MEDITATION Sunday, January 19, 2020

The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

See Worship Book 868 Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin

of the world. (John 1:29) We hear these words at every Mass as the Host and Chalice are raised for all to see. They are so familiar that perhaps they have lost some of their force. So let’s take a closer look at this marvelous invitation. Behold. Don’t just glance. Behold. Look deeply, carefully, and prayerfully. Look with the expectation that you will discover something important. Trust that Jesus wants to reveal himself to you. Behold, the Lamb of God. What are you beholding? God’s greatest gift to the world—to you. You are beholding Jesus, the one true sacrifice sent from heaven. He is the spotless Lamb, innocent of all sin and meek and gentle of heart. He is the fulfillment of ancient Israel’s Passover celebration. He has come so that you can pass over from death to life, from slavery to freedom. Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away sin. Look closely. See in this Host the promise of forgiveness. See Jesus, who surrendered his body and blood on a cross for you. See Jesus, who has taken your very sin upon himself and brought it into the grave with him. See him rising again, leaving your sin behind in that grave, where it remains today, dead and buried. You are no longer bound by it. Jesus has borne it away, and you can walk away from it too—step by halting step as you continue to place your faith in him. Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Not just your sin but the sin of every single person on earth, past, present, and future. No one is beyond his reach. No one is devoid of hope. Everyone can know forgiveness and freedom. Even the people you are struggling to forgive. Behold him, and believe that he can bring reconciliation and healing to all people. Behold, the Lamb of God! And receive him with joy and an open heart.

“Lord, I am not worthy. Only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.”

Reprinted with permission from The Word Among Us

FEATURED ON THE COVER. Christmas preparations begin in the Parish Hall, 2012. “In the early 1960’s, nativity scenes were assembled through the efforts of Bob Juaire Sr. and Assistant Pastor Father John Gleason, S.M. (1912-1976), This prefabricated crib consisted of three walls, a floor and roof piece that all bolted together. It was affectionately called “the dog house.” The crib was then surrounded with real pine trees donated from several tree lots. In the later 1960’s, Bob Sr. brought in his three sons to help, and was also joined by his brother Del and his children. In 1973, Bob Sr.’s second oldest son George was given the opportunity to design a new nativity scene and pass the dog house on to another family for their front yard display. The new nativity scene was very different; the manger was a fragmented building, the background consisted of blue staggered panels and a forest of white painted trees standing in pools of white fake snow. The design was inspired by holiday display windows down at the Dayton’s Dept. Store. Bob Sr. and eldest son Robert helped with construction and painting.” edited from information sent by George Juaire.

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday, January 20 1 Samuel 15:16-23 Psalm 50:8-9,16-17,21,23; Mark 2:18-22 Tuesday, January 21 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 89:20-22,27-28; Mark 2:23-28 Wednesday, January 22 1 Samuel 17:32-33,37,40-51; Psalm 144:1-2,9-10; Mark 3:1-6 Thursday, January 23 1 Samuel 18:6-9; 19:1-7; Psalm 56:2-3,9-13; Mark 3:7-12 Friday, January 24 1 Samuel 24:3-21; Psalm 57:2-4,6,11; Mark 3:13-19 Saturday, January 25 Acts 22:3-16; Psalms 117:1-2; Mark 16:15-18 Sunday, January 26 Isaiah 8:23—9:3; Psalm 27:1,4,13-14; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17; Matthew 4:12-23

Prayer Requests If you or someone you know is in need of prayers, please call or email the parish office and we will add their names to our ongoing parishioners and friends list of intentions:markmstlouis@comcast.net or call 651-224-3379. Also, kindly us know when the names of people should be removed.

Please pray for our parishioners and friends of St. Louis Church who are sick: Mark Joseph Acesor, Bill, Sharon Bigot, Tim Brandenburger, Christy, Ginny Collins, Monty Denniston, Estrella DeVeyra, Shirley Dufresne, Barb Arland-Frye, Greg Ennis, William F. Faulkner, Anne Hallgren, Lee Hallgren, Margaret Ann Hennen, Gus Hasouris, Lary Haupt, Sister Marie, Ruth Murray, Robert and Gretchen Naegeli, Tom Nutter, Mary Bartel O’Connell, Zachary Redland, Joan Schmitt, Roy Sheehan, Jean Sluss, Paul Steffel, Brian Walstad, Justin Woessner.

ENTRANCE HYMN 662 • On this day, the first of days

RESPONSORIAL PSALM 868 • Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

POSTCOMMUNION HYMN 697 • When Jesus came to Jordan

CHORAL MUSIC AT THE 11:00 AM MASS

Cantate Domino Giuseppi Pitoni (1657-1743) Sing to the Lord a new song: praise him in the company of his saints. Rejoice, Israel, in him who made you, and exult, daughter of Sion, in your King. — Paraphrase of Psalm 148.

Communion Lætabimur in salutari tuo Graduale Romanum, Mode II We shall rejoice in your salvation; and in the name of the Lord our God shall we place our pride — Psalm 19:6.

Antiphon Sub tuum præsidium Mode VII Under thy protection we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our needs, but from all dangers deliver us always, Virgin Glorious and Blessed.

— Oldest extant Hymn to the Blessed Virgin; circa 250 A.D.

Agnus Dei Thomas Morley (1557/8-1602) O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

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TUESDAY ORGAN RECITALS, 12:35 pm — 1:05 pm 21 January 2020 • Dr. Michael Ging

Director of Music/Organist-in-Residence, New Hope Lutheran Church, Missouri City, TX;

Associate Director of Music/Organist, Saint John Vianney Catholic Church, Houston, TX.

RING OUT, O BELLS… DATE REQUEST FOR INTENTION REQUESTED BY January 20 Don Gervais Happy Birthday Fred Lenertz, Sr. and Jr. January 21 Eileen and Jim Noble Happy Anniversary Helene Houle January 23 Julie Lindner Happy Birthday Nancy and Bruce Lindberg OPEN BELL DATES: The following dates are still open in January and February for anyone wishing to have the bells rung in memory or in honor of a loved one: January 24th-31st. February 3rd-4th, 7th-8th, 10th-11th, 18th-19th, 23rd-24th, 29th. Please call the rectory during office hours to make arrangements.

MASS INTENTIONS

Monday, January 20 St. Fabian, St. Sebastian 6:45 Don Gervais 12:10 Mark Mullaney Tuesday, January 21 St. Agnes 6:45 Dominic Lentz 12:10 †Gerry LeClaire Wednesday, January 22 Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children 6:45 Protection of Unborn Children 12:10 †John and †Esther Lesnar Thursday, January 23, St. Vincent, St. Marianne Cope 6:45 Souls in Purgatory 12:10 Tim Warnest Friday, January 24 St. Francis de Sales 6:45 Mark Mullaney 12:10 †John and †Clara Thomas Saturday, January 25 The Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle 6:45 Charles Felion 5:00 †Jordan Joseph Ussai Sunday, January 26 The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 7:00 Living and Deceased Parishioners and Friends of St. Louis Church 9:15 Loretta Wolf 11:00 Franklin Barrett 12:30 Joseph and Carol Gramling

Restoration Collection Next Weekend to help with the expenses incurred by the extraordinary maintenance and repair projects recently completed and currently underway.

Tax Letters Regarding Contributions If you would like to receive a letter with the total amount you have contributed to St. Louis Church during the 2019 calendar year, please email Mark at markmstlouis@comcast.net, drop a note in the collection or call the parish office at 651-224-3379.

Prayer Service for Life January 22, 10:30 a.m., Cathedral of Saint Paul. Celebrated by Rev. John L Ubel, this annual prayer service commemorates the millions of lives lost to abortion and the many women and men wounded by abortion’s aftermath. All are invited and welcome.

Why Fight the Ice and Snow Ample free and dry parking is available for weekend Masses throughout the year in the Andersen Human Services Building just across Tenth Street. Enter and Exit on Minnesota Street.

Conference for Restorative Justice and Reconciliation Thursday, January 23, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Holiday Inn & Suites, Lake Elmo. !This conference is open to all victim/ survivors and anyone who has been impacted by clergy sexual abuse. There is no fee to attend; however, space is limited. To reserve a space and lunch, please email Paula Kaempffer, Archdiocesan Outreach Coordinator for Restorative Justice and Abuse Prevention at kaempfferp@archspm.org or Tom Ring, Assistant Ramsey County Attorney at tom.ring@co.ramsey.mn.us or call 651.291.4429 for more information.

Living in Love February 1, 2020, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. at St. Peter’s Church in Mendota. ! A day for all couples just married through 7 years of marriage. Join us for lively presentations with practical, relevant, and inspirational examples from the creators, Brad and Libby that will open up conversations for you and your spouse. Living in Love provides an extraordinary opportunity for married couples to reconnect with their own love history through private couple time, brief communal prayers, and a renewal of vows. There is no large group discussion or open sharing. $40 per couple and includes a course book, light breakfast and a catered lunch. Register at www.archspm.org.

Retirement Fund for Religious Thanks to the kind generosity of our Parishioners and Friends, St. Louis raised $664.00 for the Retirement Fund for Religious.

SCAM! The archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul has received reports that text messages are being sent to parishioners requesting that they purchase gift cards from a specific store. The text appears to come from the parishioners’ pastor which may cause the intended target to let their guard down. In the text message, instructions are given to scratch the back off the gift card and send a photocopy of the code via a response to the text. This is a SCAM. Please be cautious!

PARISH CALENDAR Monday, January 20 Rosary in the Church 11:40am Monday, January 20 Parish offices closed. MLK Day Tuesday, January 21 Organ Recital following the 12:10 Mass Wednesday, January 22 Eucharistic Exposition 11:00am to 12 Noon In conjunction with the schedule of the Archdiocese, our Parish Office will be closed for Martin Luther King Day on Monday, January 20

Masses and Bells at St. Louis 2020 For those wishing to reserve a Mass intention, there are envelopes in the vestibule of the church and the chapel. The Stipend is $10 per Mass The ringing of the Bells can also be reserved using the Bell Envelopes in the vestibule of the church. The offering for the bells is $25.

Catholic Spirit Make it your New Year’s resolution to be a Catholic in the know. Subscribe to The Catholic Spirit for local, national and world Church news, inspiring faith stories, and a Catholic take on issues shaping our culture. You can receive The Catholic Spirit at no cost by contacting your parish office and asking to be added to your parish list. Questions or story ideas? Contact us at CatholicSpirit@archspm.org. The Catholic Spirit is the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. 9 Days for Life Join thousands of Catholics nationwide in the annual Respect Life novena, , Tuesday, January 21 - Wednesday, January 29. Get daily intentions, brief reflections, and more. Sign up at www.9daysforlife.com!

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