Pastor's Desk Archive (February 2007)

Handing On The Good News (2/4/2007)
Lent Is Fast Approaching (2/11/2007)
Lent / Easter: 90 Days of Dying & Rising (2/18/2007)
The Truth Will Set Us Free (2/25/2007)

Handing On The Good News (2/4/2007)

In today’s second lesson, the Apostle Paul summarizes for the Corinthians the central teachings about Christ that he had received and handed on to them. These teachings are, in fact, what are known to us as The Gospel or The Good News. While this gospel message contains other elements, the teaching about Christ’s death and resurrection, and His appearances to his followers after the resurrection lie at its very core. This should come as no surprise to any faithful Christian.

What may be less known, however, is that the reason we gather every Sunday—The Day of The Lord—is so that the mystery of Christ’s death & rising may become so vital a part of our lives that we, too, become “fishers of men”. This is an important part of what it means for us to become holy at Christ’s Holy Table. Because we have gathered to thank Our Heavenly Father for the gift of salvation won for us by Christ’s death and rising, we are made holy through the nourishment of both Word and Sacrament. Each of us—and all of us together as The Church—are called to die and rise in, with, and through Christ every Sunday.

This understanding of the Mass is as amazing as that astonishing catch of fish we heard about in today’s Gospel. Sadly, there are still many among us who still speak of “going to Mass” and “attending Mass” as if it is just another important thing that we do in the course of the week. Perhaps this explains why so many Catholics (and other Christians as well) don’t yet get the connection between Sunday Mass and how they think, act, and believe the rest of the week. Maybe something more astonishing will have to happen before more of us truly desire and allow Christ to make us holy through our partaking of His Holy Body & Blood. Maybe Christ will appear to us like He appeared to Paul on the road. I have some good news! Christ does appear to us each and every time we gather to celebrate and remember His death and rising. Alleluia!

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Lent Is Fast Approaching (2/11/2007)

Didn’t we just celebrate Christmas? Well, actually it is going on six weeks ago, but as they say: "Time and tide wait for no man." Next weekend’s bulletin will be mailed out so that all the baptized who live in our parish boundaries can receive a Lenten schedule of services and events. Included with the bulletin will be a Stewardship of Time for Spiritual Growth card that each member will be asked to complete and offer at the foot of the cross on Ash Wednesday.

If there’s one thing most of us have in common, its our common lament about never seeming to have enough time to do all the important things we need and want to do. Chief among our omissions is giving priority to time for prayer and spiritual growth. Lent provides us with an opportunity to reassess our priorities so that we can get back on track with the most important challenge of our lives: becoming saints.

I want to especially recommend participation in one or more weekday Masses during Lent. We will have three Masses later in the day to accommodate more people coming from work. We will have just one morning Mass during Lent on Thursdays. On days when we have evening Mass, there will be other services at 9 in the morning. This will be either Morning Prayer or the Rosary.

With Lent approaching we will be starting our Winter/Spring Session of Growing the Faith of Grownups. We had a tremendous turnout last Fall and expect even more participants this time around. There will be 5 Six-Session topics to choose from which should provide plenty of variety. Please be sure to fill out the enrollment form attached to this week's bulletin and turn it back in as soon as possible.

Please keep in mind that there are two main objectives in keeping a good Lent:

1. To pray for our Catechumens and Candidates
2. To prepare for the renewal of our baptismal promises on Easter.

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Lent / Easter: 90 Days of Dying & Rising (2/18/2007)

The 40 days of Lent and the 50 days of Easter lie at the very center of the Church’s life. Together they comprise a kind of 90 day retreat during which we may enter more deeply into Christ’s death and resurrection. For many, unfortunately, these will be simply an aggregation of days that fall in the months between February and May. What they will be is up to each of us.

This article is also in this week's bulletin which is being mailed out to all our registered parishioners so that even those who can’t or don’t participate in Mass regularly may receive the Lenten Calendar and other important information about Lent/Easter. Next Wednesday the church will be filled with folks wanting to be marked with ashes. It’s not a Holy Day of Obligation, yet more people come than almost any other day. What are these ashes for that so many seek them?

Ashes are imposed on our foreheads as a visible sign that we believe that our very lives are called to center around the death and rising of Jesus Christ. Called to life in Christ, we are called to turn away from our sins so that we may live The Good News. Ashes are most especially for grownups and children who attained the age of reason. We do mark smaller children and even babies with ashes so that it may be seen that they too are called to a life of repentance & grace.

Lent/Easter provides all of us with a chance for a new beginning. During Lent we pray and fast and do works of charity not only for ourselves but for our catechumens and candidates. A good Lent will prepare us to renew the promises of Baptism at Easter.

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The Truth Will Set Us Free (2/25/2007)

Jesus said that He is THE way, THE truth, and THE life. But he didn’t just say this in words. He called people to follow after Him so He could show them the way that leads to life in the kingdom of God. He taught his followers the truth that was made known to Him by his Father in heaven. He promised that those who eat His flesh, and drink His blood that they would have the same Life that He and His Father have. Then He suffered and died and rose again to fulfill that promise.

From the days immediately following Christ’s death and resurrection down to the present day, there have always been people who have distorted and misrepresented the teachings of Christ. So how can people recognize and follow the authentic teachings of the Gospel? By being united with the Church that Jesus called into being when He sent the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles at Pentecost. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told his apostles: As the Father has sent me, so I send you. This is why we call ourselves an apostolic church. We follow the faith that, like Christ, they taught and laid down their lives for.

Being a faithful follower of Christ is not about having fun. Nor is it merely about feeling good about ourselves. It’s about suffering and dying in all kinds of ways. It’s about letting go of the things that are passing away so that we can hold on more firmly to the true faith that has been passed on to us by the apostles, martyrs, and saints. We can’t look to the ways of the popular culture to help us on this journey. We are not likely to be saved by the folks who win Grammys, Emmys, and Oscars.

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