St. Joseph Catholic Church

Parish Office Closed January 18, 2021 in observance of Martin Luther King holiday.  Parish Office Hours-Monday to Thursday 8 am until 4 pm   Friday 8 am until noon.  Lunch Monday to Thursday 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm

THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
JANUARY 24, 2021
The theme of today's readings is God's call to discipleship, with the response of repentance, conversion, and renewal of life. No matter to what life, work or ministry God calls us, He first calls us to conversion. Those who are constantly being reformed by the Spirit will be able to follow, as true disciples, whenever God leads. All three readings today underlie the absolute necessity of such repentance and ready response to God's call. We begin each Mass with a similar call. We are asked to call to mind our sins and to repent of them. Jesus begins his preaching by calling on people to repent and embrace the Good News. For Mark, "believe in the Gospel" meant "believe in the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.” The first reading relates how the preaching of Jonah met with an immediate response in the pagan city of Nineveh. The story shows the possibility of a heathen city repenting and turning to God. It also shows the mercy and forgiveness of God.

To answer the call to repentance one must feel a dissatisfaction with oneself, and have a longing for something better. There must be a sense that something is wrong, or at least that something is missing. The conversion experience begins with the realization that we are not what we could and should be. This realization is the first stage of a process, the first step of a journey. To take on board the call to repentance demands openness, honesty, humility, and above all courage - the courage to put an end to self-deception, and confront a painful reality. The courage to admit one's guilt, ask for forgiveness, and resolve to change. 

Repentance is a very positive thing. True, to repent is to admit that all is not well with oneself. But it is also to discover something wonderful about oneself, namely, that one has potentialities which one didn't know one had. It means acquiring a new vision, taking a new direction, setting oneself more worthwhile goals, living by better values. In a word, it opens the way to a new life. To repent means to change one's outlook on life, and to adjust one's actions accordingly. It means a change of heart and a change of life, perhaps even a complete reversal of life. As such it is bound to be painful. It is why people are slow to embrace it, and just want to be left alone. Conversion is the starting point of every spiritual journey, and is a prerequisite for entry into the Kingdom of God. The Christian life is a continuous process of conversion.

Please continue to stay safe as you await your turn to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
January 17, 2021
The main theme of today's scripture readings is Divine vocation - that everyone is called by God to be a witness for Christ by doing something for others with his or her unique gifts. Hence, the readings today remind us of our personal and corporate call to become witnesses for the Lamb of God and to lead lives of holiness and purity. We are reminded that each of us as a Christian is personally called to discipleship, which demands an ongoing response of commitment.