Saturday June 19thSt. Romuald, Memorial of Blessed Virgin Mary 4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday June 20th12th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider
Monday June 21stSt. Aloysius Gonzaga 8:00 am † Jack Veasey
Tuesday June 22ndSt. Paulinus of Nola, Ss. John Fisher & Thomas More 8:00 am † Cornelius Bonner
Wednesday June 23rd 8:00 am † Special Intention
Thursday June 24thBirth of St. John the Baptist 8:00 am † Anne Windle
Friday June 25th 8:00 am † Mary Kane
Saturday June 26th Memorial of Blessed Virgin Mary 8:00 am † Carl Miller
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Frank Fierraro, Agnes Neas, Eileen Snipas, Barbara Linetty, and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
Why do we call God “Father”? We hear throughout the scriptures that the most suitable expression possible for God is calling him our Father. This personal and endearing term for Him is intimate because our Father wants us to come to know Him and love Him, to experience the Father’s love for ourselves. Do we have this relationship with God yet? Do we see him as a loving Father?
Our world right now is very sad because we live in a culture that has tremendous poverty of fatherhood. Far too many people had horrible experiences of fatherhood and yet we are asked to address God as Father. My four brothers and I have been very fortunate to have a good and loving Father. I am so thankful for this. This good experience has helped me in my ongoing relationship in seeing God not as a distant figure, but as my Father who loves me more than I can ever imagine. It has helped me to trust in the one who can see tomorrow although we cannot.
To live this way is difficult. St. Paul in the second reading says, “we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.” It is only when we surrender ourselves to our Father that we learn of His great love for us. He loves us more than we love ourselves, but to surrender to this love can scare us because it means giving up control. It means that He may ask something of us that may hurt at times.
When I think about this, I think of an old story told about a five-year-old boy who does not like to get shots. He hates to get them, but he has to get one because he is very sick, so his father takes him in to the doctor. The boy is crying, saying, “Dad, please don’t let him hurt me. Don’t let him give me a shot! Come on, Dad, you know that I trust you and love you, don’t let that doctor hurt me.” The doctor says to the father, “I am sorry, he is very sick and needs a shot.” The father holds the boy while the doctor gives him a shot. Afterwards, the boy looks at his dad and says angrily, “I trusted you, I loved you, and you let that doctor hurt me by giving me that shot. How can you say you are my loving dad if you let that doctor hurt me?”
Often our God is the Father who holds us while we are getting our shots in life and we don’t like it when it happens. We don’t like the pain, we don’t like the struggle, we don’t like all that it entails, but the Father knows that His plan is to always give us life, always to bring us to good. There is no other way to do that except through the cross. We work with Him so that He can show us that the Cross is about us seeing the depths a father’s love will go, so that we drop the things that harm us in life. Next week is Father’s Day. Let us pray and reflect on fatherhood. Let us pray that we can open ourselves up to see God as who He is…our Father who loves all His beloved children.
Saturday June 12th Immaculate Heart of Mary 4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday June 13th 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider
Monday June 14th 8:00 am † Dorothy B. Galow
Tuesday June 15th 8:00 am † Sam and Marge Hanna
Wednesday June 16th 8:00 am Lisa Buccini
Thursday June 17th 8:00 am † Edward Jurkiewicz, Sr.
Friday June 18th 8:00 am † Patricia Conway Ratti
Saturday June 19th St. Romuald, Memorial of Blessed Virgin Mary 8:00 am Pauline Meltsch
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Frank Fierraro, Agnes Neas and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
The words spoken at the Consecration of the Mass resonate deeply in our souls. This is my Body which will be given up for you. This is the chalice of my Blood…which will be poured out for you.
At every Mass, we bear witness to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Through the gift of the Eucharist, which the Lord instituted at the Last Supper, we receive His pure and boundless love over and over again. As Catholics, we believe that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ. Such a precious gift deserves our reflection and appreciation. It’s not something we can experience virtually. Christ’s presence in the Eucharist is real, and our personal presence is required to receive it.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought many changes to our lives, to our routines, and even to our Sunday worship. For a period of time, we were not able to be personally present for the celebration of Sunday Mass at all. For the last several months, many have been a part of Sunday Mass through live streaming. Now, as the pandemic wanes and restrictions are lifting, I invite all the faithful of the Archdiocese to make their way back to the in-person celebration of the Mass. As helpful as livestreaming was during the difficult months of the pandemic, when it comes to the Mass, nothing compares to being there.
I am pleased to announce an Archdiocesan initiative based on this truth called Nothing Compares to Being There. It will involve the entire Archdiocese and feature an invitation for everyone to recognize more profoundly the irreplaceable need to be in person for the celebration of Sunday Mass. During the summer months, pastors and parish leaders will be preparing a heartfelt invitation to their communities, and together we will issue this invitation in September 2021. While the fullness of this invitation happens in September, even now I encourage you, “Nothing compares to being there.” Come home to the in-person celebration of Mass.
May God pour out His Spirit upon us and enkindle in us a renewed desire to be present at the Eucharistic Feast.
Saturday June 5th St. Boniface 4:00 pm† Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday June 6th Corpus Christi 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am† Intentions of the Presider
Monday June 7th 6:30 am† Sr. Judith Moeller, IHM
Tuesday June 8th 6:30 am Neas Family
Wednesday June 9th St. Ephrem 6:30 am Albert Buccini
Thursday June 10th 6:30 am† Josephine Gallo
Friday June 11th Sacred Heart of Jesus 6:30 am† Helen and Bill McMahon
Saturday June 12th Immaculate Heart of Mary 8:00 am† Josephine Gallo
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adeline Buccini, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Frank Fierraro, Agnes Neas and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
Saturday May 29th 4:00 pm† Intentions of the Parishioners
Most Holy Trinity Sunday May 30th 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am† Intentions of the Presider
Monday May 31st Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary 6:30 am† Sr. Jeanne Patricia Crowe, I.H.M. 5th Anniversary
Tuesday June 1st St. Justin Martyr 6:30 am† Deceased members of the Dominican Family
Wednesday June 2nd Ss. Marcellinus & Peter 6:30 am† Mrs. Dolores A. Dougherty 10th Anniversary
Thursday June 3rd 6:30 am† Paul Leopold
Friday June 4th 6:30 am† Christopher Galeone
Saturday June 5th St. Boniface 8:00 am† Debora Getz
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adeline Buccini, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Frank Fierraro, Agnes Neas and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us in CCC #234, the Trinity is the central mystery of the Catholic faith. We can never fully comprehend its meaning due to our human limitations. However, we may recall in our elementary religion classes how Saint Patrick used the three-leaf clover to explain the Trinity to people. As the clover which has three distinct leaves, yet is one, so too in the Trinity we have God the Father – our Creator; God the Son – Jesus, our Redeemer; and God the Holy Spirit – our Advocate, Guide, and Sanctifier, one God, three distinct persons in the Trinity.
Another method of describing the Trinity to young people is by using an apple. In a children’s book entitled A Picture of God: 3 in 1, Joanne Marxhausen explains that the apple has three parts: the peel, the flesh, and the core; so too there is the one true God in three Divine Persons.
Each part of the apple has a specific purpose. As the peel protects the apple, so is God the Father our Creator and Protector. People committed sin, and to take the punishment for us, the Father sent His Son Jesus Who became flesh, died, and rose from the dead. Marxhausen continues. As the apple seed is buried in the ground so was Jesus, and as the seed sprouts from the ground, so Jesus rises from the dead to give us a happy, new life. To have this new life we must have faith in Jesus. Just as we believe a plant will grow from a seed, we believe that Jesus died and lives again to give us new life. That is faith in Jesus.
Our hearts are like the ground. The seed of faith planted in our hearts is God the Holy Spirit Who keeps our faith alive and growing. We water our faith and allow it to grow by reflecting on Scripture, by praying, by participating in the Sacraments, and by loving one another. With a strong faith and with God’s grace, we can then bear fruit. What unconditional love the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has for each one of us. May we continue to allow the Holy Spirit to help us grow in the unity of the one God, 3 in 1!
Happy and blessed Memorial Day to all! Our deep appreciation and prayers are extended to our dedicated veterans living and deceased who gave their all to protect this great United States of America. God bless America!
Saturday May 22nd St. Rita of Cascia 4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners
Pentecost Sunday May 23rd 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider
Monday May 24th Mary, Mother of the Church 6:30 am † Joe Lavalle
Tuesday May 25th St. Bede the Venerable, St. Gregory VII, & St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi 6:30 am † Mary Ann Volpe
Wednesday May 26th St. Philip Neri 6:30 am † Sandra DeLaurentis
Thursday May 27th St. Augustine of Canterbury 6:30 am† John Brown
Friday May 28th 6:30 am† Edward Rempfer
Saturday May 29th 8:00 am† Marie Estle
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adeline Buccini, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Frank Fierraro, Agnes Neas and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
What a wondrous and beautiful event we witness today with the coming of the Hoy Spirit to the apostles. The Holy Spirit that engulfed the apostles both physically and spiritually is the same Holy Spirit that we receive at Baptism and is then strengthened through our Confirmation. The Spirit of God that dwells within each one of us makes us a true temple of the Spirit. When God himself resides in us, great power and abilities come along with His residence. I know you are asking yourself, “Wait, I don’t have any of those abilities that the Spirit came and blessed upon the apostles.” I promise you that you do.
You have the ability to heal and speak other languages. Have you ever seen someone who was down or sad? Were you able to lift them up with a kind gesture or word? We have the ability to recognize that they need help. No words are exchanged but we understand their body language and we can make a difference. We can also comfort through touch. Have you ever had someone put a hand on your shoulder and felt the comfort of that touch? These are true healing events.
The Word of God that we hear during our liturgy is also an excellent example of the power of that Spirit that resides in us. Our liturgy is proclaimed almost in every tongue and dialect in this world. You could walk into any church in the world and participate in the Mass. Now that is power.
There is one power from the Holy Spirit that God wants us to use more than any other power we have received. This power actually makes us more like God and true temples of his Spirit than any other. This power is the power to forgive. The ability to forgive heals and strengthens not only us but those who we forgive. In fact, the power of forgiveness is so powerful that our own sins cannot be forgiven unless we forgive.
We may not have experienced the dramatic scene from the Gospel when we received these gifts at First Holy Communion and Confirmation. The power of the Holy Spirit stirs deep within us each time we use our gifts.
May Jesus live in our Hearts forever. Deacon Chris
Saturday May 15th 4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday May 16th 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider
Monday May 17th 6:30 am † Donato Buccini
Tuesday May 18th St. John I 6:30 am † Joe Lavalle
Wednesday May 19th 6:30 am † Teresa Lavalle
Thursday May 20th St. Bernardine of Siena 6:30 am † Betty & Bill Power
Friday May 21stSt. Christopher Magallanes & companions 6:30 am † Teresa Lavalle
Saturday May 22nd St. Rita of Cascia 8:00 am Intentions of Karen & Dennis Campbell
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adeline Buccini, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Frank Fierraro, Agnes Neas and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
There was one time I heard a father talk about an incident in the kitchen with his 2-year-old son. He was about to make him lunch when the phone rang and the father went to answer it. As he was talking on the phone, he turned around to see his son, Anthony, climb up on the kitchen counter and grab a steak knife. He began to crawl around the countertop with the knife. The father immediately dropped the phone, ran over to take the knife from him, picked him up, and embraced Anthony by saying, “You can’t do that. You are going to hurt yourself.”
All of us are God’s children and yet there are times where we put ourselves in harm’s way by the sins that we commit. Sometimes we don’t know the destruction that these sins can cause us. God doesn’t just stand back and shake his head saying, “Jeez, what is he/she doing now? Isn’t he/she ever going to learn?” When we put ourselves in harm’s way, God runs to us. He takes us into his arms and holds us. He wants to throw away anything that we are clinging to.
That image of the Father is the one that Jesus has when we hear Him pray to His Father lovingly and confidently in today’s Gospel. He is praying to the Father for all of us, the ones striving for holiness and even the worst sinners that do not seem to want to change. In this prayer, He knows that He is about to be manhandled by the plotting and blind religious leaders. He knows that one of His closest friends is going to betray Him. He knows that most of the rest of His friends will abandon Him on the cross – except for His mother and a few brave disciples. And yet, even though He knows all of this, He knows most of all that He must die on the cross so that we don’t see the Father as a vengeful God out to get us, but as a Father who wants to embrace all sinners lovingly.
This week and beyond, the challenge for all of us is to listen to Him in prayer for the things that are keeping us from growing closer to God. In prayer, we work with him so that he can show us more and more that the Cross is about us seeing the depths of a Father’s love so that we drop the things that harm us and keep us from eternal life with Him.
Every spring my wife and I buy flowers for our yard. We try and pick the prettiest and spread them throughout our flower beds. It can be hard work and the flowers seem so delicate as we are planting them. I worry every year how they will bloom. I water and feed them and tend to them by removing any leaves or petals that may have died so the flowers do not have the extra burden. They can grow to be quite beautiful, and I am surprised every year, but it is through the hard work by my wife and I that they look as good as they do. One weekend last summer we had gone out of town and my children were going to make sure the flowers were watered and fed. As with all families there was a little miscommunication, and they all thought the other was watering. Needless to say, no watering or feeding of the flowers took place. In one hot weekend the flowers took a severe beating. They were all wilted and dying. Just one weekend without care we almost lost all of them. We began watering right way and in about two weeks most of them came back.
It is not a coincidence that Christ uses the metaphor of the vines and branches as to our relationship with him. A vineyard, like a garden, needs constant work. The vine provides the life to the branches. The branches need the vine to provide water and food. Take the vine away and the branch will die. Take away Christ, and we surely will die. The waters of baptism and the food of the Eucharist truly sustain us. We use these life-giving sacraments to maintain the garden of our faith. When we have time away our faith can start to wilt. We can be our own gardeners of our faith, but it takes work. We need to meet Christ in prayer and in the Eucharist. The very best thing about our wilting faith is that Christ offers us every opportunity to save it, no matter how wilted it has become. No matter what conditions our faith has endured, it can always be strengthened again by the true vine.
May Jesus live in your hearts forever. Deacon Chris
Saturday April 24th St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen 4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday April 25th 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider
Monday April 26th 6:30 am † George Smith
Tuesday April 27th 6:30 am † Mary Kies
Wednesday April 28th St. Peter Chanel & St. Louis Grignon de Montfort 6:30 am † Jack Poole
Thursday April 29th St. Catherine of Siena 6:30 am † Dorothy Ross
Friday April 30th St. Pius V 6:30 am Marisa Buccini
Saturday May 1st St. Joseph the Worker 8:00 am † Mary Flaherty
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adeline Buccini, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Frank Fierraro and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
Being the second oldest of five boys in my family meant growing up I was always wearing my older brother’s clothes after they got too small for him. It also meant that my younger brother would wear the same clothes after I grew and it was the same for the next brother and so on down the line. My brothers and I actually didn’t mind wearing the hand-me-downs, especially if it was a sports jersey that we liked. We couldn’t wait until the older brother grew out of it and it was time for us to get it. But in wearing these hand-me-downs, it always came with a price as sooner or later one of us would put a hole in the clothes. My mom would try to preserve them the best she could by putting patches on the holes and a lot of times after I was done with the clothes it was usually more patches than cloth. That’s when my mom would buy new clothes even if my brothers and I didn’t want her to.
Sometimes in our lives, we need people to point out to us that it is time for something new. That the patches don’t work anymore. Where if we keep on patching things, or go through the motions in life, things won’t get better. We may need a different perspective and do something new.
Saint Peter is a great witness to this. Throughout the gospels, we hear about both his zealous and sinful heart. He was first to proclaim Jesus as God, but also denied the very instrument Jesus wanted to use to show his love: the cross. Peter could not cope with death and suffering as the best way to salvation. He wanted to fix the problem of death on the cross with patches and did not allow Jesus to confront his own fears of death. Saint Peter’s patchwork did not work and we know this ultimately in his betrayal of denying Jesus on the cross.
His patchwork continued even after the resurrection as he tried to patch his heart by going back to his old way of living; he went back to fishing. It was only at the end of John’s Gospel in chapter 21 when he finally surrenders and accepts Jesus’ Mercy, love, and peace that helped him to move forward in his fears. It was only when he realized he needed a new heart that it gave him the room to accept those gifts of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It was after receiving his new heart that he was able to say lovely without point fingers in judgment what we hear in the first reading today “Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.”
We all have a God-shaped hole in our hearts. Please know that!! How do we fill that void? How do we cope with disappointments, suffering, boredom, our own and other people’s weakness, and sins? Do we try to fix them on our own with patching? If so, Jesus is calling us to something new, he is calling on us to accept his love, mercy, forgiveness, and peace. He calls us to his deeper love and a different perceptive in life.
We need to prayerfully examine ourselves regularly to see if God is calling us to change. We need to pray and ask for help to accept any changes He might ask from us. Through our baptism, we became a new creation and we are called to a life of renewal, so that means no more patching. We are called to fast from hatred, fast from injustice, fast from judgment, and from anything that prevents us from becoming the best that God has called us to be. We are called to accept this personal encounter with Jesus and allow him in our lives more and more so that others stop seeing our patched hearts and only see his perfect one.
Saturday April 17th 4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners
Sunday April 18th3rd Sunday of Easter 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider
Monday April 19th 6:30 am † Paul Gleason
Tuesday April 20th 6:30 am † Michael O’Brien
Wednesday April 21stSt. Anselm of Canterbury 6:30 am † Cheryl Malvoso
Thursday April 22nd 6:30 am † Bernice Coleman
Friday April 23rdSt. George & St. Adalbert 6:30 am † Mary M. Rosenbaum
Saturday April 24thSt. Fidelis of Sigmaringen 8:00 am Intentions of James Dever and Family
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adeline Buccini, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale, Mike Dunn, Robert Farrell, Frank Fierraro and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
Creating communities of disciples, leaders, and missionaries for today and tomorrow.
The Disciple Maker Index Survey Opens this week!
St. David will be participating in a parish survey about discipleship conducted by the Catholic Leadership Institute called the Disciple Maker Index. Please help us by participating in a 10-15 minute survey online as soon as possible. — Go to https://portal.catholicleaders.org/dmi/survey/ky4d32ygdy. — There are also opportunities to complete the survey after daily and Sunday Mass and you can obtain a paper copy next to the offertory basketsor by contacting Maureen Mahon at 215-657-0252.
The survey will only be available from April 16th through May 17th, 2021 and will ask you to reflect on your own spiritual growth and enable you to provide feedback on our parish’s efforts to help you grow. All responses will be confidential and the parish will only receive information about the community as whole.
We are trying to get the highest response rate possible. This information will be invaluable to Fr. Windle and our various ministries as we plan for the future and strive to be the best disciples we can be. We will receive the results this summer at which time we will share what we have learned with the entire parish.
Thank you for helping with this important project!
Saturday April 10th 4:00 pm † Intentions of the Parishioners
Divine Mercy Sunday April 11th 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider
Monday April 12th 6:30 am † Sisters of St. David Convent
Tuesday April 13th St. Martin I 6:30 am † William Eagan
Wednesday April 14th 6:30 am † Bernice Coleman
Thursday April 15th 6:30 am † Lorraine M. Hendricks
Friday April 16th 6:30 am † Joseph & Marietta Johnson
Saturday April 17th 8:00 am Intentions of Ava Curnell and Family
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adeline Buccini, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
… all those who are deceased … Alice Schaeffer, Paul E. Gombeda III, Marilyn Karzewski, Kim Chabin & Richard Noel.
On this Feast of Divine Mercy, we celebrate Jesus’ tender mercy and love which is lavishly poured upon those who surrender their lives to Him in profound trust and accept His Easter Gift. What is this very special Easter Gift and how can we receive it? The Easter Gift is the forgiveness of our sins and the total remission of all temporal punishment for them. Everyone who trusts in God’s merciful love can attain this Divine Gift by cleansing their souls through the Sacrament of Penance in close proximity to this Feast and fervently receiving the Most Holy Eucharist on Divine Mercy Sunday. Saint John Paul II, after many years of prayer and reflection on the revelations of Our Lord to Saint Faustina, canonized her and declared the message of Divine Mercy God’s will for us. It was in the Jubilee Year of 2000 that the yearly universal celebration was established as a Feast on the Second Sunday of Easter. The Gospel which is proclaimed on Divine Mercy Sunday and the Image of Divine Mercy, help us to grasp the full sense and value of this gift.
The Evangelist John makes us share in the emotion felt by the Apostles in their meeting with Christ after His Resurrection. Our attention focuses on the gesture of Jesus, who transmits to the fearful, astounded disciples the mission of being ministers of Divine Mercy. He shows them His hands and His side, which bear the marks of the Passion, and tells them, “As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you” (Jn 20:21). Immediately afterwards, “He breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn 20:22-23). Jesus entrusted to the Apostles the gift of “forgiving sins,” a gift that flows from the wounds in His hands, His feet, and especially from His pierced side. From there a wave of Divine Mercy is poured out over all humanity.
On this Feast of Divine Mercy, the most beautiful message comes from Thomas, the disciple who arrived late; he was the only one missing. But the Lord waited for Thomas. Mercy does not abandon those who stay behind. Now, while we are looking forward to a recovery from the pandemic, there is a danger that we will forget those who are suffering and left behind. We must remember that we are all frail, all precious and all equal in God’s sight. God desires that we partake of His free Gift of Mercy and share His mercy and compassionate love with everyone.
Trust in Jesus is the essence of the message of mercy that Saint Faustina received. The image of Divine Mercy with the inscription “Jesus, I trust in You!” was revealed and explained to her by Jesus Himself. She saw coming from His Heart, that was overflowing with generous love, two rays of light which illuminated the world. Jesus told Faustina that the two rays of light denote blood and water. The blood recalls the sacrifice of Calvary and the mystery of the Holy Eucharist; the water, according to the rich symbolism of John, makes us think of Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Spirit (Jn 3:5; 4:14).
May our hearts overflow with gratitude to our Risen Lord for His Easter Gift of Divine Mercy and resolve to share this tremendous gift of Jesus’ compassionate love as a beacon of light and hope for all our brothers and sisters throughout the world. Let us ask Mary, our “Mother of Mercy”, in union with Saint Faustina and Saint John Paul II, to obtain for us an awareness of the depth of Divine Mercy. Fixing our gaze along with theirs on the face of the Risen Christ, let us make our own their prayer of trusting abandonment and pray with firm hope: “Jesus, I trust in You!”
God love and bless you! Sr. Kathleen Fitzpatrick, IHM
We have just commemorated the most holy days of the Church year – the Sacred Triduum. What do these days teach us?
Holy Thursday – On the night before He died, Jesus gave us a living memorial, the gift of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. On this most holy night, Jesus also instituted the priesthood. Jesus’ love is so great that He gifts us with Himself in Holy Communion every day. Let us pray that people will join as a community in the Mass each week and also pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood.
Washing of feet: Jesus humbled Himself as He stooped to wash the feet of His apostles. In this act, Jesus encourages us to serve one another out of love, not out of obligation.
Betrayal of Judas and the denial of Peter: We are weak and sinful human beings and sometimes we really mess up. Judas did not believe in Jesus’ mercy and forgiveness – Peter did. We have an immeasurably loving and forgiving God. Judas took matters into his own hands, rather than repenting and trusting in God. He took his own life. Judas’ death was not the answer. Only God has the power and right to give and take away life. After His resurrection Jesus appeared to Peter and asked him, and He asks each one of us, “Do you love Me?” How we answer Jesus’ invitation of love and encounter can change our lives forever.
Good Friday: The passion narratives help us to recognize the unconditional love that Jesus has for each one of us, despite our sins and shortcomings. Jesus freely suffered to save us individually and all of us collectively from the power of sin. We can contemplate the 14 Stations of the Cross, and let Jesus’ love penetrate our minds, hearts, and souls. “We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.”
Holy Saturday teaches us holy patience, not an extremely popular virtue for those of us who often want an answer, or something done immediately. Many followers of Jesus thought that His death was the end, but His Mother Mary knew differently. She prayed with the apostles to calm their fears. They hid in the upper room for fear that they too may suffer crucifixion as their Divine Friend Jesus had endured. In the silence of Holy Saturday’s tomb, we wait, and pray, thinking – “What Wondrous Love!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGoypOMLZ9Y
Easter Sunday: Alleluia! Jesus is alive! Rejoice for Jesus has risen from death to new life and offers us eternal life in Him. Jesus literally demonstrates to us that His love is more powerful than any sin. We know and believe deeply that, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16). Therefore, let us move away any stones in our lives that keep us from living and loving Jesus as we know we should. We need not be afraid; Jesus’ grace is alive in us. He is the Light of the World! May we rise to living a more committed life with Jesus’ life, love, and peace in us! May the love, joy, and hope of the Resurrected Jesus abide with you and your family today and always!
Holy Saturday April 3rd 8:00 pm Intentions of the Parishioners
Easter Sunday April 4th 9:00 am For those affected by COVID-19 11:00 am † Intentions of the Presider
Easter Monday April 5th 6:30 am † William Eagan
Tuesday April 6th 6:30 am † Robert Quinn
Wednesday April 7th 6:30 am † Katherine “Kathy” Lamb
Thursday April 8th 6:30 am † Josephine Gallo
Friday April 9th 6:30 am † Deceased members of Reilly and McMahon Family
Saturday April 10th 8:00 am Intentions of Mike & Pat Stelacio
Remembering in our Prayers… … all those who are sick … Mary Trauger, Loretta Boyle, Margaret DeLucas, James Dehan, Nina Ferraro, Teresa Riegal, Eric Bull, Bruce Seth, Vanessa Wismer, Adeline Buccini, Adriana Sproehnle, Karen Dale and the residents of Garden Springs and the Landings.
