The Battle against Sin
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Our second reading today, from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians, deals with sins committed against our bodies. Paul tells us that our bodies are not our own. That they have been purchased at a price! So, sins like fornication (includes living together before marriage), adultery, self-abuse, and pornography are deadly to our souls. When the 3 shepherd children in Fatima saw the vision of hell, Our Lady told them that most people who fell into hell, did so due to “sins of the flesh.” We know that because of our weakened human nature (due to Original Sin), we all do battle with the sin of concupiscence. This leads to sins of the flesh or, as St. Paul says, “sins committed against our own bodies.” Let us read on and learn a bit more ...
“… [O]riginal sin — passed down through the generations of humanity — brought to our first parents the alienation from paradise, and with it all the effects of mortality: pain, illness, suffering, aging, death and decay. Original sin caused a rupture, or break, in the harmony between body and soul that was part of God’s creation of man. In the original innocence of our first parents, there was perfect harmony: harmony with God, harmony with the surrounding world, harmony with one’s self. The decision to break away from God’s will also broke the original harmony in creation, and there has been tension ever since. The Council of Trent (1545-1563) taught that concupiscence “comes from sin and induces to sin.” Yet, concupiscence is not itself sin. Concupiscence makes us vulnerable to sin, but susceptibility to temptation is not sin. How we act in response to the temptation determines the rightness or wrongness — the sin. With constant attention, or more accurately with the acceptance of God’s constant outpouring of grace, the human person can be unaffected by this tendency to drift off course. A driver who is attentive to the path ahead can constantly adjust for a misalignment in the car’s front end, keeping the car moving toward the goal of the driver. Indeed, the Council of Trent noted that concupiscence “cannot harm those who do not consent but manfully resist it by the grace of Jesus Christ” (Catechism, No. 1264). It is prevenient grace that precedes our thoughts and actions, waiting for us when we are tempted by concupiscence to go off course. By availing ourselves of that grace, we are enabled by God to resist the tendency to sin and instead to stay on the morally proper course.” By Msgr. William King. For entire article, go to: https://www.osv.com/Article/TabId/493/ArtMID/13569/ArticleID/10340/What-Is-Concupiscence.aspx
Consecration to your Guardian Angel: Many of you may remember that in March of 2019, we invited Fr. Wolfgang Seitz, ORC, here to talk about Consecration to the holy Guardian Angels. We had many people sign up to do the Consecration only to have it postponed due to Covid-19. The good news is, Fr. Seitz will be returning to St. Eugene’s on Tuesday, February 16th, to perform the Consecration! If you have not received an e-mail from him with the application form, please contact Fr. Seitz directly at: fr.wolfgang.seitz@gmail.com and request the application for Consecration to your Guardian Angel. The deadline to apply is February 11th. Fr. Seitz will be here for one evening only. He will offer the 5:30 pm Latin Mass and then perform the Consecration ceremony at 6:30 p.m. This ceremony will take about 30 - 40 minutes.
Walk for Life in San Francisco: As you all know, we do not have a bus this year taking us to the Annual Walk for Life in SF. If you are planning on going, please check the Walk for Life website - WalkforLifeWC.com – before you go, as cancellation is a possibility up to the day of the Walk! The plan is to meet at Civic Center Plaza at 12:30pm and walk down Market Street to Embarcadero Plaza.
Parking Lot Safety: With our school kids back in the classroom, please remember that we are sharing our parking lot with people praying in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament which is being temporarily housed in the PLC. Adorers, please be mindful of school drop-off and pick up times and try to stay out of the parking lot during these times. Parents, please be aware that there may be people standing or kneeling in prayer. Everyone, be careful!
Finances: Thanks to the generosity of so many of you who gave so generously at Christmas, our accounts are now in the black! We are now using “Fiscal Year-to-Date” rather than “Year to Date” figures (see below). The people of this parish are incredible. Thank you!
Announcements
2021 CHURCH CALENDARS: Due to a glitch with the publisher, our Calendars will not arrive until the last week of January. We are sorry for this inconvenience and will make them available after all Masses when they finally arrive!
Parish Finances in the Age of Covid
As you all know, these are hard times for all parishes in terms of finances. Even though we are “shut down,” the bills keep coming in and salaries have to be paid. For those of you who have been giving a little extra each week/month, I really appreciate your generosity. For those of you who are unable to come to Mass, please consider giving on-line or the good old-fashioned way, by mail. Thank you and God bless you. Learn more »
Fiscal Year to Date:
Income: $388,384
In the black: $36,473
Thanks to the generosity of so many of you who gave so generously at Christmas!
The people of this parish are incredible. Thank you!
Please support our advertisers and let them know that you saw their listing in the Pastor’s Notes.
