Note From The Pastor
 
 “Our strength is prayer, and the prayer of a humble person is the weakness of God. The Lord is weak only in this one sense: He is weak before the prayers of His people.” 
~ Pope Francis
 
There is a lot happening in our country this week, many things for which we need to pray.  Let me provide a brief rundown and some recommendations and resources for prayer. 
 
First, there is 40-hour devotion at St. John Vianney Church beginning Sunday at 11:30 AM and concluding Tuesday at   7:00 PM.  Adoration will go to Midnight on Sunday and Monday evenings.  Fr. Sean Aaron will preach at Evening Prayer on Sunday at 7:00 PM and Fr. James De Oreo will preach the closing on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
 
The week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins on January 18.  For over 100 years, this annual observance has involved Christians from across the globe.  In a time of great division, suspicion, and rash judgment, we all need to pray for unity within the Body of Christ.  We will include prayers in our Masses, and I encourage all to pray for Christian unity.  Resources from the Graymoor Institute may be found at: www.geii.org 
 
Monday, January 18 is also Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.  Archbishop Gomez, President of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, expressed the need for Catholics to honor the memory of Rev. King.  In a statement Archbishop Gomez noted,
 
“Let us honor the memory of Rev. King by returning to what he called ‘the best in the American dream and the most sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage.’  Let us commit ourselves once more to building Rev. King’s ‘beloved community,’ an America where all men and women are treated as children of God, made in His image and endowed with dignity, equality, and rights that can never be denied, no matter the color of their skin, the language they speak, or the place they were born.”
 
We also need to keep this in our prayer this week.
 
Friday of this week (Jan. 22) marks the anniversary of the decision legalizing abortion in the United States.  On Friday, all Catholics in the United States are asked to observe a “day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion.” (GIRM #373).  Friday, Mass at both parishes will focus on the respecting of human life.
 
There are numerous other prayer and worship events scheduled, including the Vigil for Life at St. Elizabeth Seton Church in Carmel on Thursday evening as well as adoration at Holy Spirit Church on Sunday, Jan. 24 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM.  Details are elsewhere in the bulletin.   9 Days for Life is a novena from January 21-29 of which you may participate.  You may go to 9daysforlife.com to sign up. 
 
Wednesday, January 20, 2021 is Inauguration Day.  Given our political divisions and the violence of earlier this month, we need to pray for a peaceful transition of power and for our nation.  
 
In closing, I share the prayer offered at the inauguration of President George Washington by Archbishop John Carroll, first Catholic Bishop of the United States.  I encourage us all to pray it this week.
 
We pray you, O God of might, wisdom, and justice,
through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed,
assist with your Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States,
that his administration may be conducted in righteousness,
and be eminently useful to your people,
over whom he presides;
by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion;
by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality.
 
Let the light of your divine wisdom
direct the deliberations of Congress,
and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government,
so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness,
the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge;
and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.
 
We pray for the governor of this state,
for the members of the assembly,
for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare,
that they may be enabled, by your powerful protection,
to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.
 
We recommend likewise, to your unbounded mercy,
all our fellow citizens throughout the United States,
that we may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of your most holy law;
that we may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give;
and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.
Grant this, we beseech you, O Lord of mercy, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Amen.
 
Yours in Christ,