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“Arise and Eat, Else the Journey Will Be Too Great for You.” (I Kings 19:7) |
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Mass Intentions Sat. Feb. 24 5:00 pm †Mack Millerbernd. Feb. 25 10:00 am †Fr. Dennis Dunn Hispanic 2:30 pm People of the Community 6:00 pm People of the Parish Tues. Feb. 27 5:30 pm †Mary Ann Kraemer Wed. Feb. 28 10:00 am Deacon Jim & Char Murphy Thurs. Mar. 1 5:30 pm †Dick Pederson Fri. Mar. 2 8:00 am For a Safe Delivery & Thanksgiving for Prayers Answered Sat. Mar. 3 8:00 am †Meinrad J. Busch 5:00 pm †Jeannette Hebert Sun. Mar. 4 10:00 am The Pierro Family Hispanic 2:30 pm People of the Community 6:00 pm People of the Parish
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Readings for the Week Monday: Lv 19:1-2, 11-18; Mt 25:31-46 Tuesday: Is 55:10-11; Mt 6:7-15 Wednesday: Jon 3:1-10; Lk 11:29-32 Thursday: Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25; Mt 7:7-12 Friday: Ez 18:21-28; Mt 5:20-26 Saturday: Dt 26:16-19; Mt 5:43-48 Sunday: Gn 15:5-12, 17-18; Ps 27; Phil 3:17 — 4:1 [3:20 — 4:1]; Lk 9:28b-36 |
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WELCOME, and Lenten greetings to all In the old days of Lent, during my seminary years, we used to greet each other these days with “mente mori,” “remember death!” Fortunately, we have grown in our spirituality of the Lenten season. There is a penitential piece to these holy days. Consider the Gospel of today: the temptations of Jesus by the devil during His forty days in the desert. Those 40 days, of course, are the source of the 40 days of Lent. His temptations and His response to them is the model for us, always. The determination of Jesus to stand strong against evil is obvious in the Gospel. Temptations against holiness and goodness in His life are obvious as well. We do well to identify what tempts us away from living as Jesus did. What keeps us from not only resisting temptation, but from plunging ourselves into a real conversion to His life is necessary reflection during these days. How I am not only avoiding sin but doing good, how we as a family center our family life on prayer and living together harmoniously, how I, as well as members of my family, keep ourselves aware of the sadness and evil in the news and make ourselves instruments of peace and justice and joy . . . these reflections and our responses to them indicate that I have not only heard again the story of Jesus and His 40 days in the desert, but how I model my life on His. Prayer, generosity and penance are the hallmarks of Lent. They invite us to discipline our lives by giving and doing for others, as God has done and always does for us. Happy Lent! The circulating pump in the BAPTISM FONT has been repaired (after about 20 years), and that blessed water now moves! Moving water in that font is a powerful sign and reminder that our Baptism into the life of the Lord Jesus constantly stirs us into living His life actively. Christians cannot be true followers of Christ by being passive to the needs and joys around them. We make those joys happen, and we lessen those needs by a deliberate following of Jesus. That font is dry during Lent. That dryness assists us in identifying our dryness, our need for His life to refresh us. By the way, private donations supported that $4000.00 plus project. Thank you to those who made it possible. Today at the 10:00 a.m. Mass, we met the “catechumens” and “candidates” in our R.C.I.A. program. These are the men and women discerning Baptism and/or Profession of Faith as Catholic Christians, through the help of the Rite of Christian Initiation program and our prayers and companionship. Pray for them and for those making this journey of prayer and study with them during the season of Lent. —Father Ralph
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Saints and Special Observances Sunday: First Sunday of Lent; Rite of Election; Rite of Calling the Candidates to Continuing Conversion; Rite of Sending Friday: First Friday; World Day of Prayer; Abstinence Saturday: St. Katharine Drexel; First Saturday; Purim (Jewish observance) begins at sunset
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