Weekly Appeal Concentrations

He has risen!

           Jesus’ mission was completed and now there is a new life for all men and women. We have listened to God’s word and prayed. How will we live our faith more fully? Can the actions we undertook during Lent be carried forward? How can we remove the obstacles that keep us from a greater spiritual life?

            Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.

            For His mercy endures forever…

            I shall not

die, but live and declare the works of the Lord.

          Palm Sunday traditionally sees large crowds coming to Church to get palms. Yet, the lessons of Palm Sunday focus not on celebration but on the sorrowful Passion of Christ.

            Review the readings this Sunday. Contemplate the mental suffering of Jesus in the garden, the physical pain and humiliation He felt with the scourging and crowning with thorns, the weight of the cross on His shoulders and the sadness He realized as He passed His mother and the women who wept for Him.

            He could have escaped this torture for He was the Lord, but without complaint fulfilled His father’s will to save mankind for heaven. In His darkest hour, He asked for forgiveness of His assailants, “they know not what they do.” In His unending mercy He promised the good thief a place with Him in paradise.

            How do you thank someone who saved your life with His own? Do you forgive your enemies and embrace those who have done great wrongs? Do you have His resolve to live according to the Father’s will?

          Many Catholics have fallen away from the Church these days. The sexual abuse scandal, a Pope that is less traditional, and an increase in secular world and more modern, new age forms of spirituality may have prompted this departure. As participating, strong in faith Catholics, let us pray for these souls and their return to the Church. Jesus showed great love and forgiveness to sinners…the woman caught in adultery, the parable of the prodigal son… “He who is without sin, be the first to throw a stone.”

            Additionally, spring is the season of first communion and confirmation. Children learn from example, especially from their parents and older family members. Too many Catholic children are baptized and don’t see a church again until it is time for first communion. Think of your own families or friends. Parents bear the responsibility for the religious education and gift of the sacraments to their children.

            Use this time of Lent to encourage family attendance at Mass. Offer to take your younger relatives with you if parents are unable. Pray that God in His loving mercy will touch the hearts of His lost children.

            With His death and resurrection Jesus established His Church – His community of believers. The disciples go through the world preaching, teaching, forgiving sins, performing miracles, baptizing the faithful, and offering them the Mass and the Holy Eucharist. Participation in the Mass and receiving the Eucharist is the ultimate act of the community of God. Today, our Church gives us many opportunities to join with fellow Catholics in religious and social activities. We should consider taking an active role in the Church as lectors, choir members, participants in adoration, prayer services, programs for the elderly and youth. Only through participation can we feel the bond of family with other parishioners.

            Consider your talents and step-up to fill your role in the family!

            Try to attend Mass and receive communion on a weekday during each week of Lent.

“If you do not repent you will all perish.”

            As children we were eager to tell what we were giving up for Lent… candy, cakes, a favorite TV show… Fasting directs our attention from physical needs to our spiritual fullness.

            The Church asks us to fast by eating only one full meal on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and to abstaining from eating meat on these days and each Friday of Lent. Pope Francis asks us to add to our fasting by doing something that enriches another’s life. The Pope reinforces the parable Jesus told of the land owner who saw no fruit from his fig tree and want to cut it down. His gardener offered to cultivate the land around the tree and wait to see if it would bear fruit the following year.

            Repent by fasting and cultivate your garden by doing good works.

“Honor God in all you do. Praise and thank Him for your blessings.”

            Prayer enables us to communicate with God and one another. Many pray in times of need or fear, yet we should not neglect daily prayer. Set aside a time each day when you focus on your spiritual life. Personal prayer, talking to God, is important. It is from your heart and addresses your thoughts and needs. However, today we can turn to prescribed prayers such as prayers to our favorite saints, novenas to our Lady, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, prayers for the Holy Father and vocations, for the souls in purgatory, or those suffering for their faith. A good habit to begin during Lent is to say the Rosary daily and attend the Stations of the Cross in your parish.