fifth Sunday of lent

April 7, 2019 Volume 3, Issue #15

Celebrant:

Father Victor Ray

I once met a woman who told me that the biggest crisis in her married life was the time she found out that her

husband was unfaithful to her. He was having an affair with another woman for over a year. She was shattered and

consulted a close friend who asked her one question. “Do you really love your husband still in spite of this?” When she

answered that she did, her friend said she should confront her husband and tell him she was prepared to accept him back

if that was how she felt. She did and now many years later the marriage is working well. But at that time it wasn’t easy

and many would not have been surprised if she had refused to forgive her husband and had not given him another

chance.

She reminds me of today’s gospel that is primarily about who God is and how he treats us. Like the woman in the

story Jesus gives the woman caught in adultery another chance. Instead of sending her to her death, Jesus sends her to

life. Jesus is telling us as clearly as he can who God is and how he acts towards each one of us. We feel that if we do

good we will earn or merit a heavenly reward and if we consistently do bad God will punish us. What Jesus is saying is

‘If I look on you with God’s gaze of love, with God’s forgiving attitude then you are totally and freely loved and

forgiven’. It is God who decides all this. We cannot make God’s love and forgiveness depend on our worthiness or

goodness. What a misunderstanding of how God relates to us. Unfortunately, it is not our human experience. Many

people often want to exact revenge or punish those who hurt or wrong them. Not so God – it is so far from the God

Jesus is witnessing to. Of course, that does not mean if God loves me like that I can sin merrily. In fact it is the very

opposite – realizing how very much God loves me so unconditionally I will try to respond by trying to please him. I will

pray to be able to do the same to others as God does to me. Just as the woman in the story who forgave her husband. He

later told a friend that having been forgiven by his wife he would spend the rest of his life responding to her marvelous

love for him even though he didn’t deserve this because of his actions.

Jesus does something for the woman that goes beyond the law. The law condemns, Jesus forgives. He shows how

God deals with sinful people, that is, with each of us. He changes our view of God. At the same time he asks us to

change our view of sinful people. Each one of us, no matter what our sins are, has the capacity to change. Our sins are

not the sum total of who we are. They are parts of who we are, for sure. But God can do a new deed for and in all of us

if we allow him.

“Lord Jesus, thank you for showing to us again in this gospel that you have no interest in condemning us. You do

not deny that we sin but you constantly give us new opportunities to change. Help us by your Holy Spirit to be ever

ready to excuse others for their failings as you do ours. Amen”.

Father Victor Ray

Wisdom From

Father Victor Ray

Let’s Pray For:

Abrams, Al

Hartwig, Bill

Hickman, Bp. Peter

Judi and Larry

Kovar, Lyn

Little, Ron

Marx, D.A.

For all of our Parishioners

that follow us through

Electronic Media. Prayers

for your specific request that

you have sent us.

For all those that need a

Prayer, Raise, your Right

Hand Toward Heaven and

know that the Parish of Saint

Teresa of Calcutta Catholic

Community is beside you in

your Prayer.

The Daily Prayer of Saint Teresa

Dear Jesus, help me to spread your fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with your

spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only

be a radiance of You. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in

contact with may feel Your presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me

but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as

to be a light to others. Amen.

Questions of the Week:

Where do you see God’s action in your life, family, or

parish bringing about something new? How has your

practice of fasting been this Lent? How has it enriched

or affected your relationship with God and others? How

have you experienced giving and receiving mercy in

your own life?

Meeks, James

Obuchowski, Essy

Ray, Father Victor

Retke, Wayne

Spano, Dee

Talboom, Mark

Villafana, Ivy

Warner, Bill

Please follow along with the Mass

by viewing the Blue Booklet

found in the Pew Pocket

in front of you.

Upcoming Celebrations

MONTHLY FINANCIAL STATEMENT 3/31/19 - 32 COLLECTIONS: $525.00 FLOWER. $233.00

ACTUAL MONTHLY EXPENSE: $1,562.61 MONTHLY INCOME (PLUS/MINUS) (+525.39)

For all those Celebrations that I have missed, Forgive Me and I sincerely hope they were all Wonderful. Wishing you all the Happiness and Repeat of your Special Day!

For more detailed Church information, read the

STOCCC Gazette which is found on the Website:

www.stoccc.org or the

APP: Saint Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Community

BIRTHDAYS

ANNIVERSARY Ivy and Jim Villafana 4/8

community meeting Sunday, April 28th after mass

topics:

• Affirmation of the Priest

• Election of the House of Ministry – Moderator and Assistant Moderator

• Open Discussion

The FAST Nehemiah Action Assembly

(TOMORROW)

April 8, 2019 at 7:00 pm

Tropicana Field

St. Petersburg, Florida

GATHERING VIDEO

OFFERTORY

VIDEO

VIDEO

COMMUNION

REPEAT REFRAIN IN THE

BEGINNING

COMMUNION SONG

IF NEEDED TO STRETCH

SANCTUARY

Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary. Pure and holy, tried and true

With thanksgiving, I'll be a living. Sanctuary for You

It is you, Lord. Who came to save

The heart and soul. Of every man

It is you Lord. Who knows my weakness

Who gives me strength. With thine own hand

Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary. Pure and Holy, tried and true

With thanksgiving I'll be a living. Sanctuary for you

Lead Me on Lord. From temptation

And Purify me. From within

Fill my heart Lord. With Your holy spirit

And Take away, Take away all my sin

Lord prepare me to be sanctuary. Pure and holy, tried and true

With thanksgiving, I'll be a living. Sanctuary for You

Lord prepare me to be sanctuary. Pure and holy, tried and true

With thanksgiving, I'll be a living. Sanctuary for You

SENDING

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) Chris Tomlin

Amazing grace, How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now I'm found

Was blind, but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed

My chains are gone, I've been set free My God, my Savior has ransomed me, And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures He will my shield and portion be, As long as life endures

My chains are gone, I've been set free My God, my Savior has ransomed me, And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace

My chains are gone, I've been set free My God, my Savior has ransomed me, And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine But God, Who called me here below, Will be forever mine.

Will be forever mine. You are forever mine.

Songwriters: Traditional / Chris Tomlin / Stan Roto Walker / Louie Giglio / David Pritchard-Blunt

VIDEO

Please join us for Fellowship.

Have a Blessed Week!

Bulletin Submissions due by Thursday at Midnight.

Email to: media.stoccc@gmail.com or by calling Bill Schwartz at PH: 727-350-3778