Once again St. Jane Frances was blessed by the generosity of Atlantic Maintenance Group who spruced up the parish grounds and put mulch in the gardens and around the trees. Thank you Atlantic Maintenance Group for your support.
Today as we kick off Holy Week, we begin with Passion (Palm) Sunday. The Mass celebrates both the joyful entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem and his brutal passion on Good Friday (Matthew 26:14—27:66). How fickle life can be sometimes. Jesus goes from conquering hero to despised criminal in a very short time. The lesson we might learn is to put our faith and hope in God alone, for He alone will not disappoint us. He will always be there to comfort us in our sorrows and support us when fair weather friends desert us. He is the one constant who will never let us down. Thanks be to God.
- Fr. Carl
“You must accept your cross; if you bear it courageously it will carry you to Heaven.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars
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| The Sancutary Lamp in the upper church. |
“INSIDE OUR SACRED SPACE”
Week 5: Sanctuary LampIn every Catholic Church, we find a readily visible lamp or candle burning before the tabernacle. This is the same light the Magi followed until they found the baby Jesus in a stable. This ever-present light still beckons to each of us. We all look for the flickering flame as soon as we enter the church. Our attitude and demeanor change as we recognize that we are in the house of the living God. The flame signifies his presence and a sign that our love for the Lord is eternal, never to be extinguished.
Called the sanctuary lamp, it was first used in the 13th century, and Canon Law 940 requires the lamp to burn continuously. This perpetual light is mentioned in Leviticus 6:6 in discussing the fire for burnt offerings: “Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continuously; it shall not go out.”
***This article “Inside Our Sacred Space” was originally published in the OSV Newsweekly, www. OSV.com, on January 8-14, 2017 and is used with permission of the author D.D. Emmons. ***
