FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT – February 26, 2023

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

TODAY’S MASS INTENTION: Janos & Maria Soos, by Dr. Ildiko Sipos

MASS SCHEDULE & INTENTIONS FOR THE COMING WEEK:

FROM THE DESK OF FR. BONA: “Temptation (Lat. tentare, to try or test) is here taken to be an incitement to sin whether by persuasion or by the offer of some good or pleasure. It may be merely external, as was the case of Christ’s encounter in the desert after the forty days’ fast; or it may be internal as well, inasmuch as there is a real assault upon a person’s will power. It arises sometimes from the propensity to evil inherent in us as a result of original sin. Sometimes it is directly chargeable to the intervention of the Devil, who can furnish the imagination with its sinful subject-matter and stir up the lower powers of the soul. Not infrequently both causes are at work. Temptation is not in itself sin. No matter how vivid the unholy image may be, no matter how strong the inclination to transgress the law, no matter how vehement the sensation of unlawful satisfaction, as long as there is no consent of the will, there is no sin. The very essence of sin in any grade is that it should be a deliberate act of the human will. Attack is not synonymous with surrender. This, while obvious enough, is important especially for those who are trying to serve God sedulously and yet find themselves beset on all sides by temptations. They are apt to take the fierceness and repetition of the onset as proof that they have fallen. A wise spiritual guide will point out the error of this conclusion and thus administer comfort and courage to these harassed souls.

Temptations are to be combated by the avoidance, where possible, of the occasions that give rise to them, by recourse to prayer, and by fostering within oneself a spirit of humble distrust of one’s own powers and of unbounded confidence in God. The resistance which a Christian is bound to offer need not always be direct. Sometimes, particularly when there is question of reiterated evil interior suggestions, it may be useful to employ an indirect method, that is, to simply ignore them and quietly divert the attention into another channel. Temptations as such can never be intended by God. They are permitted by Him to give us an opportunity of practicing virtue and self-mastery and acquiring merit. The fact of temptation, no matter how large it looms in a person’s life, is not an indication that such an one is under the ban. Indeed, those whom God calls to special heights of sanctity are just those who may expect to have to wrestle bravely with temptations more numerous and fearsome than fall to the lot of the average mortal” (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907-1912).

EMERIC ALTAR GUILD will hold its annual meeting, next Sunday (3/5), after Mass. All the ladies of the parish are invited to consider membership in this organization.

A Review of Lenten Regulations for Latin Catholics: 1. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of abstinence from meat and also days of fast, that is, only one full meal is allowed. Two other meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to one’s needs, but together they should not equal another full meal. 2. All Fridays during Lent are days of abstinence from meat. 3. The obligation to abstain from meat commences at 14 years old. 4. The obligation to fast commences at 18 years of age and ends at 59 years of age. 5. The laws on abstinence and fast bind under the pain of mortal sin.

WILD GAME DINNER here at St. Emeric, on March 12. Price: $40; take-out: $30; students: $15. To make your dinner reservations or to place your take home order, please call one of the ladies by March 8: Marika Zsula 216-676-5863    or    Mária Mészáros 440-331-0391. Thank you for your support of the parish.

The 2023 CATHOLIC CHARITIES ANNUAL APPEAL: Thank you to all who participated in Catholic Charities In-Pew weekend at St. Emeric! If you have not had a chance to make a gift, please visit CatholicCommunity.org/Donate, text CCHOPE to 41444, or mail your donation to the Catholic Community Foundation at 1404 E. 9th St, Cleveland OH 44114 (we will keep envelopes for few more days in the vestibule of the main doors).

LAST WEEKEND’S COLLECTION: (2/19) – Sunday collection: $1,562; maintenance: $15; air-conditioning: $100. May God reward your generosity in supporting the church. Thank you for sending in your donations by mail or using our website https://stemeric.com/donations/.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SICK, especially for Bev Kimar, Rose Dudevszky, Teréz Kalász, Lajos Boday, Julius Skerlan, Márta Takács, Zsuzsanna Hunyadi, Albert Kovács, Viola Kocskár and Mária Hokky.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE DECEASED: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen

THIS SUNDAY the 11:15 AM Mass from St. Emeric church will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/saintemeric/ and https://stemeric.com/

LET US PRAY THREE HAIL MARYS FOR OUR PARISH EVERY DAY!

Ez a bejegyzés olvasható Hungarian nyelven is.