Bulletins by St. Clare Parish (Page 17)

The great Feast of Pentecost is second only to Easter in its importance in the life of the Church. We do not give gifts, as we do at Christmas or even Easter, but the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples marked the new beginning for the proclamation of Jesus as Messiah and Lord. Today we pray that the same Holy Spirit will enliven our faith and its proclamation by the manner of our lives; may the same Spirit give us wisdom and courage

Just as love, the subject of last week’s Gospel reading, is elusive, so is the peace of Jesus, that he left to the disciples during the Last Supper: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid (John 14). But Jesus does believe that such peace is possible, because “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” The Lord knows that our world today is in need of a peace that is more than just the cessation of violence and war, though that would be a good start. According to Saint Pope John Paul II, “[Peace] involves mutual respect and confidence between peoples and nations. Like a cathedral, peace must be constructed patiently and with unshakable faith.” If the peace we seek for our lives and for the world is founded on Jesus, with Him as our Teacher and Guide, that peace may become real, but if we treat peace as though it is some temporary truce or cease-fire, we will fail. Paraphrasing the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., quoted in my homily last weekend, if we allow ourselves to see the image of God in others, then peace has a chance. It must begin there.

In Jesus, all of the prohibitions of the “old” law were cast aside. His new commandment is simple: “Love one another as I have loved you.” While it is easy to state, it is far from easy to live. It has been said that “Love is the only law, and that all the rest is commentary.” If we were completely and totally loving (God, neighbor and ourselves), there would be no need for any other rules or laws. That would be a perfect society; that would be heaven. But for now we depend upon laws to be able to live orderly lives and to protect our relationships between and among others and even with oneself. After 2000 years of Christianity, it is sad that Jesus’ commandment is still new, and that our world has not yet discovered the peace that is the fruit of love. We continue to pray for the people of Ukraine, for an end to the brutal way being waged against them and the conversion of those who lead and direct the invading forces from Russia.

When Good Shepherd Sunday falls on the second Sunday of May, it is not a difficult stretch to connect the image of Jesus as our Good Shepherd with the mothers (and our fathers!) who gave us life and, for the most part, continue to serve as shepherds to their children, no matter how old, successful or independent they may be. May those who still have parents with them rejoice in this gift that God gives us; and may we all join in prayer for the repose of the souls of our mothers who have gone to the Lord. May they all rest in the peace of Christ. This weekend, we ask all our parish families to consider donating to the Diocesan Priest Retirement Appeal. We need the support of every parish family at Saint Clare to be successful. Remember, not everyone can make the same size gift, but everyone can make the same size sacrifice. Please make a gift that truly reflects all the blessings you have received from God and your willingness to support the work of our Diocesan Priests. Donations of all sizes are gratefully accepted and appreciated. Our retired priests rely on their minimal Social Security since they were paid a very modest wage and the Priest Retirement Plan payments for their living expenses and end-of-life needs. Yet, like the general population, priests live longer, more active lives. This has increased the challenge of providing adequate care to our retired priests. Your gift to the Diocesan Priest Retirement Appeal provides vital funding for medications, nursing care, and more to these priests who have been good shepherds and have kept their promises to the faithful of the Diocese. Please know that priests across our Diocese hold you and your loved ones in grateful prayer. As he mentioned at some of the Masses this past weekend, Msgr. Fran will likely be one of our retired priests around 2027/2028, if not before. . .Father George, pastor from 2010-2014, will likely retire within the next five years.

Jesus’ three questions to Simon Peter, asking him, “Do you love me?” must have been painful for Peter to hear. But, in fact, the Lord was giving but another example of God’s tremendous willingness to forgive, no matter how many times we stray. Three times, Peter had denied knowing Jesus. And after Peter declares the third time, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you,” Jesus called to him again, “Follow me.” For us, to know that “God’s mercy is without end” is one of the foundations of our lives. It gives us hope and should endow us with a willingness to forgive those who have offended or hurt us. Being part of a reconciling community of faith demands no less of us. That Christ is victorious over sin and death allows us, in Him, to do the same. Then we can share the joy of the Resurrection. Congratulations to the children who will receive Holy Communion for the first time this weekend and next. We pray that you will remain as close to the Lord in the years to come as you are with him on this special day.

“Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, the one who lives. Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever” (Revelation 1:17b-18). For the Church, the great Easter Feast extends for 50 days, until Pentecost, this year on June 5. But the “day” of Easter itself lasts until this Sunday, which we call the Second Sunday of Easter. This is the greatest of our holy days. Even Christmas Day is only one day, but Easter Day is eight days. In fact, it takes that long for us at our daily Masses to hear all of the Easter appearances of the Lord. While we are not literally at the empty tomb, in the garden, the upper room or on the road to Emmaus, the Risen Lord continues to make Himself present to us – in His word, the Eucharist, and the Christian Community, especially when gathered for the celebration of the Eucharist. As He lives “forever and ever,” He sends us forth, as disciples, to announce the good news (“gospel”) that the Lord is risen and, even more, that we also will rise. Our parish Easter celebrations were the cause of great joy last weekend. It was the first time since the pandemic that we experienced a full church. I pray that this continues, even when it is not Easter Sunday. It was so good to see all of you!! Happy Easter!

Dear Parishioners, This ancient Easter greeting resounds through time and space as a reflection of our joy and our hope. We are far from first century Jerusalem, yet these words continue to proclaim the fundamental Christian mystery: the Lord Jesus has conquered death and sin and the darkness of our lives and our world. In Baptism, each of us is united to the Lord’s victory and we walk in His light, as sharers of the life that has no end. In our Christian living, we are witnesses to God’s abiding presence and to the hope that is the foundation of our lives. May our gathering during Holy Week and the Easter Triduum renew our faith; may they also renew us and all people in appreciation of God’s unending love. We thank you once more for the privilege of serving you.

As we enter this week that we consider the holiest of all, we try to unite ourselves with the Passion of the Lord, so also to share His Resurrection. We might ask ourselves where we can begin our personal and communal journeys this week. Perhaps, we can take as our starting point this Sunday’s second reading from Saint Paul to the Philippians, where we find this: “Your attitude must be that of Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God. . . emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” May our participation in the mysteries of the Lord’s Cross and Resurrection help us – one and all – to serve in love, even as He did.