These festival tithes are the last of the tithes mentioned in the Old Testament. If we do the calculations, and add the festival tithe with the Levite tithe with the tithe for the poor every third year, that equals an average of 23% of our income per year. Why don’t we hear about this number 23% as often as 10%? As I mentioned in our first article, the model in both the New and Old Testament for material giving is Abraham, who gave ten percent of everything he had to God.

In next week’s article, we will see the kinds of blessings people have received after offering God their tithes.

Esta semana examinaremos “El Diezmo de las fiestas”. Cada familia Israelita tenia que dedicar la decimal parte de su osecha para las fiestas especiales. Deuteronomio 12:6-7 dice que todos los israelitas tenían que reunirse en lugares designados por Dios: “Allí llevarán ustedes sus holocaustos, sacrificios, diezmos, contribuciones, , y los primogénitos de sus ganados y rebaños. Allí, en la presencia del Señor su Dios, ustedes y sus familias comerán y se regocijarán por los logros de su trabajo, porque el Señor su Dios los habrá bendecido”

El “Diezmo de las fiestas” es el ultimo diezmo que menciona el Antiguo Testamento. Si hacemos los cálculos y sumamos el Diezmo de las fiestas con el Diezmo de los levitas y también con el diezmo para los pobres cada tercer año, quedamos con un promedio de 23% de nuestro ingreso por año. Sin embargo, por qué no escuchamos este numero 23% muy a menudo como el numero 10%? Pues, como dije en el primer articulo, el modelo del diezmo en el Antiguo y Nuevo Testamento lorepresenta Abraham, que dio el 10% de todo lo que tenia a Dios.

La semana próxima, examinaremos las bendiciones que el pueblo de Israel ha recibido después de ofrecerle a Dios su Diezmo.

This week we will continue examining the different types of tithes mentioned in the Law of Moses.  The second of theses tithes are the “tithes to the poor”. Deuteronomy 26:12 says the Israelites should shout with joy when “you have finished setting aside all the tithes of your produce in the third year, the year of the tithes, and have given them to the Levite, the resident alien, the orphan and the widow, that they may eat and be satisfied in your own communities”.

Even today, it is a good idea to devote some of  our tithes to those who are in need. The foreigner, the orphan, and widow were considered the most vulnerable in society in Old Testament times. For that reason they deserved special care.  Isaiah tells the Israelites what true worship of God consists of: “Sharing your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to ignore your own kin” (Is. 58:6-7).

Obviously, we don’t have to wait three years to share our resources with the needy.  We can divide our tithes in a way that shows that we love God with all our heart and our neighbor as our self.  The diocese of Joliet recommends that we divide our tithe by dedicating 5% to our home parish, 4% to charities of  charities of our choice, and 1% to the diocesan appeal.

El ministerio del Proyecto Gabriel esta al servicio de la mujer embarazada que necesita apoyo en su decision de tener a su bebe; para ver a Cristo en Su Bendita Madre en cada mujer y niño que El envia en nuestro camino. En una manera de construer una relacion con una mujer embarazada en necesidad, el Proyecto Gabriel prove la oportunidad de mostrarle el amor y la misericordia de Dios. Este proyecto se describe a si mismo usando tres fundamentos principales: pastoral, educacional y evangelico. Es en el pastoral en el que la Iglesia asiste a mujeres embarazadas cubriendo las necesidades espirituales y materiales de la madre. En el educacional, la Iglesia tiene un canal para explicar el valor y la dignidad de toda la vida, especialmente la no nacida. Y al final, el evangelico es en el que la Iglesia llega a todas las mujeres embarazadas necesitadas, no importa su fe o creencias religiosas. Si usted quisiera mas información sobre este proyecto, venga auna sesión de entranamiento que ofreceremos en Santa Maria el domingo 7 de febrero, de 1 a 3 p.m. en el Centro Parroquial. Venga después de la Misa a saborear del almuerzo que proveeremos. Por favor llame al (630)788-6382 o en Debbie@womanschoiceservices.com para confirmar su asistencia.

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 1 Kings 19: 11-12, KJV

National Vocation Awareness Week

January 10th-16th

Father Burke Masters, the Vocation Director for the Diocese of Joliet,  is a particularly inspiring example of how a young man falls “in love with the Eucharist and the Catholic Church, ” as he puts it in his excellent blog, and begins to feel and ultimately act on the call to a priestly vocation.

Discernment of our vocations can be difficult in a world that moves quickly and often seems to push us toward secular concerns.  This week, let us pray together that all of us might find the peace and serenity we need to listen to God’s still, small voice, and to follow His guidance as we choose how best to be of service to Him, to  each other,  and to our communities.

Prayer for Vocations

Live Nativity and Cookie Walk, 2009

Thank You!

The St. Mary’s Parish School Family thanks all of the generous volunteers whose contributions made this annual event so special and so successful!  We thank you for

• Coordinating
• Organizing
• Baking
• Serving
• Singing
• Decorating
• Acting
• Donating
• And so much more!

Your combined efforts provided us all with a warm, wonderful, spirit-filled start to the holiday season.

Merry Christmas to All from the St. Mary’s Parish School Family!

]]> http://stmarywc.org/voices/2009/12/11/photo-friday-live-nativity-and-cookie-walk/feed/ 0 http://stmarywc.org/voices/2009/11/23/livenativitycookiewalk/ http://stmarywc.org/voices/2009/11/23/livenativitycookiewalk/#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:33:13 +0000 St. Mary's Voices http://stmarywc.org/voices/?p=109

Calling All Cookie Bakers!

(And Everyone who Loves to Eat Christmas Cookies, Too!)

On December 6, 2009,  St. Mary’s will hold its Annual Live Nativity, Christmas Concert, and Cookie Walk. Join us for an evening of Christmas spirit! Mingle near the live animals as you watch our 8th graders and a St. Mary’s family perform the Live Nativity. Savor delicious cookies while sipping hot chocolate or hot apple cider. Enjoy the lively caroling as our students sing some of your favorite Christmas songs

The Cookie Walk is a big fund-raiser for our PTO. In addition to our school families, we are also asking parish families who would be willing to participate to donate home-baked cookies for the event. If you are interested in donating cookies, please drop off your cookies (in disposable containers) at the School Office during the school day on Friday, December 4, or bring them to St. Francis Hall (the church basement) on Sunday, December 6 between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM.

For those of you who are interested in buying cookies during the event, you can pay $10 for the first bakery box ($5 for each additional box) and fill the box up with delicious holiday cookies. The Cookie Walk is from 4pm to 6:30pm on Sunday, December 6 in St. Francis Hall. We will also have hot cocoa and apple cider available.

Live Nativity presentations are at 5:15 and 6:00 p.m. and Christmas caroling by the students is going to be performed in between presentations.

If you have any questions about the Cookie Walk please contact us at cookiewalk@stmaryswc.org.

DID YOU KNOW? In 1223, St. Francis of Assisi, having a great love for Christmas, felt that people had lost the real meaning of Christ’s birth and the celebration had become too materialistic (sound familiar?). St. Francis came up with what he hoped would put the spotlight back where it belonged: on Jesus’ birth. He asked a friend who owned some wooded land in the little town of Greecio, Italy, to recreate that night in Bethlehem when the Infant Jesus was born. His friend agreed to do so and set up the first nativity scene, using live animals and people. It was said on that night that Francis’ message was so powerful that when the people looked into the empty manger, they saw the Christ Child.

]]> http://stmarywc.org/voices/2009/11/23/livenativitycookiewalk/feed/ 0 http://stmarywc.org/voices/2009/10/14/catholics-come-home/ http://stmarywc.org/voices/2009/10/14/catholics-come-home/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:16:13 +0000 St. Mary's Voices http://stmarywc.org/voices/?p=58

Catholics Come Home, Inc. is an independent non-profit Catholic apostolate that creates effective and compassionate media messages and broadcasts them nationally and internationally, in order to inspire, educate and evangelize inactive Catholics and others, and invite them to live a deeper faith in Jesus Christ, in accord with the magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church.

Catholics Come Home offers an inspiring reminder of what it means to be Catholic, and provides an excellent role model for the positive and creative use of new media. Enjoy the videos–some of which you will soon be seeing on television–and please do pass them along to friends and family members who might need a spiritual lift, which is something we could all use from time to time.

St. Mary’s Parish warmly invites you and your family to make our church and school your home for Catholic worship and education.

How will you make a difference in the world today? Youth Noise offers the following ten suggestions:

Help others.

Be honest.

Respect others.

Be kind.

Be patient.

Care about things.

Be an example.

Love others.

Think before you act.

Encourage.

Be honest.

Respect others.

Be kind.

Be patient.

Care about things.

Be an example.

Love others.

Learn more about Christian Saints and Heroes at Catholics Online.

An endowment fund is a way for benefactors to make a gift that keeps on giving every year towards a cause that is dear to their hearts. The interest earned from our Scholarship Endowment fund enables St. Mary’s Parish to provide support for families who find it a hardship to pay the school tuition.

Recently Father John Baluff visited with relatives of Mr. Robert B. Berkes who passed away in 2008. They related how their uncle spoke with great affection about St. Mary’s Parish School. He remembered  that when, due to financial hardship, his family was unable to pay his tuition at St. Mary’s,  the parish priest paid it. Robert never forgot that kindness and recently remembered St. Mary’s parish in his will.

In his honor the parish will be contributing $20,000 to St. Mary’s Scholarship endowment.

Please join us in remembering and thanking Mr. Robert B. Berkes and his family.

Thanks to Father John for submitting this article.