The Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo is next Friday, November 4. We will observe it as a parish next Sunday, November 6.
In preparation, we are hosting a novena, which begins today and ends on November 6. The novena will be held on Zoom, not in the Church, and will take just a few minutes each day, starting at 5 PM, during the 9-day time period. On the days when we have Rosary, Vespers or Bible Study, the Novena prayers will be said first and will be followed by the regularly-scheduled prayers.
The prayers for the novena are available here. There will be no Zoom meeting next Saturday (Day 8). You should pray that day’s short prayer on your own.
Don’t worry if you can’t make all nine days. Join in whenever you wish to pray to St. Charles Borromeo, the patron saint of learning, the arts, and of catechists.
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time – Faith Revealing Truth
Zacchaeus in the Sycamore Awaiting the Passage of Jesus,
James Tissot, 1886-1896, Brooklyn Museum
Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
2 Thessalonians 1:11–2:2
October 30, 2022
We shall be reading the second letter to the Thessalonians for the next three weeks. It presents considerable technical problems. Scholars are uncertain who wrote it, from where, to whom, and indeed when. Some of these issues are interesting but examining them too closely may obscure that the letter reveals a consensus on the meaning of Jesus’ return for all time and fake news for ours.
The letter is called of “Second Letter to the Thessalonians.” It may not have been written by Paul nor to the Thessalonians, but it does examine the major theme of the letter, the return of Jesus.
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Friday Evening Prayer at 5 PM
Please download the worship aid to participate in Friday’s evening prayer, which will begin at 5 PM.
Instructions on how to join are available here.
Homily – 30th Sunday Ordinary Time (Fr. Smith)
We read so much about the Pharisees in the New Testament that it is easy to forget that during Jesus’ ministry they were not the only nor even the most powerful Jewish sect. Scholars tell us that they have such a prominent place in the New Testament because the Pharisees were the only organized group of Jews that survived the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. They were in effect our only Jewish competition. The Pharisees were serious and thoughtful people with noble aspirations. They sought to bind everything they did in the day to God. Perhaps then a more important reason the Pharisees are mentioned so often in the New Testament is that Jesus, the gospel writers, and Paul saw them not only as competition but as a warning. The corruption of the best is the worst and Christians who also sought to give their entire lives to God could fall into the same trap.
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Community Mass – 30th Sunday Ordinary Time
On Sunday October 23, 2022, join us in person or online for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Our current Sunday Mass times are:
- 9 AM EDT – Morning Mass
- 11:15 AM EDT – Community Mass
- 7 PM EDT – Evening Mass
Watch the video live by clicking in the window above.
Automated closed captioning is available.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel stcharlesbklyn at this link to watch on your Internet enabled TV or viewing device.
The readings will be from Cycle C.
Entrance: Gather Us In – 848
Readings/Psalm – 1181
Offertory: The Cry of the Poor – 47
Communion: Precious Lord, Take My Hand – 955
Closing: Blest Are They – 735
The Gather 3rd Edition Hymnal/Missals are available for use in the church – pick one up as you enter and return it after Mass. Instructions on how to use the hymnal missal are available here: https://www.stcharlesbklyn.org/hymnal-missal/ .
Today’s readings are also available to read online at the USCCB website https://bible.usccb.org .
- Please follow the instructions of the ushers, and observe all of the posted health precautions so that we can continue to worship together safely.
- Support our Parish – Please contribute to our General Collection online here.
- Help us support Catholic Charities Food Pantries in Brooklyn and Queens online
Food Pantry Featured in Bishop’s Dinner Video
The food pantry that our parish runs in conjunction with Catholic Charities was featured in a video shown to guests at the Bishop’s Humanitarian Award Dinner.
Please check out the segment, which appears about 1:30 into the video and includes interviews with Joe Genova and John O’Malley and footage of our pantry volunteers working hard and doing God’s work.
If you would like to get involved in our food pantry work, we’d love to have you. Please contact Joe Genova ([email protected]).
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Living as a Christian Leader
The Pharisee and the Publican,
James Tissot, c. 1886-1894, Brooklyn Museum
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity —
greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
(Luke 18:10–14)
Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
2 Timothy 4:6–8, 16–18
October 23, 2022
We will complete our reading of 2nd Timothy this week. We have suggested that it was written by an associate of St. Paul soon after the apostle’s death. The author mentions many people who we can presume were real and that they and their stories were known to the Pauline community. We have approached the letter as a novel in the form of a letter. This does not mean that the incidents related did not happen to Paul and the original readers were not unaware of them.
This is also the end of the letter, and the author will bring the many themes that he has examined throughout the letter together. The chapter begins with Paul commissioning Timothy as a church leader:
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