Flocknote

Unconditional

By: Shannon Zelinka

There is a beautiful lesson in the old movie Lili. A young woman becomes deeply attached to the puppets, without realizing that behind them is the puppeteer who loves her. I believe our spiritual lives can sometimes be very similar. We become fascinated with the “puppets” - the many good things of this world - and forget the Puppeteer, the God who stands behind every blessing and loves us beyond measure.

We can become so occupied with our possessions, accomplishments, relationships, plans, and daily concerns that we fail to recognize the One who has given us everything. There is nothing wrong with loving and enjoying the blessings of life. But our love for the gifts should never blind us to the love of the Giver.

The book Unconditional is a wonderful reminder of this truth. Its message is simple, yet powerful: God loves us. He rejoices over us and takes delight in us. Sometimes we know this in our minds, but we have difficulty allowing that truth to reach our hearts. This book invites us not simply to think about God’s love, but to experience and savor it.

Through 52 weeks of prayer and meditation, Unconditional gently leads the reader into a deeper awareness of God’s loving presence. It encourages us to slow down, listen, pray, and allow ourselves to be loved by God. The reflections are easy to use, very readable, and practical enough to become part of our daily prayer.

I warmly recommend Unconditional to anyone who desires to deepen their relationship with God. Perhaps it can help us look beyond the many “puppets” that attract our attention and rediscover the Puppeteer - the God who created us, delights in us, walks beside us, and loves us unconditionally.

What a beautiful adventure it is to discover that we are truly and deeply loved by God.

Congratulations to Shannon Zelinka, our Liturgical coordinator, the author of the book Unconditional. You can purchase the book directly from the author this coming weekend. She will be selling and signing the book outside of the church after all Masses.

--Father Augustine

Friday, October 9:
- Mass 8:30 a.m. (Chapel)
- Health Ministry Meeting 10:00 a.m. (Oscar)
- Rosary Crusade 7:00 p.m. (Chapel)
Saturday, October 10:
Name Tag Weekend
- Quinceañera Mass 11:00 a.m. (Church)
- Reconciliation 4:00 - 4:30 p.m. (Church)
- Anchor and Vine 4:30 p.m. (All Rooms)
- Shannon Zelinka book sale and signing 6:00 p.m. outside Church after Mass
- Simbang Gabi outside of Church after Mass
Sunday, October 11:
Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Name Tag Weekend
- Mass 7:30 a.m. (Church)
- Pancake Breakfast! 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. (Hall)
- Shannon Zelinka's book sale and signing 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
- Family Mass with Children's Choir 9:30 a.m. (Church)
- Pre-School/Tiny Treasures 9:30 a.m. (Dominic)
- Mass 11:30 a.m. (Church)
- Baptism Class 1:00 p.m. (Church)
- Imago Dei Meeting 1:00 p.m. (Oscar)
- Youth Confirmation Year 2 1:30 p.m. (Pope)
Monday, October 12:
Columbus Day
- Mass 8:30 a.m. (Chapel/Livestream)
- Children's First Reconciliation Class #1 5:15 p.m. (Hall/Pope)
- Christian Meditation 5:30 p.m. (Ignatius)
- High School Youth Ministry 7:00 p.m. (Hall)
- Rosary Crusade 7:00 p.m. (Chapel)
Tuesday, October 13:
- Mass 8:30 a.m. (Chapel/Livestream)
- Faith Formation (Kindergarten-5th Grade) 3:45 p.m. (Hall)
- Faith Formation (1st-5th Grade) 6:15 p.m. (Hall)
- Rosary Crusade 7:00 p.m. (Chapel)
Wednesday, October 14:
- Mass 8:30 a.m. (Chapel/Livestream)
- Faith Formation (Kindergarten-5th Grade) 4:30 p.m. (Hall)
- Adult Choir Rehearsal 6:30 p.m. (Church)
- New Testament Bible Study Group 6:30 p.m. (Oscar)
- Middle School Youth Ministry (MSYM) 7:00 p.m. (Hall)
- OCIA Meeting 7:00 p.m. (Pope)
- Rosary Crusade 7:00 p.m. (Chapel)
Thursday, October 15:
- Mass 8:30 a.m. (Chapel/Livestream)
- WINGS Meeting 9:30 a.m. (Hall/All Rooms)
- Pastoral Council Meeting 7:00 p.m. (Pope)
- Rosary Crusade 7:00 p.m. (Chapel)
- Scout Troop Meeting 7:00 p.m. (Hall)
Friday, October 16:
- Mass 8:30 a.m. (Chapel/Livestream)
- Rosary Crusade 7:00 p.m. (Chapel)