Raised from the dead: This Sunday is the fifth Sunday of Lent. Next Sunday is Palm (Passion) Sunday and then the following weekend is the Easter Triduum culminating in EASTER SUNDAY!!! This Sunday’s readings focus on the raising of Lazarus from the dead (let that sink in). This is the sixth ‘sign’ of seven signs that Jesus performs in the Gospel of John. He has come to give us life, life to the fullest!!! What Jesus did for Lazarus he desires to do for us—even now in a spiritual way. Awesome news indeed.
Witness to Hope: Pledges are still filtering in—which is great news. We have so much work to do on our Church and our property. On March 31 the diocese deposited$221,000 into a new account in Holy Family’s name at the diocese to be used for our parish projects. We will be getting quarterly payments. The amount depends on the donations received. We have some important meetings coming up to discuss the Church renovation. I have to admit I was a bit envious when I went to Fr. Ken Coughlin’s mother’s funeral (which was absolutely beautiful) at St. John’s in Davison. Their new gathering space is really amazing!
School news: This week schools are on spring break. I’m sure the students (and teachers) are all happy.
Band: We are getting excited for our school auction on Saturday, May 20, at the Genesys Conference and Banquet Center. We are hoping to raise enough money to fund a new band program. We need band equipment and we also need to expand our music room to fit the needs of the band. We are the only Catholic school in Genesee County that does not have a band program. Anyone can come to the auction. If you would like to make a donation for the new band program or if you have any used band equipment that you would like to donate to our school, please let us know. (Please see page 6 of the bulletin for more details.)
RCIA: This Saturday the candidates and catechumens entering the Church at the Easter Vigil will be on retreat at the St. Francis Prayer Center. I look forward to spending part of the day with them. I admire their courage and perseverance! I know they are excited to experience a new life with Christ.
Women: Speaking of retreats, there is an opportunity for the women of the parish to attend a retreat at the beautiful St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt the weekend of April 28 – 30. Retreats are a gift from God. For us priests a five day retreat is mandatory. We all need to slow down and experience some more silence. (More information on page 7.)
Spring is here: It’s been such a mild winter. I keep waiting for another big snowstorm, but hoping it doesn’t happen.
Mute: During a recent School Mass the Gospel was on Jesus healing a man who had been mute. I asked the students what the first words were that they would say to Jesus if they were healed of being unable to speak. One of the students said, “thank you.” Another said, “I believe.” These are really good responses. They are better than the response I got from some staff members. One staff member said the first words they would have said would be, “Go Green.” And then Alberto (our seminarian) chirped in, “and then Jesus would have said, “Go White.” Too funny. Maybe I should have the students work on our staff instead ☺.
May you continue to have a blessed Lenten season.
With love and prayers,
Msgr. Jerry
Quote of the week | Pope Francis on the raising of Lazarus:
“Jesus calls to us as He called to Lazarus in his tomb: ‘Come forth!’ This call is addressed to every human person ‘because we are all marked by death.’ Christ is not resigned to the sepulchres that we have constructed with our choices of evil and death, with our mistakes, our sins. [Jesus] invites us, almost orders us, to come out of the tombs into which our sins have plunged us. This is where our resurrection begins: when we decide to obey the command of Jesus to come into the light, to life; when the masks fall from our faces and we rediscover the courage of our original faces, created in the image and likeness of God. There is no limit to the divine mercy, which is offered to everyone. The Lord is always ready to roll away the tombstone of our sins, which separate us from Him, the light of the living.”