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St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Nixa MO

11 hours ago

Where is Your Balloon?Proclaim The Gospel to The Whole WorldReflection on the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord: Sunday, May 16, 2021 Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47:2-3, 6-9; Ephesians 1:17-23; Mark 16:15-20.Back before we were as environmentally enlightened, (full disclosure: I am age 60, so I am old!) we used to do balloon releases to mark an occasion of great joy. We would all stand there and release our balloons at the designated moment and watch together until they all floated out of sight. Depending on the weather, sometimes we would watch for a long time as the balloons grew smaller and smaller in the distance, until we finally could not see them anymore.Having been fooled by this ritual once before, I remember the occasion when I did not let go of my balloon when everyone else did. When my mom told me that I was supposed to let my balloon go along with the others, I told her that I didn’t want to … that I wanted to hang on to mine! She attempted to explain that the point was for everyone to let go together, but I was not having it! The wise woman that she was, my mom decided that this was not a battle she really needed to win, so I was allowed to take my balloon home and watched it slowly deflate over the next day or so. It seemed that no matter how hard I tried, I just could not freeze things in place the way I wanted them to.I am reminded of that experience in today’s celebration. Our reading from the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles (The Gospel of Luke: The Sequel), seems to gage the reaction of the early Church as they stood there watching Jesus slowly float away before their very eyes. As that cloud took Jesus from their sight, they experienced “two men dressed in white garments” (a seeming recurrence from other post-resurrection stories), who asked them WHY they were looking up into the sky! Usually, when we get asked a seemingly obvious question in the Scriptures, we’re called to answer that question for ourselves at a deeper level!I do not doubt that the early Church was like my younger self! They did not want to let go of Jesus any more than I wanted to let go of my balloon. They liked what they had, a life with Jesus, now emboldened by the resurrection! They did not want that to change! Who wants to let that go, and watch it slowly disappear into the sky?! Not this kid!Despite that fact that Jesus was promising them the Sprit, they probably had no idea what that meant at the time! Instead, in the conclusion of Mark’s Gospel, which we hear today, the disciples are reminded that they have work to do by “going into the WHOLE world” and proclaiming the Gospel to “EVERY creature.”How is that for a job description?!We are told that after Jesus was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God, the disciples, “went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them. …”So, why do we stand still 2,000 years later, looking up into the sky? I know the answer for myself, and I venture to say that many of you might be like me. I want to keep Jesus on my string, and I want him to fix everything for me. That is a much easier plan! Still, despite my best efforts to hide from my own fears and limitations, Jesus sends me out of my safe space to proclaim to EVERY creature in the WHOLE world! Who knows, I might need to drive out demons or speak new languages! God forbid that I have to deal with serpents in this world of ours!Still, I have figured out this much: if I try to keep Jesus to myself, I will watch as my life with him slowly deflates. The only hope is to not waste too much time looking wistfully up into the sky and attempt the task I/we have been given.May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened, that we may know the hope that accompanies to our call! ©TMFather John Francis Friedel is the Pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Joplin, MO. ... See MoreSee Less

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St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Nixa MO

11 hours ago

Wednesday, May 19th, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.All are welcome and encouraged to experience the true presence of Christ in this special way. Bring a prayer book or rosary for your use during adoration. Or you are invited to sit quietly and take in the grace and peace that comes from being with Christ. ... See MoreSee Less

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St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Nixa MO

3 days ago

Blood Drive Sign-up, contact Virginia Pojar, recycledgin@aol.com ... See MoreSee Less

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St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Nixa MO was live.

6 days ago

Excerpts from the English translation of Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation, (ICEL); excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, ICEL; the English translation of Eucharistic Prayers for Masses with Children © 1975, ICEL. All rights reserved.Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, License #A-734483. All rights reserved. ... See MoreSee Less

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St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Nixa MO

1 week ago

Did you miss DDFW Sunday last weekend? Did you need more time to pray about how you were being called in this year’s initiative? Do you still need a little bit more information? ❗DDF provides approximately 43% of the support to all the ministries in the diocese.❗Because of the generosity of donors to DDF, we have been able to keep parish assessments extremely low. Generosity to DDF helps keep the Sunday offertory in the local parish. ❗All DDF funds stay in our diocese to support the Bishop’s ministries.youtu.be/El_nmvl6zXc ... See MoreSee Less

DDF 2021 (English)

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OUR STORIES OF STEWARDSHIP

Terry & Linda Howard: We Are All One Body

Barbara Bettlach: Different Chapters of People's Lives

Kevin & Kathy Heitland: God Owns It All

Sara Walraven: Learning to Be Present

Dana Elwell: Providing a Place to Call Home

Kaitlyn Rispoli: Growing Up in the Parish

Glenda Griest: Taking Stewardship to Heart

Karen Wegand: Our Parish Family

Kathleen Blumenthal: Becoming a Cheerful Giver

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