Dear Friends, April 7, 2019, 5th Sunday of Lent, Year C
The revamped, renewed, improved website of St. John the Evangelist has been in action since last week. I truly wish that you have made an attempt to visit the website. There is a way of finding out how many people visit the site. So please feel free to visit the site and make use of the resources available. All you need to do is to go the web browser address bar and type in this URL https://www.stjohnviera.org and strike the enter/return key and enjoy your experience. I take this occasion to thank LPi for hosting the website and to Jim Mascarenhas for taking time to give a face lift to our website. Thanks are due also to Ron Yanko, Hank Poletto and Tony Spadafora for helping edit and upload the needed materials on a weekly basis. I truly wish that you would make greater use of the new website. As we move forward we hope to make it even more resourceful and user-friendly.
I want to take this occasion to thank Joan Young who has headed our Greeters Ministry for so many years. If we have been known for our hospitality it is thanks to all of our greeters. It is so comforting to be welcomed as we enter the church. At this point in our growth we have reached a stage where we receive more people than ever. Hence I am in the process of revamping the ministry and call it Hospitality Ministry which takes this ministry to move beyond just greeting. I have now asked Emily Kubica and Fran Notaro to head the new ministry. I would like you to volunteer for this ministry if you think you have the qualities required for it. Let us ceaselessly strive to make our parish the most welcoming parish and that those who walk into our sanctuary might notice the warmth of welcome.
Today we celebrate the 5th Sunday of Lent and thus are entering into the final chapters of Lent with the Holy Week following. The practice of covering Crosses and images throughout the church is being observed. The rubrics for the fifth Sunday of Lent state:
“In the dioceses of the United States of America, crosses in the church may be covered from the conclusion of the Mass for Saturday of the fourth week of Lent until the end of the celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday.” Given the technical difficulties involved in the covering/draping of the cross lifted so high in our beautiful church, we will not be covering the cross and the statues of Bro. Andre and Fr. Moreau.
The Season of Lent is particularly an intense time of preparation for the Catechumens. We have already done two Scrutinies for the Elect. This Sunday we will celebrate the third Scrutiny. The Scrutinies are an integral part of the Lenten season, which originated as a season of baptismal preparation. By the fourth century, Lent developed as a formal period of intensive spiritual preparation that followed a lengthy time of catechetical formation. The main focus of the parish community that accompanies the Catechumens who have now become the Elect, is to know that we are sinful and that we are called to conversion and repentance. I want to remind you all of the Lenten Reconciliation service to be held on Tuesday, 9th April at 7 p.m. We will have several priests in attendance to hear confessions. Please make use of this chance to prepare yourselves spiritually to celebrate the forthcoming Easter festivities.
During this time of Lent and most especially as we draw near to the Holy Week I would invite you to pray for our Elect and the Candidates who will be received in to the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil that they may cherish the Father’s love poured out on them by the power of the Holy Spirit and dwell in joy knowing that they have now become a new creation having let the old things pass away.
The scripture readings for this week invite us to attitude of the Scribes and the Pharisees who pounce on the woman caught in adultery and how they are merciless in wanting her to be stoned to death as the law would demand such behavior. Jesus, the merciful face of the Father, does not condemn her but invites her to “Go, and from now on do not sin any more” (John 8:11). If at the end of the season of Lent if we have managed to become aware that sin is devastating and it separates us from God and our neighbors and it deprives us of becoming who we are meant to be, then we have really lived this season of Lent in a worthy manner. The only next step is a resolution never to sin again.
Have a Blessed Week!
With love,
Fr. John