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If we’ve been loving God and others fully, we’ll have nothing to fear and everything to rejoice over when we meet our God. With reverent trust, we’ll be full of faith in God’s mercy and love, given that we’ll have been a conduit of them, throughout our lives. For complete reflection, click on orange title above.

“One of the hopes of a God-filled life is that our life will continue to grow and grow until it reaches its fulfillment in Heaven. God promises that He will always be faithful to us. Gift of God, fill my heart with Your hope and trust.” (“Daily Meditations with the Holy Spirit” Winkler, 2008) For complete reflection, clikc on the orange title above.

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Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe--click on orange title for complete reflection

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Veteran’s Day is a day of gratitude and reflection. Like Memorial Day, it is a time to pay tribute to American men and women of service, but it is not the same. Memorial Day was established to remember the fallen, those who have paid the ultimate price, the totality of the selfless gift defending America and its freedoms. Veteran’s Day focuses on all who have served, not just the fallen. It is important to reflect on the experiences they have gone through and the contributions they have made. Veteran’s Day offers the chance to show public appreciation for our living veterans and those currently serving in the armed forces as well as remember those who have gone before us who have served. Military personnel and their families often make sacrifices, large and small both now and in the past and should be remembered, never forgotten. Let us Remember Our Heroes -- The Home of the Free Because of the Brave Let Us Pray . . . For all those who serve and have served in the military. May God bless them and keep them safe. In a special way, we pray for all those who have given of themselves to defend our freedoms and protect our country. May all veterans know of our support and affection. Fr. John

We pray to the Lord . . . O loving God, support us all the daylong in our dark hours of grief, until the shadows of evening fades and morning light breaks through, we ask for your presence. Grant our loved one(s) safe lodging, a holy rest and a lasting peace. Amen For complete reflection, click on the orange title above.

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Thank You! As we continue to reflect on the many insights the Biblical Conference provided in September, we take this opportunity to thank the two anonymous families that donated and sponsored Dr. John Bergsma’s presentations on the living Christ in the Eucharist for our linked parish communities! Let’s reflect on ways the Lord may be sending an invitation to us to serve Him. We thank all who helped in the success of the Spaghetti Dinner in support of our linked parish families’ Oratory of the Sacred Heart! Thank you to Sal Gagliardo aka “Chef Sal-ardee” along with his many helpers in the kitchen for preparation, delivery and all those contributing through the purchase of raffle tickets, donations and meals for themselves and others. We can begin to prepare for Advent as we await the coming of the Lord. We can welcome Jesus to our local “Bethlehem” (our local “house of bread”) and think of ways we can bring the living Eucharist to others. Perhaps we can contribute to make a difference in our parish families by participating in ministries, sponsoring a Bible Study in our home or by helping at our special events like hospitality or the Christmas Bazaar. Call the Parish Office if Our Lord is calling you to help Him do His work, bring the living Bread to others through your hands or support others in their mission to do so. God’s blessings, Fr. John

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Hope: Click on title for complete reflection

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What is a crisis? Click on the orange title above for complete reflection!

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Leaving us for an extended time? Are you a Snowbird? Please read this! WE NEED YOUR WINTER ADDRESS — If you receive parish envelopes and other mailing from the Basilica, please DO NOT rely on your mail forwarding because it ends up as an expense to the parish. How? We mail bulk/ non-profit rate which means our mail cannot be forwarded. Your forwarded mail gets sent back to the parish and the parish has to pay for that additional postage. This adds up to quite a lot of money during the season. To remedy this… Please contact the parish office with your winter address and we will change it in our system for the time you are away. Bonnie@smaolean.org or 716-372-4841

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Merciful and Loving God, May You guide Israel during these critical hours and days. May You be near to those who mourn and those who are suffering who now fill every part of the Land. When a day of joyous celebration has become a day of agony and loss, in Your compassion, bring us all to Life. May You, Lord, the maker of peace, make peace for the people of Israel   and comfort their loved ones around the world.  Amen. Click on the orange title for complete reflection by Fr. John.

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We thank Dr. Bergsma for the very powerful two-day Biblical Conference that took place Sept. 29-30, 2023. Dr. John Bergsma serves as Professor of Theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville and Vice President at the St. Paul Center. He holds the Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Calvin Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and served as a Protestant pastor for four years before entering the Catholic Church in 2001 while pursuing a Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Notre Dame. He specialized in the Old Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls, graduating with high honors in 2004. Over the years, Dr. Bergsma has become a sought-after speaker and author. Last year alone John spoke to over 1,000 Priests. He is the bestselling author of numerous books on Scripture including his most recent release: The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A. Other popular books include Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of the Church, Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament, the Bible Basics series, and Stunned by Scripture which details John’s conversion story. John can also be found frequently each week on the St. Paul Center’s Letters from Home podcast and YouTube channel. He also hosts a weekly show with Dr. Scott Hahn titled: Word of the Lord which reaches Catholics around the world at stpaulcenter.com. Most importantly: John and his wife Dawn have been married since 1993 and have eight children!