Knocking at the door of Holy Week

My dear friends in Christ,

We are five weeks into our Lenten journey and the Church is knocking at the door of Holy Week which begins next Sunday with the solemn entrance procession into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. This leads to the events that together form the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the annual reminder of God’s love for His people! The Gospel for this final Sunday of Lent is a microcosm of the journey of Holy Week. As we bang on the door of Holy Week, we have the familiar story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Jesus intervenes and frees Lazarus from the stench. In our First Reading from the prophet Ezekiel, God says: “I will put my spirit in you that you may live.” St. Pope John Paul II tells us “that the Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus’ message. Lovingly received day after day by the Church, it is to be preached with dauntless fidelity as ‘good news’ to the people of every age and culture.” In Jesus, we are given hope that we will be freed from sin to share in the Resurrection! If you want to be a person of hope and new life, don’t be afraid to bang away at the door of Holy Week and place yourself in the most sacred moment of the year.

I want to thank everyone who worked so hard at making our Fish Fry dinner a reality this weekend. Complete details on the event next week.

May God bless you all!
Fr. John