his birth as a solemnity on June 24. Why is John the Baptist receiving such a special treatment? Because he was special; he was the greatest prophet. As Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist” (Mt 11:11a). In what consisted the greatness of John the Baptist?
(1) He was chosen by God to be the forerunner, the precursor, to the Messiah. His role was foretold by the prophets (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1) and his mission was to prepare the world for Jesus Christ and to point Him out (as he did when he declared Him to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world).
(2) St. John the Baptist was the “greatest” because he preached in the power of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament. Similar to Elijah, John called the whole nation of Israel to repentance, rebuked the king, and persevered in the midst of suffering and persecution. Pope Benedict XVI in his August 29, 2012 General Audience declared, “Celebrating the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist reminds us too, Christians of this time, that with love for Christ, for his words and for the Truth, we cannot stoop to compromises. The Truth is Truth; there are no compromises.”
(3) He was also the “greatest” in that God had chosen him to break the 430 years of divine silence that had existed since the prophet Malachi. It can be said that John was the last of the Old Testament prophets. He was the last in the long line of prophets who predicted Christ, yet he was the only one who could actually see Christ in the flesh. No other prophet had that privilege.
The full quote of Jesus concerning John the Baptist is: “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” The greatness of John the Baptist has to do with his unique position in history. Yet, he was not able to experience here on earth the greatness of Christ in the Sacraments in which we ourselves are privileged to participate. Let us never take for granted the Sacraments and let us be willing to accept their discipline in what they require of us. Saint John the Baptist, pray for us!
SUNDAY COLLECTION FIGURES: (8/21): Sunday Collection: $420. THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY in supporting our parish. Thank you for sending in your offertory donation through the mail, or through the PayPal option found on the website: https://www.stelizabethcleveland.org/donations/
EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION: Legion of Mary of the Diocese of Cleveland invites you to a traditional Eucharistic Procession on Saturday, September 3, 2022 beginning with Holy Mass at 11am at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Cleveland. The event consists of Holy Mass celebrated by Fr. Kevin Estabrook, Legion of Mary Spiritual Director, a procession through the streets of downtown Cleveland while singing hymns in honor of our Eucharistic Lord Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a return to the Cathedral for the recitation of the Rosary and closing prayers. RSVP is not required and all are welcome to attend. Worship Aid is provided. For more information please email contact@legionofmarynorthernohio.org or visit https://www.facebook.com/legionofmarynorthernohio/
PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SICK, especially, Jay Kovács, Kathy Szabó, Kamilla Szabó and Anna Melega, Dorothy Fromhercz, and Alex Szaday.
PLEASE PRAY FOR THE DECEASED.
THIS SUNDAY the 11:15 AM Mass from St. Emeric church will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/saintemeric/ and on the website, https://stemeric.com/
This post is also available in: Hungarian
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