Following Your Heart

Dear Parishioners,

A champion high jumper was once asked how he was able to catapult his body across the bar and set the world’s record. Thoughtfully, the athlete responded, “I threw my heart over the bar and the rest of me followed.”

Today’s readings from the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 31:31-34) and John’s Gospel (John 12:20-33) remind us that in the journey of faith, the heart lifts us to a level of living reserved for those who choose to follow Jesus. Simply put, there is no way to follow our Lord on his way to Jerusalem and the cross without doing so from the heart.

In these final days of Lent, no matter where you are on life’s everchanging and challenging journey, know above all else that Jesus, the giver of eternal life, the lover of your soul, longs to be with you. And who knows? Perhaps your longing to follow Jesus and his longing to be with you may become the pathway to the gift of eternal life.

- Deacon Robert

“When the heart is pure, it cannot help
loving, because it has found the source
of love, which is God himself.”
- The Cure D’Ars

Laetare Sunday

Dear Parishioners,

This fourth Sunday of Lent is called Laetare Sunday. Laetare is a Latin word which means “rejoice,” and is the first word in the Entrance Antiphon (Rejoice Jerusalem…). Jerusalem, who suffered destruction in 587 B.C. by the Babylonians and would be destroyed again by the Romans in 70 A.D, would ultimately rejoice in Jesus Christ, for his death and resurrection would bring about a new Jerusalem (the City of God).

On this Sunday, the pope often blesses a “golden rose” which is given as a symbol of papal recognition of some outstanding service to the Church. The flower is the symbol of Christ the King – the gold of His kingship, the red of His passion, and the fragrance of His Resurrection and glory. The pope usually gives a homily on the rose. Its beauty and thorns go together just as do the Resurrection and Passion of Jesus.

- Fr. Carl

“Love is the distinctive mark of
those who belong to God, as the
mark of those who reject him is
hatred.”
- The Cure D’Ars

Anger and Emotions

Dear Parishioners,

Jesus was like us in all ways except sin. Today’s Gospel (John 2:13-25) tells us that he was angry. His anger was in response to the lack of respect and the unjust way the people were treating the Temple. Immediately afterward, however, he continued his ministry of preaching and teaching with calmness, conviction, and clarity.

It’s okay to get angry… as long as we keep our emotions in good control. When you find yourself about to get angry, try your best to link your reaction to good reason, love, and humility. Once you have said your piece or made your point, make sure to resolve the situation by restoring love, calmness, and trust in your relationships.

- Deacon Robert

“Our home is Heaven. On earth we
are like travelers staying at a hotel.
When one is away, one is always
thinking of going home.”
- The Cure D’Ars

My trip to Rome

Dear Parishioners,

I had a wonderful time in Rome at the Consistory when Archbishop O’Brien was given the red hat and became a Cardinal. While there was still some snow on the ground and the temperature was a bit chilly, we had sunshine most of the days. We had Mass with Cardinal O’Brien the first day at St. Mary of the Angels, the Titular Church of Cardinal Keeler, and visited St. Mary of Victory which housed Bernini’s magnificent sculpture of St. Theresa in Agony, and then St. Mary Major, the oldest church dedicated to Mary in the west and also the repository of some pieces of the manger of Jesus.

The next day, we concelebrated Mass with the Cardinal at the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. Although the basilica is not in Jerusalem, the layer of ground on which the church was built was brought back from Jerusalem along with a part of the True Cross. You can see that part along with a nail, a thorn, and part of the INRI in the three languages Aramaic, Latin, and Hebrew.

The next day after Mass at the church of Santa Maria della Vallicella, we attended a lovely dinner at a palace built for Napoleon III’s niece. The furnishings and decorations on the walls and ceilings were magnificent, the food was excellent, short talks by Cardinals O’Brien and Dolan were entertaining, and most of our American Cardinals were in attendance. Saturday we arose bright and early and entered the line to get into St. Peter’s by 7:30 a.m. By the time it was 9:30, I was 20 yards away from the entrance when the gates were closed. Fortunately, there were two banks of chairs set up outside on either side of the main stairs, and I was able to see the ceremony on the jumbo-tron in the warm sunshine and in comfort. Those who managed to get inside were crammed in like sardines into a very cold church with limited visibility. I was fortunate. The last major event was the Papal Audience inside the comfortable Paul VI Audience Hall where the Pope gave a brief address and welcomed the new Cardinals and members of their immediate families. Afterwards, we walked a short distance to the headquarters of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre to offer our congratulations to our new Cardinal and partake of a lovely reception with superb food.

The last evening, we attended a Mass of Thanksgiving at the Pontificial North American College where our American seminarians study and live. Then we went out to a restaurant and had another wonderful meal before heading home and preparing for this holy season of Lent.

This week we just finished a wonderful mission conducted by Fr. Nicholas Amato. Hopefully the spiritual energy he imparted will continue to grow as we journey toward Easter. As a reminder, we will have Stations of the Cross on Fridays at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., and confessions will be heard on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. as well as Saturdays from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. May this Lent be fruitful in your walk with Jesus.

- Fr. Carl

Lent.

Dear Parishioners,

The journey of Lent has begun. With the smudging of our foreheads with ashes this past Wednesday, we have set our feet to follow the One who goes before us to a cross. Lent. The very sound of the word echoes off the walls of sacrifice and plumbs the depths of suffering. Lent. A time to witness again our Lord’s faithful journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, a journey marked both by fawning crowds and a sneering mob. Lent. The word weighed down with sorrow yet brimming with promise.

This holy season is an opportune time to listen carefully for God’s leading, inviting us all to speak a word of hope to a friend who has lost faith, to a co-worker who has lost life’s joy, to a family member who may be struggling with faith itself. So, as we begin Lent’s journey of faith, let’s embrace God’s many gifts of faith, hope and love given to us by our Lord, Jesus Christ.

- Deacon Robert

Humbly serving God

Dear Parishioners,

As you read this, I will be in Rome celebrating Archbishop O’Brien’s becoming a Cardinal. What a great honor for our faithful Archbishop! Yet, the least member in the kingdom of heaven is more honored by God. However, Jesus warns us to be careful about honors and recognition, especially seeking them for ourselves. After all, Jesus said, “He who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)

I know Archbishop O’Brien didn’t become a priest in order to become a Cardinal; he came to humbly serve God. May we try to do the same in whatever our state in life.

- Fr. Carl

“What joy it is to know that when
we go out of the house, we are
never alone en route.”
- The Cure D’Ars

Keeping Secrets?

Dear Parishioners,

Best way I know to get the “word” out is to tell someone to keep it a secret. Had Jesus performed a miracle for you or me, as He did for the leper in today’s Gospel (Mark 1:40-45), by the afternoon, all of Anne Arundel County would have heard about it, and by the next morning, people would be talking about it all over the Archdiocese.

Truth is, all of us experience God’s mercy and healing love in our lives from time to time. Problem is, we haven’t been asked to keep it a secret, and have a tendency to keep some things quietly in our hearts.

When we have those moments that we realize could only be the work of a loving God in our lives, don’t be afraid to share them with others. Like the healed leper, we can allow joy and gratitude to rise up in us, so that we cannot help but share the good news with everyone and so build up the kingdom of God in the world.

- Deacon Robert

“God does not require of us the martyrdom of the body;
He requires only the martyrdom of the heart, and the will.”
- The Cure D’Ars