Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Built on rock—standing strong against the storm. Built on sand—unsettled and shiftless in the wind.

The Middlers knew right away how fairytale-like today’s gospel is. And they knew the fairytale—The Three Little Pigs. So, we retold the story of Wolf v. Pigs and revisited its moral—work hard, build strong and be safe.

We questioned, however, whether the gospel taught the same moral. Not! As Jesus casts his eye toward the cross, he teaches a very different moral. We must be strong in order to be strong and not safe. In fact, our strength (or shall we say, “Rock”) is Jesus, who commands us to follow him and risk everything to save all.

First Penance

Our 2^nd Grade First Communion Class will celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday, March 12^th, at 11 AM in the Upper Church. Parents and kids should arrive no later than 10:45 and come directly into the church.

First Penance in First Communion News

Parents of our 2^nd Graders should check the First Communion News on the Parish Website for more information about First Penance Ceremony. First Communion News can be found in the drop-down box at the Religious Education link on the Homepage of the Parish Website or in the links column on the Religious Education Page.

Ash Wednesday

This Wednesday, March 9^th, is Ash Wednesday. There will be a special Prayer Service and Distribution of Ashes for our kids in KidsRelig at 4:00 PM in the Upper Church. The entire parish is invited to this Prayer Service. See the Weekly Schedule column in this edition of the bulletin for the Ash Wednesday Mass Schedule.

Looking for Special Family Graces

Send in your family grace to share with us. If you don’t have one, why not write one now. One 1^st Grade has already written a grace, which we’ll share next week. It’s beautiful!

Love,

Deacon Charlie