August 21st, 2022

twenty-First Sunday in ordinary time

by Fr. Boniface Endorf, O.P.

Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,

 Our summer brothers and deacon have now gone back to DC to continue their studies and we’re again a community of 5 friars. We’re in the quiet days of August, but we are preparing for the work of this upcoming parish year—restarting various ministries, such as RCIA for people entering the Church, Religious Education classes, and many others. In other words, it’s a slow news week. But there are many good things we’re looking forward to this year at St. Joseph’s!

Mass Tidbit:

 After processing into the sanctuary and incensing the altar at the beginning of Mass, the celebrant goes to his chair. There he says “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” while making the sign of the Cross. We start with the sign of the Cross because it signifies the two deepest mysteries of our Faith: Christ through the Cross winning our salvation, and God as Trinity. We root our worship during Mass in the Trinity, ‘In the name of…,’ while marking ourselves with the Cross.

 We know through Faith that the Son of the Father, Himself God, took a human nature to Himself and died on the Cross for our behalf, thus defeating sin and death and opening the way to heaven for us who follow. The Cross and resurrection is the means of our salvation and joy. Because Jesus is the Son of the Father, we also know that, although there is one God, God is also a Trinity of Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Within the inner life of God there are Three Divine Persons who are the One God. Much can be said about that, but I’ll leave the heavy theology out (this is just a ‘tidbit’ after all). Thus, we start Mass with an invocation of both deepest mysteries of our Faith.

God Bless,

Fr. Boniface