THE TERM “GENDER” AS A NEW PHILOSOPHY OF SEXUALITY PART 2
The manipulation of nature, which we deplore today where our environment is concerned, now becomes man’s fundamental choice where he himself is concerned. From now on there is only the abstract human being, who chooses for himself what his nature is to be. Man and woman in their created state as complementary versions of what it means to be human are disputed. But if there is no pre-ordained duality of man and woman in creation, then neither is the family any longer a reality established by creation. Likewise, the child has lost the place he had occupied hitherto and the dignity pertaining to him. Gilles Bernheim, the Chief Rabbi of France, shows that now, perforce, from being a subject of rights, the child has become an object to which people have a right and which they have a right to obtain. When the freedom to be creative becomes the freedom to create oneself, then necessarily the Maker himself is denied and ultimately man too is stripped of his dignity as a creature of God, as the image of God at the core of his being. The defense of the family is about himself. And it becomes clear that when God is denied, human dignity also disappears. Whoever defends God is defending man. (Benedict XVI on the occasion of Christmas Greetings to the Roman Curia 12/21/12)
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Income tax statements are available on request.
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EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
We have no idea how many Magi there were or where they came from. There are certainly reasons for Matthew presenting these strange „astrologers” as coming from the East, but the more important issue is the gifts themselves. Matthew is teaching us about what God has given us in the person of Christ; therefore, the gifts of the magi are highly symbolic. Gold was a gift given to a king. Incense was given to a priest for making offerings to God; therefore incense was associated with the divine. Myrrh was used to perfume the body of a person who had died. Originally intended to help hide the smell of death, it became a symbol of suffering and death.
All three gifts reveal something of a person and the purpose of Jesus, and although today is about celebrating what God has given us, it is a good occasion to look to the Magi and ask ourselves, „What do I bring to give to God?” The gifts we give – or don’t give – reveal something about us and our faith in Jesus as the Son of God.
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Fr. Peter will be absent on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 7 & 8, 2014 for participation in annual opłatek for priests.
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PARISH OPŁATEK – January 11, 2014
Parish opłatek will take place on Saturday, January 11 after the 5PM Polish Mass. There will also be Jasełka (Nativity play). Please come and enjoy our parish gathering.
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PARISH DONATION ENVELOPES FOR 2014
Parish donation envelopes for 2014 are available. All registered parishioners should use these weekly envelopes. If your box of envelopes is missing, please contact Fr. Peter.
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