Thirsty: In today’s Gospel we encounter two people who are thirsty for water: Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Their thirst for water is on one level, but on a deeper level they are thirsting for more. Jesus thirsts for the woman’s heart. It is he who first seeks us and asks for a drink. He thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God’s desire for us. God thirsts that we may thirst for him. Deep down inside, whether she realized it or not, the woman was thirsting for God. Nothing else seemed to satisfy her.
First Scrutiny: Today at the Noon Mass we celebrate the first of three scrutinies for the elect of our RCIA Class. The second and third scrutinies will be celebrated next Sunday and the one after. Two weeks ago our RCIA class celebrated the Rite of Election. Now, their path of initiation takes on a new complexion. Its focus changes from one of formation to one of purification and enlightenment. For this they undergo the Scrutiny Rites. The scrutinies have a two-fold purpose: first, to heal all that is “weak, defective or sinful,” and second, to strengthen all that is “upright, strong, and good.” In these rites, we ask God to assist our RCIA candidates in embracing the love of God and give them strength against the power of sin.
St. Joseph: Because the Solemnity of St. Joseph (March 19) falls on this 3rd Sunday of Lent, the church is moving his day to Monday, March 20, this year. Not only is he the patron saint of selling houses ☺ for many people, but, more importantly, the patron of fathers and the Church. We will have Mass on Monday at 8 am and 5:30 pm.
Witness to Hope: Thank you once again for all those who contributed to the Witness to Hope campaign. We are all excited that we reached our goal. In the coming months we will finalize our priorities and plans.
Human Trafficking: Please attend the conference on human trafficking this Wednesday, March 22, in our parish hall. As many of you know, human trafficking is a huge problem in our world, our country and yes, even our local community.
U.S. Citizen: Congratulations to our music minister, Dr. Simon Lee. This Friday, March 24, Dr. Lee will take the oath of allegiance to the United States as he becomes officially an American citizen. Please congratulate him when you see him.
Lenten dinner and Stations: Really enjoyed seeing many of you at our fish fry last Friday. I was really impressed with how good the fish tasted. Next time I am going to go for the grilled cheese sandwich. All the proceeds help with youth projects in the summer. Enjoy the dinner (it’s from 4 – 7 pm) and come for Stations of the Cross at 7 pm. This Friday, March 24, our 8th graders will be enacting the Stations.
Events in our diocese: I want to highlight a few events happening in our diocese that you may be interested in. For more information, please go to dioceseoflansing.org.
♦ What the heck?: This Saturday, March 25, St. Gerard Church in Lansing will be hosting Dr. John Grabonski. His talk is titled, “What the heck is going on?” He will address the Theology of the Body, Gender and the Book of Genesis.
♦ Miscarriage: There is a Mass for families of miscarriage or child loss on Sunday, March 26, at 2 pm at St. Patrick’s Church in Brighton.
♦ Curious: There is a women’s discernment retreat April 8 – 9 in Brooklyn, MI. This is open to women who are open to exploring various vocations to consecrated or religious life.
♦ Men: We can’t forget the men. If you may be interested in the priesthood, there are a couple of discernment groups in our diocese, one for high school-age students called “Jeremiah 1:7” and another for college-age students. In either case, please contact our vocation director, Fr. John Linden at jlinden@dioceseoflansing.org.
♦ Faith Fest: Last year the diocese hosted a faith fest with many great Christian bands. It was such a success that they are doing it again on Saturday, June 24, at the St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt.
Career Day: Really enjoyed career day at our school as I met with a bunch of students talking about the priesthood. They asked a lot of good questions, such as what a priest does all day. Of course my brothers think I only work one day a week! I explained that the most important part of my work is to provide the Sacraments to the people. I am also grateful to many of our parents who took time out of their busy schedule to meet with our students.
Stop by: Speaking of our school, we are hosting a meeting for any families interested in sending their child for kindergarten next year. It’s this Wednesday, March 22, at 6:30 pm in our school science room. We are encouraged about the interest in our school.
DC bound: This weekend Fr. Gary is traveling with our 8th grade class for their annual Washington D.C. trip. Afterward he is taking the week off visiting a priest friend in Minnesota. Good for him. I doubt whether I’ll even notice the difference when he is gone ☺
Have a blessed Lenten week!
Msgr. Jerry