Posted on March 18, 2022 View all Pastor's Letter
Dear Friends in Christ,
It is incredible that we are just a few days away until the end of March; it has been two years since the pandemic began and life changed us almost completely. The pandemic took away the joy of sharing, greeting each other freely, meeting in faith groups, and nearly stealing our sacramental and liturgical life. Sadly, many have not yet returned to share their life of faith due to the pandemic of fear and distrust. I invite you to pray for all those brothers and sisters in Christ who were called to the Father’s house because of this virus; that He receives them in His arms and forgive their sins. Let us also not forget to pray for those who continue to suffer the effects of the virus so that our God comforts them in their time of need.
Two years after all this started, it is essential to consider, as Christians, what have we learned? What teaching has God left us during this time? Personally, I have learned to value life, freedom, family, friends, and all those around us. I value you more because I missed sharing with many of you, approaching you without fear, without complexes and precautions. I appreciate and value your smile and the beauty of life that God has shown us. Let’s keep praying for this pandemic to end definitively and that we return to live our life of faith with freedom. Also, I invite everyone to return little by little to daily mass and Sunday mass. It is time to overcome fear and return to being parish. Blessed be God for giving us the gift of life and for His infinite mercy.
I would also like to remind you that this week is the 40 hours devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. It is an excellent opportunity to pray for the diocese, for our bishop, and especially for our parish, ministries and groups. I invite you to dedicate one hour, out of these 40 hours, to be with the Lord, to watch over Him so that we do not to fall into temptation and routine (Mt.26, 41). We have so much to pray for and give thanks for. Therefore, I ask all ministries and groups to take one or more hours as a group to be with the Lord. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed uninterruptedly in the church; the repose will be made without blessing before each mass in the morning. I am so excited about this great experience of faith.
Finally, I invite you to the morning of recollection that we will have next Saturday, March 26th (in English) in the church. It will be a morning of reflection of faith in preparation for the celebration of Easter. We will begin with mass at 8:00am, we then will expose the Blessed Sacrament, pray the Holy Rosary, and then we will have one or two short reflections. I hope many of you can attend. If for any reason you cannot participate, put on your calendars the penitential service that we will have on Monday, April 4th. There are no excuses for us not being in the grace of God this Holy Week.
I have you in my prayers.
Fr. Alex
