The Stranger Traveling With Us

Dear Parishioners,

Could it be that on our way today or tomorrow, the risen Lord might travel with us first as a stranger and then as living Lord? (Luke 24:13-35) Might he come and join us where we are? I think so. In fact, I know so, because he has joined me and you along the road and now nourishes with his very life. We know he travels with us, because we could not have made it this far without his guiding, loving presence. We know he goes with us. May God give us the grace to go with him wherever the road may lead.

- Deacon Robert

“Every time we are able to give up our own
wishes in favor of those of other people, so long as it
is not contrary to the will of God, we acquire great
merit.”
~from “Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars”

Whom Can You Trust?

Dear Parishioners,

What can we take away from today’s Gospel about Thomas? (John 20:19-31) If we read the story again, we see the risen Lord who meets us where we are. No matter where we are today, whether in depths of doubt or skimming the peaks of joy, the risen Lord meets us where we are.

The longer we live, the more we find our weary souls drifting away from trust. Our childhood naïveté seems forever lost in the rubble of life’s disappointments and betrayals. Like those disciples wilting in fear behind closed doors, we fear many things, chief among them that no one can be trusted anymore. The risen Lord comes to us to show us he is worthy of our trust We can cast all our weary, dreary, even teary fears on him.

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

- Deacon Robert

“Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My
mercy. They have the right before others to trust in
the abyss of My mercy. … Souls that make an appeal
to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even
more graces than they ask.”
~ Jesus’ words to St. Faustina as recorded in her Diary
(1146)

ALLELUIA! He Has Risen!

Dear Parishioners,

ALLELUIA! He has risen as he said he would (Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9). Today we celebrate our Lord’s victory over Satan, sin, and death. But it is our victory as well, for the ransom has been paid and we have been set free and rise above sin and selfishness. No longer are we slaves to sin; no longer are we subjects to Satan. We are destined for a different kingdom—God’s kingdom of peace, light, joy, and truth. Jesus’ resurrection is a sign that we are once again God’s beloved children bound for eternal glory, if we follow Jesus. ALLELUIA!

- Fr. Carl

“Pay attention, my young friends: to go against the current; this is good for the heart,
but we need courage to swim against the tide…. We Christians were not chosen by the
Lord for little things; push onwards toward the highest principles. Stake you lives on noble ideals, my dear young people!”
~ Pope Francis

Holy Week

Dear Parishioners,

Out of the fifty-two weeks each year, we call this week “holy.” Without what happened during this week (Matthew 26:14-27:66), Christianity might have become just another branch of Judaism, and we might be still waiting for the Messiah. This week becomes holy for us in ways we do not expect. We may not want this, and it may be painful, but it is always important.

We cannot come to Palm Sunday and Holy Week as spectators. The point is not to observe history but to discover the many ways this story is about us. We, too, have lauded Jesus one day as the king of our lives and then proceed to live in ways that deny him and betray him. We are not to stand in judgment on the characters in this drama, but to see ourselves in them.

Let us stay in this week. Don’t deny your presence here or your part in what happened. Stay until the end. Then come close, and hear Jesus say the strange, improbable words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Maybe Jesus prayed these words because he knew that what we thought we had done to him, we had actually done to ourselves.

Even this, however, is not the end of the drama of Holy Week. Do you like surprise endings? Then stay in the story.

- Deacon Robert

“In the life of the body, a man is sometimes sick, and unless he takes medicine, he will die. Even so in the spiritual life, a man is sick on account of sin. For that reason, he needs medicine so that he may be restored to health; and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance.”
~ St. Thomas Aquinas

Down and Out

Dear Parishioners,

“Down and Out”
Originally this term was used to describe a boxer who had been knocked down and counted out. For him, the fight was over, and he had lost. That phrase is often used today to describe a person in very unfortunate circumstances, like the street people who have no job, no home, no food, no family, and no hope.

Today’s readings (Ezekiel 37:12-14; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45) tell us that while we may be down, we don’t have to be out. Ezekiel prophesied that the defeated and exiled Israelites would be restored to their homeland; “dry bones” would take on muscle, flesh, and life. Also, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Therefore as long as we have a good relationship with the Lord, we will never be counted out.

- Fr. Carl

“God is the source of life; thanks to His breath, man has life.
God’s breath sustains the entire journey of our life on earth.”
 ~ Pope Francis, Holy Mass for Evangelium Vitae Day, 2013

Be Vigilant!

Dear Parishioners,

This Sunday is traditionally known as Laetare Sunday from the first word of the Entrance Antiphon—Laetare (“Rejoice”), taken from the Latin translation of Isaiah 66:10-11, and sets a joyful anticipation for Easter.

Nevertheless, we are still in Lent and need to be vigilant. Several weeks ago we saw Jesus being tempted by the devil, and Pope Francis had some thoughts about the devil and evil upon which it would be good to reflect: “Jesus came to destroy the devil, to give us the freedom from the enslavement the devil has over us. And this is not exaggerating… There is a battle and a battle where salvation is at play eternal salvation of us all.”

“Three criteria: Do not confuse the truth, Jesus fights the devil: first criterion. Second criterion: he who is not with Jesus is against Jesus. There are no attitudes in the middle. Third criterion: vigilance over our hearts because the devil is astute. He is never cast out forever. It will only be on the last day.”

So today as we rejoice on Laetare Sunday because Easter draws near, let us be wary of the devil. As the pope said, “Do not relativize; be vigilant! And always with Jesus!”

- Fr. Carl

“Every human life is precious in God’s sight and no effort should be spared in the attempt to promote throughout the world a genuine respect for the inalienable rights and dignity of individuals and peoples everywhere.”

Pope Benedict XVI, Letter to Cardinal Dolan
on the Occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the
Somber Events of September 11, 2001

Spiritual DNA

Dear Parishioners,

The Samaritan woman’s spiritual DNA is in all of us (Jn 4:5-42). To be human is to experience no small amount of failure throughout life’s journey. We try and fail at all kinds of things: hobbies, learning, relationships, and, yes, religious devotions. The story tells us clearly that the greater sin is not the failure at any of these. Failure, like success, is part of the human experience.

Like the Samaritan woman, are you drifting from one experience to another? Who isn’t! In the gift of God, we find the promise of living water without end. Who knows, maybe during these Lenten days, we may come to this well of unending grace and there meet the One who alone can transform our lives and make them new. Are you thirsty? Come and drink.

- Deacon Robert