St. Peter Catholic Church
  • Home
  • From The Pastor
  • Online Streaming
    • Mass Archives
  • Parish Info
    • Welcome
    • Mass & Reconciliation
    • Sacramental Information
    • Register With Parish
    • RESOURCES
    • Parish Team
    • Photo Gallery
  • Education
    • OCIA
    • Guardian Angel
    • Religious Education >
      • RE Registration
      • RE Online Payment
      • Sacrament Information
    • Vacation Bible School
    • Catholic Education
    • SCRIP
  • Ministry
    • YOUTH MINISTRY
    • Ministry Schedule
    • CAMPUS MINISTRY
    • Parish Ministries
  • News
    • Parishioner News
    • DIOCESAN NEWS
    • Weekly Bulletin
    • Weekly Calendar
    • Monthly Look
    • Upcoming Events
    • St Peter Columbarium
  • Stewardship
    • Online Giving
    • Opportunities

02/13/2022 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

2/11/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
 
                                            In God We Trust
 
Inscriptions on the ten-dollar note I pulled out of my wallet to pay for a cup of a tall coffee at Starbucks yesterday inspired my reflections on the readings for this Sunday’s mass. To be precise, the inscriptions “We the People” and “In God we Trust” on the front and back of the legal tender respectively instruct on the theme of virtues of humility and trust. My research reveals that through the act of Congress and the president's approval, “In God We Trust” was declared the national motto of the United States in 1956. Although the motto, “In God We Trust,” first appeared on the 1864 two-cent coin, it wasn't until 1957 that it made its first appearance on paper money. The recognition of God’s protection and lordship over America during the Civil War inspired this decision. In other words, America came to an awareness of their faith, hope, and trust in God’s love and mercy as the reason for the nation’s existence and sustenance through the turmoil it experienced. It is not just because we, the people of America, are the only exceptional people on the face of the earth- all God’s people are unique in their way; instead, our greatness comes from our trust in God.  
 
The phrase “We the People” begins the 52-word paragraph preamble to our constitution. Enshrined in the paragraph are promises and principles that define our nation. But it also contains a potential for a prideful turn to self, what St. Augustine calls “curvatus in se,” that is, to turn in upon oneself. We can become self-dependent to the extent of denying our reliance on God’s grace. We must avoid the danger of trusting in ourselves or relying solely “on human strength,” as Jeremiah says to us in the 1st reading. This turn to self or ego leads to idolatry. We may start thinking that the world revolves around us because we lack the virtue of humility. When we rely on the Lord, in humility, Jeremiah says the Lord will bless us “like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its root to the stream” (17:7-8). In this regard, Jesus’ beatitude and woes in Lk 6 make sense. The inversion of shared understanding of what brings us happiness- from health, wealth, prosperity, power to weakness, sickness, poverty, and humiliation- teaches us to trust in God and not ourselves for true happiness. You are blessed when you are poor, hungry, and despised if you trust in God and center your lives around him.
 
The biblical understanding of Greek “Makarios” and Latin “Beati” is the root of the unique blessedness we experience when we trust in God. This blessedness is an enduring one, an eternal one. The joy from this blessedness is not transient or temporal; it is realized fully in heavenly reward. Jesus has reversed our understanding of the source of true and lasting joy. It flows from the absolute reliance on God and not on human strength. This new and different way of looking at life leads us to ask ourselves, what or who do we depend on for our ultimate joy and happiness? God or self? As for me and my household, in God we trust.
 
We celebrate World Marriage Day today and Valentine’s Day tomorrow. Therefore, I take this opportunity to impart God’s blessings on all married couples and lovers. May your love for each other be rooted in the love of Christ crucified.
 
 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Parish Office Hours

Monday - Thursday

9:00am - 4:00pm

Fridays: Closed



Address

Mailing Address:  
1840 Marshall Drive
Elizabethtown, PA 17
022

GPS Address:
904 Mill Road
Elizabethtown, PA 17022

Contact Us

Phone: 717-367-1255
Fax: 717-367-1270

Email: bulletininfo@stpeteretown.org



© St. Peter Catholic Church. 2019. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • From The Pastor
  • Online Streaming
    • Mass Archives
  • Parish Info
    • Welcome
    • Mass & Reconciliation
    • Sacramental Information
    • Register With Parish
    • RESOURCES
    • Parish Team
    • Photo Gallery
  • Education
    • OCIA
    • Guardian Angel
    • Religious Education >
      • RE Registration
      • RE Online Payment
      • Sacrament Information
    • Vacation Bible School
    • Catholic Education
    • SCRIP
  • Ministry
    • YOUTH MINISTRY
    • Ministry Schedule
    • CAMPUS MINISTRY
    • Parish Ministries
  • News
    • Parishioner News
    • DIOCESAN NEWS
    • Weekly Bulletin
    • Weekly Calendar
    • Monthly Look
    • Upcoming Events
    • St Peter Columbarium
  • Stewardship
    • Online Giving
    • Opportunities