Dear Parishioners,
Congratulations to our young people who are being confirmed by Bishop Adam Parker this weekend at the 11:30 Mass. They have worked hard attending weekly classes, a day of recollection, and an interview by me, their pastor. We look forward to their increased involvement in the life of the parish.
We are now in the Lenten season and find Jesus in the desert for 40 days being put to the test by Satan (Mk 1:12-15). It is now that yearly time for us to join Jesus by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. One of the best ways to make this Lent special is to participate in a podcast that a number of parishioners have recommended. It’s entitled “The Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz.” Each podcast is 15–20 minutes long, and you can start at Day 1 (January 1) or jump in on the current day if you are familiar with the bible. I just started today and found it very well done. I started with Day 1 and will listen to several a day until I catch up with Fr. Mike. You might remember that Pope Francis has designated the Third Sunday of the Year as Bible Sunday as an encouragement for all Catholics to become more familiar with the Bible. For as St. Jerome used to say, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” I don’t know exactly how our interviews for entrance into heaven will go, but what if God asks us, “Have you read my book?” It’s the best seller of all time, and Lent is the perfect time to start; and if you’ve read it once, read it again. The prolific author Louis L’Amour wrote “If you’ve only read a great book once, you haven’t read it at all.”
Fr. Carl
