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February 23rd, 2020, The Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Dear Friends,

In this week’s gospel from Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus continues to challenge us in a monumental way with his invitation to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” He posits the need to extend our capacity for love beyond that of the “tax collectors and pagans,” highlighting the incongruity of greeting, loving, and serving only those who promote our own causes. How might each of us venture beyond our narrowly conceived ideas in relationship with the people we encounter this week?

A huge THANK YOU to all those who responded to last week’s OUR CATHOLIC APPEAL for 2020!  Many of you offered pledges during the masses, and others have already returned your envelopes to the Diocese by mail or responded through online giving. Thank you for your generosity! For those who have yet to pledge, we will make time during the masses this weekend to offer an opportunity to participate. Please know that only 47% of our parishioners participated in OCA last year. While we were able to meet our goal, I urge more of you, my dear friends, to pitch in and participate. Remember: No amount is too small!

For those in a position to offer more, participation in one of the following societies will certainly help us reach our goal this year: Corpus Christi Society (Body of Christ) - $10,000+ annual gift

Spes Christi Society (Hope of Christ - $5,000 to $9,999 annual gift Lumen Christi Society (Light of Christ - $2,500 - $4,999 annual gift You might also consider participating in other levels of giving, such as:

$1,500 - $ 2,499, $1,000 - $ 1,499, $500 - $ 999, $101 - $ 499, $100 or less

I’d like to share Fr. Tobin’s sentiments on generous giving that resonate with the parishioners of Ascension Catholic Church: Five reasons to financially support your church at the parish and diocesan level:

  1. Sharing a generous portion of our financial resources with our church family is the most concrete way to say “Thank You” to God who has blessed us spiritually and materially. While it is indeed a good practice to verbally express our thanks by frequently saying “Thank you,” we all know that actually sharing a portion of our material resources to further the mission of the church is a much more concrete way to say, “Thank You, Lord, for your ”
  2. Developing a spirit of generosity makes us more like our good and generous God, just as developing a forgiving spirit makes us more like our forgiving God. While a spirit of generosity includes time and talent and many other things, financial generosity is also important if we are to develop a generous spirit. Why do I say that? Because a selfish spirit is a huge block to developing a strong spiritual life. The only way to combat selfishness is through regular and faithful sharing of our financial
  3. We could have been born in the slums of a very poor   When we  look at the global world that we  live in where  so many go hungry daily, we are very blessed indeed.  I think it’s safe to say that God expects us to share our blessing   with the less fortunate and with our church family.
  4. Part of being a good Catholic is supporting the wider church family we belong
  5. Generosity is one key to a happy life. People who have developed a generous spirit are usually happy

I humbly ask that you please consider these five points as you prayerfully make your pledges to this year’s OCA! Thank you.

With Love, Fr. John