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You are invited to participate in two small group conversations in November for this community building event. The purpose of these two conversations is to inspire increased participation and leadership for ongoing and new parish activities that reach out to our community. The first conversation will focus on us as individuals. How does God work in our lives? What brought us to St. John's? What keeps us here? The second conversation broadens this discussion to include the opportunities and challenges we face in living our faith day-to-day in our neighborhoods, local communities, and beyond.
If you are interested, please contact (evenings): Liz at 651-631-8067, Katie at 651-765-9999, or Tom at 612-508-1296. A short training session will be provided for group leaders and hosts. Please watch for sign-up boards after Masses this weekend. May we grow and strive together!
CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (CCHD) is an annual anti-poverty initiative for the month of November. CCHD is our nation's largest private funder of community projects controlled by low-income people with the mission to address the root causes of poverty. Our collection weekend is Nov. 22/23; please be generous!
FRESH CHRISTMAS WREATHS will be sold by St. John's Boy Scout Troop 93 after all Masses the weekends of Nov. 22/23 & Nov. 29/30. The Scouts will place wreaths for you at St. John's Cemetery at no additional cost. MC/VISA cards accepted; please support our Boy Scouts.
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BIRTHRIGHT OFFICE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for our Coon Rapids Office for two hours, one to two times per month, to help those experiencing a crisis pregnancy. Birthright offers free pregnancy testing and educates people in making alternative choices to abortion. Volunteer training is Saturday, November 22, 8:45 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., and Sunday, November 23, 11:45 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Please call Judy Quayle, 651-633-0459, for more information.
"A nation that kills its own children is a nation without hope."
(Pope John Paul II,
1995)
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THE SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL thanks all who donated winter coats and accessories to the Social Concerns Network Coat Giveaway. Many beautiful items were handmade by parishioners for those in need. Your Thanksgiving Day Mass donation goes to our Society to meet the charitable needs of people in our community. Checks should be made to: St. Vincent de Paul Society.
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Connections: November 9, 2003 Dedication of Lateran Basilica in Rome
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"Stop making my Father's house a marketplace… Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."
ROMAN LECTIONARY, John 2:13-22
"Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets!"
COMMON LECTIONARY, Mark 12:38-44
'Getting to know you…'
Travel writer Peter Greenberg tells this story:
A heavily-booked flight out of Denver was canceled. A single agent was rebooking a long line of inconvenienced travelers. Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his way to the front of the line and slapped his ticket down on the counter. "I have to be on this flight and it has to be first class!" he insisted.
"I'm sorry, sir," the agent replied calmly. "I'll be happy to help you, but I have to take care of these folks first."
The passenger was unimpressed. "Do you have any idea who I am?" he demanded in a voice loud enough for the passengers behind him to hear.
Without hesitating, the gate agent smiled and picked up the microphone to the public address system.
"May I have your attention, please?" she broadcast throughout the terminal. "We have a passenger here at the gate who does not know who he is. If anyone can help him find his identity, please come to the gate."
As the man retreated, the people in the terminal burst into applause.
CONNECTION: Today's Gospel asks each one of us that same question: Do we have any idea who we are? Is our identity wrapped up in scribe-like self-importance or in the spirit of humble gratitude of the widow? Do we see the world from the height of our own needs and importance or do we behold the world and everyone in it as a gift from a loving and generous God? The kingdom of God is realized only in our embracing Christ's spirit of servanthood - - servanthood that finds fulfillment and satisfaction in the love, compassion, and kindness we can extend to others, that enables us to place the common good and the needs of others above our own wants and narrow interests. The faithful disciple honors the dignity of the servant above the celebrity of the powerful and canonizes the total generosity of the widow before the empty gestures of the scribe.
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