Holy Angels - Woodbury, NJ
  • Home
    • Holy Angels Parish
    • About Us >
      • Parish History >
        • Most Holy Redeemer
        • St. Patrick's Church
        • St. Matthew's Church
      • Clergy & Staff
    • Becoming Catholic
    • Parish Registration
    • New Parishioners
    • Mission Statement
    • How to Find Us
  • Worship
    • Mass Schedule & Locations
    • Live Stream Archives
    • Mass Cards
  • Sacraments
    • Baptism
    • Sponsors & Godparents
    • Confirmation
    • Reconciliation
    • Anointing of the Sick
    • Vocations
    • Mass Schedule & Locations
  • Formation
    • Religious Education >
      • Contact Info
      • Required Prayers
    • Becoming Catholic
  • Ministries
    • Compassionate Outreach
    • Pastoral & Community Life
    • Youth Group
  • Events
    • Bulletin Archives
    • Parish Calendar
    • South Jersey Catholic Ministries Appeal >
      • South Jersey Catholic Ministries Appeal Website
    • Holy Angels School
    • Stewardship >
      • Ministries
      • Ways to Give >
        • Electronic Giving
        • Parish Envelopes
        • Catholic Strong
        • #iGiveCatholic
        • House of Charity
    • Diocesan Events
  • Photo Galleries
    • Saint Patrick Church
  • How Do I...?
  • Forms Library
  • Donate
  • Ways to Give
  • Link Page

Thursday, 4th Week of Lent

3/30/2017

0 Comments

 
Today's Reading 
John 5:31-47

Jesus said to the Jews: 
"If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.
But there is another who testifies on my behalf,
and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true.
You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.
I do not accept human testimony,
but I say this so that you may be saved.
He was a burning and shining lamp,
and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.
But I have testimony greater than John's.
The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,
these works that I perform testify on my behalf
that the Father has sent me.
Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.
But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
and you do not have his word remaining in you,
because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.
You search the Scriptures,
because you think you have eternal life through them;
even they testify on my behalf.
But you do not want to come to me to have life.

"I do not accept human praise;
moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. 
Picture
I came in the name of my Father,
but you do not accept me;
yet if another comes in his own name,
you will accept him.
How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another
and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?
Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father:
the one who will accuse you is Moses,
in whom you have placed your hope.
For if you had believed Moses,
you would have believed me,
because he wrote about me. 
But if you do not believe his writings,
how will you believe my words?"
Reflection
Jesus is confident in His mission and lays everything out there for the Jews to either accept or discard. “I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me."  Jesus explains over and over again that He is the one about whom the prophets wrote, the one for whom John the Baptist was preparing the way, all of scripture has prepared the Israelites for this moment but in their pride, they refuse to accept it. We find ourselves in this same boat at times. 

Too often we fall back on our knowledge of scripture, our degrees, our good works, and how much we know about the faith. This is not what Christ wants from us. Jesus wants a relationship. He wants us to believe in Him. He is the truth. He is the way. He is the life. Everything points to Him. We focus too much on the things we do, the books we read and the charitable causes to which we are dedicated. While these are great things to have in our life, it is not the most important. How is our personal relationship with the resurrected and living Christ? How often are we just sitting and speaking with Him? This is what Lent is all about. 
​

Let us take some time to bring into focus our priorities; why are we doing the things we are doing in our life? Let us read the scripture understanding that it is speaking of the person of Christ. Let us do our good works recognizing we are serving the person of Christ. Let us give, love and serve knowing that it is Christ who loved and served first. Today, spend 10 minutes in silence, at the end of those 10 minutes, speak to Jesus from your heart asking Him to once again become the center of your life and the motivation for all that you do. 
All content is created by "Array of Hope".  If you would like to directly receive all of the content created by this ministry you can sign up at www.arrayofhope.net
0 Comments

Saturday after Ash Wednesday - Revove from our lives....

3/4/2017

0 Comments

 
Today's Reading
    Thus says the LORD:
If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; 
If you bestow your bread on the hungry  and satisfy the afflicted; 
Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,  and the gloom shall become for you like midday; 

Then the LORD will guide you always  and give you plenty even on the parched land. 
He will renew your strength,  and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose
water never fails. 


The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake,  and the foundations from ages past you
shall raise up; 
 "Repairer of the breach," they shall call you, "Restorer of ruined homesteads."
Picture
If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day; 
If you call the sabbath a delight, and the LORD's holy day honorable; 
If you honor it by not following your ways,  seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice
Then you shall delight in the LORD,  and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; 
I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father,  
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

​Isaiah 58:9b-14
Reflection
Today's readings  can be summed up in one word: Mercy. This word has been shaped in recent years by our culture. Even during the Year of Mercy, the media did not always tell the whole story of mercy. We have been told that showing and receiving mercy makes us feel good because of the love we experience from another. This is true, but mercy is so much more. It is the struggle of conversion to the one receiving mercy. It is the journey with another when giving mercy. Mercy is all about conversion. 
  
In the Gospel, Jesus is constantly calling us to conversion. In today's readings He says, "I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners" (Luke 5:32). We are all sinners and Jesus calls us to repent. We have the beatitudes and the 10 commandments and the Holy Spirit in our hearts to guide us to truth. Jesus never shows mercy without also calling to conversion. Isaiah is speaking to the people of God's mercy. They are shamefully taking it for granted and now in their time of exile they have an opportunity to change. He gives them conditions: If you convert, then God will be your delight, your strength and He will even restore you to your beloved homeland.

We are now in Lent, a time of mercy, but this mercy means we must convert. Today, take the time to reflect on the ways God is showing you mercy. Ask yourself, how can you convert? Isaiah gives us a slew of ways in today's reading. Now go one step further: forgive and show mercy to your neighbor in return for the mercy God has shown to you.
All content is created by "Array of Hope".  If you would like to directly receive all of the content created by this
​ministry you can sign up at 
www.arrayofhope.net
0 Comments

    Lenten Reflections

    Daily reading and a Lenten reflection including tips on how to live out the hope of Christ's resurrection.
    Sundays you will receive a short inspirational video from one of our Array of Hope Presenters.  

    Invite your friends and family to experience Easter of Hope too!

    Archives

    April 2017
    March 2017

    Categories

    All
    1st Week
    2nd Week
    3rd Week
    4th Week
    5th Week
    Adultery
    Angel
    Annunciation
    Ash Wednesday
    Bed
    Believe
    Broken
    Child
    Commandments
    Communication
    Consistent
    Darkness
    Death
    Deuteronomy
    Dialogue
    Division
    Exalts
    Fasting
    Forget
    Forgiveness
    Free
    Gabriel
    Goats
    Good Friday
    Healing
    Help
    Holy Thursday
    Holy Week
    Humbly
    I AM
    Isaiah
    Jesus
    John
    Jonah
    Lazarus
    Least
    Life
    Lift Up
    Light
    Lord's Supper
    Luke
    Man Born Blind
    Martha
    Mary
    Mat
    Matthew
    Mercy
    Mighty Works
    Mother
    Neighbor
    Prayer
    Prodigal
    Rain
    Remove
    Repentance
    Resurrection
    Rich Man
    Sacraments
    Sacred Triduum
    Saint Joseph
    Samaritan
    Saturday
    Seeking God
    Sheep
    Signs
    Signs & Wonders
    Sin
    Sinners
    Son Of Man
    Sunday
    Tradition
    Tranfiguration
    Transgression
    Triduum
    Truth
    Unfaithful Servant
    Vigilant
    Well
    Word

    RSS Feed

Connect with us

Parish Office
81 Cooper Street 
Woodbury, NJ
Phone 856-845-0123
 Office Hours: 9:00am - 4:00pm Monday-Friday
​Fax: 856-845-7409
Email: mail@holyangelsnj.org 
Click Here For Directions and Maps
Picture
Picture
Helpful Links
  • ​​Parish Mass Schedule 
  • MassTimes (For Travelers)
  • How Do I...?
  • Sunday Bulletins
  • How to Find Us
  • Wedding Guidelines
  • Facebook
  • Holy Angels Catholic School
  • Religious Education
  • Diocese of Camden
  • Daily Mass Readings
  • Liturgy of the Hours
  • Bible
  • South Jersey Catholic Cemeteries
  • Common Prayers
  • Rosary Guide
  • Vatican Website
  • U.S.C.C.B.

Picture