The Freedom To Choose

Today we hear the scripture passage that brings us back to Holy Week. Calvary’s Hill. Two thieves—scrawny and pale. With the sarcasm of most of the crowd, one calls out, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” The other in defense says, “Have you no fear of God? We have been condemned justly . . . but this man has done nothing criminal.” Down deep in the thief’s proclamation are what anyone needs to recognize in order to come to Jesus. Jesus is not on that cross for His sins. He is there for ours! And the thief on the cross makes the same request any Christian makes, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Much has been said about the prayer of the repenting thief on the cross next to Jesus. He is enjoying the fruit of the one good choice he made. In the end all his bad choices were redeemed by a solitary good one. But let’s not forget the one who didn’t pray? He offered no request. He, too, could have requested mercy and forgiveness. He, too could have asked Jesus to remember him in the new kingdom. But he didn’t. He offered no prayer of sorrow. And Jesus didn’t demand one. One said “remember me.” The other said nothing. We too, all of us, have made bad choices. There are times when God sends thunder to stir us. There are times when God sends blessings to lure us. But then there are times when God sends nothing but silence as he honors us with the freedom to choose where we spend eternity. Jesus gave both criminals the same choice. He does the same for us.

Deacon Corney

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Event: Faustina: Messenger of Divine Mercy, the live theatrical one-woman drama performed by actress Jennifer Pagano and directed by Leonardo Defilippis of Saint Luke Productions, will be presented at St. Justin Martyr Catholic Church in Houston.

Details: Monday, December 16 at 7:00pm, at St. Justin Martyr Catholic Church in Houston. Admission will be a free-will offering.

About the Production: In Faustina: Messenger of Divine Mercy, audiences experience firsthand the spirit and life of Polish mystic Saint Faustina, whose personal encounters with Jesus have inspired a world-wide devotion to Christ’s Divine Mercy. A parallel modern story within the drama offers audiences a compelling personal connection to the current moral issues of our times. Audiences are calling the production a “wake-up call.”  Faustina: Messenger of Divine Mercy is an inspiring dramatic portrayal not to be missed. The production runs 90 minutes, and is suitable for ages 13 and up.

About Faustina Kowalska: She was born Helena Kowalska in 1905, into a large peasant family in Poland. She really had no potential for greatness – a poor girl, destined to be a housekeeper, with no education or prospects.  Yet she longed for God, and despite the protests of her parents, and after a vision of Jesus telling her to head for Warsaw and become a nun, she secretly hopped on a train. Upon reaching the city, she knocked on the doors of convents until The Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy finally took a chance on this young girl, and let her in. As a
nun she took the name Sister Maria Faustina, and spent the rest of her life doing menial work as a cook and as a gardener. 

In 1930, the mystical visions started for the young nun, Sister Faustina Kowalska. Jesus appeared to her in a white garment, with rays of white and red light emanating from near His heart. He asked her to paint His image, with the message, “Jesus, I trust in You” across the bottom. That was the beginning of a very special mission that took years to develop into a powerful devotion for the Church – the Divine Mercy.

Jesus continued to speak through Sister Faustina, with an urgent message for our times, and He gave her a special prayer, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which spread throughout the world like wildfire. Faustina continued to keep a diary of her visions, until she died of tuberculosis in 1938. It was Pope John Paul II who declared the Sunday after Easter as Mercy Sunday, and in April 2000, Faustina Kowalska was declared the first saint of the 21st Century.

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SHARING OUR GOOD NEWS!
Request for photos of outreach projects during holiday season 
Is your parish hosting an outreach project this holiday season? If so, the Office of Communications is asking for Archdiocesan parishes and schools to submit photos chronicling these initiatives that help those in need around our community. All photos and information submitted will be considered for use in the Texas Catholic Herald or online (www.archgh.org and social media). Submit your digital photos to our Dropbox (link: https://www.dropbox.com/request/KjSnJuBWtcblwj6CmS9u).

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Attention Parents and Confirmation 1 Students:
Confirmation 1 Day of Reflection has been rescheduled for Saturday, January 18, 2020.

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• SUNDAY:  8:00 AM,  10:00 AM,  12:00 PM Vietnamese,   5:00 PM Spanish
• MONDAY: 7:00 PM Chapel
• TUESDAY: 7:00 PM Chapel
• WEDNESDAY: 9:00 AM Chapel
• THURSDAY: 9:00 AM Chapel
• FRIDAY: 9:00 AM Chapel, 6:30 PM Vietnamese
• SATURDAY:9:00 AM Chapel

Reconciliation:
Tuesday:  6:30 PM
Saturday:  4 PM to 5 PM

Eucharistic Adoration:
Wednesday: 9:30 am - 8:15 pm (Chapel)

2019 DSF Newsletter