The Most Holy Trinity

Dear Friends of St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake,

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The mystery of the one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is a mystery that is difficult if not impossible for the human mind to fully comprehend, for it is really the mystery of our God. We understand the Trinity through the relationship between Father, Son, and Spirit, and the revelations of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but we also acknowledge that our human language is limited in its ability to fully explain God. Therefore, it is a dogma of faith on our part to profess that our Triune God has revealed himself to us in three persons, yet is of one nature (or substance – that is why we profess in the Creed that Jesus is “con-substantial” with the Father – of the same substance).

As we approach the end of the school year and begin the transition to summer vacation time, I wanted to continue to remind you of our Pastorate events scheduled for the coming weeks so that you can work them into your busy lives. First and foremost, of course, is weekly Mass! We hope you will make time to join us for Mass each weekend this summer when you are in town. I would invite you step out of your normal routine and consider attending Mass at the “other Parish” once or twice over the summer. Both of our parishes offer such beautiful, uplifting, and spiritual liturgies. As we continue to draw together in our Pastorate and begin to form a pastorate plan, it would be helpful for us to have a fuller appreciation for our Pastorate parishes.

This Sunday, June 4th is the Men’s Pastorate BBQ at OLC. This event is for all men of our Pastorate, and you are encouraged to attend with your father, son, grandfather, grandson, uncle, nephew or even your neighborhood buddy! We will begin at 4:00pm at the fire pit at OLC. There is also the Blessing of Trucks and Family Vehicles on Saturday, June 17th at 9:30am at St Jane. Invite your neighbors to come and have their vehicles blessed as well, and be ready for your summer road trips. Our Walking With Purpose summer series starts up this June as well. Contact the parish office for more details or to sign up, and invite a friend to join you.

Also this month, Deacon Sampson will be ordained to the Priesthood for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, on Saturday, June 24th at 10:00am at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. He was with us at OLC during his pastoral year in 2020 and 2021. He is hoping to come and celebrate Mass with us sometime in July. I will keep you posted.

Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

The Holy Spirit

Dear Parishioners,

Pentecost: The Holy Spirit Permeates Everything. The Holy Spirit can be understood as the love that flows from the Father and the Son. Although the mystery of the Trinity runs deep, the concept of “three in one” can be imperfectly seen in Creation. For example, when a husband and wife become “one flesh,” we have a name for it: a child. One family, three persons; one which flows from the love of the other two.

The Holy Spirit in Scripture. The Hebrew word transliterated ruach (pronounced roo-akh) appears in the Old Testament 373 times and is translated as spirit, wind, breath, etc. The Holy “spirit (ruach) of God was moving over the face of the waters” at the beginning of Creation (Gen 1:2) and was in His chosen leaders such as Moses, Joshua, David, Ezekiel, and others. In the New Testament, “spirit” (Greek pneuma) appears 379 times, with the Holy Spirit acting profoundly through Jesus and the apostles.

The Holy Spirit in the Mass. References to the Holy Spirit permeate the prayers of the priest and the faithful during Mass. “Holy Spirit” is printed 983 times in the Roman Missal—the thick book on the altar from which the priest prays.

The Holy Spirit in Church teaching. Referring to Pentecost 27 times and the Holy Spirit 593 times, the Catechism describes how the Church was made manifest to the world on the day of Pentecost by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and how “Christ now lives and acts in and with his Church… through the sacraments.” (#1076) What does this Holy Spirit mean to you and me? Since the Holy Spirit permeates our Catholic lives—literally since our Baptism—we may have questions such as: 

• Should I be concerned if I don’t feel the “power of the Holy Spirit” in my life as we’ve been reading in the Acts of the Apostles during the Easter season? 
• How do I know if my spirit is on the same wavelength as the Holy Spirit? 
• How can I tap into the guidance of the Holy Spirit for important decisions in my life?

Going Deeper. Asking and addressing these types of questions is what we do in the “Going Deeper in Your Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ” Series on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month, 7–8:15pm (except July and August), see the bulletin for details. These sessions are not “talks,” but rather opportunities for you to bring YOUR questions as we navigate the Bible, the Mass, and Catholic Teaching to help answer them. I hope to see you there sometime!

Peace in Christ,
Father Jim

The Great Commission

Brothers and Sisters,

As we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord this Sunday, we are invited to listen intently at the last verbal direction given to the Apostles by our Lord Jesus (Matthew 28:16-20). This final direction is commonly called “the Great Commission.” The words are spoken to the Apostles but they are also spoken to us.

Before Jesus ascends in the presence of his followers, he passes on and entrusts them with the responsibility of carrying on his mission of proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel and of establishing the kingdom of God. This ordinary group of men and women are the ones who were chosen by God to be the heralds and witnesses of the resurrection. Through their words and actions, the world will know that Jesus is truly alive and more alive and present to us than he ever was. As Jesus’ earthly life ends, theirs and our mission and ministry begins.

Today, that responsibility now belongs to us. The first friends and followers of Jesus are our foundation of faith, and we are their descendants. It is now up to each of us in our own way to carry on the mission and ministry of Jesus. Through us today, the world will know that Jesus is alive, present and active in our world. As Pope Francis says to each of us, “every Christian is a missionary to the extent that they have experienced the love of God in Jesus.”

Even though we are celebrating the Ascension of Jesus, he has not left us, deserted us, or abandoned us. He is with us when we gather to break bread with each other. He is with us when we reach out to help and support each other. These are the signs that Jesus is in us and with us, today and forever. May we go out into our world and make disciples.

God Bless,
Deacon Howard

God Is Love

Dear Friends of St. Jane Frances and OLC,

Christ is Risen! Happy Easter! Our Easter season continues this weekend with the celebration of the
Sixth Sunday of Easter. Our readings this weekend begin to make the turn toward the coming of the Advocate: the Holy Spirit. John’s Gospel tells us the Spirit will remain with us and be in us so that we are never abandoned or left as orphans. The Spirit of God is the bond of love between Father and Son that is now shared with each and every one of us as well. Whenever we experience love in our lives, we are experiencing God. (Just a reminder—the celebration of the Ascension will occur next weekend, May 20-21, and not on Thursday, May 18th.)

I would also like to wish a Blessed and Happy Mother’s Day to all of our mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, and the women in our lives who have been like mothers to us. I pray this day will fill you with love and surround you with the blessings of many loving family members and friends. May our Blessed Mother continue to watch over you and guide you on your faith journey as she leads you to a deeper love for her Son. May is the month of our Blessed Mother. We had beautiful weather for the May Crowning at St Jane’s last weekend. This weekend at OLC, we will be celebrating the crowing of Mary after the 10:45am Mass. You are invited to bring bouquets of flowers to place before the Blessed Mother throughout the month of May.

This week, please keep in your prayers our OLC 10th graders who will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation on Wednesday, May 17th. After this Confirmation, our pastorate youth will be celebrating the Sacrament together in the fall of 10th grade. The next pastorate Confirmation is scheduled for Wednesday, November 8th at 5:30pm at OLC and will include teens from both parishes.

Finally, I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who has given me birthday cards and ordination anniversary cards. I celebrated my 60th birthday on May 10th and will be celebrating my 20th ordination anniversary on May 24th. I would like to thank everyone who has been working on parish celebrations for me (it is very generous and I am most grateful!) There is a celebratory gathering on Saturday evening, May 13th, after the vigil Mass at SJF Hall and on Sunday, May 21st after both Masses in the Gathering Place at OLC.

Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of Our Lady of the Chesapeake and St. Jane Frances in your daily
prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

The Priesthood Of The Baptized

Dear Parishioners,

“As a priest, what sacrifice do you offer at Mass?” This question is not for me, but for you. Did you know that every baptized Catholic is a priest? Not an ordained priest of Jesus Christ, but a priest of the priesthood of the baptized, as Peter states in today’s First Reading: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own.” (1 Peter 2:9).

The priesthood of the baptized is a fascinating New Covenant reality with an Old Covenant parallel. In the book of Exodus, God establishes “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex 19:6) in the context of the liturgical establishment of the Mosaic covenant (Ex 19:5-8) where Moses consecrated the people of Israel with priests who at that time were the first born son-priests (Ex 19:22) before the Levitical priesthood was established. The acceptance of the covenant brought about Israel’s communal liturgy which included Moses and the elders’ eating and drinking a covenantal meal in the presence of Yahweh himself on Mt. Sinai (Ex 24:11). Immediately following this extraordinary liturgical meal, God commands Moses to make Him a sanctuary “that I may dwell in their midst.” (Ex 25:1,7). What does this—a liturgical meal with a kingdom of priests in the presence of God—sound like? The Catholic Mass!

One of the predominant themes of the Book of Revelation is the priesthood of the baptized, which, according to Cardinal Vanhoye, establishes a very strong connection between worship and life, between the heavenly liturgy and earthly history. With respect to Revelation’s three priestly texts (Rev 1:6, 5:9-10, 20:6), the theme of royal and priestly dignity (along with today’s Second Reading) is presented in a glorious context.

In answering the question—“As a priest, what sacrifice do you offer at Mass?”—from the perspective of the baptized Catholic’s personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Peter answers: “Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices [a notion referred to 16 times in Scripture] acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Pet 2:5).” That is, to offer under the action of the Holy Spirit one’s entire life to God in one’s day-to-day activities, in imitation of Christ. In our hearts which we “lift up to the Lord” in the Offertory, and our offering of the Eucharistic Prayer and the bread and wine as the symbols of our human life, we surrender everything to God in Christ who, “after consecrating our offering in his Eucharist, will give it back to us in holy communion, the crowning moment of the Eucharistic sacrifice (Louis Bouyer).” In other words, as priests we offer the sacrifice of ourselves united with Christ at Mass and receive the greatest union possible: where “the two (Christ and the Church) shall become one flesh (Ephesians 5:31-32).” May this insight lead us all to a “full, conscious, and active participation” at Mass as priests (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1141) in the greatest and most important work of the Church.

Peace in Christ,
Father Jim

Christ is Risen! Happy Easter!

Dear Friends of St. Jane Frances and OLC,

Christ is Risen! Happy Easter! Our Easter season continues this weekend with the celebration of the Fourth Sunday of Easter. This Sunday is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday as the readings this weekend are from passages where Jesus refers to himself as a shepherd to his people. As a good shepherd watches over and protects his sheep, Jesus is our Good Shepherd who watches over us, protects us, nurtures us, and leads us to the green pastures of our heavenly home.

We are approaching the half-way point of our Easter season, but we are continuing to celebrate in many different ways over the coming weeks. This weekend at the 11:30am Mass at St. Jane, we will be celebrating 1st Communions for 20+ young members of our parish community. Congratulations to all who will be receiving Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time this weekend. Next weekend (May 6–7), we will be celebrating 1st Communions at OLC at the 5:00pm Mass on Saturday, and on Sunday at the 10:45am Mass and a special 1:00pm Mass. Also next weekend, our high school youth will be on retreat so I ask you to keep them in your prayers. Confirmation for OLC’s high schoolers in 10th grade and higher will be celebrated on May 17th at 5:30pm with Bishop Parker. After that, Confirmations for both parishes will be celebrated together starting in November.

May is also the month of our Blessed Mother. Our May crowning at St Jane will take place on Sunday, May 7th following the 10:00am Mass. At OLC, we will celebrate the crowing of Mary on Mother’s Day, May 14th. You are invited to bring bouquets of flowers to place before the Blessed Mother at both events. Mother’s Day Spiritual Bouquet cards are available at both Churches as well. This is a wonderful way to remember your mothers, grandmothers, godmothers and any women in your life that have had a motherly influence on you. If you are still blessed to have these women in your life, there are Mother’s Day cards you can send them or give to them on Mother’s Day.

Finally, I would like to give you an update on the Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries. St Jane has received pledges for $31,795 (goal: $65,048) from 127 families. OLC has received pledges for $39,861 (goal: $57,481) from 199 families. If you would like to make a donation, go to www.archbalt.org/giving. Thank you for your generosity to our pastorate parishes!

Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

God’s “Far Greater Plan”

 

God’s “far greater plan” on the road to Emmaus.

About 10 years ago, I purchased as the central piece of art for my remodeled living room, a print of Robert Zund’s painting “The Road to Emmaus,” the subject of today’s Gospel. It’s one of my favorite paintings, depicting one of my favorite bible passages.

This beautiful work of art stunningly portrays Jesus with two of his disciples on the day rose He from the dead. The disciples were downcast, “hoping that He would be the one to redeem Israel,” i.e, free the Jews from the Roman occupation… something inferior to God’s “far greater plan” to free them from sin and death in the New Creation.

Sometimes we can unknowingly take on the “Old Creation” perspective of the two disciples when, after persistent prayer, we become downcast because God has not relieved our suffering or the suffering of a loved one. Sometimes God does answer prayers miraculously. But He answers prayers in one of three ways: 1. Yes. 2. Not yet. or 3. I have a far greater plan.

On the road to Emmaus, Jesus reveals his Father’s “far greater plan”: God brings good from evil and suffering. “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things AND (emphasis added) enter into his glory?” It’s not “either-or” (either suffering or glory), but “both-and” (both suffering and glory). Confidence in God’s love for us in the midst of our suffering is how Jesus interpreted the entire Old Testament: “Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:26-27). After this Liturgy of the Word, Jesus proceeded to the Liturgy of the Eucharist: “He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” (Luke 24:30-31).

What does all this mean for you and me? YOU AND I ARE THE TWO DISCIPLES on the road to Emmaus! Today’s Resurrection gospel is the story of you and me: Jesus’ disciples at the Catholic Mass. Jesus comes along side us (particularly when we ask Him to). He opens our hearts to hear his Word and our eyes to His Real Presence in the breaking of the bread, even in our suffering.

At the Offertory during Mass, when we offer to God our prayers, works, joys, and sufferings, let us take confidence in knowing that God loves us and that He will bring good from evil and suffering. And at the Dismissal, let us, like the two disciples, “Go forth” and share this good news—the Gospel—to those we know and love: “Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.” (Luke 24:35).

Peace in Christ,
Father Jim