St. Theresa - Little Rock

Hello all!  Little Rock is mostly recovered from the 2.5 inches of snow received on Friday night.  The whole thing makes me want to shake my head.  I was going to go out and take snow pictures and go to Mass far away but apparently Arkansas believes salt is for food not for roads.  I stayed close to town and let the freezing fog burn off before heading out.

I headed to the 11 am Mass at St. Theresa in Little Rock.  Like many parishes in Arkansas, this is another bilingual parish.  I did notice the Mass was very racially mixed.

What do modern churches have against windows?  This was another church with one big window the rest of the walls being brick.  Why?

Music was supplied by a guitar and choir.  For once I didn't know any of the music used at Mass.
Opening:  Song of Good News
Offertory:  We Are Called
Communion:  At the Table of the World and Be Glorified
Closing:  On the Wings of Change (On the wings of love...up and above the clouds...ooops)

There's one thing I've noticed here in Little Rock.  There is a tendency to sing every verse of a song.

Father gave a mini-homily:  Our duty is to help the suffering of others.  (I must have heard that wrong...because if not, I've totally got this down.)  Am I making a positive difference in the world?  Am I doing my duty?

Homily:
Father started off his homily by telling a story about being called to Arkansas Children's Hospital and how the hospital makes a positive difference, saving lives.  Today Jesus Christ tells us we have a duty and a responsibility to make a difference.  We need to change the world around us.  Our school, our family, our work, our community.  If we are going to through suffering, help others.  By helping others with their suffering it helps you with your suffering.  Salt preserves and changes what it touches (unless you are slug...) Light makes life easier and less fearful.  The most impact is when you are closer to the light.  What is our effect on people we interact with.  The Lord asks if I am making a positive difference in the lives of people I interact with.  It is why we have been created and charged with at baptism.  It is our duty and responsibility.   How are we living?  How are we talking to and about others.  Am I helping to ease the suffering of others or am I causing it.  When you help others, then you are blessed.  Something good will come to you.  (So what you are saying is I should only help others because I get something out of it?)  When I suffer, I must give away what I most want.  Others are hungry for ourselves (I eat cannibals...)  They want ourselves.  Our time (talent, treasure), patience, care.  They want us to give ourselves.  We are also to remove oppression and evil talk.  Am I insulting?  (yes)  When you cut yourself off or become closed off from others, you become closed off from God.  What we do to others we do to Christ.  We have cut ourselves off.  We must forgive others to get God's forgiveness.  We must remove evil from ourselves before opening ourselves up to God (uhm, I thought opening up to God helped the evil go away...).  Am I doing the most good?  (Honestly, he kept repeating what he said.  You know what I'd like?  A Catholic homily.  One that explained something about Church teaching or some other thing...not this could easily have been given at a business retreat crap).

There were no bells.  I'm not sure what Eucharistic Prayer was used.  It was one of the ones for various needs.

On the bright side there was no Liturgy of Announcements.

Pictures:

Grotto of St. Theresa

St. Theresa

View from the Back Pew

It's an eye!

I sat so I wouldn't have to be creeped out by this at Mass.

Totem Animals.

Or the Four Evangelists.

I'm not sure why we are going Native American...

 

Giant Mouths of God!  

Although the bottom of the one on the left looks like a face.

Why would you place a stained glass window on the interior without 

putting any light through it?  Kinda defeats the purpose....

Not sure...

St. Theresa

Our Lady of Guadalupe 

Link:
St. Theresa