St. Joseph

St. Joseph Catholic Church
321 N. Virginia
Muskogee, OK 74403
918-687-1351
We are located 1 block west of York Street and 1 Block North of Okmulgee Street
(Behind Walgreens)

Regular Mass Schedule
Saturday Mass, 5 p.m.
Sunday Mass, 9:30 a.m. (English)
Sunday Mass, 12 noon, (Spanish)

                                        
The Marian Chapel
Weekday Mass - 8:15 a.m. Tue. - Fri. (Eng)
Wed., 6:00 p.m. Hora Santa 
Wed., 7:00 p.m.., Misa (Spanish) 
Sunday Mass, 5:00 (Vietnamese) 1st &                                          3rd Sundays 

The Adoration Chapel
1st Saturdays, 9 a.m.

Confessions, Saturday 4 p.m., or by appointment 

St Francis Hospital Muskogee
1st Fridays, 12:00 p.m.

55+ Mass
2nd Thursdays, 12:00 p.m.
From September to June


Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stjosephcatholicchurchmuskogee

 

    

October 13, 2019

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
 
“Ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance …” In the ancient world and into the Middle Ages, there was no treatment for leprosy. People thought it was wildly contagious and were suspicious of any skin diseases. Lepers were isolated from civil society. This isolation was uphold by the Mosaic Law. Should there be a healing from leprosy, the former leper was to present himself to a priest to certify the healing. Like Jesus commands, “Show yourselves to the priests.” The person would then undergo a religious rite to be formally reintroduced to society. In other words, a leper got their life back. So why didn’t they come back?
“As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.” Of the ten lepers healed by Christ, only one returns with a grateful heart. The others, perhaps, were thankful enough. Perhaps they couldn’t believe their luck, and they hastened to the priests to confirm the healing. They were more than willing to leave their life of rejection and isolation behind. Why take any steps backward, when the way ahead was so attractive? An attitude like this is perhaps understandable, but few would admire it.
How about you? Do you come back? If you’ve ever had the experience of getting what you hoped and prayed for, you know that this can sometimes be easier said than done. When we’ve wanted something badly enough, how easy it can be to focus on the gift rather than the giver. The truth is, God is daily offering us gifts: the gift of our existence, of the created world, of family and friends, of modern conveniences. Even in times of distress, there is always something to be thankful for. This Sunday, give yourself a gratitude check. Count your blessings. Glorify God and thank Him for the gift of your life!