Our next Stories of Stewardship spotlight is on Barbara Bettlach, a founding member of St. Francis of Assisi. Find out why Barbara believes the chapters of people’s lives tend to define their approach to stewardship. Read her story at stfrancisnixa.org/different-chapters-of-peoples-lives/.
Barbara Bettlach: Different Chapters of People's Lives | St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
stfrancisnixa.org
A founding member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Barbara Bettlach learned about the concept of giving from her mother. Growing up in a St. Louis family of eight children, she was taught to bring an envelope to Mass every Sunday. “It just became habit,” she said, one she passed on to her five c...Please sign up to get a convenient time for yourself. Call Virginia Pojar, 417-494-4977 to sign up or if you have questions. Sponsored by Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary
Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 14, 2020 - Liturgical Calendar
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This feast was observed in Rome before the end of the seventh century. It commemorates the recovery of the Holy Cross, which had been placed on Mt. Calvary by St. Helena and preserved in Jerusalem, but then had fallen into the hands of Chosroas, King of the Persians. The precious relic wasMeaningful Mass Monday | Step 1: The Sign of the Cross
(Explaining Mass, one step at a time.)
The Mass starts with the Sign of the Cross - "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The Sign of the Cross is not simply a way to begin praying. It is itself a powerful prayer that is meant to pour out tremendous blessings on our lives.
Whenever we make the Sign of the Cross - whether at Mass or in our private devotions - we enter a sacred tradition that goes back to the early centuries of Christianity.
Ezekiel 9:4-6 and Revelations 7:3 tell of an X being marked on the foreheads of believers. From a biblical perspective, every time we trace the Sign of the Cross over our bodies we are doing two things. First, we are expressing our desire to be set apart from the corrupt ways of the world in our own day. Second, we are invoking God's protection for our lives to guard us from all harm and evil.
In the Sign of the Cross, we pray that our whole lives may be lived in ever greater harmony with God - that all we do, we may do in his name. This is why we should make every Sign of the Cross with careful attention and reverence. Given all that this means, we should avoid signing ourselves in a hurried, sloppy way.
When we cross ourselves, let it be a real Sign of the Cross. Instead of a small cramped gesture that gives no notion of its meaning, let us make a large unhurried sign, from forehead to breast, from shoulder to shoulder, consciously feeling how it includes the whole of us, our thoughts, our attitudes, our body and soul, every part of us at once, how it consecrates and sanctifies us.
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Interested in learning more? Join us Tuesday nights from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm for the Book Study Group, currently meeting via Zoom. Contact the parish office for more information. office@stfrancisnixa.org
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Summary derived from "A Biblical Walk Through the Mass: Understanding What We Say and Do In The Liturgy" by Edward Sri (available at Desales Catholic Bookstore in Springfield)
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Have you ever wanted to know why we say this or do that during the Mass? Check out our Meaningful Mass Monday Facebook posts each Monday for bite-sized explanations of the Mass, one step at a time.
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
844 S. Gregg Road
P.O. Box 1920
Nixa, MO 65714
(417) 725-1975
