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IMMACULATE CONCEPTION UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC

CHURCH

ПАРАФІЯ НЕПОРОЧНОГО ЗАЧАТТЯ ПРЕЧИСТОЇ

ДІВИ МАРІЇ 745 SOUTH BENTON STREET

PALATINE, ILLINOIS 60067-7116 ПАРОХ - FR. MYKHAILO KUZMA – PASTOR

(847) 991-0820 e-mail: frmykhailo@att.net web page: icshrine.org СОТРУДНИК – FR. YAROSLAV MENDYUK – ASSOCIATE PASTOR

(224) 801-1907 е-mail: ymendyuk@gmail.com

3ТА НЕДІЛЯ ПІСЛЯ П’ЯТДЕСЯТНИЦІ (ДЕНЬ БАТЬКА)

21 ЧЕРВНЯ, 2020

БЛАЖЕННІШИЙ СВЯТОСЛАВ У НЕДІЛЮ ВСІХ СВЯТИХ: «У ЦЕЙ ДЕНЬ НАМ ДУЖЕ ВАЖЛИВО ЗРОЗУМІТИ, ЩО КОЖЕН З НАС

ПОКЛИКАНИЙ БУТИ СВЯТИМ» У першу неділю після Зіслання Святого Духа ми святкуємо пам'ять всіх

святих Старого Завіту і Нового Завіту. Ми відчуваємо, як Дух Святий, який зійшов на апостолів, плодоносить в історії людства. Сьогодні ми святкуємо

Його присутність у людині. На цьому наголосив Блаженніший Святослав, Отець і Глава УГКЦ, під час своєї проповіді у неділю Всіх святих.

«Що означає бути святим?» – запитує Глава Церкви. «Святе Писання нам каже, що святим є тільки Бог. Бути

святим означає бути подібним до Бога, який нас створив. Тепер, коли людина отримала дар Святого Духа, ми не

лише чуємо про святість Божу, а й стаємо здатними бути її

причасниками. Бути святим – це означає виявляти присутність в собі Духа Святого», – пояснив він.

Ми сьогодні, каже Блаженніший Святослав, вшановуємо, зокрема, пам'ять святих Старого Завіту. Саме

через них Господь Бог силою і діянням Святого Духа підготовляв усю історію спасіння: таїнство воплочення свого Сина і момент П’ятдесятниці. У цей момент

даром Святого Духа змогла сповнитися кожна людина, яка Його прийняла. Предстоятель УГКЦ пригадав, що у Старому Заповіті святість розумілася як

цілковита інакшість. У ті часи вважали, що Бог є цілковито іншим від того всього, що ми бачимо і можемо зрозуміти в цьому створеному світі.

«Сьогодні силою і діянням Святого Духа Божа святість подається людині. Бути святим – це виявляти в особистому житті Божі прикмети. Бо святим можна стати

лише у Церкві силою і діянням Святого Духа», – пояснив Глава УГКЦ. Отець і Глава УГКЦ переконаний, що у неділю Всіх святих ми можемо ще глибше

зрозуміти, що означає бути християнином. (закінчення на ст. 4)

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THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (FATHER’S DAY)

JUNE 21, 2020 ПОРЯДОК БОГОСЛЖЕНЬ (22го до 28го червня, 2020)

ОRDER OF SERVICES (June 22nd to 28th, 2020)

Понеділок – Mon. 22 8:00 A.M. Andrea(B-day) & Ron Andres – family Special Intention

Вівторок – Тues. 23 8:00 A.M. +Tamara Oleksandrivna (P) – Svitlana Bobovska +Diane Storkel – family

Середа – Wed. 24 BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST – РОЖДЕСТВО ІВАНА ХРЕСТИТЕЛЯ

9:00 A.M. Souls in purgatory – Kelecius family 7:00 P.M. Diosdado & Amada

Четвер – Thurs. 25 8:00 A.M. President Donald Trump – Kelecius family П’ятниця – Fri. 26 8:00 A.M. JoAnn Sokalsky – Luba Lukomskyj

7:00 P.M. МОЛЕБЕНЬ – MOLEBEN TO OUR LORD Субота – Sat. 27 НОВОМУЧЕНИКИ УКРАЇНИ – NEW MARTYRS OF UKRAINE

9:00 P.M. +Daria Shewchuk – Irka Shewchuk Special Intention

Неділя – Sunday 28 8:30 A.M. Special Intention

10:00 A.M. Jonathan & Paula Close – Kelecius family

11:30 A.M. for our parishioners

ВАШ ДАР БОГОВІ ТА ПАРАФІЇ – YOUR GIFT TO GOD & PARISH Неділя 14го червня / Sunday, June 14th (mail & website)- $2,040.00

Червона Рута / Chervona Ruta Drive Through - Будівельний Фонд / Building –

$6,706.00

Петровий Гріш / Peter’s Pence - $510.00

ПРОСИМО МОЛИТИСЯ ЗА: о.Френка Аванта, o.Леонарда Корчинського,

o.Mихайла Кузьму, о. Тому Добровольского, о. Андрія Чировського, о. Романа

Лаголу, Tима Гайдера, Дебi Плiшки, Ольгу Ширмир, Мардж Матвіїв, Любу Чорну, Євгена Павліша, Богдана Юринця, Світлану Санагурську, Любу Лукомську, Андрею

Андрес, Євгенію Яхнів, Жоану Сокальську, Лярису Дас, Джекі Мишкіевич, Христину Рудавську, Анну Назар, Келвин Мекмен, Стефана Сторкел, Наталію Лісову, Михайла

Саливина, Джонатана Кловс і за всіх недужих.

PLEASE PRAY FOR: Fr. Frank Avant, Fr. Leonard Korchinski, Fr. Mykhailo Kuzma,

Fr. Tom Dobrowolsky, Fr. Andriy Chirovsky, Fr. Roman Lahola, Fr. Bohdan, Tim Heider, Debbie Plishka, Olha Schirmer, Marge Matviuw, Luba Chorny, Eugene Pawlisz, Bohdan

Yurinets, Svitlana Sanahurska, Luba Lukomskyj, Andrea Andres, Betty Jachniw, Laryssa Das, Jackie Myshkiewicz, Christine Rudawski, Anna Nazar, Calvin McMahon, Steven Stor-

kel, Nataliya Lisova, Michael Sullivan, Jonathan Close аnd all those in need of our

prayers.

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(закінчення з ст. 2) За його словами, апостол Павло нам пояснює, що бути християнином – означає

народитися з води і Духа. Тобто народитися від нового Адама, яким є Ісус Христос і носити в собі Його подобу та у своєму житті відображати Того, хто живе в тобі.

«Бути святим – це означає у своїх вчинках відображати Господа Бога, який живе в мені. Жити духовним життям – бути образом і подобою небесного Адама, від якого

ми народилися з води і Духа», – пояснив він. І додав: «Відтак бути його свідками. Свідками Христовими можна стати лише тоді, коли почнемо виявляти нашими

вчинками Того, кого носимо в собі».

«Чому ми сьогодні споминаємо і вшановуємо святих?» – запитує проповідник. «Бо ці люди не лише народилися з води і Духа, але вони жили відповідно до свого

народження. Ми знаємо, що кожен народжується людиною, однак ми ще мусимо стати людиною і проявити людськість у щоденному житті. Церква часто відчуває

покликання бути вчителькою справжньої людяності», – зауважив Блаженніший Святослав.

«Той дар ми мусимо виявити в нашому духовному житті, а відтак принести плоди в ньому. Ми сьогодні так само розуміємо і бачимо, що бути святим – це означає

плодоносити. Сьогодні мусимо бути свідками Божої святості, до якої остаточно ми всі є покликані», – переконаний він.

«Цього дня просимо, щоб Дух Святий, який зійшов,плодоносив у житті всіх святих, став тим Духом, який ми сьогодні відчуємо в собі і в Ньому зможемо

принести плід. Тепер нам дуже важливо зрозуміти, що кожен із нас покликаний бути святим. Духовне життя християнина і покликання, яке кожен з нас отримав, – це

бути вірним отриманому дару Святого Духа», – додав Предстоятель Церкви.

На його переконання, сьогодні ми ісповідуємо ще одну правду нашої віри, яка називається сопричастя святих, позаяк ми є членами одної Церкви. Дух Святий

з’єднує Церкву, яка ще є в паломництві на землі, з тією, що прославлена в небі. Саме тому святі в небі є нашими заступниками і реально впливають на наше життя

тут, на землі. «Ми сьогодні просимо, щоб святість Бога, яка подається нам силою і діянням

Святого Духа, проявилася в нашому особистому житті і в сучасному світі, що так потребує миру, радості й надії серед обставин поширення смертоносної пандемії.

Просимо, щоб усі святі в небі заступалися за нас, щоб вони допомогли нам прийти тією земною дорогою життя, яку Господь Бог нам визначив. Ми їм кажемо: святі

ангели і архангели та всі святі, моліть Бога за нас, грішних, за те, щоб кожен із нас виконав свою місію і покликання до святості», – наголосив проповідник.

Департамент інформації УГКЦ

ОГОЛОШЕННЯ 1. Недільні св. Літургії відкриті для усіх вірних. Старші віком, недужі

можуть приймати участь у всіх наших відправах on-line.

2. Вареники можна закупити сьогодні після св. Літургії. 3. Просимо не забувати складати ваші пожертви на церкву та на будівельний фонд

нового храму. Просимо це робити через платформу GoFundMe на нашій сторінці у Facebook, через нашу інтернет сторінку: icshrine.org

4. В надходячу суботу святкуємо свято Новомучеників України, разом з

Богородицею нашими покровителями.

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ANNOUNCEMENT 1. Sunday services are now open to our parishioners and friends at SUM again.

Liturgies are scheduled at the regular times. If you are elderly, sick or have a serious reason not to attend please join us on-line. All services are live

streamed. 2. Varennyky (pyrohy) are available for sale after today’s Divine Liturgies.

3. We thank you for your financial support and appeal to all to continue supporting our parish operating fund and our parish Building Fund. You can send your donations to

the parish or to the GoFundMe option on our parish Facebook or website (icshrine.org).

4. This upcoming Saturday we celebrate the feast of the New Martyrs of Ukraine, who with the Immaculately Conceived Mother of God are our heavenly patrons.

HEAD OF US BISHOPS COMMENTS ON SUPREME COURT DECISION

REDEFINING ‘SEX’ ‘Our sex, whether we are male or female, is part of God’s

plan for creation and for our lives’ The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, provided a statement on the decision issued today by the Supreme Court of the United States –

combining Bostock v. Clayton County, Ga., Altitude Express v. Zarda, and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. Equal Opportunity Employ-

ment Comm’n. The justices ruled that the prohibition on “sex” discrimi-nation in employment in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 now prohibits discrimination based on “sexual orientation” and “transgender”

status. Archbishop Gomez’s statement follows:

I am deeply concerned that the U.S. Supreme Court has effectively redefined the legal mean-ing of ‘sex’ in our nation’s civil rights law. This is an injustice that will have implications in many areas of life.

By erasing the beautiful differences and complementary relationship between man and wom-an, we ignore the glory of God’s creation and harm the human family, the first building block of

society. Our sex, whether we are male or female, is part of God’s plan for creation and for our lives. As Pope Francis has taught with such sensitivity, to live in the truth with God’s intended gifts in our lives requires that we receive our bodily and sexual identity with gratitude from our

Creator. No one can find true happiness by pursuing a path that is contrary to God’s plan. Every human person is made in the image and likeness of God and, without exception, must

be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. Protecting our neighbors from unjust discrimi-nation does not require redefining human nature.

We pray that the Church, with the help of Mary, the Mother of God, will be able to continue her mission to bring Jesus Christ to every man and woman.

THE TRAP OF WORLDLINESS Did you notice how quickly the world can disappear? No, not planet earth, but the “world” as Christ and His apostles defined it. During the current contagion, observe what came to a screeching halt, how quickly — instantly

— entire industries, businesses, professions, institutions, educational systems, entertainment enterprises, real-estate corporations, stocks, media, health-care networks, beauticians, food

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suppliers, and so forth can crater (until they are given three trillion dollars that is plucked out of the same thin air).

Oh, how tentative is life. This is God’s warning. So far it is only an incipient chastisement. And the issue is worldliness.

It is also pride. In Africa, a preacher known for his prophecies (as we showed in a recent “special report,” he in certain striking ways foresaw the pandemic several years ago) says if we return to pride, there

will be a second wave, and then another, and then another, whereas with prayer and humility a cure will be anointed. Let those with ears to hear listen.

Through the centuries — through millennia — the Holy Catholic Church has warned about world-liness, and for good reason: Jesus taught strictly against it, calling Satan the “prince of this world.”

The Bible has a great deal to say about worldliness, none of it good. Yet, Christianity is currently suffused with it. For shame.

The dictionary definition of “worldly” is “relating to, or devoted to, the temporal world.” Worldli-ness, then, is the condition of being overly focused on worldly affairs, especially to the neglect of spiritual development.

Yet we live at a time when many of God’s own people have fallen into the trap.

There is money: Nothing is more worldly than a focus on mammon, yet it is the major measur-ing tool of modern society. So perverse are the times that Jesus Who was born in a manger and

never owned a house or a donkey or anything mentioned in Scripture (save for clothes) is used by prosperity ministers who distort His message as one that encourages people to seek wealth (“life more abundantly”) and view it (overabundance; millionaire status; fame; power) as a

blessing. That wasn’t the type of abundance He was referring to; He was referring to the abundance of

Grace; none of His apostles lived in mansions; they were counter-worldy. Are we? There is politics: Involvement in this — beyond being informed and registering one’s vote, be-yond scanning it as a sign of the times, beyond strongly opposing evils such as abortion and

capital punishment and abuse of nature: being consumed by politics: is worldly. We have reached the sad moment in American history when politics itself has become a religion. There

are many who are more focused on politics than their faith and who exhibit more intense loyalty to politicians than to Jesus. Anything that takes the place of Jesus is an idol.

And idols blind; they obsess; they make a person antagonistic to anyone who doesn’t have the same idol or inclination — makes them think that a sociological, cultural, or political leaning de-

fines salvation. Only Jesus defines that. Notes one preacher: “Paul equates worldliness with spiritual immaturity in 1 Corinthians 3:1-

3, where he addresses the believers in the church of Corinth in regard to their worldly behavior. Though they were believers—he calls them ‘brothers’—they were spiritual babies who could not

understand the deep things of God that Paul wished to share with them. They had never pro-gressed past learning the basics of the faith and were seemingly content to remain there. This lack of maturity led to their behaving as though they were still part of the [“world”]. They quar-

reled among themselves as to which of them was greater because of which of the Apostles they followed (1 Corinthians 1:11-13; 3:4), when in reality they followed none of them, following

instead their own lusts and desire to elevate themselves above others. Paul exhorted them to grow up and mature in the faith so they would cease from worldly behavior. “The epistles depict worldliness as the exact opposite of godliness. The world’s wisdom is not

wisdom at all (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). Rather, it is foolishness, especially the world’s wisdom on the subject of religion. We see that today in the endless discussions of ‘spirituality’ by men

whose spiritual wisdom is based on nothing more than worldly illusions. True wisdom that comes

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from God is juxtaposed against the foolish ‘wisdom’ of the world throughout Scripture. The mes-sage of the Cross is foolishness to those with worldly wisdom who are perishing (1 Corinthi-

ans 1:18) because true wisdom comes not from man’s philosophies, but from God’s Word. True godliness is always opposed by the world.

“Furthermore, Paul refers to a ‘worldly sorrow’ (2 Corinthians 7:10) which is the opposite of the godly sorrow that comes from true repentance. Godly sorrow is what we feel over our sin when we come to see it as God sees it and when our view of it is in accord with His. Worldly sor-

row, on the other hand, does not stem from the knowledge of sin against a holy God, but rather from circumstances in which the worldly find themselves.

“Finally, Scripture draws a clear distinction between friendship with God and friendship with the world. James 4:4 tells us that ‘friendship with the world is hatred toward God.’ He goes on to say that ‘anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.’ The apos-

tle James uses the strong words ‘hatred’ and ‘enemy’ to drive home the point that we can be in the world or in the Kingdom, but not both because they are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Those who choose worldliness choose to live in the enemy’s camp because all that is of the world is under the control of Satan (1 John 5:19). He is the ruler of this world, and when we choose the world, we enlist in his evil army and become enemies of God.”

It can be politics. It can be Hollywood (which even refers to celebrities as “idols”). It can be sex. It can be amusements. It certainly can be possessions, especially cars and homes and stock

portfolios. Consumed by consumerism, obsessed with Wall Street: has this not been the gauge, even

beyond death counts, of the “pandemic” (in quotes because a truly historic pandemic can be far, far worse; so far this is a dress rehearsal.). Spend, spend, spend. We’ll show this virus!

Instead, we should be quietly praying for the world’s deliverance, donning ashes and sackcloth, for this virus is evil; it has a spiritual component. Evil attracts evil. And the Chair of Peter says

worldliness is the greatest evil. Don’t sink into worldliness, and if you are ensnared, if you are in that quicksand, if money or politics or intellectualism or science defines you, do everything with Godspeed to pull yourself

out.

OUR LADY OF MEDJUGORJE, QUEEN OF PEACE “Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world”

(St. Pope John Paul II) "Dear children! I want you to surrender your hearts to me so

that I may take you on the way, which leads to the light and to eternal life. I do not want your hearts to wander in today's

darkness. I will help you. I will be with you on this way of dis-covery of the love and the mercy of God. As a mother, I ask you to permit me to do this. Thank you for having responded to my

call." (March 18, 1999 Mirjana) Today is Day Five of our Novena for the 39th Anniversary of Our

Lady's coming to Medjugorje. As we see in this message from March 18, 1999, Our Lady speaks of surrender. She longs that we surrender our hearts, our very lives into her hands. What does surrender mean?

In the Oxford English Dictionary one of the meanings of surrender is "To abandon oneself entirely to..." This means to let go control of my life, and place it entirely in another's hands. It

is an act of utter trust. It is the kind of abandonment that a baby has in his mother's arms, a trust that is complete. There is no fear or worry involved, only a trusting repose. To abandon oneself entirely to another means to place all one's hope and trust in that person, knowing that

it is the best possible thing to do. To abandon oneself entirely to Our Lady and thus to Jesus, is truly the best thing we can do for ourselves. This is total consecration!

ПРИГАДУЄМО УСІМ ПАРАФІЯНАМ

Щоб гідно принимати Святі Тайни парафіянин повинен жити за правилами віри та

серйозно підготувитися. Добрі (віддані) парафіяни є ті котрі:

1. В неділі й свята беруть участь в Святій Літургії

2. Жертвують час, таланти і матеріaльно підтримують парафію

3. Записані до парафії

4. Знають загальні правди й молитви нашої віри

A REMINDER TO ALL PARISHIONERS Reception of the Sacraments requires the committed practice of the faith and serious

preparation. Committed parishioners are those who:

1. Attend Divine Liturgy on Sunday’s and Feast Days

2. Give of their time, talents and financial resources

3. Have enrolled in the parish

4. Кnow and understand the basic prayer and tenets of our faith

Remember Our Parish in Your Will You can leave a lasting legacy to benefit future generations! Please remember our Immaculate Conception Ukrаinian Catholic Parish when creating your will. Your good works will continue after you have gone! Please contact the office for information.

Згадайте нашу парафію у Вашому заповіті Ви можете залишити частину своєї спадчини на благо майбутних поколінь! Ласкавo, памятайте, парафію Непорочного Зачаття Пречистої Діви Марії при створеню Вашого заповіту. Ваші добрі діла будуть продовжуватися після Вашого повернення Додому, до вічного життя!

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Saint Philomena And Our Times By Brian K. Kravec I have a dear friend and heavenly patroness in St. Philomena. I wear the red and white wrist cord of St. Philomena which symbolizes her virginity and martyrdom. My cord, a gift of love from a fellow devotee, was touched to the first class relics of St. Philomena’s bone and the blood of St. John Vianney, who fostered public devotion to St. Philomena with great enthusiasm. Though my personal devotion to the Wonder-Worker is quite new, I’ve wasted no time in presenting my petitions to her and she has wasted no time in affirming her patronage. It is widely known that whenever St. Philomena is working on your behalf, she would announce it by knocking three times. I knew nothing of this very special communication until after I was discussing three very distinct knocks that awakened me in the middle of the night just weeks ago. At that time, the world was nearly 40 days into the present Covid-19 pandemic.

It would be reasonable to dismiss the three knocks as a dream or even wishful thinking if I had prior knowledge of this playful saintly custom. The fact that I learned about the three knocks af-terward and that they were followed by a very clear dream lead-ing me to a message from St. Philomena for our times is some-thing to be considered. In a dream following the three knocks, I could vividly see books of varied colors that were numbered. When my eyes opened the fol-lowing morning, it immediately occurred to me that I had seen The Volumes as published by Direction for Our Times. The Volumes contain private revelation given to the world through Kathryn Ann Clarke, also known as Anne, a lay apostle. Rev. Leo O’Reilly, Bishop of the Diocese of Kilmore, Ireland, has granted

Anne’s writings an imprimatur. The Volumes are in my home library and I hadn’t thought about them or read them in more than a decade. Shortly after the dream, I was discussing the wonders of St. Philomena with the same friend who gifted me with her cord and told me about the three knocks. She shared a video which she credits as her introduction to St. Philomena in which Dr. Mark Miravalle inter-views Anne the lay apostle in December, 2008. Again, it was after seeing the video that I shared the details of my recent dream with my dear friend. Only then would I return to Volume 7 (page 11-14) and read St. Philomena’s message to me and the world as given July 8, 2004 which I believe the little saint wishes to be circulated anew: Dear brothers and sisters, you must be joyful during this time. Whenever you are tempt-ed toward despair, you must think of heaven and how Jesus is making the earth like heaven by allowing this cleansing. Jesus is reclaiming the earth. That is a wonderful thing and will ensure that your children’s children will not have to contend with the darkness of sin that surrounds your children. It would please Jesus if you would be thankful to Him, despite any circumstances.

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A saint conducts herself this way and finds that she is joyful regardless of any and all hardships. Dear friends of heaven, the enemy will not prevail. You know this because you have been told this. At the end of this time, Jesus will return and the earth will be beau-tiful again. Before that, there will be a time when it will appear that the enemy has taken control of the world. The darkness of sin will reign and our beloved Church will suffer even more. Followers will face grave and constant attacks for their faith in many areas of the world. They will persevere and set the most beautiful example for others. This will draw others back to the faith in great numbers, so you see, the enemy’s strategy will backfire. The more God’s enemies persecute His children, the more children will choose God and remain true. It has always been this way, sadly. God’s children should serve Him faithfully in good times also, but many do not. Many become worldly when the times are easy. Be brave. Your courage will come from heaven and inspire many. We teach you how to prepare and those who take our advice will find that they are calm and able to lead. Heaven will call upon many to lead because during the worst of the troubles, holy souls will be cut off from each other. Leaders will spring up in every area to help holy souls to remain steadfast. How beautiful are these times when viewed from our perspective. My dear friends, read about our lives. Many saints in heaven faced the greatest of persecutions on earth. We nev-er relied upon ourselves and in that way we became invincible. You will too. The earth will quake during this time and heaven’s responses will be apparent to all, giving the faithful great hope. The enemy’s actions will be met with heavenly retribution. This also will convince many that God is preparing to return and will also bring many back to God. So you see, the enemy cannot win and God will turn everything to the good. It is important that you are aware of the coming events so you will be confident and prepared. My friends, your world is asleep at this time and many doubt God’s presence in the world. I would advise you all to remain alert. You will be glad that you did. St. Philomena, pray for us!

M Y S T I C S O F T H E C H U R C H

T H I S W E B S I T E I S D E V O T E D T O T H E E X T R A O R D I N A R Y M Y S T I C S A N D V I S I O N A R I E S O F T H E C H U R C H , E S P E C I A L L Y T H O S E W H O A R E

L E S S E R K N O W N , S U C H A S S T G E M M A G A L G A N I , B L E S S E D A L E X -A N D R I N A D A C O S T A , S R C O N S O L A T A B E T R O N E , T H E R E S E N E U -

M A N N , R E V . P E R E L A M Y , G A B R I E L L E B O S S I S , J O S E F A M E N E N D E Z , M A R T H E R O B I N , S E R V A N T O F G O D L O U I S E L A T E A U , B L E S S E D A N -

N A M A R I A T A I G I , S I S T E R M A R Y O F T H E H O L Y T R I N I T Y , S I S T E R

M A R I A A N T O N I A A N D O T H E R S . T H E A U T H O R E N D E A V O R S A L W A Y S T O B E I N C O M M U N I O N W I T H T H E C A T H O L I C C H U R C H A N D I T S

T E A C H I N G S .

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St. Paul’s simple formula for preserv-

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Philip Kosloski | Jun 08, 2020

In the Letter to the Ephesians St. Paul lays out a simple yet powerful guide to

preserving unity.

It is a praiseworthy endeavor to strive for unity in our world, but not always easy to accom-

plish. Unity requires cooperation on both sides and this can be a long and arduous task.

St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians lays out a simple, yet profound formula for unity. He

describes what is required for unity to be preserved and how to go about maintaining it.

I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have re-

ceived, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another

through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of

peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one

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Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and

in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6)

His words of advice are quite simple, but very difficult to accomplish!

It means that we have to humble ourselves before another and treat others

with gentleness, patience and love. Too often we don’t have one of these key ingredi-

ents and each time we let ourselves slip, it threatens that unity.

Above all, we must attach ourselves to Christ and let God unite us together in a bond that

nothing can break.

Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head,

Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament,

with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up

in love…be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God’s way

in righteousness and holiness of truth. (Ephesians 4:15-16, 23)

If we can follow St. Paul’s formula, we will be much closer to unity than we could ever be on

our own.