RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
TODAY’S MASS INTENTION: Joseph Cseh, by the Family
MASS SCHEDULE & INTENTIONS FOR THE COMING WEEK:
| January | 30 | Monday | 9:00 AM | Peter & Margit Fratrics, by the Friecke Family |
| January | 31 | Tuesday | 9:00 AM | The Hepburn Family (special intention), by Ted & Betty Toth |
| February | 1 | Wednesday | 9:00 AM | Intention of Ilona Balassy |
| February | 2 | Thursday | 9:00 AM | Celebrant’s Intention |
| February | 3 | Friday | 9:00 AM | Parishioners of St. Emeric and St. Elizabeth parishes |
| February | 4 | Saturday | 5:00 PM | Dr. Michael & Mrs. Elizabeth Varga-Sinka, by Michael Varga-Sinka & Dr. Ildiko Sipos |
| February | 5 | Sunday | 11:15 AM | Anna Cseh, by the Family |
FROM THE DESK OF FR. BONA: This week, on February 2nd, we will celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. On that feast-day, we recall how the Virgin Mary, forty days after the birth of Jesus, presented her child in the Jerusalem temple. According to the custom, the parents, Mary and Joseph, offered two turtledoves or young pigeons as a sacrifice and consecrated the first-born son to the Lord. Anna and Simeon were also present at this offering of the sacrifice, as prescribed by the Mosaic Law, and Simeon called Jesus the light that enlightens the nations.
The custom of blessing candles was developed as a symbol of mankind encountering the light of the world. The candle as a symbol of Jesus Christ is one of the oldest sacramentals. Already in the early Christian era, it became a symbol of Christ: he is consumed in his service to others.
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In the Hungarian peasant tradition, the holy candle accompanied the person from the cradle to the coffin: it was lit next to the newborn until baptism; when the young mother went to church for the first time, she also carried a candle in her hand; candles were lit next to the seriously ill, a holy candle was placed in the hand of the dying person so that the devil could not overcome him, they also walked around his bed and surrounded his body with it, so as to protect him from the lurking evil. According to the women of Bő and Osli, the light of the candle shows the dying person the way to heaven, and its smoke drives away and keeps evil away from the soul.
The blessed candle was kept in the chest, or tied with a ribbon and placed on the wall, and it was mainly lit and prayed with during storms.
The people of the Szeged region believed that if the candle does not extinguish during the blessing, then there would be a good honey harvest. This is a reference to the wax of the candle. When the women of Kiszombor came home from the Candlemas, they put a pinch of the candle on the doorknob so that there would always be peace in the house, and they struck the fruit trees with it so that they would produce copiously.
In the Hungarian folk calendar, the day of Candlemas was used for weather (for the next 40 days) and crop predictions. Weather forecasting linked to the sun preserves the maxim of a medieval student, according to which: if the sun shines on Candlemas, it will be colder than it was before. (Also: if the bear sees his shadow, he hides back in his cave, because cold days are coming.) Source: Magyar Kurír
THE BLESSING OF ST. BLAISE: February 3rd is the feast-day of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr. He lived in Armenia in the early 4th century and was beheaded for his faith by Emperor Diocletian after terrible torture. He is invoked for the intercession in cases of sore throat and other ailments. The Blessing of St. Blaise (throat blessing) is a sacramental that adds to our prayers for health the aid of the merits of the Church and that of the holy intercessor. We will offer the blessing on February 3 and Sunday, February 5.
NEXT SUNDAY (February 5): we will have youth Mass.
OUR ANNUAL PORK SAUSAGE DINNER: will be held in our hall on February 5th at 12:45PM. Menu: traditional rich chicken soup, entrée of pork and rice-liver sausages with side dish of parslied potatoes and ham hock braised cabbage. Dessert is puff pastry filled with apricot jam, coffee. Cost: adults $25, students $12, children under 6 free. Also available for take-home: apricot jam filled puff pastry at $10 a dozen. To make your dinner reservations or to place your take home pastry order, please call one of the ladies by February 1: Marika Zsula 216-676-5863 or Mária Mészáros 440-331-0391. Thank you for supporting our church!
LAST WEEKEND’S COLLECTION: (1/22) – Sunday collection: $1,284; second collection: $120; in loving memory of Géza Huber: $20. 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.
THIS SUNDAY the 9:15 AM Mass from St. Elizabeth of Hungary church will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/saintemeric/ and https://stemeric.com/
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