1. The Bishop’s Annual Appeal is beginning. With our late start, Bishop Bradley has made some changes to the usual format. Please take a moment to go to our website or the Diocesan website to view the video the Bishop has made to explain the changes. He will provide us with other videos throughout the next few weeks to help us understand the needs we face and the help this Appeal can generate.
2. Our Religious Education Program is now open for registrations. Please go to our website at stjoestjoe.church for information and registration forms.
3. A collection for the United States Bishops’ Emergency Disaster Fund to assist the areas impacted by Hurricane Laura, the California wildfires and other natural disasters will be going on this week. You may drop off checks to the parish office or drop them in the collection baskets. Please put a notation in the memo line that it is for the Disaster Fund.

The intentions for this week: +Grace Neal, +Stephen A. Knezic, +Martin Migala, +Mary E. HIcks, +Rosemary Koffman, +Lynn Randon, +Joe Gaipa, +Clara Pangilinan, +Chris Glendening, +Jean Gill, +Harold Borlik, +Gloria Pecora, +Charles Rollinger, +Deb Silverthorn, +JOseph Scrima, +Anne Z. Muirhead and the Special Intentions of Our Confirmandi and the People of the Parish.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almight Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, recieve our prayer; your are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, your alone ar ethe Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. 
Amen.

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time        Lectionary: 133
Reading 1        IS 55:6-9
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah
Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call him while he is near.
Let the scoundrel forsake his way,
and the wicked his thoughts;
let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.
The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
PS 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18
R. (18a) The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.


Reading 2        PHIL1:20C-24, 27A
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians
Brothers and sisters:
Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. 
If I go on living in the flesh,
that means fruitful labor for me. 
And I do not know which I shall choose. 
I am caught between the two. 
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better. 
Yet that I remain in the flesh
is more necessary for your benefit.
Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.
The word of the Lord.

Alleluia        ACTS 16:14B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel        MT 20:1-16A

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. 
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard. 
Going out about nine o’clock,
the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
So they went off. 
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o’clock, and did likewise. 
Going out about five o’clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.’
When those who had started about five o’clock came,
each received the usual daily wage. 
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage. 
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply,
‘My friend, I am not cheating you. 
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 
Take what is yours and go. 
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? 
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? 
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salveation
he came down from heaven,
(At the words that follow, up to and including 'and became man', all bow.)
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crudified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son, 
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead 
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Loving God and Father, we give You thanks and praise!
As the greatest expression of Your love, You sent Your
only-begotten Son, Jesus, to be one with us by taking on
our human nature, while remaining one with You in His
divinity. Having fulfilled the mission You gave Him, to
redeem the human race and to bring us the Gift of
Salvation, Jesus revealed the perfect way to remain with us
through the Eucharist, His Body and Blood, as our Food
and Drink, to nourish us and to give us the strength to
fulfill the Great Commandment of loving God and
neighbor. Please send Your Holy Spirit upon each of us
and upon our entire Diocese to ignite the faith in our
hearts. May this holy fire of Your love renew our devotion
to the Eucharist, and set our hearts aflame with love for
You, so that we will joyfully share the Good News with all
people, especially the poor, the oppressed, the
marginalized and those who have never heard of Your
love. May our dear Blessed Mother, to whose maternal
care and protection we have consecrated our Diocese,
intercede on our behalf and help us to say “Yes” to Your
holy will as she did. May her prayers move us to stay close
to her Son, Jesus in the Eucharist, and help us live as His
joyful disciples in this world, that we may one day be
brought to the joy of our Heavenly Home. We ask this
through Jesus, our Eucharistic Lord, now and forever.
Amen.
 
~Most Rev. Paul J. Bradley  Bishop– of the Diocese of Kalamazoo

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