Peter said to him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mt. 14:28-31) There are three things about the above encounter between Jesus and Peter from today’s Gospel that should make us think. First, there is the command of Jesus; second, there is the fear of Peter; and, third, there is the reaction of Jesus to Peter’s lack of faith. First, we have to recognize that Jesus “commands” Peter to go across the water. If Jesus gives us a … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – August 2, 2020
When it was evening, the disciples approached Jesus and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” Then he said, “Bring them here to me,” and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. (Mt. 14:15-17) The miracle of the loaves and the fishes is the only miracle that occurs in each of the four Gospels. It points back to the Old Testament when the Israelites were fed in the desert with Manna from Heaven; and it points forward to the Eucharist when we are fed by Jesus with the Bread of Life. But we can’t deny the … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – July 26, 2020
Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Mt. 13:44-46) A few years ago, after Katrina, a friend who is in the marine construction business told me a story about a man who owned some property on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain. It was basically swamp land that the man used for hunting and fishing. At that usage, the land couldn’t have been worth more than $1000-2000 an acre. And then something happened. A survey found that there was a large vein of clay on the property. With all of the coastal protection projects going on, the need for local clay was enormous. Small amounts of clay are not that expensive, but clay is … [Read more...]
Calling for volunteers to donate 5 minutes of time to help disinfect the Church after Mass
Duties entail wiping down the missalettes and pews right after Mass. It only takes a few minutes. Gloves, paper towels, and cleaning solution are provided. All you have to do is look for Robert after Mass and he'll get you set up. … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – July 12, 2020
Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it. (IS. 55:10-11) The Gospel for this 15th Sunday in Ordinary time is the parable from Matthew 13 about the field sown with good and bad seed. We might have heard the expression “bad seed” as referring to someone who came from a “bad family.” While it’s true that one’s environment can have a serious effect on our personalities, attitudes and habits, the Church teaches that we are all God’s children. You might also hear … [Read more...]
Update on the Restoration
Just to keep you informed about our Building Fund and Restoration, I wanted to give you a few updates. Many have noticed the black devices on the wall. They are part of a large-scale analysis of why the plaster is failing. They are networked to a central server to help the contractor figure out what is causing the failures. They were installed in February, and they were supposed to have sufficient data by the end of June. The next step is an analysis of the data and the recommendation of a way forward. The contractor, the architect, and/or the subcontractor are all on the hook for this. I was in contact with them this week. Many have also inquired about the broken kneelers. Our normal handyman, Wilton, doesn’t have the expertise to do this. But we have hired a carpenter to … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – July 5, 2020
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Mt 11:28-30) “Come to me,” the Lord asks us in today’s Gospel. The word used for “come” in the original Greek is “?????” – pronounced “dyoo-teh.” It’s a command, and it’s directed to the entire group to whom Jesus is speaking. The same word is used by Jesus a number of times in the New Testament, speaking to a past event, a present event and a future event. In the past event, Jesus first used the word: “Come, after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mk 1:17). In the future event, Jesus gives us the parable of the talents, and uses the word as … [Read more...]
Special Announcement
Now that the “stay home” orders have been lifted for the State of Louisiana and the City of New Orleans, we are resuming public Masses. St Stephen Church will look a bit different from the last time you saw it because we are limited in how many people can attend Mass. What that means is that two-thirds of the pews have been “roped off,” so that you can stay 6 feet away from the persons in the pew in front of and behind you. It will be your responsibility to maintain that same distance from those who are in the same pew as you. We are asking singles to please use the side aisles to allow groups of related people to use the main, larger pews. To allow the distribution of Holy Communion to be done in a safe manner, we will only have two ministers distributing. One will be in the normal … [Read more...]
Confessions
Confessions will be heard at the normal parish times in the "bride's room," which is the room adjacent to the rest room near the front of the church. Monsignor Nalty will be seated with his back facing the door. You can use the kneeler six feet behind him or the chair six feet in front of him. If you use the kneeler, please use a provided sanitary wipe to sanitize the kneeler before you leave. Saturdays 3:00 – 3:45pm St. Stephen Sundays 9:30 – 10:15am St. Stephen … [Read more...]
The Immaculate Heart of Mary – June 20, 2020
The Blessed Mother was a true contemplative. Three times in Sacred Scripture we hear about Mary reflecting on events in her life. The first time was at the time of the Annunciation when the Angel Gabriel greeted her with the title “full of grace.” Mary then “pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” (Lk 1:29). Later, after the birth of Jesus, the appearance of the angels and the visit of the shepherds, Mary “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” (Lk 2:19). Then, after Jesus was found in the temple and told Mary, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house.” (Lk. 2:49), Mary again “kept all these things in her heart.” (Lk 2:51). Just as devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a special form of devotion to the Person of Jesus, so the devotion to the … [Read more...]
