What if C.S. Lewis wrote like Lincoln? A creative essay by Frank Miller

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What if C. S. Lewis wrote like Lincoln?

by Frank Miller

 

Ninety-nine score and ten years ago our Father brought forth into this world the Incarnation, conceived in love, and dedicated to the proposition that all men were created to be in union with Him.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether His people or, or any people, so conceived and so loved, can return to their Creator. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of our time each week, in memory of Him who gave His life as a man that all peoples might live forever with Him. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we do not dedicate, we do not consecrate, we do not hallow this ground. The Son, once living, then dead and who rose and lives again has consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract anything. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say, but it can never forget what He did. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which He had thus far so nobly founded.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from the One who was and who is and will be forever, we take increased devotion to that cause for which He gave the last full measure of fulfilling God’s Will —that we here highly resolve that His sacrifice and gift of eternal life shall not be in vain—that this world, under God, shall have a new birth of eternal freedom—and His Church imbued with the Holy Spirit, to house the Body of Christ for the glory of God the Father, shall not perish from the earth and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.

 

Frank Miller is a husband, father, and grandfather of five beautiful grandchildren and a long-time parishioner at St. Thomas the Apostle. Over the years Frank has been active in many ministries. Currently, Frank is the director of our Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and a lector.  Frank has several essays published on www.Medium.com as Francis Miller.  

2023 Advent and Christmas: Mass Schedule and Special Events

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Advent Confessions will be heard on the following Saturdays at 1:00pm: 12/2, 12/9, 12/16, 12/23, and Monday, 12/18 at 7:00pm.

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Friday, December 8th will have masses at 9:00am, 11:30am, and 7:00pm.

Our Annual Christmas Concert featuring the Music Ministry and the Bloomfield Civic Band will be on Saturday, December 9th at 7:00pm.

Simbang Gabi returns to the parish after a several-year pause on Friday, December 15th at 7:00pm.

Our Annual Christmas Pageant will be held Sunday, December 17th at 1:30pm.

Sunday, December 24th will have 8:00am and 10:00am mass. There will be NO 12:00pm mass.

Christmas Eve Masses on Sunday, December 24th will be held at 4:00pm [Children's Choir], 6:00pm, and 10:00pm [Adult Choir]. 

Christmas Day Masses on Monday, December 25th will be held at 8:00am, 10:00am, and 12:00pm.

From Beyond Cornerstone: Thank you for your Thanksgiving Turkey Donations!

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The Beyond Cornerstone Ministry turkey collection was a big success! Thanks to the generosity of our parishioners, sixty three turkeys and three hams were delivered to the soup kitchen to be distributed to families in need. We also provided a van full of clothes and a van full of water.

Bloomfield UNICO provided us with a van full of food for the soup kitchen. This was twice as much as last year.

Our St. Thomas parishioners and the shoppers at Bloomfield Shoprite are to be commended for their spectacular generosity of giving.

Our next planning meeting will be Tuesday, January 9th, 2024 at 7PM in the Parish Center. All interested in this Ministry are welcome.

Help Needed with Christmas Decoration Setup

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Helpers are needed to set up our exquisite Christmas decorations! It’s that time of year to enjoy all the Christmas season brings, including beautiful lights, trees, and flowers. It can’t be done without the effort of volunteers every year. Please consider giving of your time to help make it possible.

Setup will commence at church on Saturday, December 16th at 9am. To get involved, please call or email Dan at (973) 216-7639 or dbitecola@gmail.com.

Are you unavailable or not able-bodied, but wanting to help? Please consider a donation to help offset the cost. Click here to make an online donation, or leave your donation in the basket at mass labeled “Christmas Decorations”.

Thank you for your generosity of time, talent, and treasure!

Deacon Tom's Homily for Sunday, November 19th; 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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OPEN OUR HEARTS, LORD, HELP US to love like You. Open our hearts, Lord, help us to love.

GOD IS LOVE – TOTAL, SELF-GIVING Love!

WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE God-on-the-Cross pouring Himself out totally…for us. Jesus holds nothing back.

HIS HEART IS PIERCED; IT IS completely open. He gives every drop of blood, every inch of Himself for us.

TODAY, WE PRAY FOR A HEART LIKE Jesus’ heart - the natural heart we once had a long time ago, before we first sinned.

JESUS-ON-THE-CROSS IS THE blueprint for our daily life. He tells us: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

WE EMULATE HIM BY POURING ourselves out for others.

THE GRACES, THE BLESSINGS THAT we receive, we, in turn, pour out on those around us – beginning with our family and friends.

WE SHOWER HIS COMPASSION EVEN on the stranger in the Shop-Rite who blocks our way with his cart and on the jay-walker who deliberately crosses right in front of our approaching car.

JESUS COMMANDS US: “BE compassionate as your heavenly Father is compassionate.” The forgiveness God is showing us, we are to show to those who hurt us.

LIKE THE WORTHY WIFE IN TODAY’S first reading, we reach out our hands to the poor; we extend our arms to the needy.

EACH DAY, THE PATIENCE AND THE love God is pouring out on us, we pour out on everyone we encounter.

ONE DAY, OUR MASTER WILL return. He will require an accounting from each of us of all the gifts He has poured out on us – the forgiveness, His compassion, the patience, and all the love,

ARE WE PAYING THEM FORWARD? Are we giving His gifts with an open heart to those around us?

OR ARE WE HOARDING THEM, keeping them to ourselves? Are we ignoring His gifts, burying them in the ground?

SO TODAY, WE PRAY: OPEN OUR hearts, Lord, help us to love like You. Open our hearts, Lord, help us to love.

Christmas Pageant Sunday, December 17th at 1:30pm

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The 2023 Christmas Pageant will take place on Sunday, December 17th at 1:30pm. Join the youth of the parish as they reenact the Gospel account of Jesus’ birth through story and song.

Admission is free. Attendees are kindly asked to bring a non-perishable item for our church’s food pantry.

If you have a child between the ages of 3-12, you may sign them up before November 26th via Google Form only. Please click here to be taken to the online form.

2023 Advent Giving Tree begins Saturday, November 25th

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The Saint Thomas the Apostle Rosary Confraternity is once again sponsoring our Annual Advent Giving Tree.

The gift selections will be split between the trees in the Church near the reconciliation rooms and online.

  • Gift Tags will be available the weekend of November 25th/26th. All gifts must be returned no later than the weekend of December 9th/10th.

  • Please do not wrap gifts – place items in gift bags or plastic bags. Original gift tags must be attached to the bags.

  • Gift cards (with the gift tag and $ value attached) should be placed in the collection basket or dropped off at the Parish Center.

  • Click here to be taken to the online gift signup registry.

  • Click here to be taken to the AGT ministry page which contains extra details and instructions, or to contact the volunteer team.

We appreciate your spirit of generosity and look forward to another successful year!

Meet & Greet with Fr. Jonathan A. Yabiliyok Sunday, November 12th

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The Holy Name Society is sponsoring a “Meet & Greet” with Fr. Jonathan A. Yabiliyok, our periodic visiting priest on Sunday, November 12th after the 10 a.m. Mass in the Parish Center.

Fr. Jonathan will give a short presentation on “Nigeria – Living the Catholic Faith: It’s Joys & Challenges” followed by an open Q&A.

Refreshments will be provided by our Hospitality Ministry.

A request will be made by the Holy Name Society for you to consider a free-will offering to him for essential furnishings for his congregation’s church worship space – which, for circumstances beyond its control, is currently not protected from the weather.

2023 Christmas Pageant Signup Now Open

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Signups are now open for the 2023 Christmas Pageant! It will take place Sunday, December 17th at 1:30pm. The pageant is ideal for children ages 3-12 and is open to all children of the parish. Signups this year will be conducted via Google Form now through 11/26. Please click the button below to access the form.

We hope to see your child included in this treasured STA tradition!


Concert Recital with Kimberley Mesiti, Soprano 11/8

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You are invited to attend a recital with STA Cantor Kim Mesiti on Wednesday, November 8th at 12:00pm. This will be a 30-minute program featuring classic works by Faure, Debussy, Handel, and Malotte. Kristin Johnson will be her accompanist on piano.

This recital is part of the Cathedral’s “Wednesdays at Noon” series. It will take place at The Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart at 89 Ridge Street, Newark, NJ 07104.

If you can’t make it in person, the recital will be livestreamed. Please visit the Cathedral’s Facebook page a few minutes before the concert to access the livestream.

Link: https://www.facebook.com/cathedralbasilicamusic

Please donate a Thanksgiving Turkey to the Soup Kitchen

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The Beyond Cornerstone Ministry is sponsoring a turkey collection for needy families as requested by the Missionary Sisters of Charity of St Augustine’s soup kitchen.

Thanksgiving is a great time to not only be grateful for what we have but to remember those who have less. Times are difficult and the number of those in need has risen.

In addition to the turkeys, the sisters hope to provide bags of food for Thanksgiving dinner for 50 families.

All donations of turkeys will be collected on November 18th between 7:30 and 8:30AM in the parking lot by the handicapped entrance to the church. The donated turkeys will then be delivered directly to the soup kitchen.

Thank you for your continued generosity!

Advent Wreath Activity Sunday, December 3rd

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You are invited to an Advent Wreath Activity on Sunday, December 3rd at 1:00pm in the Parish Center.

Stay and assemble your wreath while enjoying cookies, cocoa, and carols OR grab your wreath kit and assemble it at home.

Cost is $20 payable at the door. Please state whether you want to stay and decorate or grab and go. RSVP to Tracey at traceyhann2@gmail.com.

2023 Ministry Fair in Photos - Thank you to all who participated!

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A LETTER FROM OUR PASTOR

I take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has helped make this Ministry Fair a reality:

Special thanks to our Coordinator, Mallory M., for all of her efforts in organizing and executing the plans that helped to make this event the huge success that it was; members of the Pastoral Council – Marta Glogowski, Chairperson, Joe Turner, Vice Chairperson, Lorraine McMillan, Secretary- for all of their help in planning, explaining the fair to our parish leaders of ministries, and for planning the various ministry talks at Mass.

Thanks to Donna Salgado and the Hospitality Committee for keeping us well fed during the event. Special thanks to John’s Deli for donating the tray of sandwiches.

Thank you to the Music Ministry for donating the banner!

Thank you to all who purchased T-shirts!

Thank you for all who helped with the setup and cleanup of our 2023 Ministry Fair! Moving tables and chairs in our parish center is no easy feat and your efforts helped to make things go smoothly on Monday morning.

Lastly, thank you to all of our ministry volunteers. May your Stewardship of Time and Talent will be rewarded with many blessings.

There are opportunities for Volunteer Service and Christian Fellowship for people of all ages, abilities, and stages of life at our parish. Click here to find out more!

Deacon Tom's Homily for October 22nd, the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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TODAY’S GOSPEL ENCOUNTER MAY seem like just another debate about taxes, but it’s actually a vicious attack, whose goal is nothing less than crucifixion!

WHENEVER A NEW ROMAN Emperor came into power, one of the first things he did, to assert his authority, was to mint a series of coins with his image on them.

THE MAJORITY OF JEWS considered the very use of these coins blasphemy not only because of their graven image, but because their inscription proclaimed the Emperor a god!

THE TWO JEWISH FACTIONS, mentioned in our Gospel today, are bitter enemies! Despite this, they’ve teamed up to ensnare Jesus in a deadly trap.

IF THEY CAN GET HIM TO ANSWER “Yes” to their question about paying taxes to the Romans, the Pharisees are certain most of the Jews will turn against Him.

IF HE ANSWERS “NO”, THE Herodians, Jews who are collaborators with Rome, will immediately have Jesus arrested for sedition and treason!

THEY’RE SO SURE THEY’VE GOT Him!

BUT JESUS AVOIDS FALLING INTO their trap; instead, He requests to see a coin.

“Whose image is on your coin?” He asks them, and His opponents realize that they’ve been defeated.

WE CAN ALMOST SEE THEIR arrogance evaporate! Not daring to look up, they mumble: “Caesar’s”.

“Then, repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar,” Jesus tells them.

THEY’VE ENJOYED THE ROMAN roads, economic prosperity under the Pax Romana, and the freedom from anarchy that civil government provides. So, it’s only right that they pay for them.

THEN JESUS STINGS THEM TO THE core, when He demands: “And repay to God, what belongs to God.”

WHAT DOES “REPAY TO GOD, WHAT belongs to God” mean for us today?

WELL, WHOSE IMAGE IS STAMPED on each one of us?

THE BOOK OF GENESIS TELLS US God created each of us in His own image. We’ve been imprinted with His Spirit who dwells with in us and we carry His image with us wherever we go: to work, to school, to play.

SO, TO REPAY GOD WHAT IS GOD’S means loving Him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind.

IN A SENSE, EACH OF US IS GOD’S precious coin. And from all these coins, from all this wealth, a kingdom is being built: the Kingdom of God on earth!