St. Anastasia Roman Catholic Church
Mark My Words

As we begin this New Year many of us may have made some New Year’s Resolutions.  If you are like many in the US you have broken them already or you are just about to break them.  Resolutions are a great thing as a way to better improve ourselves as people.  However, as we continue in the first weeks of January, besides taking stock of ourselves physically, maybe it is a great time to look at ourselves spiritually.  This is a golden opportunity to see how we can improve our relationship with God by adding things that may move us into a deeper relationship and by removing those things that are drawing us away from him.  We must use this time in January to figure out a plan for 2010.

The weather is colder, the leaves are changing, and the Lions are still losing football games. That can only mean one thing: fall is here. This year has moved by fast. With the seasons changing, this is a good time to look at our lives and see what type of changes we may need to make. While we are getting ready for winter and the snow, we have to take stock and see where we are in our faith life. Too often bad habits creep in our prayer life and our relationship with God. In the next week or so, I invite all of us to prayerfully look at our lives and see what is good or bad and what is helping or not helping our relationship with Christ. We must do all we can to make our relationship with Christ sound and pray for grace to do it.

Saint of the Week

On September 21st we celebrate the feast of St. Matthew. We know St. Matthew as the author of the first gospel in the bible and also as an Apostle. He was probably born in Galilee and was a tax collector at Capernaum (Mt 9: 9-13) when he was called by Christ to follow Him (Lk 5: 27-32). This is a dramatic scene in the life of Jesus because he calls a tax collector, the lowest of the low in Jewish society, to be an Apostle. This shows that Jesus did not come into the world for the just, but to call sinners to Him. He immediately stood up and left everything behind; his way of life and his attachment to sin. He preached in Jerusalem and then eventually went to Ethiopia and was martyred in Persia (modern Iran). Matthew is recognized in liturgical art by an angel holding a lance, a coin, a pen, or a money box.

“The Occult and the New Age Movement”

Wednesday, September 30th at 7 pm

Fr. Mark Prill will address the threat of the occult and the New Age Movement in our sociey.

As many of you know last weekend we had our annual golf outing to help support the youth ministry here at St. Anastasia. The weather was perfect and all the participants had a lot of fun. Overall it was a resounding success. B.A.S.I.C. is a wonderful escape for teens from the stress of high school and the stress of being teens. It is a time for them to really meet Christ in a more personal way and to meet other like teens who have a burning love for Christ and His Church. If you have any teens or know any teens who would like to join B.A.S.I.C., contact Dave Graves, our Youth Minister, for more details.

Not that long ago I read something interesting in the newspaper. In an article that was written in the sports section, it mentioned how Kobe Bryant during the offseason would make 1000 baskets a day in preparation for the upcoming basketball season. Not attempt but make. What the article made me think about was how much effort he puts into basketball and how much work we put in our own work or hobbies. It makes we wonder for myself and for all of us, How much work do I put in my faith life? Am I giving it the attention it deserves? Am I watering it and helping it grow? This summer while we are involved with many summer activities, let us remember to put some work into our spiritual life. It is easy to forget about our faith life during the summer. Continue to go to mass, to pray, and faithfully receive the sacraments. God never goes on vacation nor should we go on vacation in regards with our relationship with Him.