St. Maurice (Feast Day September 22)

d. 287

Maurice was born around the year 250 AD in Egypt. As the commander of the Theban legion, he was asked to aid Emperor Maximian in fighting off a rebellion against the empire. When Maurice discovered they were all Christians, he and his men who were also Christians, refused. When asked to make sacrifice to the Roman gods, he and his men refused. Maximian ordered that Maurice and his unit be punished by having every tenth soldier killed. Maurice and his men still refused, so the emperor ordered another round of executions. Eventually, Maurice and all the men of his legion were executed.

St. Maurice's dedication to protect his fellow Christians led to him being considered the patron saint of soldiers. Artwork depicting St. Maurice often have him in full armor.

• In today's Gospel, Jesus talks about people who are dishonest or do not tell the truth. Share a time when someone lied to you. How did that make you feel?

• What does it mean to be trustworthy? Why does God want us to be trustworthy?

• Jesus also talks about the fact that we cannot serve God and mammon, which means wealth or money. If someone is obsessed with getting rich, why is it hard for him/her to serve God?

• St. Maurice had to decide whether to follow the orders of Maximian or to do what he knew was right. How does his story connect to today's Gospel?

Build a Bank

In today's Gospel, Jesus talks about debt and wealth. This family activity will help you be better stewards of your resources.

Find a container in your house that you can decorate (old can, sturdy box, etc.). Cut a slit in the top that is big enough for a quarter. Decorate the container with paint, stickers, felt, etc. Alternatively, search the Internet for piggy bank ideas. Put one coin in the container for each member of your family. Put money in it regularly to donate to your parish or a charity.

Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad

While we cannot serve two masters, we can enjoy these two vegetables together.

1 head broccoli
1 head cauliflower
¾ pound cooked bacon, crumbled
½ cup red onion, chopped
½ cup raisins
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup Miracle Whip
½ cup white sugar
¼ cup white vinegar

Chop up the broccoli and cauliflower and place in a large mixing bowl. Add bacon, onion, raisins, and sunflower seeds. In a smaller bowl, mix Miracle Whip, sugar, and vinegar together. Pour over broccoli and cauliflower mix. Stir and enjoy. Refrigerate if not serving immediately.

A Journey Towards You

Knowing that God has entrusted each of us with gifts and talents, pray today that we may use those gifts for the vocations to which he has called us.

God, our Father,
in Baptism you called us by name
making us members of your people,
the Church.
We praise you for your goodness,
We thank you for your gifts.
We ask you to strengthen us
to live in love and service to others
after the example of your Son, Jesus.

Father, look upon your Church with love
and bless your people
with generous single men and women,
with loving husbands and wives,
with understanding parents,
with trusting children
with dedicated priests, sisters,
deacons and brothers.

Help us to see our vocations
as a journey toward you.

You have called us,
not to set us apart,
but to bring us together
with others who need our love.

Make us faithful signs of your
presence in their midst.

We ask you through Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Prayer #33 from http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/prayers/prayers-for-vocations.cfm

The vessels that are used during the Liturgy of the Eucharist are kept on a special side table until the priest is ready to use them at Mass. This table is called the Credence Table. Locate the one at your church.

Today's Gospel reminds us of the importance of being truthful. 

Try to go the whole week without telling a single lie.

The first polygraph (commonly known as a lie detector) was created in 1921, when a California-based policeman and physiologist, John A. Larson, devised an apparatus to simultaneously measure continuous changes in blood pressure, heart rate and respiration rate to detect if someone was lying.