The next collection will be the weekend of October 7th and October 8th.

The needed items will again be cereal, soup, shampoo, and bar soup.  Thanks for your kindness!

Please bring nonperishable food items and place them in the bin near the Cry Room.

“Open your hand freely to your poor and to your needy kin in your land.”    (Deuteronomy 15:11)

 

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Management Unfair

               The workers in this weekend’s Gospel reading (Matthew 20:1-16) grumbled because the landowner gave the same wages to the ones who only worked for an hour as those who worked all day. (You can imagine the picket signs:  Vinedressers Local on Strike: Management Unfair!) Sometimes we see this parable as an explanation for why sinners who repent on their deathbed can get to heaven. But Matthew was more likely referring to the Jews who had served God for centuries and now see newcomer Gentiles claiming equality in the church. They were complaining about God’s generosity in reaching out to all peoples, not just the chosen few. God’s generosity is the real point. Those who realize how blessed they are in being called to do God’s work have no problem sharing that blessing with others. When we see how much God loves us, we naturally want to respond with love and service of our own. That is what the grumblers, both in the parable and in Matthew’s church, were missing.

Contrast that with St. Paul, who loves the Philippians so much that he is willing to put off his heavenly reward if he can help any more people come to Christ. Paul is more interested in their welfare than in his own reward. That is the attitude that Jesus hopes for in all his disciples. We can love him so much that we can’t help but share that love with those around us. We can be so grateful for what he has done for us that we will suffer anything with joy. We can care more about bringing Jesus to others than we do about our own comfort or even our lives. We can do this because we know the Lord’s ways are not fair—they are more generous than we can imagine!

-Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications

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 Saint Vincent de Paul – September 27

St. Vincent de Paul was born in the 16th century and lived on a small farm in Gascony, France. As a child, he worked herding his family’s livestock and entered seminary at age 15. He was ordained at age 19 but since he was too young to be a pastor, he continued his theological studies.  He initially hoped priesthood would afford him a comfortable life, but he had a change of heart while hearing the confession of a dying servant. From then on, he sought to fulfill the spiritual needs of the poor in France. He eventually became the leader of the Vincentian community, whose members devoted themselves to the service of the poor in small towns and villages. Throughout his life he established confraternities of charity, organized fundraisers for missionary projects, founded hospitals and seminaries, and ransomed slaves. He also had a particular passion for training priests by conducting retreats. Vincent started out as a hard and rough man but became tender and sensitive to others’ needs. Let us be uplifted by the example of St. Vincent de Paul, who allowed himself to be transformed by Christ in both character and deeds. May we follow his example and seek to serve those in need in whatever capacity God may be calling us to.

—Tami Urcia, Diocesan Publications

 

 

News from Knights of Columbus Council 5535

There is a lot going on with your local Knights of Columbus Council and we hope you will join us for fraternity and service to our parish and to the Beaches community.  We have Bingo every Wednesday and Sunday from 4:00 – 7:00 PM. Great payouts every week and a key “FUN”draising activity.

October 1st Blood Drive and Pancake Breakfast.  Please join us in the Family Life Center from 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM for pancakes, Jaguars football, and helping our community through the gift of donating blood.

October 6^th First Friday Mass and Dinner at the Columbian Hall, 1401 2nd Avenue North.

October 8th Pancake Breakfast and Jaguars Watch Party on the big screen in the Columbian Center at 1401 2nd Ave N. Jacksonville, Florida 32250.

October 15th Annual Pumpkin Patch There is no better place to get your Halloween Pumpkins.

Open Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM and Monday through Friday from 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM.

November 6th  SAVE THE DATE Second Annual Golf Tournament at Glen Kernan Country Club.

This fundraiser supports Emergency Pregnancy Services, Pine Castle, L’Arche, Morning Star School, and multiple organizations at the beach.  Please consider getting a foursome together or sponsoring the event as a family or business. Visit the tournament website at https://st-pauls-knights-of-columbus-golf.perfectgolfevent.com/ or contact Michael Strong at (904) 228-7338 / mstrongjax1@gmail.com, Steve Puskas at (904) 930-8807 / puskasconsulting@comcast.net .