St. James Catholic Church

The Catholic community of St. James Church is made up of loving and sensitive members seeking to meet their spiritual needs, strengthen their faith, and affirm their continued existence as the church of Jesus Christ today and tomorrow.  In their quest to evangelize, it is their mission to assist everyone toward a more abundant experience of the riches of their liturgy and scaraments, and to convince all of Christ's sheep that the Lord's Day is indeed for all.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Closed Wednesday

Thursday at 12:00 Noon, please bring your announcements and notices to the office in legible and written form for insertion into the bulletin. Thank you!

https://diocesecc.org

COVID-19 PROTOCOL

Public Masses continue at 100% capacity; with, responsible distancing.

The obligation to attend Sunday Mass is restored for the faithful in the Diocese of Corpus Christi.  Those who continue to be dispensed are those who are symptomatic or who have been exposed to another with the virus within 7 days are to remain home, in accordance with national, state, and local health directives. All attendees are asked to check their temperature at home before coming to church.  Those who are at risk because of an underlying health issue should remain home.

Directives for:
Returning to Mass

Online Mass Resources:
https://diocesecc.org/faith-resources/

CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
coronavirus (covid-19) information

St. James parish welcomes all newcomers.  Please contact the parish office to register.

Cyber scammers are impersonating Priests, CFOs and people in ministry leadership roles. They are asking for money, gift cards and personal information.  DO NOT reply and immediately delete any email or text.  This is NOT a request from our parish priest, deacons, administrative personnel or any of its ministry leaders.

One day, a brilliantly beautiful and fragrant flower with attractive colors met a pearl that lives far in the bottom of the sea and has none of these characteristics.  Both got acquainted with each other.  The flower said: “Our family is large; roses and daisies are members of the family.   And there are many other species that are various and countless; each has a distinctive scent, appearance, etc.” Suddenly, a tinge of distress appeared on the flower. “Nothing accounts for sorrow in your talk; so why are depressed?” The pearl asked. “Human beings deal with us carelessly; they slight us. They don’t grow us for our sake but to get pleasure from our fragrance and beautiful appearance.  They throw us on the street or in the garbage can after we are dispossessed of the most valuable properties; brilliance and fragrance.” The flower sighed. And then the flower said to the pearl: “Speak to me about your life! How do you live? How do you feel it? You are buried in the bottom of the sea.” The pearl answered: “Although I have none of your distinctive colors and sweet scents, humans think I am precious. They do the impossible to procure me. They go on long journeys, dive deep in the seas searching for me. You might be astounded to know that the further I lay, the more beautiful and brilliant I become. That’s what upraises my value in their thought. I live in a thick shell isolated in the dark seas. However, I’m happy and proud to be in a safe zone far from wanton and mischievous hands and still the humans consider me highly valuable.”  The Pearl added: you are also useful. They enjoy your color fragrance and indeed search for you.

God is our Father and he has planned a plan for each one of us and like a good father dreams a dream for us. He has made us his chosen people and has showered plentiful blessings on us. He is a benevolent Father who cares for his children. St John tells us that God has loved us so much that he sent his only son for our sake that we may have life through him. God works in every human person as he would work in nature. We can see how God cares for every single item of his creation and builds into it his own presence and action.  He manifests himself to us in a divine way so that we may understand his benevolence.  In the first reading from the book of Ezekiel, we see the initiative of God towards the wellbeing of his people. He causes a small shoot to grow into a mighty tree. Planted on a high mountain, it struck roots and grew into a majestic tree that gives the picture of the people of Israel how they turned into a great nation. In the second reading, Paul expresses the constant aim of his life is to please God.  He talks to the Corinthian community of becoming a New Creation for Christ. In the Gospel of today, we have two parables concerning the growth of the Kingdom of God.  He uses the image of the seed and the plant indicating how the Kingdom that he is proclaiming would grow quiet as every farmer would experience. It is a call to belong to the kingdom of God, who calls us to put ourselves fully, consciously, and deliberately under the power of God, to experience that power and be empowered by it.

One of the proofs of the divine origin of the church of Jesus is its growth from its very humble beginnings.  He could have transformed the world through extraordinary miracles. He could have chosen brilliant persons and not simple ordinary fishermen, tax collectors, freedom fighters, to be his followers.  Instead, he chose to come into the world as a little baby, the son of a poor mother and a carpenter foster father.  He was born in a stable, forced to hide in pagan Egypt to protect himself from an enemy, lived thirty years in an unknown village in poverty, and earned his daily bread by hard work.  For the last three years of his life, he went round Palestine teaching and healing, often weary, hungry, and footsore, preaching the good news of redemption. When the time came for him to lay down his life for his people, he allowed his enemies to capture him and condemn him to death on the cross. There on the cross, he was declared a king but beaten, crushed, and crucified. These were surely the humble beginnings for a kingdom that was to span the earth and the ages. The small mustard seed did indeed succeed as per God’s plan. It was not the eloquence of the apostles or their gift of persuasion or their learning that led the pagan world to Christ.  It is the grace of the Holy Spirit and the objective of the Gospel truth brought change and transformation.

messages:   1) We need to cooperate in the growth of God’s Kingdom: The Kingdom of God is the growth of God’s rule in human hearts that occurs when man does the will of God and surrenders his life to God. The seed of Faith lies dormant within each of us. When we permit the Holy Spirit to nurture it with TLC (tender loving care), it grows miraculously into gigantic proportions. The growth is slow and microscopic in the beginning. But this seed grows by using the power of the Holy Spirit, given to us through the Word of God, the Mass, the Sacraments, and prayer. As we learn God’s will from His words and try to put these words into practice, we participate in the growth of God’s Kingdom on earth, a growth which will be completed in our Heavenly life. But since we need the special anointing of the Holy Spirit to be doers of the word of God, let us offer our lives before God every day, asking for this special anointing.

2) We need to avoid getting discouraged: Since the acceptance God’s rule by human beings is a very slow process, there is the danger of discouragement and hopelessness among preachers, evangelizers, and believers. The conviction that the growth of the Kingdom of God is the work of the Holy Spirit, with our humble cooperation, should make us optimistic in continuing our work of bearing witness to Him. We can all plant tiny seeds in the form of words of love, acts of encouragement, and deeds of charity, mercy and forgiveness. Parents and teachers can plant a lot of seeds in the minds of their children and students. The Holy Spirit will touch the hearts of the recipients of these seeds sown by us and He will effect  the growth of the kingdom in their souls and lives. As the apostle Paul once said of his ministry, "Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:7).

A Coronavirus Prayer

Jesus Christ, you traveled through towns and villages “curing every disease and illness.” At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love.

Heal those who are sick with the virus. May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care.

Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbors from helping one another.

Heal us from our pride, which can make us claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders.

Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.

Be with those who have died from the virus. May they be at rest with you in your eternal peace.

Be with the families of those who are sick or have died. As they worry and grieve, defend them from illness and despair. May they know your peace.

A prayer for first responders during the coronavirus pandemic

Loving God, in the midst of our world’s—your world’s—coronavirus crisis, we beg to bring before you the brave women and men who are closest to the sick and suffering. In earlier times, such bravery appeared in direct service by saints—the young Jesuit Aloysius Gonzaga contracting the plague from the poor of Rome and dying with them at 23, the Belgian missionary Damian of Molokai becoming a leper to live and die with lepers over 16 long years of being theirs for Christ. Today the tools of science—medicine and surgery and, yes, ventilators—have changed the scene but not its anguished human face.

Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process. May they know your protection and peace.

Be with the leaders of all nations. Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the people they are meant to serve. Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prepare for or prevent future outbreaks. May they know your peace, as they work together to achieve it on earth.

Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by many people suffering from this illness or only a few, Jesus Christ, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare. In place of our anxiety, give us your peace. We ask these through Christ our Lord. Amen

1)      Diocese of Corpus Christi:  https://diocesecc.org

2)      Vatican website: http://w2.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html

3)      Monks of the desert video: https://youtu.be/U5YY684ZXDE

4)      Catholic League: http://www.catholicleague.org/ 

5)      Community in mission blog: http://blog.adw.org/author/cpope/

6)      Church teachings index: http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/teach/index.html

7)      Catholic liturgy library: http://www.catholicliturgy.com/

8)      Church cartoons: http://www.toonfever.com/

For supporting this ministry please make checks payable to:

St. James Catholic Church
605 S. Alta Vista
Beeville, TX  78102

Thank you for your generosity
May God Bless you and your Family abundently