St. Theresa Catholic Church

JUNE 17, 2018:  What is the kingdom of God like?  To what might it be compared?  The first reading from the Prophet Ezekiel offers a description of God's Kingdom.  It can be compared to the growth process of a Lebanon Cedar.  It starts out as a shoot and then transforms into a giant, powerful tree.

Jesus knows from his own ministrerial experience how people were attracted to things that were big, great and powerful.  Look at his disciples.  They were attracted to Jesus's power to do miracles, but they want nothing to do with his teaching about suffering, service and death.  When thinking about the reality of God's presence, people tend to gravitate towards images of power and grandeur.  However, Jesus came to us in an ordinary way.  The biggest complaint against Jesus during his earthly ministry life was that he was too ordinary.

The point that Jesus wants to make by using the seed parables is that the reality of God's kingdom is not found in things powerful, great and grandiose. The reality of the kingdom of God is to be found in the ordinary experiences and things of daily living.

Many people are convinced that the reality of God's kingdom can only be found in places other than the place that they are in.  The message into today's readings is for everyone to reexamine what he or she is really seeking in life.  The reality of God's kingdom can be found and experienced in the things and eperiences of ordinary, everyday life.  Sometimes, the world strives for power and greatness.  Our challenge is to strive for simplicity and contentment.

This weekend, we celebrate FATHER'S DAY.  Let us remember the Dads who are with us today, the Dads who have taken on the responsibility of fatherhood, and the Dads who have died.

Church Office Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 9:00 am to noon.  Father Mark is available on Tuesdays & Thursdays.For more announcements & news, visit the Sunday's Bulletin link at the top of this page.

For up-to-date information, visit the quick link to our Sunday's Bulletin (link found at the top of this homepage.)  

Join us for First Corinthians: The Church and the Christian Community Bible Study in St. Theresa Parish Hall beginning Wednesday, April 11, 2918 at 6:30 p.m. and continuing every Wednesday for 10 weeks. Cost for materials is $26.50. Contact Ann Buettner for registration information 903-736-2032 or a1buett@gmail.com.

Shop at Amazon, Support Catholic Charities:  If you shop on Amazon, you can support Catholic Charities of Diocese of Tyler! Amazon Smile contributes back .5% of your purchase to our Catholic Charities agency. Simply go to smile.amazon.com website (Amazon Smile) and login using your normal Amazon username and password. The same username and password for Amazon is used to log on to Amazon Smile. Once on Amazon Smile, search charity of choice for Catholic Charities-Diocese of Tyler. That’s it. Go shopping! Please note that you have to start each shopping session at smile.amazon.com instead of the usual Amazon website. This shopping on Amazon Smile could provide substantial revenue for Catholic Charities in their work with the poor and marginalized in our Diocese.

If anyone would like to be visited by Fr. Mark, please call the rectory at 903-845-2306. Also, if prayers are no longer needed, please let us know.