Fr. Greg

We enter the fifth week of Lent, the last normal week of Lent. The following week will be Holy Week. It is time to get serious! This Sunday the intensity goes up a notch as we cover statues in the church. This is a meaningful tradition. As we draw ever nearer to the Passion of Jesus, things are stripped away, just as Jesus will experience in His crucifixion. We take away anything that might distract us from looking where we might be uncomfortable looking—at Jesus on the cross.

As I was reflecting on the readings for this week, I was struck by two words that seem to pervade the readings: light and sight. How important each of these are; as you cannot have one without the other. Without sight, one cannot see. Without light, even those who see, cannot distinguish. Yet, even when we do see, do we always see rightly? I think the answer would be, no.

This Sunday, March 12th, the 3rd Sunday of Lent, we receive the gospel account of the woman at the well and her life-changing encounter with Jesus. Imagine just going for a bucket of water, but instead meeting Jesus, and everything changes! She even leaves her bucket behind. That is the power of the LORD.

We are a week and half into Lent, how are your penances going? We begin and start off all gung-ho, we do really well for 4 or 5 days, and then we miss a day or two and we just decide to give up all hope.

Brothers and Sisters, welcome to Lent. As we enter into this sacred season, we enter into a time of increase. We increase our prayer, we are mindful of the need to mortify ourselves through fasting, and we increase the charitable giving of our time, talent, and treasure. Too often we view Lent as a time of renunciation. Yet, the church prefers that we look at this time in a positive light. If I renounce something, it is only to make room for something far greater.

Lent begins this Wednesday, February 22. Lent is the liturgical season of (roughly) forty days that prepares us for the Easter Triduum—the passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday (go Chiefs!) and Happy St. Valentine’s Day this week! Did you know today is also World Marriage Sunday? Marriage and family life is one of the priorities of the Archdiocese and our parish. Marriage and the family are at the core of the God-given structure of our society and our critical for the raising of children and simply the good of society and our happiness!

Consider investing in your marriage at this time with a retreat. I highly encourage couples to participate in our Alpha Marriage Date Nights—see elsewhere in the bulletin for more info.

Bishop Joseph Perry, Chairman of the Subcommittee on African American Affairs for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has pointed out that the history and contributions of Black Catholics is well documented but not widely known. In an effort to create greater awareness and promote intercessory prayer for the canonization of holy men and women of African American heritage, I was sent six Cause for Sainthood Prayer Cards and a include a brief bio of those six below. It was wonderful for me to research them just a bit.

This week, January 29 - February 4, 2023, we celebrate National Catholic Schools Week. It reminds us of the value and importance of Catholic education. We are blessed to have our own parish Kindergarten through 8th-grade school, our own early education center, and also to have several Catholic high schools in our area. I hope you see the great things that are going on in them! 

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19) In our Gospel we hear the call of Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow Jesus. They would become Jesus’ closest friends. Friendship with Jesus is what our faith is all about. Pope Benedict XVI died on December 31, 2022—may he rest in peace. This made me recall he wrote about end emphasized friendship with Jesus. Here are some excerpts from his writings for us to meditate on:

Pope Benedict XVI’s First Encyclical Deus Caritas Est “God is Love”, December 25, 2005