St. Joseph Catholic Church

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 2022
October 2, 2022

Lord, Increase our faith!

We just are starting to free ourselves from the clutches of the COVID Pandemic that has brought unimaginable difficulties for a vast majority of people, but then natural calamities of all sorts – typhoons, earthquakes, drought, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and floods have caused great sufferings and destruction in the lives and properties of people around the world. Not to mention the financial woes of people that has left many helpless and hopeless. One begins to wonder what kind of life lies ahead of us?

This Sunday’s gospel points us to anchor ourselves in God – “Lord, Increase our faith! If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.’ However, it is easy to speak of our faith when things are fine but when trials and difficulties arise and we are unable to overcome them – how do we see our selves responding in faith?

But what exactly is faith? In the midst of everyday struggles, faith is what makes us continue to believe in God and that He will never abandon us – to hold on to God and be at peace because God is holding on to us and will not give up on us. But let us not forget that to put our trust in the Lord, is to allow God to use us in carrying out His will.

As we have faith in God, so does God trust us.

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 2022
September 25, 2022

“There was a rich man…”

Confronted everyday by the suffering and misery of people around us, how have we responded? Did we choose to be compassionate or did we choose to be indifferent. It will be good to be reminded as Einstein said: “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”

The Gospel this Sunday is a grim reminder of the reality of indifference. Wealth and riches are not evil per se. Just as the rich man in the parable is not evil because he is wealthy. But he was punished with eternal damnation due to his indifference. The poor man Lazarus was at his doorstep and choose to ignore him. The rich man choose not to be a neighbor to Lazarus.

Such an attitude is exactly the opposite of what Our Lord Jesus lived during his lifetime. Jesus was constantly seen in the midst of all those who are suffering either because of bodily and spiritual illness or because they are being ostracized by society because of their status in life. He reached out to those in the fringes even if it meant that he will be ostracized himself.

May the compassion and mercy of God touch our hearts and heal us from the sickness of indifference.

Calling all former youth and young adults
and anyone intested in joining. St. Joseph is in the
process of restarting our Youth Ministry!
Contact Fr. Lito for additional information.

ADORATION
of the
BLESSED SACRAMENT

Come Pray
the Liturgy of the Hours

Join us daily in the morning immediately following the Morning Mass and in the evenings: Weekdays & Sundays at 4:00 pm Saturdays at 3:00 pm

Mother of Perpetual Help Prayer Group

Novena devotions to resume Tuesday, at St. Joseph Church; 6:00p.m. (evening).

Come join us every Tuesday praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Rosary, Consecration and Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

Rejoice Always, Pray without ceasing, Give Thanks in all circumstances. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Prayer to St. Joseph

Written by Pope Francis

Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

To you God entrusted his only Son; in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.

Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father, and guide us in the path of life.

Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage, and defend us from every evil.

Amen.

Prayer for the
COVID-19 CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC

Written by Bishop Larry Silva

Dear God of all the living, you sent your Son Jesus to heal us from illness and sin.

We turn to his healing power in this time of anxiety over the pandemic of this potentially deadly virus.

St. Damien and St. Marianne Cope dedicated their lives to the service of those who had an infectious disease. St. Marianne Cope said, "I am not afraid of any disease," because she was confident in your power to save. At the same time, she took prudent precautions of hygiene to assure that she and her Sisters would not be infected.

Let us learn from this example to put our trust in you to save us from the ravages of disease and to take prudent measures to prevent its spread. Guide us to know when to isolate ourselves from the possibility of infection, but never let anyone be left without the care and concern of others in the community.

As our Diocese of Honolulu has been dedicated to the Divine Mercy,
we pray with confidence,

Jesus, I trust in you. Saint Damien, pray for us!Saint Marianne, pray for us! Amen.