Dear Friends,
The grace-filled season of Lent has begun. As we step into the First Sunday of Lent, we hear about the goal for all Christians. The Collect Prayer for the First Sunday of Lent says: “Grant, almighty God, through the yearly observances of holy Lent, that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects.”
The riches hidden in Christ are so vast that we will never be able to comprehend their immensity. However, it is possible to taste some of these riches. How? First, we must be willing to practice some discipline, some dedication. We must desire to live as he asked us to. Then, we take the final step: to open wide the doors of our hearts and be with our Lord in prayer as he experiences the last days of his life on earth: his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. What graces will flow from this!
On the First Sunday of Lent, Mark’s Gospel presents Jesus being driven by the Holy Spirit into the desert, where he is tempted by Satan. When 40 days are over, he comes out of the desert and issues his clarion call: “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” There will be many opportunities given to us this Lent to do precisely this.
Please read see page 12 of this bulletin, which lays out the full schedule of Lenten offerings here at St. Johns. There will be a parish Mission, special events each Tuesday and Friday, and other spiritually nourishing programs and celebrations.
Beginning this Lent, we will pray the Stations of the Cross in the Grotto! We will do this each weekday of Lent except Sunday:
at 5:30 p.m. Monday – Thursday & Saturday and at 6:00 p.m. each Friday, followed by a soup supper.
Each Friday we also offer a special day of Adoration after morning Mass and Rosary in the Fr. Patrick Peyton Room that concludes at 5:30 p.m. with Evening Prayer and Benediction.
As noted, Tuesdays also contain special offerings. This coming Tuesday, 20 February, we will show a movie on Saint Brother Andre Bessette. Please come and see a poor gatekeeper’s faith and dedication in following Jesus.
This weekend, we celebrate Safe Haven Sunday. It is an annual initiative by dioceses and parishes in the U.S. to directly address the harms of pornography. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) points out how this increasing and pernicious threat can harm our families now and forever: “The use of pornography by anyone in the home deprives the home of its role as a safe haven and has negative effects throughout a family’s life and across generations”(USCCB). I call on us all to encourage and support individuals, marriages, and families in our parish in making their homes a safe haven. For more resources, please visit this website: https://www.covenanteyes.com/safe-haven-sunday/catholic-resources/
I thank Rick Lacey for his beautiful presentation on the importance of participating in Our Catholic Appeal (OCA) 2024. Please complete this act of Lenten almsgiving as soon as possible, so that we can stop worrying about meeting our OCA goals and instead concentrate on all that will be happening in the parish. Remember, you promised: “Our goal is to help you achieve your goal”!!! Thank you, Rick Lacey for pitching the value of participating in OCA 2024 with fervor.
I wrote to you earlier about Fr. Bob Hoeffner and his sister Sally Hoeffner who were murdered on Sunday, 28 January, in Palm Bay. Fr. Bob’s funeral Mass will be celebrated here on Tuesday, 20 February, at 11 a.m. A luncheon will follow. It is a great honor to have been asked to provide our facilities for this occasion. Let us continue to pray for Fr. Bob and Sally, his sister. May their souls Rest in Peace!
A total of 380 people visited the Exhibition on the Eucharistic Miracles. I thank those who could visit the exhibition. I am sure that they have experienced an increase in their appreciation of the Real Presence of our Lord, and that they will find their participation in our Eucharistic celebrations to be greatly enhanced.
In terms of percentage, 380 people is a very meager number, given the opportunity the Exhibition offered. But I trust the Lord will also move others to learn more. There is an excellent book that presents the Exhibition material: The Eucharistic Miracles of the World (2nd Edition). There is also a website: http://www.miracolieucaristici.org/. This is the official website of the exhibition. It contains a Virtual Museum that presents 162 panels about the Eucharistic miracles of the world. It is these panels that were on display here. Thanks once again to the Spiritus Sanctus Lay Dominican group in our parish for hosting the Exhibition.
Have a Blessed Week! With love,
Fr. John