Church of the Home for Saturday, August 19

The Universal Church

We've all heard about Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. In the speech, Dr. King called for civil rights and an end to racism in America. He proclaims "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

What is Jesus's dream for us and his church? How can we sum up all his teachings and preachings into the hope he has for the world?

It may be as simple as a vision of unifying love that encircles every soul together as one through the catholic church.

Notice the word "catholic" within that statement. It's not capitalized. You may notice in the creed we recite at Mass that catholic is not capitalized there either. Is there a difference between catholic and Catholic?

Catholic--The word comes from the Greek meaning "through the whole," that is "universal," "world-wide," "all inclusive." This is the meaning when the word starts with a lower-case c as in "We need to become more catholic in our attitudes." In talking about the "Catholic Church" (Catholic with a capital C), members often mean "the pope and the bishops" or "the Vatican." But Vatican Council II, in its Constitution on the Church, used several other terms with inclusive meanings like "the People of God." (Xavier University, read more about the definition of Catholic)

How can we be more catholic in building up the Kingdom of God on earth? How can your Church of the Home become more universal?

We learn from the early church about spreading the love of God and bringing communities together. We look to church documents that teach unity such as Nostra Aetate, or "In Our Times," a document from Vatican II that opened up relations between Catholicism and non-Christian religions. And of course, we follow the ways of Christ, like his acceptance of the Canaanite woman in this weekend's Gospel.

Nostra Aetate Document

Pope Francis’ ‘Let Us Dream’ inspires readers to meet the challenge of our age

Here are five lessons from the early Church on building unity within and beyond our Churches of the Home:

1 – Show hospitality (Act 2:46)

When we invite others into our personal spaces, we open our hearts to them. They receive a glimpse into a more intimate picture of who we are and how we live as a family. Feeding, sheltering, encouraging, teaching, and even nursing back to health are all means of serving God’s people.

2 – Practice sincere love (Act 2:44-45)

When we show a Christ-like, sacrificial love for others, we create a bond with those we serve. The early church ensured they all had what they needed without partiality.

3 – Live in unity (Act 2:42)

We don’t have to agree on everything to pray, worship, serve, and encourage one another. It’s not about us; it’s about Christ.

We don’t have to agree on everything to pray, worship, serve, and encourage one another.

4 – Focus on the Mission (Act 4:31)

The early church knew how miraculous salvation was and what their mission was. Remembering the call to go and make disciples can help us focus and maintain unity around the teachings of Christ and His love for the world.

5 – Walk in Humility (Act 6:1-5)

It’s hard to understand people who are different than us, and it takes listening with a spirit of humility and putting others above ourselves. We cultivate an environment where unity can flourish when we walk in humility.

60 Days to 60 Years Continues

As we continue the countdown to our 60th Anniversary,

Resurrection invites you to participate in the many events being offered

Check out the 60th Anniversary Webpage

Join us for Mass this weekend in person

at 4:00 PM on Saturday, 8:30 or 10:30 AM on Sunday, on www.gbres.org/live, our YouTube channel, and our Facebook page.

READINGS FOR THIS WEEKEND’S MASSES

Sunday Readings

Scripture Reflection by Roger Vanden Busch

Sunday Connection from Loyola Press

VIRTUALLY SUNDAY REFLECTION

We know Jesus is the universal savior of the world. But how did he come to understand that he was to bring the love of God to everyone? What experiences did he have with nationalities and cultures other than his own that brought him to be universally accepting? As we learn from Jesus, we hear the call to accept all our neighbors. Join Fr. Paul as he reflects on this weekend's scripture readings.

Families

Weekend Gospel

Activity

This Weekend's Bulletin

(click to read)

Recent Loss in our Parish Family

Patricia Relich's Obiturary

Announcements

Robin Scott and Rachel Westenberg of We All Rise: African American Resource Center Inc. visit Katie and Tony to share how they are working to to create and help restore a vibrant African American community in Green Bay.

Revealed Podcast Webpage