A word from Pope Francis ~ “Agape, the love of each one of us for the other, from the closest to the furthest, is in fact the only way that Jesus has given us to find the way of salvation and of the Beatitudes.”
As we mark the Third Sunday of Lent today, we shift gears in our Lenten journey. Throughout the past week, the daily Scripture readings have been our guide. Last Sunday, the account of Jesus’ Transfiguration gave us a glimpse of the glory to which each of us is called. On Monday, we were given the path to that glory – stop judging, stop condemning, forgive. Tuesday – do not perform works in order to be noticed. Wednesday – if we take this path seriously, expect opposition and persecution. Thursday – trust that God will help us in our efforts to change. Friday – if we ignore the invitation, the invitation will be given to others who will respond. And Saturday – while we can’t succeed on our own, God’s overwhelming gift of forgiveness can overcome our failures.
Once we realize that we cannot make the changes in our lives that we would like to make on our own, we are reminded that God is on our side and working with us. God has taken many steps to bring us back. The primary image in the Scripture readings during this week is the image of water – a symbol of new life. We remember how God gave us new life in our Baptism. This third week of Lent invites us to look back at what God initially did for us in the past and to look ahead to the Easter Vigil, when we will renew our Baptismal promises.
Today, we begin the Scrutinies (or Rites of Inner Healing) with the Elect, who have been called to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. These Rites will be celebrated at the 10:00 am Mass over the next three weeks. The “Cycle A” Scripture readings give us the traditional “coming to faith” stories that were used in the early church to prepare those to be baptized. For the First Scrutiny, we hear the account of the Woman at the Well from John’s Gospel. Her story is really the story of those who are preparing for their Baptism. We promise to support our Elect (Emily Bula) and Candidates for Full Communion (Tyler Neher and Mirela Nees) with our prayers throughout this special season of preparations.
Our parish brochure “Lent 2023 – Preparing our hearts. Growing in Christ.” was mailed to each household. Many opportunities for the traditional Lenten practices of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving are listed. It also contains our parish calendar of Masses, devotions, times for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and Adult Faith Formation offerings. Please refer to it often during the season as we make our journey to the Easter Holy Days.
Next Sunday, we will join with Catholic parishes throughout our diocese in responding to the annual Catholic Relief Services collection. Funds raised through this annual collection go directly to Catholic Relief Services and are used to make an immediate response to natural disasters as they occur throughout the world. Envelopes for this collection were included in the packs mailed to our homes, or you may use one of the white envelopes from the racks in the pews and mark it “CRS.” Thank you for your generous response to this annual appeal.
Our 2023 Parish Mission, “Why Christ Makes a Difference in the World” was a time of tremendous blessings for us last week. Deacon Bill Johnson was with us in the right time and place. He invited us at our weekend Masses and then helped us hear the full message on Sunday evening (What Does the Love of Christ Look Like?), challenged us on Monday evening (Christ Needs You in the World!), and sent us out on Tuesday evening (What Does the Church Look Like?). Our challenge is to let the Spirit guide us in responding to our call to be missionary disciples in our corner of the world. If you were unable to attend the Mission in person, the sessions were recorded and are available on our parish website.
As Lent progresses, let us continue to pray for and support each other in our Lenten practices. Know that your priests pray for you each day. May God continue to bless us with everything that we need, and more.
Father Jim Murphy