St. Theresa Catholic Church

January 27, 2019:  In the first reading, Ezra reads the law to the men, women, and children who could understand and they weep as they listen. His Excellency, Nehemiah tells them not to be sad, or weep because the day is holy to the Lord their God. Instead they should eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks and share with those who have nothing prepared.

In St. Paul’s letter, he tells the Corinthians that we are all baptized into one body and that body is Christ “If one part suffers. All the parts suffer with it. If one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. When Jesus came to Nazareth, he went to the synagogue or the Sabbath and read from the scroll of Isaiah announcing what he has
come to do: “bring glad tidings to the poor, proclaim Liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.”

These readings have something in common; we are all one in the Body of Christ. The Spirit that came upon Jesus also came upon the church. Jesus came to bring joy; however, in our world, we might not trust joy.  Some might see joy as false hope. Our world today needs work. Sometimes, we do not think of it as our work. This is part of our problem and can be part of our joy.

We find our strength by rejoicing in the Lord. We are Christ’s body today. Christ came to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind. This is a challenge for us, but it is a challenge that we can work at. When we sit back and think of all the ways that God has been generous to us, we
can rejoice and find strength to carry on. When we face difficulty, we are not alone. We are together, making up Christ's body, and Christ is always with us. In the Eucharist, let us be grateful for what we have been given and then, be willing to bring glad tidings to those who need us.

Please join us on the 1st Saturday and 2nd Sunday of each month for food and fellowship.   **Please note Saturday Social has moved weekends to accommodate the participation of more parishioners.

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.