RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
TODAY’S MASS INTENTION: Attila Balogh, Éva Molnár
MASS SCHEDULE & INTENTIONS FOR THE COMING WEEK:
| January | 9 | Monday | 9:00 AM | Stephen Palko (health), by the Family |
| January | 10 | Tuesday | 9:00 AM | Parishioners of St. Emeric and St. Elizabeth parishes |
| January | 11 | Wednesday | 9:00 AM | István Incze, by the Karácsony Family |
| January | 12 | Thursday | 9:00 AM | Maria Barath (special intention) |
| January | 13 | Friday | 9:00 AM | Benefactors of St. Emeric parish |
| January | 14 | Saturday | 5:00 PM | Dobos-Nemeth Family, by Frank Dobos |
| January | 15 | Sunday | 11:15 AM | István Szappanos, by the Family |
FROM THE DESK OF FR. BONA: The distinctive element of the Epiphany is the story of the magi, the wise men, who came from afar to adore the newborn King, the Savior of the world. The word that describes them in Greek is magoi and it is a bit difficult to translate. From what we can tell, it refers to a religious caste, priests, teachers, wise men, astrologers, physicians, but also soothsayers and sorcerers. As part of their religion, these priests or wise men of the Persian religion paid particular attention to the stars and gained an international reputation for astrology, which was at that time highly regarded as a science. Thus, we can say that these wise men were the scientists of the day and in them science comes to bow down before God.
Fast forward to today, and we see how now science wants to claim the place of God. Many of us who grew up during communism remember the story that the servile schoolteachers of the regime never failed to mention: how a Russian cosmonaut returned from his first venture into space and proudly announced that he had been into the heavens and could now verify that God was nowhere to be seen. However, this worldview was not restricted to the East. In the West as well, the idea that the science is the only objective reality, spread with rather relative ease. We have reached a point where we now have a new religion: scientism. It is the belief that whatever cannot be experienced by the senses, i.e., seen, touched, heard, etc., simply does not exist. If doctors or physicists claim something, it must be true.
One of the main problems of scientism is that science, no matter how hard it tries, cannot tell us what is right and what is wrong. Highlighting this glaring hole, our recently passed away Pope Benedict XVI in his inaugural homily in 2005 said: “Science alone cannot provide us with a definitive and binding interpretation; it is unable to offer us, in its interpretation, that certainty with which we can live and for which we can even die. A greater mandate is necessary for this, which cannot derive from human abilities alone. The voice of the living Church is essential for this, of the Church entrusted until the end of time to Peter and to the College of the Apostles.”
Faith and reason are not opposed. Reason assesses, faith trusts. Reason assesses whether or not something or someone is trustworthy, and then faith believes that certain things are true in light of the reasons. Not blind faith, but a reasonable step of trust. In sum, Faith is not opposed to reason, but it goes beyond, because science is limited in its powers and does not provide answers that we need for our lives.
PLEASE, PICK UP YOUR 2023 YEAR DONATION ENVELOPES IN THE SUNDAY OFFICE. Thank you for your generosity in supporting the parish throughout the year. If there are any address changes, please notify us.
TRADITIONAL HUNGARIAN DOUGHNUTS: The Ladies of the St. Emeric Altar Guild are baking Hungarian style doughnuts. They are $16 a dozen and must be ordered by January 18, 2022, by calling one of the ladies: Marika Zsula 216-676-5863 or Maria Meszaros 440-331-0391. Pick up: January 22, Sunday, before or after the 11:15 AM Mass or the day before, Saturday between 4 and 5 PM. Thank you for supporting St. Emeric Church!
LAST WEEKEND’S COLLECTION: (1/1) – Sunday Collection: $2,717; Christmas: $2,420. Maintenance: $400; in loving memory of Attila Szigethy: $200. 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 and Viola Kocskár.
THIS SUNDAY the 11:15 AM Mass from St. Emeric church will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/saintemeric/ and https://stemeric.com/
This post is also available in: Hungarian
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