This Thanksgiving Day, I'm thankful for:

"O Gracious God, we give you thanks for your overflowing generosity to us. Thank you for the blessings of the food we eat and especially for this feast today. Thank you for our home and family and friends, especially for the presence of those gathered here. Thank you for our health, our work and our play. Please send help to those who are hungry, alone, sick and suffering war and violence. Open our hearts to your love. We ask your blessing through Christ your son. Amen. "

 From Celebrating Faith: Year-round Activities For Catholic Families, by Mary Cronk Farrell

 

Feel free to comment (even anonymously) what you are thankful for and/or anything we should pray over:

 

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone from the Clergy and Members of Our Lady of Grace Church!

 

 

 

Father Rudy's Corner: Nov. 24, 2013

Dearest friends:

What a glorious weekend this is. Why, you ask? Because this is CHRIST THE KING weekend,

the last week of the liturgical year. Next week we begin the Advent Season. How do YOU honor the KING? No I don't mean, Elvis, or MLK...I mean Jesus THE King. Does He have a throne in your heart? Do you serve Him as king? ALL the time, not just when you need him. Do you follow His precepts? Are you faithful to him, as His subject? Do you appreciate the humility of our King? Are you a good representative of the King? Very often we take these questions for

granted and because we do, we do not act as we should....as loyal children of a wonderful king...Jesus. Sing to Him today, worship Him today, Honor Him today, love Him today, for he IS your king....benevolent, just, and totally in love with YOU!

Have a blessed week!

Father Rudy

Our Lady of Providencia

Many thanks to all who worked so hard to make this celebration special. May Our Lady bless our Puerto Rican Community and all of our parish always.

Thanksgiving Eve Mass

Come and give THANKS to the Lord for all His blessings to you. Mass will be on Wednesday,

November 27th at 7pm. Before the rush, the shopping, the family dinner, and the turkey....come and say Thank You to the one who makes this holiday possible.

Our Lady of Grace Rectory

Will Be Closed

Thursday, November 28th

Have A Blessed Holiday!

Queridísimos amigos:

Que maravilloso fin de semana es este. Usted, se pregunta por que? Porque este es fin de semana es CRISTO REY, la ultima semana del ano litúrgico. La próxima semana comenzamos el Tiempo del Adviento. Como USTED honra el REY? No, yo no quiero decir , Elvis, o DLK ... yo quiero decir Jesús EL Rey. Tiene usted un trono en su corazón? Usted le sirve a El como su Rey? TODO el tiempo, no solo cuando lo necesitamos a El. Sigue usted Sus preceptos? Es usted fiel a El como Su súbdito? Aprecia usted la humildad de nuestro Rey? Es usted un buen embajador del rey? Muy amenudeo nosotros tomamos esas preguntas sin darle la importancia porque nosotros no actuamos como deberíamos... como niños fieles de un maravilloso Rey... Jesús. Cántale hoy a El, adórele hoy a El, Hónralo hoy a El, amalo hoy a El, por que El ES tu Rey... benevolente, justo y totalmente ENAMORADO de TI! Que tengan un semana bendecida!!

El Padre Rudy

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

16 de noviembre, 2013 — Año de la Fe

Queridos amigos en el Señor, El Día de Accíon de Gracias es un tiempo del año en la que

Ustedes y Yo esperamos, como nación, comunidad de fe, como personas, para expresar nuestra gratitude a Dios por Sus muchas bendiciones.

Al mismo tiempo, la celebración del Día de Acción de Gracias, nos da la oportunidad de “devolver un poco” a nuestros hermanos y hermanas en el Señor que son menos afortunados

que otras personas. Es por eso, que cada año, yo recurro a ustedes para esta colecta especial del Día de Acción de Gracias que permite a la arquidiócesis proveerle servicio pastoral a los

que tienen hambre, se encuentran desalojados y afligidos de manera mental y físicamente, en nuestras comunidades por todo el mundo especialmente en Nueva York.

Su contribución es distribuida por Caridades Católicas a personas que buscan vivienda adecuada, trbajos, despensas de alimentos, y otros numerosos programas que Caridades Católicas

hace para que sus vidas sean más llevaderas. Lo primero y más importante es que les pido que mantengan en sus oraciones a los menos afortunados. Nunca le olvidemos a ellos y sus necesidades diarias– necesidades que usted y yo muchas veces dejamos pasar por alto. Tembién les pido por su contribución financier para apoyarles a ellos. Por favor, sean tan generosos como Ustedes puedan a esta colecta especial, para que Caridades Católicas pueda continuar su buen trabajo, y aún más, extender su trabajo por ellos en nombre del Señor.

Les deseo a Ustedes y a sus familias un Día de Acción de Gracias muy bendecido. Con mis mejores deseos de oración, me suscribo,

+Timothy Michael Cardenal Dolan+

Arzobispo de Nueva York

Nuestra Señora de la Providencia

Muchas gracias a todos los que trabajaron mucho para hacer esta celebración especial. Que Nuestra Señora bendiga siempre a nuestra Comunidad Puerta Riquiña y a nuestra parroquia.

Misa la Vispera de Accion de Gracias

Ven y da GRACIAS al Señor por todas las bendiciones que El te ha dado. La Misa será el Miércoles, 27 de Noviembre, a las 7:00 pm. Antes de las compras agitadas, la cena familiar, y el pavo... ven y dice Gracia al único que hace este día posible.

 

Feast of Christ the King

Feast of Christ the King 

The Feast of Christ the King was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism, a way of life which leaves God out of man’s thinking and living and organizes his life as if God did not exist. The feast is intended to proclaim in a striking and effective manner Christ’s royalty over individuals, families, society, governments, and nations.

Titles establishing Christ’s royalty over men include:

1) Christ is God, the Creator of the Universe and hence wields a supreme power over all things; “All things were created by Him”;

2) Christ is our Redeemer, He purchased us by His precious Blood, and made us His property and possession;

3) Christ is Head of the Church, “holding in all things the primacy”;

4) God bestowed upon Christ the nations of the world as His special possession and dominion.
 

The Mass for the feast of Christ the King describes the qualities of Christ’s kingdom. This kingdom is:
 

1) supreme, extending not only to all people but also to their princes and kings;

2) universal, extending to all nations and to all places;

3) eternal, for “The Lord shall sit as King forever:,

4) spiritual, Christ’s “kingdom is not of this world”.

Ask Father Rudy: Natural Disaster, God's Gender & Word, and Catholic Female Clergy

It is great to know that people are starting to feel safer asking questions about their faith or faith in general. I will not be in the following week, but I will gather questions and post the answers for the following week. This is the time, to gather some thoughtful questions for the follow-up "Ask Fr. Rudy" to olgnsgbronx@gmail.com. Thank you for you readership, faith, and support. 

God Bless You!

 

Question 1:

Even as a believer, it is difficult for me to read the Bible and accept it as God’s word. I believe in God, but I don’t believe in the Bible as man tampers with so many things that force one to have false hope. What makes one believe wholeheartedly that the Bible is God’s word?     

Well, we know that Jesus Himself accepted the Old Testament as God’s Word and believed in and lived it.  Then He as the Son of God, gave us new commandments and refocused us to a deeper love.  His own life, death and resurrection is what gives us the Hope we need…and all that is in the Bible, NT.  If Jesus said so, we can believe it.

Question 2:

Is God a man or a woman? Why do we refer to God as “He”?     

God is neither, God is both.  God IS.   Jesus however, for the sake of our human thinking always addressed God as Abba, father, heavenly father.  And it is that notion which has kept the male image alive.  God has both male and female qualities but is addressed usually as He.

Question 3:

On the news, it was asked if a woman will become a Cardinal. Is there talk of women becoming clergy in the Catholic faith? 

Actually throughout history, there have been cardinals who were not clergy.  The title Cardinal, has been an honorary title which, technically does not require holy orders, but in recent history has always been given to a bishop.  But there is the possibility that a woman could become receive the title without being ordained.  It is just an honorary tittle.

Question 4:

How do I come recognize God for myself seeing after seeing hardship like typhoon “Haiyan”?   

Because nature acts on its own, unfortunate events happen such as hurricanes, tornadoes, etc…God does not control the natural from happening, just like He doesn’t control us because of our free will.  What He does offer us is Hope that all victims of these can receive a new life, free of any earthly constraint in the resurrection.