Bulletins by St. Clare Parish (Page 11)
April 9th – Easter Sunday
The Blessing of the New Fire and the preparation of the
Paschal Candle at the Easter Vigil proclaim that Christ,
the Risen One, could not be held by death, and that
darkness had no power over the Light of the World.
From Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday, we retrace the
steps of Christ: acclaimed as King, then Crucified and
Risen. Our celebrations proclaim life to be stronger than
death, love, more powerful than hatred, and hope that
dispels all fear. Please be with us in our prayer!
May Easter 2023 bestow on us hope that comes from the
Lord. We are challenged, commanded and missioned to
be that hope to one another.
April 2nd – Palm Sunday
Our Holy Week celebrations begin with the ecstasy of Jesus’ entry
into Jerusalem, as the people shouted “Hosanna” to Him. Soon
come the calls for crucifixion, His agony – in the garden, along the
path to Golgotha, and on the Cross.
But there is much more that we commemorate these days. There is
the tenderness of the Last Supper, in which Jesus gave His Body and
Blood to The Twelve and finally, on the third day, His appearances
to Mary Magdalene, to Peter and John and the other disciples, in Jerusalem
and on the road to Emmaus.
These events happened once in history, and they are not repeated as
they are retold again and again. It is we who make ourselves present
to these saving events, which makes this week a holy time for us.
The liturgies of the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday evening, Good
Friday and the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night) form one multi
-day celebration. Please join us for as many of them as you can. You
can find the schedule below.
May we and our entire parish family open our lives to these mysteries
so that we may share the life the Lord opens to us.
March 26th – 5th Sunday of Lent
Scholars divide the Gospel of Saint John into two parts: The Book
of Signs (from John 1:18 until the end of chapter 12) and the Book
of Glory (from chapter 13 until the end of the gospel). The raising of
Lazarus from the dead is the seventh, last and greatest sign.
While the raising of Lazarus is a sign of Jesus’ Resurrection, the two
differ: Lazarus was dead beyond the point of no return, already the
fourth day when Jesus arrived at the tomb. Jesus’ restoration of his
life was a resuscitation; eventually Lazarus would die again. Jesus’
Resurrection was to a new and permanent life, a resurrection to
glory. It is this that is promised to us, and for which we hope. It is
the promise of our Baptism and the hope of eternal life.
This Saturday, at the 5:00 pm Mass, we celebrate the Third Scrutiny
with the Elect who will be baptized at Easter. Jesus conquered sin
and death, making the same possible for all who are baptized into
Him. May these last weeks of Lent help our Elect prepare for Easter,
and may the rest of us find in these days the opportunity to be
renewed in our baptismal life.
March 19th – Fourth Sunday of Lent
If we were to doubt that the story of the man who was born blind is
about something more than Jesus giving physical sight to the man,
we need only reflect upon a line from the first reading, from the
First Book of Samuel: “Do not judge from his appearance or from
his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as you see does
God see, because you see the appearance but the Lord looks into the
heart.”
When we speak of sight in terms of faith, we consider the words,
“sight” and “insight,” which is more the function of one’s soul than
one’s eyes.
The healing of the blind man was an opportunity for him to become
a believer, as seen in these few lines from the Gospel of John:
When Jesus heard that they had thrown [the man
who was born blind] out [of the synagogue], he found
him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He
answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe
in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and
the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do believe,
Lord,” and he worshiped him. Then Jesus said, “I came
into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see
might see, and those who do see might become blind.”
Following last Sunday’s presentation of Jesus as living water, we
encounter today another baptismal theme, that the Lord is light in
darkness, both physically and spiritually. Jesus, the New Creation,
brings forth living water and light, just as God had created them in
the beginning. And he creates them in us, that we might have life to
the full, as promised in the raising of Lazarus, in next Sunday’s
gospel reading.
March 12th – Third Sunday of Lent
On the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent, we celebrate
Scrutinies with and for the Elect who are approaching the Easter
Sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist). The readings
these Sundays focus on three baptismal themes: Living Water for
the Samaritan woman at the well, Sight for the man who was born
blind, and the Raising of Lazarus from the Dead, which was the last
and greatest sign that Jesus performed before His Passion, Death and
Resurrection.
While these readings are used for Masses with Scrutinies every year,
this year (using the “Cycle A” readings), we hear them at all Sunday
Masses. In fact, they are so important that parishes are allowed to
use them on these three Sundays every year – at every Mass.
It is Jesus who is Living Water, Sight to the Blind and Life for the
Dead. Even as we focus upon the journey of the Elect toward
Baptism, we are given the opportunity to renew our own life in
Christ, the life of the Baptism we already share. This is what we
celebrate at Easter, as we renew our Baptismal promises and are
sprinkled with Easter Water, the Paschal Candle leading us from
darkness to light.
March 5th – Second Sunday of Lent
Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a
high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light
(Matthew 17:1).
The Transfiguration of Jesus, which we recall each year on the
second Sunday of Lent, gave the Lord courage and hope as he
walked the road to the Crucifixion. He was – if only for a short time
– as he would become after the Cross and Resurrection. Although
they did not understand it at the time, Jesus’ appearance in His glory
would also give hope to the Apostles that their suffering and death,
too, could be transformed into glory.
On this weekend during which we celebrate the Sacrament of the
Anointing of the Sick, we pray that those who are weakened by
illness or age might also undergo a transformation. While the
Sacrament does not make any promise or guarantee of physical
healing, its pledge of the prayers of the Church for those who suffer
a form of isolation due to infirmity and age can bring real and
lasting healing in mind and spirit. Whether you will approach this
“holy anointing” or not, your participation in our prayer is a sign of
solidarity with those who suffer here and around the world.
February 26th – First Sunday of Lent
We should be very clear about this: temptation can be insidious in
that it makes us believe that we must do something which we might
otherwise avoid. But we should also be clear of this: being tempted
is not a sin.
The Book of Genesis relates that Adam and Eve gave in to the
temptations of the serpent. We call this “The Fall.” However,
Jesus, as recounted this Sunday from the Gospel of Matthew, was
successful in overcoming the temptations that He encountered
during 40 days in the desert.
To be human is to be subject to temptations of all kinds. The
discipline of Lent (prayer, penance and care for the poor) aims to
help us to be faithful to our Baptism.
Lent is also – and primarily – the time of “purification” for those
who are preparing for Baptism at Easter.
May we – the baptized – by our prayer and our example – help those
who will be elected for Baptism by our Bishop. And may the Elect
grow closer to the Lord these six weeks that precede their joining
with Christ and the Church.
February 19th – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:1).
“Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
These two passages taken from this Sunday’s readings remind us of
the challenged given to all the baptized. Yet, when hearing this, we
may decide not even to try, because the task seems to be impossible.
Can we really be like God?
Our catechism, echoing the words of the Book of Genesis, teaches
that we are made “in the image and likeness of God.” If God,
therefore is holy and perfect, we also have that capability. As we
have heard often, we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the
good. We strive toward holiness little by little, poco a poco, and we
must not be discouraged if it takes a long time or even, at times,
seems impossible. With God, all things are possible, even, by God’s
grace, achieving holiness that mirrors God’s holiness.
As we approach the season of Lent, the final period of preparation
for those to be baptized or received into the Church, we use this
coming 40 days to rediscover the life of Baptism that is ours. That
is the reason Easter is so full of the symbols of Baptism, including
the weekly sprinkling with baptismal water. Please join us on Ash
Wednesday as