Have you ever come across a combination prayer book, lectionary (with all Mass readings for each day of the week) and saints book all bound together in an easily handled, bound publication? Some of our parishioners have been blessed to have this in their hands every month of the year through a subscription to "Give Us This Day" which is  delivered to our church as a "bulk subscription" which means a reduced rate compared to having mailed directly to the home by Liturgical Press. Each day of the week it gives a shortened morning and evening prayer based on the format of the "Liturgy of HOurs" that is easy to follow and includes scripture, an antiphon that's foolowed either by the "Canticle of Zachariah" (for morning prayer) or the "Canticle of Mary" (evening prayer) and intercessions all of which can be prayed in less than ten minutes. This is one way to include prayer once (or hopefully) twice a day in one's life. The periodical also gives us a short biography of a saint or holy person who is still living who can inspire us to be more Christ-like, as they were, in our lives. Finally, we are given the readings of the day that are normally proclaimed at Masses on each particular day and gives us the opportunity as we prepare to go to Sunday Mass or go to a daily Mass (or even we don't take advantage of the daily Masses offered here) to read and reflect on those readings and read the commentary or mini-reflection that is given by priests, religious, deacons, or even lay people. Given the cost of having a newspaper subscription (which has to be read almost exclusively online) the "Give Us This Day" booklet is in your hands and easy to reference back to at any time and is only $30 a year when you join in the bulk subscription rate. There is a table in the Narthex where there are envelopes you can use to put in a check made out to Sacred Heart Church or cash for $30 and PRINT YOUR NAME on the outside of the envelope and leave it in the basket on the table. Your subscription will start in November of this year and for those who haven't subscribed before, you will be able to pick up your monthly copies about two weeks before the new month's edition and check off your name on the sheet provided. We also have a bulk subscription offered for "The Word Among Us" another publication that gives the daily readings, a reflection and beautiful articles each month. The cost is $20. Commit on the same table in the Narthex.

We all have heard the saying: "If it was a snake it would have bit me/you" which indicates, among other things, that something may be so close to us that we don't realize until it's too late. Perhaps it's a stretch to use that as an analogy about something that took place relatively close to us, that we might not have been aware of and it's definitely too late to do anything about it. I'm refering to the beatification Mass of the first American martyr (officially declared so by Pope Francis), Blessed Stanley Rother which took place in Oklahoma City on September 13, 2017. It was only the second time in history that a beatification Mass and ceremony of an American born person took place in the United States. Over 20,000 persons converged on Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City that day and latecomers were left in the streets outside of the Convention Center (which only holds 15,000 people) to watch what was happening using their smartphones and tuning into EWTN. I'm telling you this not because I was there to see it, but because it is one of many things I read about in a short booklet that has been published (and is available for you to purchase) from a presentation that was given  many times by our own bishop, Anthony B Taylor, the first episcopal delegate of the cause of Blessed Stanley Rother. This forty page booklet brings out the most important aspects of this farm-boy priest, who answered the call of the Lord and his bishop 5 years into his priesthood to be a missionary in Guatemala (Santiago Atitlan) where he served for 13 years unto his martyrdom on July 28, 1981. His journey to the priesthood was anything but smooth as he faced dismissal from the first seminary he went to after 6 years of formation (due to struggles in some of his studies). After this happened, his bishop sent him to St Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland where he completed his studies and was ordained a priest on May 25, 1963 for the Diocese of Oklahoma City. I'm hoping that you will want to know "the rest of the story" (as Paul Harvey used to say) about Blessed Stanley Rother and come to rejoice that we are so close to this modern day, homegrown American martyr. As we continue to support the future priests of Arkansas in prayer and in other ways (as was recently show by our Taste of Faith fundraiser) we should surely hope that they and future seminarians will finish their formation (God-willing) and be inspired by the example of Blessed Stanley and other priests to the be selfless, obedient servants of Jesus Christ who faithfully care for their flocks as shepards who, like Blessed Stanley, are ready to give their life for them in the name of Jesus Christ!

It has been a little over a month since my dear mother, Ebby, passed into the loving, merciful arms of the Lord. I am going through the ups and downs of the loss of the most significant family member in my life, my mom, the one who gave birth to me and cared for me and the rest of my siblings in a selfless way throughout our upbringing and beyond the time we left home. One thing that I am reminded of is the fact that everyone's circumstance is different when a loved one dies and the ways of grieving the loss of the physical presence of the person are varied for each person. I feel, overall, that I am doing better than I imagined I would at this point and I know the sources of comfort and consolation that have been there for me and, importantly, that I opened myself up to them in the time since my mother "passed". First and foremost is my spiritual life which is nurtured daily through the celebration of Mass and my holy hour. The comfort and strength I have received and am receiving from the Lord cannot be overstated. The Lord, in the sermon on the mount, pointed out that blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Mth 5:4). The Lord is at my side and his presence and the life he has won for all of faith-filled people, like my holy mother, causes me to long for, and look forward to the day I will see my Lord face to face, and see my mom, dad, and all my loved ones who assed from life to life. I have also been uplifted by so many people, especially my faith family here at Sacred Heart Church, and many of whom have expressed in various ways their thoughts and prayers for my mom and myself and other family members, especially Danny. Invitations to share a meal and conversation with parishioners has definitely been a help, as I have had the opportunity to relax and share about my mother to more than a few listening ears. Of course, the fact that I stay pretty busy doing the Lord's work has been helpful to me as I seek to be a blessing to all, especially the sick and bereaved. I have also been sharing instances where I believe the Lord AND my mother are speaking to me with encouragement and challenges for me as I continue my journey to the Lord. My mom has always encouraged me in my priesthood, and now she is doing so in a new and more frequent way. I must admit that there are two things that I am now and will continue to struggle with at least for awhile.  Going into my mom's house where she lived for all of my almost 64 years of life and a few years before that, creates an empty feeling in me and a sadness that I cannot see her or have conversation with her as I did for my whole life when I went "home". I'm also adjusting to evenings that were often spent with her, that are a challenge to fill in other meaningful ways. Finally, there is currently some family discord going on that was not present or lasted very long when my, the peacemaker, was here. I ask your prayers that the peacemakers among my siblings will prevail in efforts to bring us together in family gatherings and in other ways. What I've said many times to people in a time of grief and transition of life,  I have come to experience personally in this time after my mom's death...with faith, family and friends we can get through the most difficult of circumstances taht life presents to us, especially the death of a loved one. I thank so many of you for your thoughtfulness and care for me!