Father Tom's Blog &  Video Message

GREETINGS OF EASTER JOY! Our voices proclaim ALLELUIA for the LORD IS TRULY RISEN! As we gather together this Easter Sunday weekend, we celebrate the central belief of our Christian faith – that Christ came forth from the tomb to share with us the gift of eternal life. Through His Resurrection, death has been conquered forever. This divine gift should inform everything we do. Like Mary Magdalene, who was first among the disciples to discover that Jesus had been raised from the dead, we are to share this good news with others with a spirit of urgency and excitement. The world is in desperate need of the good news of Jesus Christ and we are the ones called to bring the message of new life and Resurrection to others.

We are an Easter people – let us show it by the example of our lives!    

Remember the Easter season lasts for a full 50 days. May each of us be strengthened to live the fullness of the season by making a commitment to share the joy of Christ’s Resurrection. Let’s strive to make each day of the Easter season special by being intentional about the ways we spread joy and serve others. We have lots of opportunities here to grow in our faith through prayer and service. Get involved in something to celebrate Easter! 

 

A special welcome to all those who are visiting us this weekend. We are glad you have joined us for our Easter celebrations. Whether you are visiting family, home from college, new to the area, or searching for a faith community, we appreciate your presence and hope you feel welcome in our parish community. We are an active and thriving parish with many different ministries and lots of wonderful people, so if there is any way we can be of assistance to you on your faith journey, please feel free to call or stop by the Parish Office. You are always welcome here and we hope you will join us again.

 

Congratulations to the newest members of our faith community who joined the Catholic faith at the Easter Vigil on Saturday night. They have been a wonderful witness for all of us these past several months as they prepared to receive the Sacraments of Baptism and/or Confirmation and Eucharist. We are blessed to have them in our parish and continue to pray for them as the Holy Spirit leads them to share their gifts and talents among us. A special thanks to their godparents and sponsors and Mary Pat Storms and the OCIA team for working with this group throughout the year.

 

We also have a number of children who will be receiving their First Eucharist over the next few weeks. They are a wonderful Easter image for us as they are so filled with joy as they receive Christ in the Eucharist for the first time. Please keep them in your prayers.

This weekend we gather for Palm/Passion Sunday and begin our celebrations of Holy Week with the procession of palms and the reading of the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We recall the excitement of the crowd as we wave our palms and sing our hosannas. But the mood quickly changes as the readings for Mass begin. We hear the story of our Lord’s Passion and remember that his entry into Jerusalem ultimately led to his condemnation and death. This Holy Week, we are invited to journey with Jesus so that we can experience the fullness of his Resurrection at Easter. As St. Andrew of Crete once wrote: Let us spread before his feet, not garments or soulless olive branches, which delight the eye for a few hours and then wither, but ourselves, clothed in his grace, or rather, clothed completely in him. Let’s make it a truly Holy Week.

 

Thanks to everyone who joined us for our Lenten Parish Mission this past week. It was a great opportunity to gather as a faith community and strengthen our faith in preparation for Holy Week.  

 

As we enter into Holy Week, we are reminded that this is the most sacred time of the church year. We gather several times during the week to enter more fully into the dying and rising of Jesus. Our liturgies for these days are full of ritual and symbol that point to the deep meaning of our Christian faith. On Holy Thursday, we gather for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and hear the story of Jesus giving himself to his disciples at the Last Supper. We remember that our faith is rooted in service as we imitate Jesus in the washing of feet. On Good Friday, we gather for Stations of the Cross at 3:00pm and then again in the evening for Veneration of the Cross. This is a powerful ritual which reminds us that the Cross is not just an instrument of death, but also the means of our salvation. On Holy Saturday night we gather around the fire for the great Easter Vigil as we prepare to hear the stories of our faith and celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation with those joining our faith. These three days are called the sacred Triduum (which means three) and are really one celebration that leads us to the light of Easter morning. Although we are all busy and there are many things that get our attention, I encourage you to set aside time in your schedule to be with us this week. Please take note of the Holy Week Schedule included in this bulletin and posted online.

 

Please keep the elect and candidates, who will be officially joining our church at the Easter Vigil, in your prayers. They are an important presence for all of us as they have been preparing for several months to join the Catholic faith. We give thanks for their witness of faith.

The Gospel for this 5^th Sunday of Lent is the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. This story shows forth Jesus’ humanity as he weeps at the death of his friend Lazarus and tries to bring comfort to Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary. He is even referred to as being perturbed a couple of times in the story at the impatience of others. But the story also shows forth the extraordinary power of God at work in Jesus. He is able to call Lazarus out of the tomb and restore his life. This story is a foretaste of Christ’s Resurrection when death is conquered for all through the life of Jesus. This story also reminds us that through Christ, whatever is dead within us, whatever needs new life, can be restored through him. If we are honest with ourselves, all of us have areas in our life that need to be restored and renewed. As we enter this last full week of Lent, may we be led to a deeper trust in the freedom and new life that only comes through Christ. 

 

This weekend we welcome Vincentian Father Ron Hoye to our Masses. He will be preaching at the Masses and encouraging you to attend our LentenParish Mission that begins this Sunday, March 22 at 6:30pm and continues Monday and Tuesday at 6:30pm. Please mark your calendars to join us and invite family and friends to join you. The theme for the Mission is Pray-Serve-Be Kind-Let Go! These are great things for us to reflect on during Lent and in preparation for Easter. Let’s commit to being together for the Mission.

 

Thank you to everyone who supported our parish St. Joseph Table a couple of weeks ago. A special thanks to Francesca Gill and her family for coordinating all the details and for all the volunteers who helped cook, bake, and support the event. All the proceeds from this wonderful tradition will support our service partner Uplift.  

 

Next weekend, March 28-29, we will begin Holy Week with our celebration of Palm Sunday. This is one of the times during the year when Mass begins differently. Weather permitting, we will begin outside on the south side parking lot for our Masses for the blessing of palms. Please try to arrive a little early to Mass so you can pick up your palm and move outside.

Holy Week includes some of the most important celebrations of our church year as we gather for the Triduum – Sacred Three Days. Please be sure to check the bulletin and our website for all the times and details as we join together for a truly holy week. 

 

Please join us at our last Fish Fry of the season this Friday, March 27. We are grateful to our parish Knights for leading the Fish Fry each week and all the volunteers who make it a wonderful community event. And don’t forget to join us for Stations at 6:30pm in church.

In the Gospel this weekend, Jesus opens the eyes of a man born blind. The story begins with the disciples asking Jesus: Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus quickly dispels this commonly held belief of his time by saying that neither sinned. The mercy of God that Jesus shares turns everything upside down and allows those who experience it to see everything differently. Jesus goes further by saying that the works of God will be made visible through the healing of the blind man and help reveal Jesus as the light of the world. This powerful story is an invitation for all of us to see with the eyes of faith. Most of us will never have to deal with physical blindness. We can even take our physical sight for granted, but spiritual blindness is something that affects all of us at times. This season of Lent is a time for our eyes to be opened so that we may recognize the presence of Jesus in our midst and become a visible sign for others of Christ’s presence.

 

This week in the Catholic Church we celebrate a couple of important saints in our tradition. This Tuesday, March 17, is St. Patrick’s Day and this Thursday, March 19, is St. Joseph’s Day. A number of popular customs and devotions have developed over the years to honor these saints. But let’s remember the example of service both of these saints provide for us. St. Patrick left his homeland to spread the gospel in a foreign land and St. Joseph risked his own reputation to lead and protect the Holy Family. Do something to serve others this week in celebration of St. Patrick and St. Joseph.

 

Next weekend, Vincentian Father Ron Hoye, the priest leading our upcoming Parish Mission will be preaching at all the Masses and encouraging our parishioners to attend the Mission evenings. Please mark your calendars to attend the Mission at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 22; Monday, March 23; and Tuesday, March 24. The theme for the Mission is Pray-Serve-Be Kind-Let Go! These are great things for us to reflect on during Lent and in preparation for Easter. Fr. Hoye is a well-known and engaging presenter and has given parish missions all over the country. Feel free to invite family members and friends to attend. Let’s commit to being together for the Mission as use it as an opportunity to strengthen our faith life and grow as a community.

 

About 100 middle school youth (mostly 6^th graders) from our parish will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation next Sunday, March 22, with Bishop Johnston at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Beginning this year, the Bishop has asked that all celebrations of Confirmation take place at the Cathedral. We also had a smaller group of older middle school and high school youth celebrate the Sacrament a couple of weeks ago. Please keep these young people in your prayers.

 

The Gospel for this Sunday is the powerful story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. While the story is lengthy, it is rich with symbolism and reminders of the life Jesus invites us to share with him through our baptism. Jesus recognizes the woman as an outcast of society and through their dialogue he reveals his identity to her. Jesus breaks many societal taboos – passing through Samaria, speaking to a woman who is alone, and asking to drink from her water jar – in order to break through the woman’s shame, guilt and doubt and bring her the healing water of his love. Jesus tells her: whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst, the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. The Samaritan woman recognizes Jesus as the Savior and has a conversion of heart. She also leads others to conversion through her testimony. Our Lenten journey is about on-going conversion in our lives so we can testify to the truth of Christ through our example.

This Sunday at the 8:00am Mass we celebrate the First Scrutiny with the elect and candidates from our parish preparing to join the Catholic Church at Easter. This is a time for the elect and candidates to reflect on their lives so they can enter into fullness of life with Christ. Please keep our elect and candidates in your prayers. Although this is a ritual action for those preparing to enter into the Church, it is a good practice for all of us to take some time to “scrutinize” our lives.

This Sunday, March 8, we will also gather for our annual St. Joseph Table. We will begin with the blessing of the table and call upon the intercession of St. Joseph at 11:00 a.m. The delicious pasta meal will be served until 2:00 p.m. and traditional Italian cookies and other items will also be available throughout the day. We are grateful for the leadership of Francesca Gill and her family and all the volunteers who help make this a wonderful community tradition. All proceeds will benefit Uplift, one of our parish service partners. Uplift provides direct outreach to the homeless in Kansas City. Please come out and support the St. Joseph Table and be sure to invite your family and friends to come along.

 

This week we have our annual Leadership Dinner for those who serve in leadership positions in the various ministries and organizations of our parish. This is a time to give thanks for their service and to also reflect on ways we can continue to grow and thrive as a parish community. Please pray for those who share their gifts as leaders in our parish. 

Please remember that our Parish Lenten Reconciliation Service is this Monday, March 9, at 6:00 p.m. All of us are encouraged to celebrate this sacrament of God’s forgiveness and mercy in preparation for Easter. We hope to see you there. Many Blessings!

 

In today’s Gospel we hear Matthew’s version of the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountaintop. The identity of Jesus is revealed when the voice from the cloud says: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. Jesus is preparing his disciples for his death and resurrection by allowing them to see a glimpse of his glory. During this season of Lent, we are invited to enter more deeply into the death and resurrection of Jesus by being transformed in his image and recognizing we are God’s beloved children. Lent gives us the opportunity to simplify our lives so that with open ears and open hearts we can truly listen to the call of God in our lives. Our journey up the mountaintop of Lent gives us an awareness of how we can see more clearly and listen more attentively on our faith journey. May this Lenten season help us shine more brightly with the glory of Christ.

On Ash Wednesday, I mentioned a part of Pope Leo’s Lenten message to the world where he challenged the faithful to practice a practical form of fasting by being attentive to our language. Several people have asked about it, so I share the words below from his message:

I think there are steps all of us could take in regards to this challenge that may be useful to our Lenten journey.

I hope your Lenten journey is going well and you are taking advantage of the opportunities we have to grow in your faith during this holy season. Please check the additional times we have for the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the week along with our regular weekend times. Our parish Lenten Reconciliation service is coming up on Monday, March 9, at 6:00 p.m. There will be a number of priests here to assist with the individual confessions. We are all encouraged to celebrate Reconciliation in preparation for Easter. Attending daily Mass is also a good discipline for Lent if you are not already in the habit. During Lent in addition to our regular 8:15am daily Mass we have a 6:30 a.m. Mass on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You can also join us every Friday of Lent for Stations of the Cross at 6:30pm in the church. 

 

Next Sunday, March 8, we will gather for our annual St. Joseph Table. The blessing of the table is about 11:00 a.m. in the Auditorium (directly following the 10:00 a.m. Mass). Please come out and support the St. Joseph Table and be sure to invite your family and friends to come along.