Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Easter to all of you and a special welcome to all of our visitors! I pray as you celebrate Easter Mass with us, you may come to know the peace of God in your hearts now and always. You are always welcome to come and to thank God for His many blessings most especially His Son who has risen from the dead!
Now we have begun the season of Easter! Last evening, at the Easter Vigil, we welcomed our newest Catholics. They stepped forward to be baptized and to be received into full communion in the Catholic Church. They received the Sacrament of Confirmation and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They received the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ for the first time! They formalized their commitment to Our Lord by "turning away from sin and being faithful to the Gospel" for the rest of their lives and hopefully for all eternity.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
Welcome to Holy Week! Today we begin the holiest week of the year for the Catholic Church. This week the Church commemorates Christ's death and burial. Ancient writers called this the Great or Holy Week of Our Lord's Passion. The custom of keeping the Holy Week goes all the way back to the time of the Apostles. When the early Christians spoke about Jesus to others, they started with the Passion of Our Lord. Scholars believe that the Passion of Our Lord spread before the other parts of the Gospel were even written down. The Passion of Our Lord is really the starting point for building our relationship with Jesus.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
Lent is almost over and there is only one week to go before Holy Week. You may notice that there is a shift happening in the readings of the Mass starting today. During the previous weeks of Lent, we focused on prayer, fasting and almsgiving and refocusing our lives on the mystery of our faith. But from the 5th Sunday of Lent until the Easter Vigil, we meditate on the events that lead Jesus to the Cross. That is, we come face to face with the increasing hostility and hatred of Jesus by those who would not (and still do not) accept Him for who He is. As tensions mount, Jesus' enemies accuse Him of sorcery and blasphemy and accuse Him of being possessed by a devil.
READ MOREOnce in a while I step into the chapel to pray and will spot a man or a woman quietly making their way in prayer through the church praying the Stations of the Cross using a variety of devotional books as they go. That "walk" of course, recounts Our Lord's journey to the cross to satisfy the debt of our sinfulness.
Their devotional journey often takes me back to my experience as a Catholic grade school student when I prayed with my family on Fridays during Lent. It also reminds me of being a pilgrim in the Holy Land when I journeyed the streets of the old city praying the Stations with other pilgrims. It is an intense experience today as many of the stations are in the Muslim district. In addition, in such an intensely multi-religious city, most walk by swiftly and unmoved--that is, unless they wish to sell a few cheap souvenirs.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
"We should strive to keep our hearts open to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people, and pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly the spirit of God." St. Vincent de Paul
Our Lord gives us three essential opportunities for spiritual growth during the Lenten Season--prayer, fasting and almsgiving. In my own Lenten observance I was focusing on almsgiving this Lent when a friend reminded me that almsgiving and fasting are two sides of the same coin.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We at St. Joan of Arc Preschool are making plans for the start of a new school year. Already the classrooms are beginning to fill up with eager students ready to learn about God and the things of God. We offer a variety of classes based on the age of your child, along with a Before Care/Lunch Bunch program that extends the day from 8AM-1:30PM for working families:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
“The season of Lent during this Jubilee Year should be lived more intensely as a privileged moment to celebrate and experience God’s mercy. How many pages of Sacred Scripture are appreciated for mediation during the weeks of Lent to help us rediscover the merciful face of the Father!"
—Pope Francis Misericordiae Vulus, 17
As we have perhaps experienced during former Lenten seasons, Lent is a time of conversion and also a time to grow in one’s faith. This Lent, Pope Francis is urging us to put our faith into action by living out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy--helping our neighbors in body and spirit.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
"Let us rediscover these corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. And let us not forget the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead." –Pope Francis
Each year we are given the chance to Share the Light of Christ. Through the annual Charity and Development Appeal, you are able to make a difference in many people's lives. Here are some ways you can make a difference:
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
Lent begins in a little over a week. Catholics can be asked questions about what we do during this time of preparation for Easter. Here are some possible questions and answers to help you grow in the faith.
Are parishes supposed to cover statues in their church during Lent?
Statues may be veiled beginning on the 5th Sunday of Lent and remain so through Holy Saturday. Especially in a church with a great deal of devotional areas and images, this can be a method of focusing worshippers on the central mystery of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. The Crucifix may be unveiled after the Good Friday services.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today's readings speak about God's plan. Theologians, philosophers, teachers and grandmothers all want to know atsome point in their life: “Does God have a plan for me? Does my life matter to God? Does He really care about me?”
The good news is that you and I are not a mistake. The Church teaches us that God creates us for His glory and that every life is sacred. Every human being echoes some aspect of God and what is good, beautiful, and what is true. This happens especially when we use our God-given gifts for His Glory. Our Lord desires us to use those gifts for others and for the salvation of souls. Your presence in someone else’s life could be the thing that leads them to Our Lord and to heaven. We are made for God's glory and the salvation of souls. That's God's overall plan.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
It is obvious that many people in our world are suffering. People are suffering from illness, grieving the death of a loved one, loss of faith, financial hardships, loss of a job to name a few of the many sufferings that people face on a daily basis. Yet Our Lord invites us to take up our cross (or crosses of some) and to follow Him. Why? Is there any value in carrying our cross of suffering?
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters,
In today’s Gospel, we hear a strange conversation between Our Lord and John the Baptist. It is strange because John called people to repentance, to turn away from sin and turn to God. Jesus had no sins. Jesus is the Savior. Jesus doesn’t need to repent, and therefore, He has no need to be baptized. And yet, Our Lord shows up by the river and gets in line anyway. John sees him and objects, but Jesus insists on taking His place right beside the rest of the sinners.
READ MOREService − The Fourth Pillar of Parish Stewardship
In the fifth and final installment in my series on The Pillars of Parish Stewardship — the 2004 document pub-lished by the stewardship office of the Diocese of Wichita — we take an in-depth look at the fourth pillar: service.Throughout Sacred Scripture, there are numerous references to service. There is the parable of the vigilant and faithful servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, “ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks” (Lk 12: 35-40). There is the story of the good Samaritan who was moved with compassion to help the victim of a violent robbery (Lk 10: 25-37). And there are several examples of Christ serving those around Him: feeding the multitudes, healing the sick, and even turning water into wine at a wedding banquet.
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