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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 2022)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 19, 2022 -- THREE Spiritually Speaking Anointed with the Spirit of the Lord By Fr. Thankachan Joseph This Sunday, we are reminded of our Christian fellowship with the rest of humanity. Jesus initiated this process in a Jewish Synagogue by proposing a missionary agenda of “bringing the good news to the poor.” Jesus proposes the kingdom of peace, joy, and concern for Fr. Thankachan everyone. In preparation for this Sunday, Joseph let us examine our own personal agendas and see if they are in consonance with what Jesus has initiated. When we reflected on Christ’s changing the water into wine, we realized that He came into this world to change us. He came to teach us how to do a better job of loving God and loving our fellow human beings. He changed the lives of everyone who came in contact with Him. In changing water into wine, He invites every one of us to be His partners in transforming the world. The Gospel of Luke (1:1-4), tells us why Luke wrote the Gospel: to explain to Theophilus, probably a Roman official, what Christianity was all about. Theophilus could represent many non-Jewish characters, real as well as fic- titious, in Luke’s Gospel. Theophilus could also represent each one of us, as we hear Jesus presenting His “mission- ary agenda” at the beginning of His Nazareth ministry. Have you ever tried to explain to someone what Christianity is all about? Many people think that Chris- tianity is about sin and judgment, heaven and hell, and God as a divine sheriff who is always monitoring our movements, writing down all our sins in His book and waiting to throw us into hellfire as soon as He catches up with us. St. Luke sees it all differently. For him, following Christ has more to do with God’s care, concern, love, empathy, and mercy than with punishment. In Luke’s Gospel ((1:1-4, 4:14-21), Jesus makes a solemn declaration of His charisma in the world. We can call it the Jesus Manifesto. People who initiate a revolution usually start off with a declaration of their manifesto. Jesus, who has come to start a revolution of mercy, empathy, concern, compassion and love towards the marginalized and the downtrodden of the society, announces the Christian manifesto: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4: 18-19). In these few words we see how Jesus understands His mission. Now, what is the signif- icance of the statement, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me”? From the Gospel we know that the whole life of Jesus is guided by the Spirit of God. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and when He was baptized, the Spirit descended on Him as a dove. The Spirit led Him day after day to a ministry of healing and the forgiveness of sin. After the resurrection, Jesus promised the same Spirit to His disciples. At Pentecost He bestowed them with the gift of the Spirit (Acts 2: 1-4). Our faith in Him continues to live in the presence of the Spirit. So, all of us are called to be Sprit-filled witnesses of Christ. St Paul’s Letter to the First Corinthians (12: 12-30) tells us that it is imperative on the part of Spirit-filled be- lievers to work together to bring about God’s Kingdom on earth. The Church’s ministry is not of isolated individuals’ endeavors but the work of the community of believers, the “Body of Christ,” guided by the Spirit. If we do not work together, Paul warns us that we hurt ourselves as well as the Church. Using the metaphor of the body, I recall this story: Once upon a time the members of the body were very annoyed with the stomach, resentful that they had to procure food and bring it to the stomach while the stomach did nothing but devour the fruit of their labor. So, they decided they would no longer bring the stomach food. The hand would not lift it to the mouth. The teeth would not chew it. The throat would not swallow it. That would force the stomach into doing something. But they only succeeded in making the body weak to the point that they were all threatened with death. So, it was finally they who learned that in helping one another, they were really working for their own welfare. County summer internships open for applications Employers in Morrow County are offering over 75 internship positions during the summer 2022 season. All internship po- sitions are paid and avail- able in a wide variety of sectors. Each internship is listed online at www.co- lumbiaworks.org with the link to apply. The applica- tion period is open through April 1, 2022. Columbia Works was established to link region- al employers with high school and college stu- dents who are looking to gain experience in their prospective career field. “We have seen so many wonderful outcomes from this program,” says Kalie Davis, Director of Workforce Development at the Port of Morrow. “Our goal is to help con- nect young professionals with industry partners who provide opportunities for professional growth and pathways to employment.” Each year Columbia Works offers free profes- sional development ses- sions to summer interns. “We ask each cohort of summer interns what topics would be most ben- eficial for them,” Davis said. “Our hope is that they complete their summer in- ternship and return to Mor- row County when they are ready for a full time posi- tion.” For more information about the Columbia Works Summer Internship Pro- gram email workforce@ portofmorrow.com or call 541-945-2231.The Co- lumbia Works Program is a collaboration between Morrow County business- es, Morrow County Cham- bers of Commerce, and the Port of Morrow to grow and promote summer in- ternship opportunities, ac- cording to a press release. Good News Only Her daughter, DeLoy, and husband, Curtis Maryces, came from Seattle with their son, Tyler, a sopho- more headed back to col- lege in California. And her son, Mark Matthews, and his wife, Ima, came from He- lix. “Didn’t last long enough but was delightful!” Betty reports. Wishing Leon Ball a “Happy Birth- day!” can still Jacqueline and Hudson enjoy reading bring a smile to the Heppner Gazette-Times his face. Leon Already smiling over celebrated turning 95 last the Good News they see week by enjoying Chinese in the Gazette? We hope birthday lunch in Hermis- these youngsters continue ton with his son Randy. to be fans. Jacqueline, one, Gary Munkers’ three and Hudson, four, are the sons helped him celebrate children of Kevin and Brit- his 70th birthday last Sat- tany Drake, Tualatin, OR. urday. Leland Rill, who re- Grandparents are Doug cently moved back to Lib- and Carley Drake of Hep- erty School Road, turned pner. Great-grandmother 38 on Monday, celebrating is Donna Bergstrom, Hep- with birthday dinner with pner. Another set of grand- his mom, Molly. And Kar- parents are David and Jean en Wolff is celebrating her Farrell in Wilsonville. birthday this week. Betty Gray was de- The mountain snows lighted to have family enabled a great success re- visitors last weekend, es- cently for the Four Corners pecially because winter Snowmobile Club’s Annu- weather had interfered al Playday at Kelly Prairie. with a Christmas visit. It was 16 degrees, with By Doris Brosnan Few things are more delightful than children, in general, or words “from the mouths of babes.” Share yours? bright sunlight, gorgeous blue skies, and a large camp fire. Mike Gorman tended to the thick chili, great hot dogs, and deli- cious hot chocolate. Cliff Dougherty championed the Poker Run course, over beautiful mountain trails that Ron Carlson had in top shape, groomed and smoothed. At one point, over 70 snowmobiles and tracked side-by-sides were noted, with many fami- lies and children. Visitors came from as far away as Roseburg, Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Hood Riv- er. A great family outing. Good news for indi- viduals looking for addi- tional training that can be beneficial in a job search: The Port of Morrow and Blue Mountain Communi- ty College are offering free training in a variety of in- terests, from computer-re- lated to fork-lift operation. Info is available from ei- ther the Port or BMCC. And for job-seekers, the extensive list of job open- ings posted on the Cham- ber of Commerce website or available at the office could be a good place to look. From someone from the “dial and knobs” era comes this helpful in- formation for everyone not already in the know: During electrical outages, an old-fashioned land-line telephone with a receiver connected to the base that plugs directly into a tele- phone outlet – not one with a cordless receiver and a base that plugs into an electric outlet – does work. Might be a good idea to look for one of these trea- sures from the past? And imagine the entertainment value in asking a youngster to make a phone call by us- ing a dial-type phone. Good news for suffer- ers of Raynaud’s syndrome or just plain cold fingers: several companies produce battery-operated heated gloves! If you enjoy reading this column, maybe this week, you can take a few minutes to jot some notes or make a call to share a “good news tidbit” for next week’s column. That is what keeps the column going. Be in touch? dbros- nan123@gmail.com, or 541-676-5382 or 541-223- 1490. Here’s hoping that some good news comes to everyone reading this! Upcoming Heppner Sports Print & Mailing Services **Wednesday, January 19, 2022 **5:00pm Basketball: Boys C-Team Game *Design vs. Ione High School @ Heppner High School *Print **Thursday, January 20, 2022 **4:30pm *Mail Basketball: Girls Middle School Game Sykes Publishing vs. Riverside @ Windy River Elementary, Boardman Oregon 541-676-9228 Thursday, January 20, 2022 6:00pm Basketball: Boys C-Team Game vs. Weston-McEwen @ Heppner High School **Friday, January 21, 2022 **TBD Wrestling: Girls Varsity Invitational es, with cash prize for the vs. Grant Union @ Grant Union High School first and second best poker hand. **Friday, January 21, 2022 **12:00pm The public is invited to Wrestling: Middle School Invitational come and walk through the vs. Grant Union @ Grant Union High School cars and reminisce with the car owners. Depending on **Friday, January 21, 2022 ** 12:00pm the weather, cars from all Wrestling: High School Varsity Invitational over are expected to at- tend. vs. Grant Union @ Grant Union High School Anyone with ques- Friday, January 21, 2022 3 pm tions, or wanting to ob- Basketball: Varsity Game tain an entry form for the St. Paddy’s Cruz-In March 12 The St. Paddy’s Cruz- In will be held during the St. Patrick’s Celebration in Heppner on March 12, 2022. The car show area will be on Willow Street (between Heppner Market Fresh and St. Patrick’s Se- nior Center) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those who have a classic vehicle and want to join the show, regis- tration will start at 9 a.m. The price is $20 per vehi- cle. There will be awards this year for Leprechaun’s Choice, Mustangs’ Choice, Best Convertible, Best 1910’s – 1920’s Car or Pickup, Best Street Rod, Best Paint, Best Restored Car, Best of Show, and many more. Also, there is a Participant’s Choice award to be voted on by the car owners themselves. Judging will begin at 9 a.m. The awards will be given out around 3 p.m. on Willow Street. The event will include a partic- ipant’s poker walk through five downtown business- Cruz-In, or to volunteer to help, contact the Heppner Chamber of Commerce at 541-676-5536 or Doris Jones at 541-676-5456. Happy 95th Birthday! January, 12 Leon Ball Fireman First Class US Navy 1944 - 1946 Battleship California - South Pacific
