Posted on March 17, 2023 View all Pastor's Letter
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This Sunday, the liturgy offers us an anticipated aroma of Easter joy. The priest’s vestments this Sunday are rose because we celebrate “laetere” Sunday, which invites us to serene joy. “Celebrate Jerusalem, rejoice with her, all who love her…” with these words begins the entrance antiphon in today’s Eucharist.
God wants us to be happy and optimistic. His will is that we always see His joyful presence in our lives; according to psychology, a person who lives sad and angry ends up depressed and sick in body and soul, which is not a sign of the presence of God. Our joy must be founded on Christ, our friendship with Him, and the grace received through the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist. Saint Teresa of Ávila distinguished joy into categories; “Holy Joy,” which arises from within by the grace of God and by the sacramental life, and “Foolish Joy,” which is the external joy and lasts very little and, in the end, the human being ends up more sad and bitter. Hopefully, this Sunday is dedicated to joy; we seek to be joyful with the Lord despite life’s difficulties.
Now let’s talk a little about the pastoral life of our parish. As I did last week, I invite you to participate in the 40 Hours of Eucharistic Adoration, which we began on Wednesday the 22nd and will conclude on the 24th with the Holy Mass of thanksgiving for the graces we will receive during this time. It is an excellent opportunity to pray for the diocese, our bishop, our parish, our ministries, and our movements. I invite you to dedicate one hour of these 40 hours to be with the Lord, to watch with Him, so as not to fall into temptation and routine (Mt.26, 41). We have so much to pray and give thanks for. I invite all ministries and movements to be with the Lord for one or more hours. I invite you to register in the vestibule; we have the registration form so you know when you will be with the Lord.
Also, on March 27th, from 7:00 pm, we will have our Lenten penitential service. You are all invited to participate. We will have several invited priests who will help us hear confessions, and at the same time, we will continue with our usual confession hours. I hope the answer is positive, similar to the penitential service in December. God’s mercy is great and an excellent opportunity to meet again with grace and forgiveness.
Finally, you will soon receive the calendar with the Holy Week activities, and I hope we can participate in all the liturgical activities. From now on, I encourage you to participate, especially in the Paschal Triduum, and thus join the saving sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I hope you have a blessed week.
Fr. Alex
