My dear friends,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! Easter is here! Today, we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord. Christ has risen from the tomb. He has conquered death and given us a share in his life eternal. It’s a glorious day. It’s the high point of our Church year; we organize our calendar around this celebration. We mark its importance by gathering every Sunday of the year. Rejoice!
This Easter, we can rejoice that we have new members of the parish. At the Easter Vigil, we will have baptized Isabella Carbone, Thomas Carbone, Arianna Roman, and Jacoby Roman. We will have welcomed Tatiana Caron to the Eucharist Feast at the altar. They have been preparing for months to join us in communion with the Holy Catholic Church. We give thanks that they have chosen to be part of our family. Welcome!
We welcome all the new families who have registered over the past year. We appreciate that you have chosen to come worship with us. We give thanks for what you have to add to our community. We have seen many new babies born and baptized. We have celebrated the weddings of several couples and see them here with us regularly. To all the new members of the parish family, and for those beginning a new path in life, we rejoice!
We are glad that so many people have been able to find comfort and healing in their loss. Many have participated in our bereavement ministry over the last year. My hope and prayer is that the message of this weekend, life in the face of death, brings you hope. The Father, who sent His only Begotten Son to us, suffered the agonizing death of Jesus; God understands our grief. The Father has given us back the Risen Christ as a way to open heaven and let us see light and mercy alive, despite the sadness and pain of the world. The thoughts and prayer of all of our parish community are with you in your time of sorrow, and we hope to stand by you as you walk in the light of the power of the Resurrection. We give thanks that we can be with you!
Easter’s a time to rejoice and give thanks. I’m grateful to everyone who has done so much to get us here. To all who have worked to prepare for the wonderful liturgies of Holy Week and Easter, I thank you! So many people do so much to enhance our prayers and bring vitality to what happens here. I look forward to many more years of ministering beside such good people!
This Easter, give thanks for the blessings of God in your life. This is a time of grace and renewal. Rejoice!
Joyfully yours in Christ, Fr. Joe
April 14
, 2019
My dear friends,
“For though innocent, he suffered willingly for sinners and accepted unjust condemnation to save the guilty. His death has washed away our sins, and his Resurrection has purchased our justification.” Those are the words from the Preface at Mass today. These words remind us of the powerful reason we gather here today. We recognize that Jesus suffered and died for us, for me and for you, to save us from sin. He took the guilt of the world upon himself out of love for us all. As we read the Passion of the Lord this Sunday, we are asked to reflect on that great gift.
That’s the beauty, but there’s an ugly side too. I’m not speaking about the horror of the crucifixion; I’m speaking about us. On Palm Sunday, I will see people sitting in pews weaving crosses out of palm during the Mass. Rather than paying attention to all Christ has done, many people choose to make those little decorations. People seem more concerned about going to the cemetery to place palm crosses than actually hearing about the source of Salvation for us all. It’s distressing. My hope and prayer is that I will see less of that and more people attentive to the Word of God. We can stop to hear the one we love.
This Holy Week, it is easy to get lost in the whirl of preparing for a holiday. We have to run to the store to get the groceries. People will be baking and cleaning. We have chores to do. That’s fine, but don’t forget why we do them. Holy Week is a sacred time to reflect on the immense love of our God. We walk with Christ from his Last Supper, to the Cross at Calvary, and then on to the tomb that is empty on Easter morning. In the midst of all we have to get done for a holiday, come share in true meaning of the week, the love and salvation of Jesus Christ. Don’t miss out just because you got distracted. Let’s pay attention to what Jesus offers.