Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the LORD of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.
Waiting for Godot is a play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for the arrival of someone, named Godot. Godot’s absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, has led to many different interpretations. Mary Bryden observed, “The … God who emerges from Beckett’s texts is one who is both cursed for His perverse absence and cursed for His surveillant presence. He is by turns dismissed, satirized, or ignored, but He, and His tortured Son, are never definitively discarded.”
Malachi prophesied that the day of the Lord was coming. He lived about 445 years before Jesus was born. Thirty more years would go by before Jesus began His public ministry. Today’s gospel shows Jesus to be 33, in Jerusalem, and days away from His sacrificial death on the cross.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry many who followed Him had a level of self-assurance that He would free Israel from earthly captivity. When Jesus refused to be proclaimed an earthly king many lost faith in Him. They never saw that He was there to free them from a much greater captivity. They missed the day of the Lord. They deceived themselves.
Jesus said that no matter what: “See that you not be deceived.” Complacency is the way we deceive ourselves. Waiting in vain is deception. Waiting and missing “it” is deception.
We deceive ourselves when we sit around speculating on the “last day.” Rather than waiting for God we have to go out and seek Him. We have to follow His word, walk in His path, and bring others to share in fellowship with Him. We must live in Him and proclaim with the wisdom He gives us through His teaching: His day is today!!!
Research has shown that, when a fire alarm rings, people do not act immediately. They talk to each other, and they try to work out what is going on. They stand around – waiting. Do you remember your last fire drill? Instead of leaving fast, people wait. They wait for more clues – the smell of smoke, or advice from someone they trust. So often those who wait end up dead.
We can trust Jesus. The fire alarm is going off every day. We needn’t worry about the fire itself, but rather whether we have listened to Him in the midst of the fire and are on the path to life. Walk toward life, do not sit and wait. Recognize today as the day of the Lord.
But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. We are confident of you in the Lord that what we instruct you, you are doing and will continue to do. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.
The Sadducees confronted Jesus intent on embarrassing Him so they could prove their political point of view. The party of the Sadducees believed that there would be no resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection.
The conflict over the resurrection was one of several between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They had a conflict of class, wealthy versus the poor, priests and aristocrats versus ordinary people. Another conflict was cultural, between those who favored Hellenization and those who resisted it. The Pharisees emphasized the importance of the Second Temple with its rites and services, while the Sadducees emphasized the importance of other Mosaic laws. They differed too on the Torah and how to apply it to Jewish life, with the Sadducees recognizing only the written Torah and rejecting oral tradition. The historian Josephus tells us that the Pharisees had the backing of the common people.
The problem of political and philosophical conflicts – as we know – aren’t limited to the times of Jesus. It even rears its ugliness in conflicts between Christians. When will the end come, what will it be like, how should the Church be organized, who should lead, how should we worship…? It goes on and on.
Each political point of view tries to provide the answer to “what if.” They try to ease our wondering and our wandering, but their answers are not the truth. Jesus is the truth. Unfortunately neither the Pharisees nor Sadducees saw that – their politics got in the way. We still fail when we seek answers to “what if” from politicians and the world even though the answer of Jesus is within our grasp.
The Maccabees were certain. They knew that surety in God was more important than the “what ifs” of today. They suffered and died, not asking “what if,” but saying, “I know.” the mother who, seeing her seven sons perish in a single day, bore it courageously because of her hope in the Lord.
For us there can be no reliance on politics. We needn’t question “what if,” but rather need to stand strong and sure. Jesus never promised more questions but promised absolute certainty to His faithful – life everlasting.
Take confidence in the way of the Lord. Do not wonder “what if.” Be sure only in Him Who guides us, is faithful, and gives us the answer we need.
The IHN Second Circle Shelter, 7 Oregon Ave., Crafton, opened in 2007 and immediately doubled the capacity of the shelter program that originated in Washington, Pa., in 1993.
Both sites are operated by the former Interfaith Hospitality Network, now affiliated with and known as Family Promises of Southwestern Pennsylvania, an interdenominational program linking local churches that offer round-the-clock shelter, meals and social services to homeless families in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Family Promises has more than 180 affiliates in 41 states involving 6,000 churches and nearly 136,000 volunteers nationwide.
Local churches that are host congregations include All Saints Polish National Catholic Church and St. John Evangelical Lutheran in Carnegie and Bethany Presbyterian Church in Bridgeville.
Support churches include First Baptist Church in Crafton and First Baptist Church and Zion Lutheran Church in Bridgeville, with additional support or hosting duties coming from churches in Bethel Park, Mt. Lebanon, Castle Shannon, McMurray, Pleasant Hills, Upper St. Clair and Washington.
Homeless or displaced families can include husband and wife with or without children, a single parent with children, or a legal guardian or custodial guardian with children. The families are screened, and no current drug and alcohol users are accepted, nor are those with severe mental health issues, a criminal background or single men.
Dinner is provided by volunteers from area churches. During the day, guests are transported back to the Family Center in Crafton. Volunteers from the host congregations also talk and listen to the guests, which enables families to maintain their dignity and regain independence.
The families, through the shelter, can take advantage of personal counseling, assistance in securing training and employment, help with enrolling children in appropriate schools, arranging medical or dental care, and referral information to other programs and agencies. Also offered is life skills training in financial management, homemaking and family relationships.
Services also include assisting families in finding homes, providing home furnishings and distributing donated supplies to help families set up housekeeping.
This past summer, Family Promise partnered with the Homeless Children’s Education Fund (HCEF) to provide an exciting eight-week program that gave educational workshops and activities to the children right at the shelter where they lived. Every Friday there was a field trip to places like the National Aviary, Moraine State Park or Idlewild Park, all underwritten by the HCEF and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.
Family Promise of Southwestern Pennsylvania is a nonprofit charitable organization and all contributions are tax-deductible. Monetary donations are accepted as well as vehicle donations, “home again” donations of furniture and household goods, and wish list donations of gift cards, paper towels, soap and body wash, shampoo, razors, toothpaste, gently used baking pans, sheets and towels, blankets, children’s toys, family DVDs and more. Volunteers always are welcome at the host churches, or to mentor, or provide transportation, childcare, fund development, or to read and help with homework, as well as other assignments as the need arises.
For more details on donating or to volunteer call 724-229-1129.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.
Zacchaeus was not a good person. As we learned last week, people despised tax collectors. Zacchaeus was not just a tax collector – but was the chief tax collector!
Zacchaeus may likely have suffered from what we might call a Napoleon complex (although he lived long before Napoleon). A Napoleon complex is an informal term describing a psychology that is said to exist in persons, usually men, of short stature. People with a Napoleon complex compensate for their short stature by being overly aggressive and domineering.
So here you have Zacchaeus, short, the chief of the thieves, living the high life – nice house, great food, all the luxuries who is also aggressive and domineering.
We consider what may have motivated Zacchaeus to see Jesus. He certainly heard of Jesus, and likely knew Jesus’ reputation – He was a healer, a prophet, and was known to have broken the rules by spending time with sinners. Jesus invited a tax collector to follow Him (Luke 5), His feet were bathed by the tears of a prostitute (Luke 7), He healed those possessed by evil (Luke 8, 9, 11), tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him (Luke 15:1).
The power of grace moved Zacchaeus to see Jesus. He was moved to do whatever it took to see Him. He was moved by the possibility of Jesus, the remote chance that Jesus might notice him and heal the smallness of his soul.
Zacchaeus’ hopes were met when Jesus stopped, looked up, and said “Zacchae’us, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.”
Grace motivated Zacchaeus to seek the Lord, and the Lord replied to Zacchaeus’ response, not just by saying ‘you are forgiven,’ but by emphatically stating that He MUST stay with Him. Zacchaeus did whatever it took and Jesus answered. Zacchaeus was raised up out of sin and into new life – repenting and doing whatever it took to make his life right before God: And Zacchae’us stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
We are given grace every day, called to do whatever it takes to be raised from smallness of life to greatness of life in Christ. Jesus notices when we respond, and He responds by staying with us, healing us, freeing us, and making us great in the kingdom of heaven.
The date will be marked with a Mass, followed by a dinner in honor of the work accomplished by the congregation over the past decade.
“We’ve come a long way,” said Ann Rosky, a member of the church’s board of directors and council secretary.
“We’re proud of our accomplishments these last 10 years,” she said.
The Transfiguration Roman Catholic Church in Mt. Pleasant Borough was demolished in 2002 after it was deemed unsafe due to structural damage.
At that time, the church’s parish was dissolved, leaving its 1,500 parishioners without a place of worship.
When a number of members began attending Mass at the McKeesport Holy Family Polish National Catholic Church, part of the Pittsburgh-Buffalo Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church, the parish decided to resurrect Transfiguration as an independent Polish National Church.
In October 2003, the parish was declared an official member of the church by the Rev. Thaddeus Peplowski, bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo-Pittsburgh.
“We said we were going to start a church, and we did,” Rosky said.
To stay local, the new parish began holding services at First United Church of Christ in Mt. Pleasant on Saturday evenings.
“We’re grateful to this day to the Rev. Paul Sarver and the First United Church of Christ congregation,” Rosky said. “They welcomed us with open arms.”
After leasing the space for four years, members set out to find a church they could call their own.
Parishioners purchased the building formerly occupied by Rainbow Gardens — a bar and banquet hall.
“We wanted a place to call home,” said Daniel Levendusky, chairman of the church’s council.
The renovation process was slow and steady, with parish members completing much of the work.
“We were fortunate to have parishioners who had the skill to do the work,” Levendusky said.
The building was gutted and remodeled, the bathrooms were moved and an entrance way was constructed.
Parishioners refinished donated pews and held fundraisers to purchase supplies and kitchen equipment.
“We didn’t have a penny to start with,” Levendusky said. “But with Christ’s guidance look what we did. It’s a true testament of where your faith can take you.”
More recently, a new roof and an addition that will become an office have been added. Plans to construct a new sidewalk are in the works.
“It’s been an uphill battle, but we are just so proud of all the work we’ve done,” Rosky said.
“We’re one big, happy family and everyone contributes. When we have a fundraiser dinner, the president is there peeling potatoes just like everyone else,” she said.
In addition to the hard work church members have done to secure their own place of worship, they also strive to work hard serving the community.
They regularly contribute to care packages distributed to the needy, help the Salvation Army by ringing bells during the Christmas season, and buy gifts for local children who might otherwise do without, and they collect for local food banks.
The church has a rotating schedule of four different priests who conduct Mass.
Rosky said the parishioners enjoy having the different priests, as it accommodates all the different personalities of the congregation.
“I’m proud of them,” said the Rev. Bruce Sleczkowski, the church’s administrator and one of the priests who regularly hold services at the church. “I see their Catholic faith and witness them demonstrating Christian love to each other and their community. It’s a joy to be with them,” he said.
This morning the parish church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Perth Amboy, New Jersey was destroyed by fire. First, we all request your prayers for the people of the parish, our diocese, and the entire Church as we face the days ahead. May our dear Lord console our grief and give us the grace of His strength.
The beauty of our Holy Polish National Catholic Church is clearly evident in the story below from MyCentralJersey. It is our central focus on faith in Jesus Christ Who saves and strengthens us, Who provides for us and leads us to overcome every obstacle or challenge.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It too is a Church of the people, of the humanity and nations Christ has redeemed. We are the Church that respects, honors, and enshrines every person’s self determination in our democratic tradition. We are a Church organized by immigrants that continues to offer a home to immigrants – not as subjects – but as human beings. Our Holy Church is our home, where the traditions of Poles, Czechs, Lithuanians, Peruvians, Mexicans, and people of every culture are not just kept – as if on on shelf – but are lived and expressed in the ways we worship our Lord.
Bendicenos en cada hora Senor de los Milagros, en nuestras enfermedades y pobrezas, en nuestras pruebas y desolaciones, en nuestors quebrantos e infortunios, escucha nuestra voz, atiende nuestras plegarias, acude pronto en favor de nosotros, de nuestras familias y de nuestros intereses temporales y eternos. En Ti confiamos Senor de los Milagros y de tu misericordia infinita, esperamos alcanzar el remedio en nuestras necesidades.
Padrenuestro, Avemaria con la jaculatoria; Senor de los Milagros, en Ti confiamos.
Bless us at our every hour Lord of Miracles, in our sickness and poverty, in desolation and in the times we are tested, in our losses and misfortunes, hear our voice, hear our prayers; speed Your aid to us, to our families, and help us in our daily and eternal needs. In You, Lord of Miracles we trust, and place our faith in Your infinite mercy; we know that You will hear us in our every need.
Our Father, Hail Mary, and pray: Lord of Miracles, we trust in You!
PERTH AMBOY — Hours after an early morning fire destroyed Saints Cyril & Methodius National Catholic Church, the pastor and some members vowed to rebuild the 598 Jacques St. church.
And they will be looking to other towns with Peruvian communities to assist them.
“We want the Peruvian community to join forces. We need help from them and other Peruvian communities to rebuild,” said Andres Sanchez of Perth Amboy, adding both Paterson and Elizabeth have large Peruvian communities. “We ask for help from our Peruvian community to rebuild the house of the Senor del los Milagros in Perth Amboy.”
The church housed a replica of the Senor de los Milagos, an image of Jesus Christ on the crucifix, also known as the Lord of Miracles considered sacred in Peru. Members stood outside the charred remains to see if the image survived the flames.
Sanchez, a two-year church member, said the destruction of the church by fire is “a big tragedy.”
The Rev. Mariusz Zochowski, church pastor who refers to himself at “Father Mario,” said the church is it’s people, and he believes it will be rebuilt. The church with Polish origins, now has a large Peruvian membership.
“If anyone has the desire to help us rebuild the church it would be greatly appreciated,” said Zochowski said.
For Luis Silva, 23, Saints Cyril & Methodius National Catholic Church, is like a second home.
“It means everything to me. To see it in ruins breaks me apart,” said Silva who attended Sunday services at the church hours before a fire destroyed the wood-frame 1920s era church.
Silva, a member for more than six years, said the church is a place where he feels safe.
“Religion to me is very important. It’s most of what I’ve known since a child,” said Silva who was among a group of church members who came out to the early Monday morning fire scene to see firefighters work to extinguish the flames.
As he returned in the late morning, so did the heartbreaking feeling.
Like many of the church members Silva was interested in learning whether a replica of the Senor de los Milagros, had survived. Fire Chief Abraham Pitre, however, said the image is believed to have been destroyed by the flames.
Salvaging religious items
Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz has asked the fire department to salvage any religious artifacts, including the stained glass windows.
“I want them to be careful and preserve any artifacts that survived this fire,” Diaz said.
Sanchez said the church contained religious artifacts associated with the saint. Pitre said many religious items were recovered, but not the image.
“But of the most value is our faith,” said Sanchez, who learned of the fire early Monday morning from a relative.
Two crosses did survive the fire. One, heavily charred is seen still hanging on the church wall, while another cross located on the cupola fell and now is perched inside the church.
Sanchez said October marks the celebration of the saint Senor de los Milagros and every year in September church members parade the image through the Jacques Street neighborhood in celebration of the Lord of Miracles. Diaz said people from Peru have traveled to Perth Amboy to participate in the procession.
According to Sanchez, a slave from Peru painted the original image and when an earthquake destroyed nearly everything in the church, the image survived.
Sanchez said the church has members who come from as far as New York. He said a lot of people come to the Perth Amboy church to see the image of Senor de los Milagros. Diaz said people from Peru have traveled to Perth Amboy to participate in the procession.
“Today is the last day they do the procession in Peru,” said Diaz, who saw church members crying in the early morning hours as they watched the church burn. “People just cried and cried. It was so sad. It broke my heart. It’s a miracle the buildings around here did not catch fire.”
Three towns assist Perth Amboy in fighting fire
Pitre said firefighters were dispatched to the church around 12:52 a.m. after a passerby walking in the area noticed smoke and fire along the roof and then saw fire inside the church.
When police and firefighters arrived, there was fire burning along the roof. Pitre said the fire spread throughout the corner lot church building. The cause it under investigation, but may never be known due to the amount of damage, Pitre said.
Diaz said the heat and fire was so intense the walls were buckling and shaking.
Firefighters worked to prevent the fire from spreading to the homes behind the wood-frame church on Jeffries Street or to the rectory next door at 600 Jacques Street.
“We tried to keep it contained to the church,” Pitre said.
Firefighters from Perth Amboy, Woodbridge, Colonia, Iselin, Fords, Sayreville, Metuchen and Avenel helped fight the fire and cover the rest of the city. It took about 90 minutes to get the fire under control. No one was in the church. No injuries were reported.
“The church is a total loss,” he said. “There are still some pockets of fire in the front of the church that are still burning. Due to the fact the church is in danger of collapsing we’re waiting for the insurance company to come to order an emergency demolition to further extinguish it.”
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former
Id, ego and super-ego are the three parts of psyche as defined by Sigmund Freud. The three are said to interact and their interaction results in our attitudes and behaviors.
The id is instincts, our uncontrolled wants. It is all the things we would do if we lived an uncontrolled life. I want cake. I’m going to eat cake till I get sick. I don’t care because I want.
The super-ego is said to be the set of controls we impose through critical and moral evaluation of our lives. The super-ego tells us that eating cake, while pleasurable, must be done in moderation. The super-ego tells us to avoid gluttony and greed, to be reasonable, to share our cake, to do the right thing so we don’t get sick.
The ego is that realistic part of our psyche that mediates between uncontrolled desires and the balance imposed by the super-ego. We can have our cake, but just the right amount.
Jesus shows us two people, coming into the temple. The Pharisee’s id is urging him on to self-righteousness. He’s blurting out all the great things he’s done. He hasn’t examined himself at all. He’s all about the cake – he knows he’s going to heaven and he’s absolutely sure about it – or so his id tells him. You’re great – nothing else matters. He is all pride and arrogance before God.
The tax collector knows that his id leads him to do wrong things. He has certainly stolen, overcharged people, and likely spent his ill-gotten gains partying. Then his super-ego – his conscience – the voice of God in his heart kicks in – and he realizes he has done wrong.
The tax collector comes back, seeks God, and desires forgiveness. He seeks proper balance in line with God’s desires for him. He presents himself before his Judge and begs freedom from his sin.
The id, ego, and super-ego are a theory. We know as Christians that we are to subject ourselves to discernment, following God’s way. We will not always control our unbridled desires; or live justly with the love and goodness God asks of us. When we fail we must listen to our conscience and like the tax collector reach out to our Judge in humility. Then, as Jesus promises, we will be justified and welcomed home.
God’s Field, the official newspaper of the Polish National Catholic Church, has returned and is being published on a monthly basis. The October issue is available on-line at the official Polish National Catholic Church website and Facebook page.
During the first transitional year of publication the Church will mail several hard copies of the newspaper to all PNCC parishes. By January 2015 a new subscription database will be completed and new annual subscription rates for online and hard copy issues will be announced.
Parishes are encouraged to submit articles for each issue by the first of each month. All articles arriving at the God’s Field office after the first of the month will be published in the following month’s issue. Articles may be submitted by E-mail or postal mail to:
GOD’S FIELD
Polish National Catholic Church
1006 Pittston Avenue
Scranton, PA 18505-4109
