Easter 6

We warmly welcome back Father Pleban to Holy Cross this weekend as I am in Bethlehem, PA celebrating a wedding.

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of the summer season, and so we offer this prayer for Summer: May our loving God watch over you and keep alive in your heart all that you have learned this year. Keep your mind on God. Remember to pray often and to celebrate your faith, at home with your family and at Mass with your faith family. Keep your faith in God. Let all the joys of summer remind you of God’s goodness. Never forget that God is always with you, no matter what. May the God of all creation, who comes to us in Jesus, and lives among us in the Holy Spirit, keep you safe, happy and holy this summer and always. Amen.

The Psalmist beckons us to come and see the great works of God. Last Saturday a nice group of parishioners worked together to make the grounds here at Holy Cross look great for summer. I personally would like to thank the following for a job well done: Margie Altshaffl, Richard Griffin, Tom and Lois Horan, Eleanor Hamrock, Stephanie Coletta, Josh Coletta, Beth Reger, Jim, James and Lauren Garris. And thanks to Phil and Virginia Ball for trimming the shrubs.

On Saturday, June 4 at 11:00 AM, we will celebrate a Mass of Anointing and administer the Sacrament of the Sick. The Sick of all ages and the elderly are invited to attend. Children and adults who are ill, facing surgery or experiencing weakness that comes with old age. The primary effect of the sacrament is spiritual healing by which the person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage to deal with their difficulties. Come and rejoice in the healing which the Lord’s death and resurrection brings upon us all.

Have a safe Holiday weekend!

Easter 5

Happy 5th Sunday of Easter!

“Thomas said to him, ‘Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” (John 14:5)

You probably heard about doubting Thomas. The label refers to the skeptical nature of the apostle of the same name. But the “doubting” tagline is a bit unfair. A healthy skepticism is fully compatible with deep faith. In fact it can keep us from falling into the hands of all manner of spiritual charlatans, of which there is no shortage in any time and place. Questioning helps us distinguish the genuine article from the imitation, and because Jesus is the real thing we have nothing to fear from it. Cultivate a curious, inquiring mind on all things religious – your faith will be stronger for it.

On Saturday, June 4 at 11:00 AM, we will celebrate a Mass of Anointing and administer the Sacrament of the Sick. Those who are invited to attend are children and adults who are ill or facing surgery, and the elderly who are experiencing weakness that comes with old age. The primary effect of the sacrament is spiritual healing by which the person receives the Holy Spirit’s gift of peace and courage to deal with their difficulties. Come and rejoice in the healing which the Lord’s death and resurrection brings upon us all.

Easter 4

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally referred to as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” We are called to love the sound of his voice, and to allow him to guide and protect us as we respond to his invitation to continue his mission in the world.

Today is World Day of Prayer for Vocations, a day to recognize that we all have a call. No one denies the shortage of priests and religious, and we do indeed need to pray that more young people consider consecrated life. But perhaps we should also pray that our notions be broadened about what church is and how the living body of Christ may be ministered to and by whom. We cannot pray that “it all go back to the way it used to be” or even that it remains as it is, any more than we can pray that we will be forever young. Lay men and women have been trained in theology, scripture, and church administration, yet to some the door of practicing those gifts fully seems to be closing. When we pray that God “call” people to service, we must get out of the way of that call and keep the door open to whatever form it takes. “The promise is made to you and ... to all those ... whomever the Lord or God will call” (Acts 2: 39).

Saturday, May 21 is Armed Forces Day! This day grants us the opportunity to say thank you and to recognize the outstanding contribution the Armed Forces make to our country. Thank you!

Easter 3

Happy 3rd Sunday of Easter and Mother's Day! The Risen Lord is made present in this holy place in many ways; in the persons gathered here, the sacrament of the Eucharist, in the persons of those who minister to us, and in the living word of God proclaimed. We who have renewed our joy at the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ know what it means to have our hearts burning within us. Let us eagerly listen to God’s word, break bread and share it as he commanded us to do, and then, like the first disciples on the road to Emmaus, let us go out and share the Good News.

Mother’s Day was first observed soon after the turn of the 20th century in the Methodist Church as a memorial service for those who had lost their mothers. The observance spread to other churches, and in 1914 became a civic holiday. We pray on this Mother’s Day weekend that God blesses all Mothers with happiness, protect them from harm, and care for them. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Tuesday is the feast of Saint Damien Joseph De Veuster of Moloka’i. He ministered to the Leper Colony on the Hawaiian Island of Moloka’I where he himself was afflicted with leprosy. A Honolulu pastor publicly called Damien a “coarse, dirty man” whose leprosy should be attributed to his “carelessness,” Novelist Louis Stevenson rebutted him saying “You are one of those who have any eye for faults and failures; that you take a pleasure to find and publish them; and that having found them and publish them, you make haste to forget the virtues and the real success which had alone introduced them to your knowledge. It is a dangerous frame of mind.” Not all are called to Damien’s heroism, but every Christian must reject a narrow-mindedness that sees only the faults and failures of others.