Forty Days: We have four Masses (6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.) on Ash Wednesday, which is this Wednesday, Feb. 10. Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent which runs until Holy Saturday, the day before Easter on March 27. When we exclude Sundays, that usually makes for a total of forty days. The number forty is richly symbolic. In the Old Testament Moses and Elijah underwent 40-day fasts. And, of course, Jesus went through 40 days of fasting and trial in the desert. We fast before we feast. Also, one of the early Church authors described Lent as the “tithes of the year” because it is roughly a tenth of the days in a year. The themes of Lent include prayer, almsgiving and fasting, all with the goal of bringing us into deeper union with Christ and His life.
Year of Mercy: As I mentioned in last week’s bulletin, I will be in Rome this weekend. I am participating in the Missionaries of Mercy group. I return on Friday, Feb. 12. I hope to provide little updates from Rome that will be on our website. And I will be praying for you too!
Holy Door: One of my intentions during my visit to Rome is to walk through the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica. Walking through a Holy Door during a jubilee year (we are currently in the Jubilee Year of Mercy) goes all the way back to the 1300s as a very important symbolic act. Christ identified Himself as “the door” in order to make it clear that no one can come to the Father except through Him. Saint John Paul II stated that the Holy Door “evokes the passage from sin to grace which every Christian is called to accomplish.”
Cathedral Holy Door: Obviously not everyone can go to Rome, so each diocese has a designated Holy Door during this Year of Mercy. Our “holy door” is St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing. On Tuesday evenings during Lent and through the Easter Season St. Mary Cathedral will be open 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., with Mass at 5:15 p.m., for pilgrimages to the Holy Door. Additionally, St. Mary Cathedral is hosting holy hours during the Year of Mercy (February 7, March 6, May 1, June 5, July 17, August 7, September 18, and October 2) to provide opportunities for families to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Door.
Fireside Chat: Thank you to all of you who attended the Fireside Chat on January 28. I am also thankful for the many clergy who attended. I’m glad the questions weren’t too tough!
Flint Water Crisis: One of the clergy who attended the Fireside Chat was Deacon Paul Donnelly who is assigned to St. John Vianney in Flint. He mentioned a couple of things that startled me: 1) the water situation might take a couple of years to be fixed. 2) Some residents who don’t speak English have just recently learned of the water problem. Thank you to so many of you who have helped distribute or provide water to the residents of Flint. I pray that we may continue to help our brothers and sis-ters.
Year-End Statements: I spent a lot of time signing the year-end statements. My hand got tired! Thank you so much for your generosity to our parish. As I signed the statements, I kept thinking how each of you has to decide where to spend your money. There are so many options! Thanks for choosing Holy Family Parish as one of those places. Whatever you gave and can give in the future is most appreciated.
Formed.Org: When I was home with my mom last week we watched the “Mother Teresa” movie. What was great was that it was free from Formed.Org. This company provides top-notch Catholic material that really is inspiring and helps us grow in our faith. Formed.Org gave us a free trial. Many of you have remarked to me how you haveenjoyed this website, so we have decided to purchase Formed.Org for our parish. More information to follow.
Catholic Schools Week: We had a very nice turnout for our open house last Sunday to initiate Catholic Schools Week. Thanks for all who participated in the week-long festivities. I was especially impressed with students who read at Mass and gave witness talks afterward.
Lourdes: This Thursday, Feb. 11, is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes as we celebrate our Blessed Mother’s appearance to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France, in 1858. It’s also “World Day for the Sick.”
Please be assured of my prayers and may you have a faith-filled Lenten season.
Msgr. Jerry
Saint quote of the week: “I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the other.”
(Words of our Blessed Mother to St. Bernadette at Lourdes).