Song of The Week (11/23 - 11/29) - "Redeemed" by: Big Daddy Weave

CLICK THE LINK to download "Redeemed" on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/love-come-to-life/id515814055

"Redeemed" Lyrics:

Seems like all I could see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me "son
Stop fighting a fight it's already been won"

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, I'm redeemed

All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your head"
I remember, oh God, You're not done with me yet

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be

Because I don't have to be the old man inside of me
'Cause his day is long dead and gone
Because I've got a new name, a new life, I'm not the same
And a hope that will carry me home

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, 'cause I'm not who I used to be

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, yeah, I'm not who I used to be
Oh, God, I'm not who I used to be
Jesus, I'm not who I used to be
'Cause I am redeemed
Thank God, redeemed

Reflection:

There’s an old saying in the Church that goes like this: “When the devil reminds you of

your past, remind him of his future.” Whenever we dwell on past sins, past mistakes 

we’ve made, it truly is the devil that’s trying to hold us hostage and keep us from living 

in the freedom that Christ promises us. God knows we are sinners and we are prone to 

fall, but that’s why we have the sacraments, especially the sacrament of the Eucharist 

and the sacrament of reconciliation. These sacraments are given to us as a gift from 

Christ to help us on the path to holiness and being free from past sins. Whenever we 

fall into sin, and everyone does because we are human and no one is immune to sin, 

we need to make an act of contrition and return to God. Jesus died for all our sins. We 

have been forgiven. We cannot allow the bondage of sin from keeping us from living in 

the freedom that Christ has offered us. As the song says, “I am redeemed, you set me 

free. So I’ll shake off these heavy chains.”

Psalm 86:5 – “Lord, you are good and forgiving, most merciful to all who call on you.”

1 Peter 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great 

mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from 

the dead.”

Romans 6:22-23 – “But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves 

of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification and its end is eternal life. For 

the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Deacon Scott Hill

Our Lady of Victory Parish

Song of The Week (11/16 - 11/22) - "Until The Whole World Hears" by:Casting Crowns

CLICK THE LINK to download "Until The Whole World Hears" on iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/until-the-whole-world-hears/id336680396

"Until The Whole World Hears" Lyrics:

Lord, I want to feel your heart

And see the world through your eyes

I want to be your hands and feet

I want to live a life that leads

Ready yourselves, ready yourselves

Let us shine the light of Jesus in the darkest night

Ready yourselves, ready yourselves

May the powers of darkness tremble as our praises rise

Until the whole world hears, Lord, we are calling out

Lifting up your name for all to hear the sound

Like voices in the wilderness, we're crying out

And as the day draws near

We'll sing until the whole world hears

Lord, let your sleeping giant rise

Catch the demons by surprise

Holy nation sanctified

Let this be our battle cry

Ready yourselves, ready yourselves

Let us shine the light of Jesus in the darkest night

Ready yourselves, ready yourselves

May the powers of darkness tremble as our praises rise

Until the whole world hears, Lord, we are calling out

Lifting up your name for all to hear the sound

Like voices in the wilderness, we're crying out

And as the day draws near

We'll sing until the whole world hears

We'll sing until the whole world hears

We'll sing until the whole world hears

I want to be your hands and feet

I want live a life that leads

To see you set the captive free

Until the whole world hears

And I pray that they will see

More of you and less of me

Lord, I want my life to be

The song You sing

Until the whole world hears, Lord, we are calling out

Lifting your name up for all to hear the sound

Like voices in the wilderness, we're crying out

And as the day draws near

We'll sing until the whole world hears

We'll sing until the whole world hears

We'll sing until the whole world hears

We'll sing until the whole world hears

We'll sing until the whole world hears

We'll sing until the whole world hears

Reflection:

Faith is about perseverance.  As Christians, we are called to live each day with the determination that we will never stop preaching, never stop believing, never stop proclaiming Christ as our Savior.  As His followers, we will not stop, despite whatever we must confront, until Christ comes again at the end of time.  How can this be accomplished when often times we feel so weak in faith?  As this song reminds us, if we begin to see the world through the eyes of Christ and choose to be His hands and feet here on earth, we can "live a life that leads."  When the world begins to see less of us and more of Christ, then we will persevere on our journey of faith, begin to lead others to Christ and never stop, "until the whole world hears."

John 3:30 -"He must increase, I must decrease" 

Galatians 6:9 - "Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up" 

Colossians 1:9-12 - "Therefore, from the day we heard this, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light^" 



Rev. Gary Janak
Pastor

Our Lady of victory Parish

Song of The Week (11/9 - 11/15) - "There Is A Way" by: NewWorldSon

CLICK THE LINK to download "There Is A Way" on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/there-is-a-way/id475884241?i=475884245

"There Is A Way" Lyrics:

You say love is just a word, just four letters in a row
Just a thing that people say or they never tell you so
And you use every excuse to let nobody in
Now this cloud you bring around has become your only friend

And everybody saying that it's going to go away but it don't go
And everybody's telling you one day it's going to change
But you don't know if it's really going to end

But there is a way, there is a spark
There is a hope that you can hold on to
There is a lifeline come to the rescue
Just like a hand that's waiting for you
And if you believe in this I promise that you won't be alone
There is a way, the truth and the life, and the way

But if love became a man if the word had flesh and bone
Would you recognize His face if He came to bring you home?
You think you're all alone, gotta do it on your own riding solo
Is there someone you can call when you stumble and fall?
'Cause you don't know if you'll be getting up again

There is a way, there is a spark
There is a hope that you can hold on to
There is a lifeline come to the rescue
Just like a hand that's waiting for you
And if you believe in this I promise that you won't be alone
There is a way, the truth and the life, and the way

Don't you think your life's worth saving?
Don't you know that love's amazing?
Don't you want to lay your troubles down?
Lay them down

If I thought love was just a word, I might feel the same way too
But there's so much more than that and it's waiting here for you

There is a way, there is a spark
There is a hope that you can hold on to
There is a lifeline come to the rescue
Just like a hand that's waiting for you
And if you believe in this I promise that you won't be alone

There is a way, there is a way, there is a way
(Truth and the life and the way)
Come on, there is a way
(Truth and the life and the way)
There is a way, there is a way
(Truth and the life and the way)

There is a way
(Truth and the life and the way)
Ooh, there is a way back home
(Truth and the life and the way)

Reflection:

During the Baptism of Jesus and at his Transfiguration, which we can read about in all four gospels, a voice from heaven says, “This is my beloved Son.”  This simple phrase is very significant because what God says to Jesus at his baptism, God also says to all of us.  “You are my beloved son/daughter.”  God loves you.  I would bet that we all know God loves us, but perhaps because we’ve heard it all our lives, it’s easy to forget how wonderful that is.  This song is about love and a reminder of God’s love for us.  When we are having a bad day, week, or even month, there is one thing we can always relay on and that’s God’s love.  Life has its ups and downs.  It’s especially during the “downs” that we can forget or even doubt God’s love.  When those times come, remember “there is a way, there is a spark, there is a hope that you can hold on to.  There is a lifeline come to the rescue.  Just like a hand that’s waiting for you and if you believe in this, I promise that you won’t be alone,” because God loves you.

John 14:18 – “I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you.”

Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Ephesians 2:4-5 – “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ.”

Deacon Scott Hill

Our Lady of Victory Parish

Song of The Week (11/2 - 11/8) - "I Will Rise" by: Chris Tomlin

CLICK THE LINK to download "I Will Rise" on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hello-love-with-bonus-track/id716328267

"I Will Rise" Lyrics:

There's a peace I've come to know 

Though my heart and flesh may fail 

There's an anchor for my soul 

I can say "It is well" 

Jesus has overcome 

And the grave is overwhelmed 

The victory is won 

He is risen from the dead 

And I will rise when He calls my name 

No more sorrow, no more pain 

I will rise on eagles' wings 

Before my God fall on my knees 

And rise 

I will rise 

There's a day that's drawing near 

When this darkness breaks to light 

And the shadows disappear 

And my faith shall be my eyes 

Jesus has overcome 

And the grave is overwhelmed 

The victory is won 

He is risen from the dead 

And I will rise when He calls my name 

No more sorrow, no more pain 

I will rise on eagles' wings 

Before my God fall on my knees 

And rise 

I will rise 

And I hear the voice of many angels sing, 

"Worthy is the Lamb" 

And I hear the cry of every longing heart, 

"Worthy is the Lamb" 

And I will rise when He calls my name 

No more sorrow, no more pain 

I will rise on eagles' wings 

Before my God fall on my knees 

And rise 

I will rise

Reflection:

"There's an anchor for my soul," sings Chris Tomlin in his hymn, I Will Rise. An anchor is used to secure a vessel to the sea bottom. It provides stabilization. Christ is that anchor for us. As we so often sway in the wind, it is Christ who is our anchor; he seeks to protect and stabilize us. The Risen Lord comes to lead us to what matters; that which is above and beyond us. In overcoming the darkness of the grave, the Light of Christ, in his resurrection, has opened the gate of eternal life for us. Let us turn to Christ, our Anchor, who promises us that as he has risen, so we can rise with Him.


Colossians 3:1-4: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory."


Hebrews 6: 19-20: "This we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil, where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner, becoming high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."

Rev. Gary Janak

Pastor

Our Lady of Victory Parish