​​​​​​​From the Pastor’s Desk: March 31, 2019

     The Fourth Sunday of Lent is called Lætare (Rejoice) Sunday. As on Gaudete Sunday in Advent, rose-colored vestments replace violet, with flowers on the altar symbolizing the Church's joy in anticipation of the Resurrection of Our Lord. The central theme of today’s readings is that our salvation is the free gift of a merciful God given to us through Jesus His Son.  The readings stress God’s mercy and compassion, the great love, kindness and grace extended to us in Christ. Today, the image of God who is our loving and merciful Father, the Prodigal-Father who welcomes us back with His lavish love and mercy as long as we decide to choose life and live in His presence captures our attention.  As St. Augustine puts it: "God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us to love."  It also explains to us the universality of the love of God. God's motive is love and God's objective is salvation. God’s love for us is fundamental for our lives, it is the unifying principle that brings everything together and gives purpose to all that we do and are. If we were really aware how much God loves us, how could we remain indifferent, away or refuse God anything? If we deeply believe that He finds us lovable, how could we not put our trust in Him? He does not force us: He just invites us, waiting and looking patiently at a horizon with hope to see us returning to be with Him. Therefore, today, to express our gratitude to God for His unconditional love, we must move from paying lip service to Him toward concrete, everyday actions that witness our everyday commitment through repentance, prayer, fasting and charitable works. What answer do you give the love of God through Jesus?
     Last Sunday we began the Scrutinies - the final step in their journey to the Easter sacraments for the elect in the RCIA process. Scrutinies invite to "inspire in the elect a desire for purification and redemption," and instruct them about the mystery of sin and our salvation in Christ. The Scrutinies focus on self-searching and repentance, to uncover areas of sinfulness and strengthen what is good. We pray for all our elect that the final weeks of preparation for the Easter Vigil will be a time filled with God’s grace, peace, and support of the entire community of St. Luke Parish.
      I am most grateful for your participation in the Stations of the Cross during Fridays of Lent. Let me share with you an explanation and significance of this very powerful and meaningful devotion.
     The Stations of the Cross are a Catholic devotion that consist of prayers and meditations which commemorates the Passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Each of the fourteen stations represents an event which occurred during Jesus' Passion and death at Calvary on Good Friday. During the time of the crusades (1095-1270), it became popular for pilgrims in the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus to Calvary. After the Moslems recaptured the Holy Land pilgrimages were too dangerous. As a result, the Stations of the Cross became a popular substitute pilgrimage throughout Europe. The Stations represented critical events from Scripture or tradition of Jesus' journey to Calvary. Originally done only outdoors, the Stations were allowed inside churches in the mid-18th century. Eventually fixed at fourteen, the Stations soon became a familiar feature in all Catholic churches. The devotion may be conducted personally by the faithful, making their way from one station to another and saying the prayers, or by having an officiating celebrant move from cross to cross while the faithful make the responses. The stations themselves must consist of, at the very least, fourteen wooden crosses, pictures alone do not suffice, and they must be blessed by someone with the authority to erect stations. (Community of Hope)
     It is with great joy to share with you that one of our seminarians and parishioner Mason Wiggins will be ordained a Transitional Deacon on Saturday, April 6, 2019 at St. Joan of Arc Church in Boca Raton, FL.  Mason will be ordained with 4 other men from other dioceses and class of 12 altogether. Mason will participate at the 8:15 AM Mass on Sunday, April 7^th, when he will preach for the first time. Please join me to pray for all the men to be ordained, but in a special way for Mason, that the gifts of the Holy Spirit they will receive at the moment of ordination will transform their hearts to ever-faithful service to Christ and His holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
     I wish you a blessed and joyful week of Lent.  
     With prayers,
 
      Fr. Andy