Notre Dame Parish

Cresco, Iowa

St. Agnes Oratory, Plymouth Rock and

St. Bridget Oratory, Bluffton     

                                                                                           Rev. Dennis H. Cahill, Pastor

                          Notre Dame Church:  223 2nd Ave. E.                                

Parish Office:  116 East Third Street

Phone:  563 547-3565       

Fax:  563 547-3835 

Wendy Schatz, Principal 563 547-4513     

Pamela Daley, CRE 563 547-3565

Parish Office Staff: 

Peg Seifried, Connie Frana

Parish Website: 

http://www.iowatelecom.net/~ndparish            

School Website: 

www.aea1.k12.ia.us/notredame

Celebration of Sacraments

Baptism 

Please contact the parish office to register for the required Baptism class, to schedule a Baptism or for more information. Next Baptism preparation class is scheduled for March 2, 2011,  7:00 p.m., Joseph Room. 

Reconciliation  Reconciliation is offered on Saturday from 3:10 - 3:40 p.m. or by appointment.  Contact the parish office for an appointment.

Marriage  

Contact the parish office at least six months before intended wedding date.

January 23, 2011

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isaiah 8:23-9:3; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17; Matthew 4:12-23

              Everything the Lord does and says—according to Matthew—fulfills some Old Testament prophecy.  Jesus of Nazareth is connected to and is in line with God’s covenant of old.  And at the same time Matthew spares no effort to show how Jesus moves beyond what God has done in the past for Israel.  This is not an easy balancing act.  In Jesus is something old and something new.

In today’s scriptures we glimpse how this process worked.  The first lesson provides a quote which is nearly repeated verbatim in the gospel:  about the light shining in the darkness, especially in the dark places around Galilee.  Jesus is that shining light.  Jesus fulfills Isaiah’s prophetic utterance.  It all seems a very neat example of “Scripture explaining itself.”  In this particular passage it works well.  But scripture scholars know one must move cautiously through “fulfillment texts.”

Other than Jesus fulfilling prophetic oracles of old, is there some further lesson to be drawn from today’s texts for us today?  One moves into more speculative areas here, but a lesson might be that Jesus brought His light—life—energy—healing to those most in need and most ready for His presence and power in their lives.  Do we even have a need for Jesus in our lives?  We whose needs are largely met by our own resources?  Can we be truly ready to hear Jesus’ word in our time?  Much less “leave our boats” to follow Him?  And just what does that last question really mean?  Perhaps we’re left with more questions than lessons from some gospel passages.  And that is not bad by any means.

Next week’s Readings: 

Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a

Next week’s Readings: 

2 Kings 4:42-44; Ephesians 4:1-6; John 6:1-15