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1 April
Dear Friends,Today, we enter into the holiest week of our liturgical year. With Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, we begin Holy Week. Palm Sunday and Pentecost are two of my favorite feasts outside of Christmas!
Palm Sunday should bring about clarity in the hearts and minds of every disciple. As Jesus Christ enters into Jerusalem there are crowds lining the streets waving palms. It is easy to think from all of the images produced over the years of this event that they are all happy and excited. They finally are catching a glimpse of this mystery man. Their hearts are pounding! However, there are thousands in the crowd that held disdain for this man. Some believed, some did not, some wanted him dead, and plenty in-between. The Palm Sunday crowds captures everyone in our Church and indeed our world today. Some coming to Sunday Mass out obligation, out of faith, out of doubt, some loath Him, and plenty in the public square want any notion of the Divine wiped off the face of the earth.
As we finish our desert experience, perhaps now is the time to figure out which one we are amongst the crowds. Are we waving palms? Are we questioning? Are we here out of obligation? Etc. We are not called to blindly believe or follow. How can one enter into a relationship with someone blindly? As a matter of fact, when I hear “We are no longer together, I did not know him or her well.” One could say, “I blindly entered into a relationship with him or her”; therefore, it never ends well.
I promise you when the effort is put into our relationship with Jesus Christ, we find clarity. Clarity in life’s most pertinent questions. However, when we put the work in, we find true, authentic, uninhibited love. Divine love. An expression that can only be experienced between Creator and creature. No hidden agenda, no selfishness, no ego. Just a Creator that so ardently wants to dwell with His Creation. You and me!
I would like to personally thank everyone that joined us throughout Lent. We had a variety of spiritual exercises to assist us in coming to know Jesus Christ personally and intimately. Your presence not only highlights the vitality of our community, but your dedication to the Lord and our parish and I thank you.
Please note the following as we enter into Holy Week.Our 6:30 p.m. Lenten Friday evening Mass & Stations of the Cross ceases.
There are no Confessions/4:00 p.m. Mass on Holy Saturday - The Great Easter Vigil is at 8:00 p.m.
Plenty of you asked me to keep the Noon Mass on Wednesdays going forward. I believe this is a need of ourcommunity. Therefore, we will continue to celebrate a Noon Mass on Wednesdays throughout the Easter Season. I will reevaluate this addition again when the Easter Season comes to a close (Sunday, May 28th)
The Precious Blood will be offered on Holy Thursday. There will be a station at the Mary & St. Joseph Shrines and the St. Jude Chapel. When I arrived, I attempted to return the Precious Blood, but could not identify new Eucharistic Ministers from our community. If you feel you are being called to become an EM, please contact Carmela: [email protected]
I wish you a holy and blessed week. I invite you to arrive 10-15 minutes prior to each celebration as to rest with the Lord, to calm down, and enter into the rites the Church provides us to come to know and understand the saving events of our Lord. May we leave each day with clarity, with a thankful heart, and a mouth that always proclaims His praise.
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