Pastor's Corner

Happy Easter!

On this day, we celebrate the amazing truth that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and is alive! What kind of response should we offer to Him for such a gift that He has given to us? Here’s a suggestion: “At the sight of the Lord, the disciples rejoiced. Peace be with you, he said again.” Jn.20:20.

This weekend is Palm/Passion Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. I invite you to consider bringing you children or grandchildren not only to Easter Mass, but also to some of the other liturgies of this very special week. On Tuesday, we’ll be introducing our parish community to a lesser known service in Holy Week called Tenebrae. It’s a short service of readings and music that highlight the moments that led up to Jesus’ suffering and death.

I share with you a beautiful reflection on this Sunday’s Gospel about people who were looking to see Jesus. It was written by Betty-Ann Medeiros Hickey from Most Holy Trinity Parish, Covington, LA and published in NPM Sunday Word.

“I remember being a young child always struggling to see over the adults around me. No matter how much I stretched, someone would always move and block my view. In today’s Gospel, the Greeks ask to see Jesus. They had probably heard stories about his preaching, teaching, and healing and they wanted to experience it for themselves. They wanted an up front and close experience that would confirm the truth of all they had heard.

As we reach the mid-point of Lent on this Laetare “Rejoice” Sunday, it’s good for us to assess how we are doing during this season of repentance to address the sinful thoughts, words and actions we’re hoping to change – both things we’ve done and those we’ve failed to do. I hope you’ve made some inroads even though those areas may still be “works in progress.” Improvement, even if incremental, is encouraging and expresses to God your desire to grow spiritually.

Fast from judging others ● Feast on seeing Christ within them.
Fast from emphasis on differences. ● Feast on the unity of life.
Fast from thoughts of illness ● Feast on the healing power of God.
Fast from words that pollute ● Feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent ● Feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger ● Feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism ● Feast on optimism.
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Let’s say you were at your own birthday party. All the guests were gathered and the traditional song, Happy Birthday to You, was started, but only a few people bothered to sing! How would you feel? Besides being disappointed, you’d wonder whether they really wanted to be there. The guests who did sing along would feel a bit awkward as the celebratory spirit of that song had some of the “air” taken out of it. I’ve noticed that the same thing happens at Mass here at Holy Family.

I’ve become more aware of people who are experiencing loss in one form or another. It might be the loss of a loved one through death, the loss of a spouse through divorce, the loss of innocence, the loss of a job and one’s livelihood, the loss of the ability to function normally because of disability or old age, the loss of one’s honor and standing in the community, the loss of a friend because of the parting of ways, or the loss of the “safe and familiar” having been uprooted. Maybe you can add to this list from your own experience.

Do you need to be renewed in spirit? In what way? What steps do you need to take to accomplish that goal? Built in to our liturgical year is a time set aside to refocus on what will enable us to become all that God has made us to be and, in turn, be renewed in spirit. That special time is the season of Lent, which begins this Wednesday, February 14.

Not long ago, I came across this quote from St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta. It highlights the gift each of us can be to each other. We may not think much about the difference we make in the lives of others. However, this beautiful and timely quote invites us to realize what God wants to do in us and through us – if we nurture the peace that comes from a close and personal relationship with God.

I came across this beautiful personal reflection from Nancy Hallczuk about how the Lord invited her to a closer relationship with Him, even when she had stayed away. Does that sound familiar? Have hope – nothing can separate you from the love of Jesus! He’s always ready to fill you with His mercy and His peace.

Do you know that as a lay person, you have a unique contribution to make in God’s plan for our society? The holy People of God indeed have a very special and important role. This is described in the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church #31. “It belongs to the laity to seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will. They live in the world, that is, they are engaged in each and every work and business of the earth and in the ordinary circumstances of social and family life, from which, as it were, the very web of their existence is woven.

This past week a reflection from a stranger confirmed for me an observation I have witnessed myself among members of our society lately. There seems to be a “pall” hanging over people these days. Do you feel it? It comes out in various forms. There seems to be a growing anxiety about the state of our world with the war in Ukraine, the Holy Land, and other troubled areas causing fear and uncertainty about the future of our country and our world, including the specter of nuclear war.

Pope Francis included this prayer in his encyclical, Laudato Si (On Care for Our Common Home) published in May 2015. May it serve to inspire your heart and actions in this new year.