October 15, 2023

Twenty-eighth sunday of ordinary time

by Fr. Boniface Endorf, OP

Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,

This Friday, 10/20, we have the second of our three Fall Thomistic Institute talks. Dr. Joe Zalot will talk about “Deciding to Die Well.” We’ll all face death at some point and we have to deal with it throughout our lives. This talk will help prepare us for how to handle it well when that cross comes our way. The talk will be held in McGuire Hall and the doors open at 6:00pm and the talk starts at 6:30pm. It should be a great talk!

Our regular ministries are also running, so this week we have our Men’s Group on Monday and our Mother’s Group on Tuesday—see the parish webpage for details. There’s a lot happening at St. Joseph so make sure to take part and reap the graces God wants to give you.

God Bless,
Fr. Boniface

Mass Tidbit:

The priest now bows, joining his hands, and prays: “In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God: command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy Angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty, so that all of us, who through this participation at the altar receive the most holy Body of Blood of your Son, [here the priest stands upright and signs himself with the Sign of the Cross] may be filled with every grace and heavenly blessing. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.” 

We see here the mediation of the angels: they play a role in our worship as messengers, which is what the word ‘angel’ means. They stand between God and us not to block but to aid our union with God. As our prayers and sacrifices rise to heaven, we ask that God descend, as He has in the Eucharist, to us. We ask that as we receive the Eucharist we may be filled with the graces and heavenly blessings we’ll need to make our way to heaven—to be blessed with the angels and stand before God. All of that is made possible through Christ our Lord.