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January 12th, 2003

Baptism of the Lord

Let Us Pray For Those Seriously Ill
 Frank Plantamura, Marie Starz, Bruno Spazian, and Angela Krajnik. 

Vocation reflections

As Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John, a voice came from the heavens saying, “this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”.  Through our baptism we are called to follow Jesus as His disciples.  Does God want you to do this as a Priest, Religious or Deacon?

 If you feel this call, “inquire within” and Please contact the Vocations Office the Vocations Office at (973) 497-4365 or by E-mail at kellyric@rcan.org. Or visit our web site at www.rcan.org. 

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STEWARDSHIP 
             

STEWARDSHIP SCRIPTURE  REFLECTION
Jesus is the beloved Son of the Father.  He is the light of the nations and Lord of all creation.  To him be all glory and praise! 

Our Weekly Offering

December 2002

December 28/29    $ 4,971.

Month’s Total  $26,653.

Month’s Average  $  5,330.

Mailed in, thank you  $     266.     

Our Weekly Offering

January 2003

January 4/5    $ 6,034.

Month’s Total  $ 6,034.

Month’s Average  $ 6,034.

Mailed in, thank you  $    535.  

WEEKLY AVERAGE COMPARISONS:
Month  ‘01 Monthly Avg.     ‘02 Monthly Avg.
December       $6,056.                 $5,330.  

January          $5,657.                 $6,034.

Christmas Collection

Due to the generosity of the parishioners of our Parish, the Church has received $22,682.; however, last year’s Christmas collection was $28,513.  Thank you for all of your efforts.

HOLY HOUR FOR PRIESTS

 HOLY HOUR WILL RESUME JANUARY 7TH!!

Every Tuesday the Blessed Sacrament is exposed in the church from 3 to 4 p.m.  It is an hour of prayer for the priests, DIVINE MERCY and religious men and women of the church.  Prayers are also said for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life.  We invite you to come and spend time with the Lord for these intentions and for your personal requests.  The Holy Hour closes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.  If you cannot join us in church, we ask you to join us from a quiet spot in your home and pray with us, asking the Lord to guide and protect our priests. 

Seniors Cancelled

St. Anne’s Seniors’ meeting for Monday, January 13th has been cancelled due to auditorium improvements. 

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Our Web Site

                     http://stannesjc.com         

When you log on and browse around you’ll see all kinds of information about our parish. Included, of course, will be the current activities for the many different organizations as well as an update as to what is going on with our parish family.
Do not let evil defeat you: Instead, conquer evil with good!!

By your wounded heart: teach us love, teach us love, teach us love..... -Daphne Fraser

Second Collection

St. Anne’s School will be celebrating Catholic Schools’ Week January 27th –31st. Throughout the week students and teachers will participate in special activities and invite parents/guardians to observe.

We will have a second collection the weekend of January 25/26 for St. Anne’s Education Fund to kick off Catholic Schools’ Week.  This fund was established a few years ago to assist with the education of St. Anne’s School children.

Day of Recollection

Are you a young single adult woman, age 18-35, searching to deepen your spiritual life?  The Felician Franciscan Sisters invite you for a day of recollection on Saturday, January 18th at Heart of Mary Convent, 257 S. Main St., Lodi from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  For more info, call Sr. Marilyn Minter at 973-473-5923.

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MONDAY   Heb 1:1-6 Ps 97:1,2b,6,7c,9 Mk 1:14-20

TUES.  Heb 2:5-12 Ps 8:2a,5-9 Mk 1:21-28

WED.  Heb 2:14-18 Ps 105:1-4,6-9 Mk 1:29-39

THURS.  Heb 3:7-14 Ps 95:6-11 Mk 1:40-45

FRIDAY  Heb 4:1-5,11 Ps 78:3,4bc,6c-8 Mk 2:1-12

SATURDAY   Heb 4:12-16 Ps 19:8-10,15 Mk 2:13-17

NEXT SUNDAY - 2ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME  1Sm 3:3b-10,19 Ps 40:2,4,7-10 1Cor 6:13c-15a,17-20 Jn 1:35-42

Finance Committee Meeting  

There will be a Finance Committee Meeting held on Monday,January 13th at 7:30 p.m. in the rectory.  Be sure to pick up your finance packet from the rectory.  Thank you.

2003 Anniversary Liturgies

Archbishop John J. Myers has announced the following dates to honor couples in our Archdiocese who will be celebrating five, twenty-five or fifty years of Christian marriage in 2003: (Please come to the rectory to register.)               

  March 23, 2003 - 3:00 p.m.  5 & 25 Years     Deadline to register: March 12th

  April 6, 2003 - 3:00 p.m.  50 Years      Deadline to register: March 26th   

CCD News

·          January 12th  - First Reconciliation parent meeting in Chapel Hall at 1 p.m.  Please be on time.  There will be no make-up meeting.

·          January 19th - New Confirmation parent meeting in Chapel Hall at 1 p.m..  Please be on time.  All must attend this meeting.  There will be no make-up meeting.

·          January 26th - Open House 11:30 am.-12:30 p.m.   Parents are to be here at 11 a.m. to discuss important matters of the Religious Education Program.  At 11:30 children will come down to Chapel Hall to meet parents and proceed to visit teachers and receive report cards.

·          January 30th - New Confirmation classes begin for public school 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Parish Center #3.  Parents, please make sure candidates are here on time and attend every week.  If they miss 3 classes, they will have to wait for next group.

·          The Religious Education Program will be sponsoring a trip to Villa Roma in the Catskills July 1st-6th.    It is a family resort.  The price includes accommodations, food, indoor/outdoor recreation, night entertainment and transportation.  If you’re interested, please contact Sister Alberta at 201-659-1794 as reservations have to be in by end of February.

See flyer for Valentine Dance on Feb. 15th.  

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    Personal Meditation      

January 12th, 2003

Is 42:1-4, 6-7, Mk 1:7-11

Gospel Reading

John the Baptist preached to the people saying, "After me comes one who is more powerful than I am; I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit. As for me, I am not worthy to bend down and untie his sandals."

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth, a town of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And the moment he came up out of the water, heaven opened before him and he saw the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. And these words were heard from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved, the One I have chosen."

Reflections

Why was Jesus baptized? Wasn't John's baptism "for the forgiveness of sins?" Why should the sinless one, Jesus, descend into the swirling, filthy waters of repentance? The question is really even more basic: why should the Son of God have descended at all? Because, this is the strangeness of Jesus: he is the God who descends. The Creed tells us that "he came down from heaven." St. Paul's letter to the Philippians tells us that he not only "took the form of a slave," but that he humbled himself, lowered himself even further, "accepting death, death on the cross." As if that were not low enough, the Creed proclaims that he "descended into hell," descending to the lowest possible place of Godforsakenness that the human beings can reach. On this last day of the Christmas season, we are confronted with the radicality of the mission of the Incarnate Son: to enter deeper and deeper into our humanity, to descend lower and lower into our pain, our desolation, our hells, to search for the lost sheep however far he or she has strayed, to fill all our darkness with the radiance of the Beloved Son. In this upwardly mobile world, where one's value as a person is measured by the heights of success and position one ascends, the Son of God descending into the Jordan and into the chaos of humanity offers a counter invitation.

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There is a danger that baptism and confirmation may become merely status encounters for us if we take pride in our relationship with the Holy Spirit but refuse to release the Spirit for others. Today's readings see the Spirit as a catalyst for aiding the down-and-out, not as a private gift for cushioning our own ego. Here, the Holy Spirit's power energizes the powerless.

In the first reading, the spirit-imbued servant looks to the good of the despiritualized community. Without resorting to violence, he witnesses to God's glory on earth by empowering the powerless. For Isaiah, to receive God's spirit is to respond to the task of reviving and transforming the brokenhearted and discouraged.

Luke, the author of Acts, shows in the second reading that salvation does not depend on being a Jew. It is sufficient to fear God and practice righteousness. Luke looks back to the baptism preached by John and the ministry of Jesus. For Luke, Jesus' reception of the Spirit propels Jesus to do good works.

Mark links the baptism scene with the prophetic career of Jesus. Like the servant in the first reading, Jesus will accomplish his mission by reaching out to the hurting. To this end Mark shows the consequences of the baptism by showing Jesus curing the demoniac, Peter's mother-in-law, and a leper.

Small gestures and few words often go a long way in alleviating the pain of those hurting. A visit to a shut-in is much more than spending an hour with an elderly or sick person. It is a release of God's Spirit to offset the aches of loneliness and isolation. A word of encouragement to a struggling child or a grief-stricken adult is much more than the formulation of several sentences. It is the sending forth of God's Spirit to counteract the hurts of discouragement and despair. These are but two examples of the myriad ways in which the modern believer can confront evil. Such ways clearly announce that the Holy Spirit's power energizes the powerless.