June 13, 2010 - Eleventh Sunday In Ordinary Time

He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The others at table said to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" But he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." - Lk 7:48-50

Sisters Theresina Flannery, Mary Ho Kearns and Eileen Smith, RSM


FOOD PANTRY
Please remember to feed the less fortunate, especially during the summer months. Please leave your bagged goods in the Narthex.


HOLY FAMILY ACADEMY – OPEN HOUSE
Holy Academy in Bound Brook will be hosting an Open House for Pre-K through 8th grade on Monday, June 14 from 10am – 2pm for parents to see the school in session or from 6pm-8pm for working parents. For more information, call 732-356-1151, or visit www.hfawildcats.com

For families unable to attend the scheduled Open House, a private tour may be scheduled by contacting the school.


THE 7TH ANNUAL ICS-IHS RACE4FREEDOM
Attention all Runners & Walkers! The 7th Annual ICS-IHS Race4 Freedom, sponsored by American Legion Post 12, is just around the corner. Scheduled for 8:30 am on Saturday, June 26th, the ICS-IHS Race4Freedom is a 5K Race through the streets of historic Somerville. Those who prefer a more leisurely pace may participate in the 2-Mile “Fun Walk.” Please join us as we work to raise money for need-based tuition assistance for current and incoming students at Immaculate Conception School and Immaculata High School in Somerville.

Additional opportunities for corporate sponsorship are still available. For more information or to register, visit our web site at www.ihsrace4freedom.org or give us a call at 908-722-0200, ext. 222.


DIOCESE OF METUCHEN
 - LIFE AWARENESS WEEKEND: A vocation weekend for single adults who are thinking about priesthood or religious life will be held June 25 – 27, 2010. This is open to men and women, ages 16-40, and sponsored by The Office of Vocations. For questions or to register, please call 732-562-2457. www.diometuchen.org/deptsministires/vocations.

- COLLEGE OF ST. ELIZABETH – THIRTEENTH ANNUAL SUMMER INSTITUTE: The Summer Institute offers choices of four-day courses in theology, skills and competencies in ministry and religious education and spiritual renewal – plus a Saturday retreat “Wasting Time Creatively,” a Sunday evening performance of the play Damien, and an Abraham’s Table luncheon. Special offerings this summer! “Counseling in Spirituality” 3 credit graduate course. June 28-July 29. Also, “God, Self and Spiritual Growth: Four Traditions of Christian Spirituality” course from July 6-9. Please call 973-290-4302 for a brochure, or visit the Center’s website at www.cse.edu/center for more information.


CROSS PRESENTED AS TRIUMPH OF GOOD OVER EVIL: POPE BENEDICT…
Addresses Priests, Religious and Movements of Cyprus

NICOSIA, Cyprus, JUNE 5, 2010 (Zenit.org).- While the cross is an instrument of torture and suffering, it also represents the triumph of God's love over evil, says Benedict XVI. The Pope said this today during a homily at the Latin parish Church of the Holy Cross, attended by priests, religious, deacons, catechists and representatives of Cyprian ecclesial movements, in which he addressed the question of "why we Christians celebrate an instrument of torture, a sign of suffering, defeat and failure."

"It is true," he answered, "that the Cross expresses all these things. And yet, because of him who was lifted up on the Cross for our salvation, it also represents the definitive triumph of God's love over all the evil in the world." The Pontiff said the cross is "something far greater and more mysterious than it at first appears." It's not just an instrument of torture, suffering and defeat," he explained, because it also “expresses the complete transformation, the definitive reversal of these evils."

"That is what makes it the most eloquent symbol of hope that the world has ever seen," he affirmed. "It speaks to all who suffer -- the oppressed, the sick, the poor, the outcast, the victims of violence -- and it offers them hope that God can transform their suffering into joy, their isolation into communion, their death into life. "It offers unlimited hope to our fallen world." Benedict XVI affirmed that "the world needs the cross": "The Cross is not just a private symbol of devotion, it is not just a badge of membership of a certain group within society, and in its deepest meaning it has nothing to do with the imposition of a creed or a philosophy by force. "It speaks of hope, it speaks of love, it speaks of the victory of non-violence over oppression, it speaks of God raising up the lowly, empowering the weak, conquering division, and overcoming hatred with love."

"A world without the Cross would be a world without hope," he continued, "a world in which torture and brutality would go unchecked, the weak would be exploited and greed would have the final word. Man’s inhumanity to man would be manifested in ever more horrific ways, and there would be no end to the vicious cycle of violence. "Only the Cross puts an end to it. While no earthly power can save us from the consequences of our sins, and no earthly power can defeat injustice at its source, nevertheless the saving intervention of our loving God has transformed the reality of sin and death into its opposite."