Noteworthy News from Fr. Tom
Repentance is a word that summarizes our relationship with God, our journey with Him. Not only today, not yesterday, not tomorrow but ALWAYS! Jesus came to save the world, to save you and me from our sins. If you think that you are not that bad and you don’t need repentance, you are wrong. We are all sinners, we all need God’s mercy, we all need a spirit of repentance! Repentance is not just turning away from sin; it’s turning towards God!
The liturgy of the word for the third Sunday of Lent is an invitation for us to turn to Christ, acknowledge our faults and failings, and receive from Him mercy, forgiveness, and the promise of eternal life. There is no better way to take these words of Jesus to heart than to go to sacramental confession, and there is no better time to go to confession than during Lent.
Repentance helps us in life and in death. It helps us to live as forgiven people and helps us to face death without fear. When we repent, we are saying: “I’ve been going in the wrong direction – I must turn my life around.” Repentance begins with an admission of our sin and inadequacy. We cannot see Jesus in all His fullness unless we look at Him through the lens of repentance. Scripture says repentance results in forgiveness, renewal, and redirection. Repentance is a statement of regret for the inner condition of our souls, with a determination to have that condition changed.
So, ask yourself these simple questions:
“Do you need God?” If you do, you need repentance! If you need repentance, you need confession! When was your last confession? We need to make the best use of the “second chances” God gives us. Our merciful Father always gives us second chances. During Lent, too, we are given another chance to repent and return to our Heavenly Father’s love, do not miss this opportunity!
P.S. It’s been a blessing walking with you through Lent 2022. Following the three Lenten disciplines: prayer, fasting and almsgiving is the way to know who our God is and who we truly are in His eyes. We have many prayer opportunities in our church: daily Mass and confession, daily Holy Hour Eucharistic Adoration for Peace, Stations of the Cross, and every Friday “all day Eucharistic Adoration, and of course everyday you can come for private prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
We have provided many opportunities for those who want to be generous as our loving God is generous. The RTL Lifespan Wee Care Baby Shower last weekend was a great success! Thank you Donna Longuski and your crew for taking care of it. You can find more information about that event in today’s bulletin.
I am so grateful to our Fish Fry crew and the volunteers. Thank you to all of you who are truly working as one team for the good of our parish community and those who come to visit us. How should I fast on Lenten Fridays, while having such good food on the other side of the parking lot??? Read more on the page 3 of the bulletin.
Your response to support the refugees from Ukraine has been wonderful. So far, we have collected $17,000 plus $10,000 (from the parish) it gives us $27,000. Let me explain to you where the money will be transferred. All of this money will be sent to Pawlikowice, a small village close to Krakow. A few years ago, my Religious Community closed the last orphanage that we were running for almost 30 years (it’s still a part of our charism to take care of the abundant youth and children.) Two weeks ago, a local authority asked us to re-open that orphan-age for the children from Ukraine. I have already been in touch with the priest who is in charge of that place. I promise to give you an update and maybe in the future to share a few pictures from that orphanage. If you are still willing to give some donations we will continue that fundraiser for sometime. May God bless you for your generous hearts.
the final thing; last week we replaced the roof on the rectory within one day!!! So, there is no way for me to tell you: “No homily today, the roof is leaking!” Thank you to the Rapid Roofing company for such fast and good work.
During the next two weeks you should see more construction projects being done in the church. We are going to have new lights and new carpet in the church. So, please be patient with us and pray for God’s timing of these changes and the safety of the workers.
May God bless all of us as we continue our Lenten journey.
Latin Mass Parts can be found in the hymnals: Kyrie #857, Sanctus #859, Agnus Dei #863