Pastor’s Letter & April 4 Bulletin

Pastor’s Letter & April 4 Bulletin

5 Apr 2021 | Posted by: chadmin

The Easter/April 4 bulletin is available online. 

Dear friend,

Happy Easter! Easter is the culmination of the life and death of Jesus. We celebrate these days as God’s love for us and the promise of eternal life. It is so important for us to put ourselves in the minds of the Apostles in those post-resurrection days. They were bewildered, scared, confused, lost, tired and afraid of the future. Certainly, we can all have these reactions to life experiences, but we are called to follow the Apostles through the New Testament Scriptures. As they witnessed and spoke to the risen Christ, they were able to understand and make sense of the Old Testament Scriptures and the promise of the Messiah. Jesus inspired them to allow the truth and the effects of the resurrection to take root in their hearts that they might live and preach in the name of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are called to allow the Holy Spirit to confirm within us the ramifications of the resurrection. As we celebrate this season each year, we are called to transformation, to renewal, to understanding and to clarity. This Easter Season, with the Apostles, let us allow the Holy Spirit to dispel any doubt in our hearts and give us the apostolic zeal to live in union with God.

I am hopeful that this Easter allows a bit more family time for all of us. It has been a challenging year in many ways. We’ve done a great job keeping each other safe throughout the year, but it certainly has involved some emotional and physical distance. The Bible and our theology make it clear that God dwells within each of us. This is true as we are created in His Image and Likeness as well as from His presence in the sacraments. The Gift of the Spirit given at Baptism and Confirmation, as well as Real Presence in the Eucharist, all encourage us to both understand and experience the closeness of God. While we may feel physical and emotional distance from people, it is important to embrace the closeness of God to comfort, heal and forgive. The gift of faith allows us to see God and God’s love for us no matter what life challenge comes our way.

Next Sunday, the 2^nd Sunday of Easter, is known as Divine Mercy Sunday. In the early 1900s, Jesus appeared to a polish woman named, Sister Faustina. Jesus entrusted to her an image and a chaplet that called on his Divine Mercy. He talked with Faustina about her own spiritual journey and about His desire for the world to be saved. If you are interested in these apparitions, they are recorded in “Divine Mercy in My Soul: The Diary of St. Faustina.” While there are many elements and levels to the visions, the main aspect of the message from Jesus is for the world to “trust” in His Divine Mercy. Jesus appeared to St. Faustina and He asked that an image be painted that resembled His image. A picture of this hangs in our vestibule all year long. If you look at the picture, you will see Jesus touching his heart with two rays, one white and one pale, flowing from his heart to the world. The rays denote blood and water that came forth from the side of Jesus when the soldier pierced his side on the Cross. The water makes our souls righteous and the blood is the life of our souls. They symbolize the tender mercy of the heart of Jesus. While the whole message is too much to recall here, the image and the chaplet prayer call us to trust Jesus and embrace his mercy by living a holy life. The following is a quote from the Diary of St. Faustina about the call to living and accepting mercy. We will have a Divine Mercy hour of prayer at 3pm on Sunday, April 11, 2021. Please join us for Adoration of the Eucharist, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and the opportunity to go to confession.

God bless,

Father David