Fr. Donald Henke, Pastor
March 11-12, 2017
636.583.2806
Saturday: 5:00 p.m. Web: www.stjosephneier.com Sunday: 8:00 & 10:00 am Email: Confessions: Chris:
Saturday 4:00 pm to 4:40 pm Rich’s Cell: 636.283.8332
From Your Pastor,
One of the real challenges for many people during Lent (including myself) is the thought of denying ourselves something good by acts of fasting, abstinence, and prayer. In a recent article written by Brian Kranick entitled, “The Liberating Power of Fasting,” he centered on the indispensable importance of fasting to gain self-mastery over worldly desires and to draw ourselves closer to God. He wrote:
The Catechism lists fasting as one of the three pillars of penance in the Christian life. Fasting, prayer and almsgiving express our conversion, respectively towards oneself, God, and neighbor. (CCC 1434)Fasting is a critical part of ourmetanoia, our turning away from sin. We are in constant need of this conversion towards God. It was when Adam and Eveatethe forbidden fruit that Original Sin and concupiscence (our attraction to sin) entered our human nature. Since then, as St. Paul eloquently wrote, “the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh.” (Gal. 5:17)This is our human predicament.The question we must ask ourselves is: Do our bodily desires and instincts rule our spirit, or does our spirit control our bodies?As Christians, we need to re-embrace this pillar of our faith and practice regularly the discipline of fasting.It is a transformational habit that would enliven the modern Church, liberate us from our intemperate desires, and bring us into a closer divine intimacy with God.It also draws us nearer to the hungry and the poor, in line with the Beatitudes of Jesus.
While the idea of fasting from food or drink, or television, or any other good thing is not easy for any of us, fasting, particularly when united to the sufferings of Christ, enables us to grow stronger in our faith, to resist temptations, and to become more charitable to others. Let’s give it a try this Lent and uphold each other in prayer for our mutual success.
A blessed Lenten week to you all!
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION this Thursday, March 16th, beginning at 7 am and ending with Benediction at 5:50 pm followed by Mass at 6:00 pm. Sign-up sheet is in back of church. We would like to have more than one person per hour sign-up. Come spend some time with our Lord this Lent.
Also, Father Henke will be available for Confessions from 5 pm to 5:40 pm
Neighboring Activities
Sunday, March 12th Breakfast at Union K of C, serving 7 – 11 am
Chicken Dinner at St. John’s Gildehaus, serving 10:30 am – 6:00 pm
St. Patrick’s Dinner at St. Stephen, Richwoods, serving 11 am – 3 pm
Divine Mercy Second Greatest Story Ever Told, March 8 thru April 5 at St. Francis Borgia Jesuit Hall on Wednesday Mornings at 8 am and Evenings at 6:30 pm. More info in back of church.
St. Joseph Events
Shooting Match Committee, if you would like to learn more about what we do, want to help work the upcoming shoot, or want to sell a Pot Shot please call Wes Straatmann at 314.808.2698.
Lenten Food Drive of canned foods and other non-perishable items ends this weekend, March 12th. Please drop food off at Mass. Thank you.
The Sick of the Parish who need your prayers
Anna Marie Brueggemann Ryan Elbert
Diane Schwentker Susan Lamke
Zachery Gossage
Karen M Bobbitt Shirley Beckman Jerry (Nick) Kimbler Walt Coble
Cecilia Helling Ed Malon
Nicholas Baravik Brandon Huels
Karen Waters Joan Carroll
Marilyn (Salvino) Kuhn Walter Schmidt
Charlie Birke Barb Mueller
Charlie Havermann George West
Stephanie Lindemann Harry Hankins
March Server List along with a Contact List is in vestibule, please pick up a copy. Note: if your child is not available, please call another server to sub for them. Thank you!