Divine Mercy Sunday

THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE, LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD! ALLELUIA!

Easter is a season for rejoicing in the new creation God has brought about in the Resurrection of Christ. But that does not mean that we pretend that there is no darkness in the world. Easter is not about leaving suffering behind, forgetting where we have been. Quite the reverse. The disciples can only recognize the risen Christ by his wounds. In Easter, the season of the new creation, we learn to find hope and joy not by forgetting the sufferings of our daily lives, but by recognizing that Christ is with us in those very sufferings. Death no longer has the last word. We are dying, Saint Paul said, “and behold we live” (2 Corinthians 6:9).

Today is Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Let us pray for God’s ancient people, our Jewish sisters and brothers, the first to hear the word of God, for greater understanding between Christian and Jew, for the removal of our blindness and bitterness of heart. That God will grant us grace to be faithful to his covenant and to grow in love of his name.

May 5 is National Day of Prayer. We Pray to Almighty God to remember America and its foundations on which it was built, remember the prayers of our mothers and fathers and do not forget us in our time of need.

As the Church celebrates today the Beatification of Pope John Paul II, we pray, "John Paul the Great, pray for us!"

Easter Sunday

Christ is risen, truly risen, and we are witnesses to God's glorious deeds throughout the world. As we celebrate Easter let us pray that we may carry this joy with us wherever we go, so that all the world may be transformed by God's saving grace. The Easter mystery is so preposterous, unbelievable, absurd. Who ever heard of someone rising form the dead? The Easter mystery is this: we want to see and believe, but since resurrection is so out of our human experience we simply can't understand. Belief came gradually to those first witnesses, and then only when they had a personal encounter with Jesus. We encounter Jesus the Risen Christ in the following ways: the Eucharist, when we eat and drink with him; when we witness by the goodness of our lives to Gospel values; in the sure joy that comes from reconciled relationships with each other that witness to our reconciled relationship with God; when we “clear out the old yeast" and “receive forgiveness of sins." All of this assures us that we are a new creation in this resurrection life – the source of our Easter joy.

THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE, LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD!

I rejoice in those who PRAYED: Those who attended Stations of the Cross and Lenten Reflection on Fridays; attended the Lenten Book Study & meager meal on Tuesdays; attended the Diocesan Youth Celebration on April 10. Those who attended Daily Mass during Lent; who attended the Lenten Family Day; who attended the Lenten Luncheon and Services at the Churches in Youngwood; and those who celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the Season of Lent.

I rejoice in those who SHARED: Those who made a gift to the Diocesan Lenten Appeal; who donated paper products for the Youngwood Food Bank; who made a contribution through the Lenten Coin Folders (the money collected will be donated to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund who assisted our neighbors affected by the recent tornado.) Those who shared their time to help prepare the Church and the grounds for the Triduum and Easter; all ministers who participated in the Triduum and Easter Liturgies; all who worked behind the scenes in various ways to make Lent, Triduum and Easter a glorious celebration!

I rejoice in those who FASTED and ABSTAINED throughout the forty days of Lent.

Palm Sunday

Today we begin the holiest and most solemn week of the year. We are called to celebrate this week with reverence and awe. Our Lenten journey of conversion and reconciliation has led us to the gates of Jerusalem, where Jesus was greeted by the crowd and set in motion the sequence of events that ultimately led to his passion, death and resurrection. This week we stand before the Lord Jesus, who suffered and died to save us from our sins. We are overwhelmed by this great act of love that brings new life to all who call out to God in faith.

As we begin this Holy Week, we pledge our prayerful support and love for Alan Fox, Sara Lazar, Bill Helman and Tim Iverson as they prepare to celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation next Saturday during the Easter Vigil.

Lent 5

On this 5th Sunday of Lent we hear the amazing story of how our Lord raised Lazarus from the dead and instructed those around him to untie him and let him go free. Today’s great miracle is this: the Lord releases you from the bondage of sin and promises resurrection and new life to all who believe. Do you believe God can bring life out of death? Do you believe that Christ is the Resurrection and the life? As our Lenten journey continues let us pray that the Lord will strengthen us to grow in our faith.

Holy Week and Easter are fast approaching. We will celebrate the passion and resurrection of Jesus made real in the Eucharist. As St. Paul reminds us over and over, without faith in the resurrection of Christ faith makes no sense. The Christian writer C.S. Lewis said a similar thing: “The first fact in the history of Christendom is a number of people who say they have seen the resurrection.” Every Sunday and every Mass reminds us how the resurrection, and the stories of Jesus’ life we see through the lens of his resurrection, is the starting point of the Christian faith. So do you believe this?

At the beginning of the season of Lent you received a Lenten Coin Folder. All money collected from the Lenten Coin Folders will be forwarded to the Red Cross who has provided assistance to our neighbors who suffered loss during the recent local tornado disaster. Let us continue to pray for our neighbors that God will give them the strength they need during this period of recovery.

Next Sunday is Palm Sunday. Weather permitting we will begin the Palm Sunday Liturgy in front of the school building. If you are physically able, please gather in front of the school building at 10:00 AM for the blessing of Palms and Procession.

Lent 4

Happy Lent! On this Fourth Sunday of Lent we hear the familiar story of the healing of the man who had been born blind. We continue to pray as we journey through Lent to conquer the darkness of our lives and world and rejoice in God’s marvelous light!

The Light certainly shined here at Holy Cross last Sunday as we celebrated the First Holy Cross Lenten Family Day. The day was enjoyed by all 100+ parishioners who attended. The day was filled with Lenten Joy as the youth made beautiful Easter cards for the homebound and nursing home residents and cookies for the local Meals on Wheels. We all enjoyed a wonderful variety of chili for dinner. Thanks to the 16 families who provided the chili. A special "thank you" to all who participated and to all who made the day a wonderful experience.

We pray today that the Light of Christ may continue to lead our Catechumen, Alan and our Candidates, Sara, Tim and Bill as they continue their journey through Lent preparing for the celebration of the sacraments at the Easter Vigil. Alan, Sara, Bill and Tim, be assured of our prayers.

The light will certainly shine next Sunday at the Diocesan Youth Celebration with Jesse Manibusan. Youth in grades 8-12 can still register for the day’s events (or even part of the day) by Wednesday, April 6 by calling or e-mailing me.

Finally, it is good to see the light shining on the Pittsburgh Penguins as they enter the playoffs. Let us pray the light will finally shine on the Buccos (Pittsburgh Pirates) as they begin the season this Thursday.