News - March 2020 RSS Feed

Please click here for information about the crab feed.

The passage in John’s Gospel about Jesus’ raising of Lazarus is the conclusion of the section in this Gospel that scripture scholars call the “Book of Signs”. We know from our daily lives that signs direct us to something else. With Jesus, He is, in John’s Gospel especially, pointing to God the Father. For instance, at the Lazarus’ tomb Jesus thanks the Father for hearing Him and comments that He prayed this out loud so that the crowd would believe that the Father had sent Jesus. God the Creator, in collaboration with the Word that became flesh in Jesus as well as the Holy Spirit, brought everything into being so that all creation would rejoice in the gift of life. Jesus brings about rebirth, recreation, and through the Holy Spirit we are empowered to collaborate with Jesus and the Father in the continual transformation of all that exists.

Jesus Christ, you traveled through towns and villages “curing every disease and illness.” At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love. Heal those who are sick with the virus. May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care. Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbors from helping one another. Heal us from our pride, which can make us claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders. Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow. Be with those who have died from the virus. May they be at rest with you in your eternal peace. Be with the families of those who are sick or have died. As they worry and grieve, defend them from illness and despair. May they know your peace. Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process. May they know your protection and peace. Be with the leaders of all nations. Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the people they are meant to serve. Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prepare for or prevent future outbreaks. May they know your peace, as they work together to achieve it on earth. Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by many people suffering from this illness or only a few, Jesus Christ, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare. In place of our anxiety, give us your peace. Jesus Christ, heal us.

Our Gospel passage this weekend focuses on Jesus and His encounter with a man born blind. The culture of the day presumed that this blind man was born in sin. In His interaction with the man, Jesus never gave that view any credence. Jesus saw the person as a child of God who deserved to be set free of whatever hindered him from living the kind of life God wants all people to live. Of course, the man’s physical healing was one thing; his new-found ability to see himself for who He is was what was truly life-giving. Let us all come to know Jesus more fully so that we come to know ourselves as we have been created to be(come).

Daily and Sunday Masses are live streamed and videotaped for future viewing. All are invited to participate in outdoor Mass at 7:30am Sundays Please RSVP! (all safety measures will be in place; (masks, physical distancing and please bring your own chair.) Outdoor Communion is offered at 10am Sunday mornings. Drive in through Filbert Ave. and drive up to the fountain to share in Communion.

All public celebrations of the Mass are suspended until further notice. Click here to be directed to the diocesan website.

This Sunday’s first reading and Gospel passage prompt us to reflect on water. We know we need water to keep ourselves hydrated. We also thirst for a number of things during our lives. One very significant thirst is for connection. With the proliferation of electronic gadgets, which can certainly serve useful purposes, we seem to have some difficulty making connections with one another whereby we can share our faith in God and in doing so help each other allow our relationship with God to become more intimate. As an outplay of this, we would also be able to be more present to one another to celebrate the wonders of life as well as to manage well the challenges life presents us.

All large gatherings have been cancelled or postponed.

The Knights of Columbus 11th Annual KNIGHTS CHARITY THROUGH GOLF TOURNAMENT to benefit the Developmental Disabilities Services Organization and The HeartRight Foundation. Has been rescheduled for September 28th.

In today’s Gospel, three of Jesus’ disciples experience Jesus as He is transfigured. Peter didn’t handle this episode very wisely. We learn from him how to treat the times when we realize how blessed we are that Jesus became one of us to show us that we are God’s beloved as well as to show us what we are capable of in imitation of Jesus. Peter’s mistake was that he thought he needed to do something in response to this precious event; we learn from him to be with the sacred times when we realize the sacredness of life. Relishing this sacredness, we pray that we can be effective in inviting others to see life the same way.