An Amazing 2nd Half

Dinner catered by OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE for GW Students: THIS THURSDAY, Dec. 2, 5:30 pm, St Stephen's Church, Parish Hall (1011 25th St.). Dinner is FREE for GW students. Please join us!!
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"But, Mass is so boring"
- granted, Mass isn't the funnest part of our
week, but it is the best part of our week
- the 2nd half of Mass, especially, is not
boring at all. Actually, it is AMAZING.

"Mass is so long"
- God gives us 168 hours each week, and only
commands us to give him 1 at Mass
- anyone tuned in to the 2nd half of Mass
doesn't find it to be long because it is so
AMAZING

"Mass is the same thing every week"
- actually, the readings and some of the prayers
are not the same every week
- the 2nd half, especially, never gets old
because it is so AMAZING

What happens in the 2nd half of Mass that is so
AMAZING?

Thank you, God

Ten years ago this week, Mother Teresa was in D.C. for Thanksgiving. A reporter from the Washington Post asked her if she was here because they didn't celebrate Thanksgiving Day in India. She grabbed hold of his hand and said, "People always give thanks when they see the work of God."
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

• Today, we say, "Thank you, God" for all that He has given us. Life, family, friends, personal gifts, our faith, freedom, education, the sacrifices of our parents and ancestors, and our material gifts might top our lists. These are all from Him.
• He works in each of our lives every day if we let Him. Do we recognize His work? Do others recognize the work of God through us, as the poor did through Mother Teresa?
• How often do we truly thank God for all that He has given us and done for us? Is it just once a year?
• The best way to give thanks to God is through the Mass (also called the Celebration of the Eucharist), which is offered every day in the Church. We thank God the Father every day for His AWESOME gifts and works. As Ty wrote in his response, the word Eucharist means "thanksgiving". We especially thank him for the life, death, and resurrection of his only son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
• For what would you like to thank God?

Our Sunday Obligation

A golfer asked his friend, "Why are you so late?" The friend replied, "It's Sunday. I had to toss a coin between going to Church or playing golf and it took 25 tosses to get it right!"
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"WHY DO WE HAVE TO GO TO MASS EVERY SUNDAY?"

-God says so in the 3rd commandment: "Keep Holy the Sabbath". We give Him the praise that He is owed.
-Jesus commanded us to celebrate the Eucharist together: "Take this all of you and eat it. This is my body which will be given up for you...Do this in memory of me"
-Jesus showed us how we are to worship God: when he worshipped the Father, it was with his friends, gathered around a table, and centered on a meal
-our obligation is not just to God, but to each other. We are a family of believers. Just like dinner in the home, every member of the family needs to be there for the family to be whole.