Dear Parishioners,
Passiontide. The fifth Sunday of Lent marks the last stretch of our journey towards Easter. It is the time to press forward with a sincere desire to change our life and be more one with Christ. A humble and contrite heart the Lord does not despise! Yes, we may be ashamed that our Lent has not gone as well as expected: in reality this is the way we should feel, aware that without Him we can do nothing. If we do not gather with Him, we scatter.
We want to be anchored in Hope as we are anchored in Christ. I find these worlds of St. Rose of Lima very inspiring, as she understood the Lord was speaking them to her:
“Let all men know that grace comes after tribulation. Let them know that without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. Let them know that the gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase. Let men take care not to stray and be deceived. This is the only true stairway to paradise, and without the cross they can find no road to climb to heaven.”
In short: without the anchor of the Cross we cannot find the road to climb to heaven. Have you not noticed that the anchor has the shape of a Cross? This is a picture of a gravestone in the Catacombs of Saint Priscilla in Rome, with two fish “attached to hope”, as if it were.
This year Bishop Burbidge has granted us permission to have liturgies in both Spanish and English during the whole Triduum. For this reason, our liturgies will not be bilingual and we will have 2 celebrations of the Easter Vigil. I ask that you pray for those receiving the Sacraments of Christian Initiation and their families, please. See the insert with the schedule for Holy Week.
God bless you!
Original source can be found here.
