Weekly Bulletin - March
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- 02 -Fourth Sunday of Lent
- 09 - Fifth Sunday of Lent
- 16 - Passion Sunday
- 23 -Easter Sunday
- 30 - Second Sunday of Easter: Divine Mercy
The future king, David, in today’s first reading, is an example of a type of character present throughout the Hebrew scriptures. He is the child born out of place (not the eldest or most favored) who ends up receiving the promise of the covenant. The spirit of God’s anointing rushes upon him. In this way, he is similar to the man born blind from today’s Gospel. David’s family and the blind man’s community did not expect the miraculous grace of God’s love to work through them. Perhaps they, too, were “blinded” by the expectations and assumptions of those around them. Yet, after being touched by God, they both came to “see” the presence of God’s will for them. Both became messengers of God’s will. That same Spirit of God’s anointing rushed upon us at our baptism; we were given a candle as a sign of our membership in the Body of Christ, the Light from Light. Our vocation, then, is to fulfill that enlightenment, that anointing, as Ephesians tells us, by living as “children of the light.” © Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.
The story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead is the single longest story (apart from the Passion) in the Gospel of John. In it we find a summary of most of Jesus’ ministry. We see his very human nature as he is moved by Martha and Mary’s sorrows and as he himself weeps at the tomb of Lazarus. He is the wisdom of God’s Word made flesh as he explains to his followers that the death of Lazarus will serve as a sign of the glory of God. He crowns the miracles he works in John’s Gospel (which began with the most “human” miracle of making new wine at Cana’s wedding) by raising Lazarus from the dead—a “preview,” if you will, of his own death and resurrection to come. This portrait of Jesus reminds us, as we near the end of our Lenten journey, that he is with us, knows us, understands us in every moment of our lives. He knows the joy of our human feasting, he knows the sorrow of our weeping. As we prepare to walk with him through the days of Holy Week, we are filled with faith that—through Christ—God’s glory will be with us in every moment of our lives and—with Christ—in our life everlasting. © Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.
We start today looking through the portals of Jerusalem, seeing crowds of people, cheering and waving palm branches in the air. The whole atmosphere is one of joy, triumph, and celebration. We can get distracted or enthralled by the scene, and not see clearly the features of Jesus as he enters. But our readings from Isaiah and Paul’s letter to the Philippians clarify his features for us. He is the Suffering Servant, meek and mute before his captors and persecutors; he is the very image of the unseen God, yet will not clutch at equality with God before he endures his final confrontation in humility. Isaiah and Paul help us “behold the Lamb of God” before we hear the story of his final and greatest confrontation. It is important that we see Christ clearly before we hear the account of his passion, for we—his Body through baptism, the church—now bear his face. We must, with him, enter into this time of trial so we can, also with him, enter into his final triumph. © Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad” (Psalm 118:24). Let us remember that these words of today’s responsorial psalm are not only sung from the hearts of those gathered in our parish. They are also sung by the poor in tiny barrios throughout Central and South America. They are sung by those denied religious freedom in our world; these Christians lift their voices in clandestine places of worship. These words are sung by people who have lost loved ones to acts of terrorism and war around the globe. Even in the midst of conflict and division, Christians still come together to declare that poverty, loneliness, violence, and division will never, ever have as much power as the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Indeed, let us rejoice this day and be glad!© Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.
“They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42). This first line of today’s first reading sets the tone as this fifty-day celebration of Easter opens before us. Today we listen to the teachings of three apostles—Luke, Peter, and John—who remind us that even though we have not seen Christ, we nonetheless are filled with joy as we place our belief in his saving death and resurrection. Each week during the Easter season we will gather as a community of faith to find strength and support from our God and from one another. Each week we will gather to break bread and offer the great prayer of thanksgiving, actions that will manifest the very presence of the risen Christ in our midst. Let us be open to the wonders of this season of joy© Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.
