Welcome to St. Rita Church!
We are delighted that you have chosen to worship with us. Please explore our website for information on our parish, becoming Catholic, lifelong faith formation, and more. Contact a staff member for more information on getting involved in parish life or for answers to other questions.
Upcoming Events
- Women Enjoying Rediscovering Our Catholicism - Tuesdays at 9:00 am in Room 1
- Companions in Grief - Thursday, October 15 at 6:30 pm
- Youth Group Bonfire - Sunday, October 18 at 6:30 pm
- Oremus: A Guide to Catholic Prayer - Wednesdays at 7 pm or Sundays at 11:45 am, September 30 - November 22
Latest News
- CYO Basketball - online registration is open until October 15 for grades 3-12
- Are you interested in becoming Catholic? - Contact us today!
- Beware of Scam Requests - if you receive a text or email from Fr. Tim asking for gift cards or a favor, please be aware that this did not come from Fr. Tim
- Liturgies with the Relic of Archbishop Sheen - click here to view dates and locations
What's Happening This Week
Scripture
An Introduction to Sunday's Scripture Readings - October 18, 2026
“I Am The LORD And There Is No Other; There Is No God Besides Me”
Our readings this Sunday remind us that God is the Lord of the universe, subjecting all kings and principalities to Himself, whether they realize it or not. "There is no God besides me", says the Lord”.
In our first reading (Isaiah 45: 1, 4-6), God speaks of the Persian King Cyrus the Great, whom God caused to release the Jewish people from captivity in Babylon. Though Cyrus did not know God, he was nonetheless obedient to Him. When Cyrus conquered the Babylonians in 539 BC, he accomplished the will of God by allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and by financing the rebuilding of their temple.
In our Epistle reading (Thessalonians 1:1-5), we hear from the beginning of Paul's letter to the Church in Thessalonica. In this brief opening prayer and greeting, we hear very distinctly the three persons of the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We also hear perhaps the earliest mention in Christian literature of the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Love. “. . . unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In our Gospel reading (Matthew 22:15-21), the Pharisees attempted to entrap Jesus into a binary choice of either speaking against Caesar or against God. He turned the tables on them saying, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” An important point is that because the inscription on the Roman Denarius read, “Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus”, Tiberius saw himself as the son of the god Caesar Augustus. The twist of our Gospel story today is that there is only one Son of God and it was not Tiberius. So, repay to Caesar whatever belongs to him, but we are made in the image and likeness of God. So, we repay to God what is God’s; we return to God our souls, our selves, our lives.
Today’s scripture readings ask us to consider a weighty question: in whose image are we made? Whom do we serve? If we consider that the currency of Caesar bore his image and inscription (the Roman coin), what then might be the currency of God? Who is it that bear's God's image? Is it not we, who are created in the image and likeness of God, whose inscription is written upon our hearts in Baptism?
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101826.cfm