The fifty days of Easter continues, with our Second Sunday of Easter honoring the Divine Mercy.

The Divine Mercy of God is something to consider in the grand scope of the purpose of Easter and how we are called to be Easter People.

It is no coincidence that St. Pope John Paul II brought the devotion of the Divine Mercy front and center during his papacy. He was a pope who passed away within the Octave of Easter, and now we find ourselves honoring the life of our beloved Pope Francis, who also passed away during this Octave of Easter.

Pope Benedict VII died during the Octave of Christmas—could this be a lesson for us, that our faith in Christ is embodied by the joy that we live, in being the Easter People we are called to be?

The celebration of Easter is an integral part of our Christian faith; it is the highest point of what we believe as Catholic Christians. Like the discipline of Lent that has a designated period of faith development, Easter has a full fifty days for us to put into practice our faith and strive to get better and better at it on our way to Pentecost. It is here that we see that Easter is a journey that continues, leading us to the Paschal Mystery. The Paschal Mystery is the driving force of our lives, in knowing that Jesus accomplished His mission! Easter Sunday is the exclamation point in our awareness of how the Resurrection has changed us forever, because now we no longer die, but have life within us and eternally.

Today marks the beginning of the holiest and most sacred week of the year. Holy Week is upon us and Passion Sunday brings with it the commemoration of our Lord’s entry into Jerusalem, and of the bringing about the New Covenant, as the Lord begins his passion in the Garden of Gethsemane. We are called to meet Him in that place, to accompany Him as He also accompanies us. Holy Week is important to us as Catholic Christians because we enter into the mysterious and sacred at the same time, while contemplating the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection, the Paschal Mystery and the one greatest event of all time, that brings a sinner to newness of life. Holy Week is not about what we say, or what we may think, but is about all that we do.

After Jesus said let who is without sin cast the first stone, they threw down their stones, and asked the woman, who condemns you now, she said no one, and neither do I condemn you, now go and sin no more! Jesus’ words to the woman caught in adultery should resonate well to the sinner because they are words of hope, and encouragement to not stay in the rut of sin, but to get up out of the rut, and wipe the tears from our own eyes and believe the forgiveness of Jesus then act on it! Why would anyone in their right mind choose to stay in the rut of sin, it’s miserable in the rut! Are we called to be miserable, absolutely not, we are called to be repentful and joyful, but yet some may become accustomed to misery! Imagine that? Some are so used to their self-destructive mindset, that keeps them habitually shackled to negativity, complaining, anger, vengeance, and revile, that they cannot escape it, and it eventually becomes embedded sin consuming their soul. Not one of us is without sin, with the most insidious not necessarily blatant adultery, prostitution, or dishonest tax collecting, but just as grave and divisive, are being judgmental, lacking compassion, excluding people, lacking charity, bearing false witness, or coveting and being envious of others.

In this week’s Pastor’s Corner, we are hopeful of the prospect of how the remedy of Christ’s healing ministry can also bring us to a higher place in allowing us to remove any spiritual blinders that cause our spirit to be dismayed or in conflict, blind and unable to be open to God’s voice. It is with that inspiration that I am grateful for the commentaries of those who often share how they benefit from these weekly reflections. So many of you have shared how in the darkness of our moments, the words shared resonate and heal your spirit. There will always be negative energy when humans are concerned, as sad as that is, because not everyone is capable of seeing like the blind man saw, because we are broken and flawed, like those in Jesus’ day that did not have the ears to hear. The silver lining in the clouds is that some actually do hear and receive and see the goodness of the Lord in all things and live out their lives illuminated by God’s Divine Love, which makes all the difference.

Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well is seeped with meaning.

We have here an encounter that would not be otherwise, because the sects of Jews in those days did not mingle, and Samaritans were outsiders, as well the fact that Jesus sits a while with this woman, whose heart is broken, and whose soul is wounded, after all she’s had multiple relationships with men, and is spiritually empty, she even more so draws from the source itself, Jesus, sitting a spell with Him, and taking in His every word.

Dear Parish Family,

Here we are the Second Sunday of Lent and are drawn to consider the themes of ascending and transcending. We find ourselves with Jesus, Peter, James, and John atop a mountain, Mount Tabor to be exact to witness the transformation of Jesus, as He appears in dazzling white.

This is an amazing prospect really because we bear witness to the transfiguration, and that the disciples with Jesus now see Jesus in a new way, and a new light. The vision shows Jesus associated with the likes of Elijah and Moses, and so His identity and mission become more clear to those three disciples, who when they descend the mountain bring that knowledge and mission of Christ to life.

Dear Parish Family,

A Blessed Lenten Season to all. I pray we all come out on the other side changed for the good, more joyful in the Lord, more loving, charitable, and forgiven. The Season of Lent has formally arrived. Pick your game plan and follow it. Confession should be first on everyone's list. Make it happen.

It never ceases to amaze me, that out of all of the holy days during the year, Ash Wednesday continues to attract the crowds it does, and it's not even a holy day of obligation. What is it, about Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent? Why do people fill our churches to the brim, and are excited to gather just so they can get dirt on their head? It's an amazing phenomenon that every year, some churches run out of ashes! This is something to contemplate because it holds the key as to how we will choose to mark this season as a special time set aside to move deeper into the converted life.

Dear Parish Family,

Here we go again, Sacred Scripture, and a Gospel message deeply seeped in some practicalities for living like a Christian. This isn’t intended just to get on everyone’s case. It’s not meant to be a badgering session, but simply a wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee moment. Take in the aroma of a freshly brewed pot of coffee—even if coffee isn’t for you, one has to admit the aroma is delightful! How may we consider changing our minds unless we are awakened? Can you imagine that the Word of God is meant to challenge us? It’s meant to inspire us for sure, yet at times it is also meant to correct us.

Dear Parish Family,

Show me Love, Show me Compassion, Show me Kindness, Show me Faith, Show me Hope, Show me Peace.

Jesus’ final commandment deals only with LOVE—to love another, to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to love our enemies! You got it, Jesus demands that we love our enemies. What if those same enemies are related to us in some way by way of family, community, or on the job, or even within a community of faith?

Dear Parish Family,

May God’s continued blessings be upon you and yours. It is hard to believe that Lent is fast approaching. We have great plans for this coming Lent to help us move more inward, to allow the season to be a time of preparation and repentance.

Dear Parish Family,

Can you imagine going through life day in and day out, waiting for our ship to come in, anticipating the abundance of what is to come? God’s surplus of a bountiful harvest, His provision, our thirst quenched, our hunger satisfied. We all long for the spirit of prosperity, the spirit of abundance, abundance of blessings, that is.

This is the state we find the disciples of Jesus in as their nets are sunk deep in the lake, hoping and waiting for a good catch. Well before they left their nets on the shore to follow Him, they trusted Jesus. After almost giving up, they did as He asked and cast their nets again. They were disappointed and worried because they caught nothing. Jesus changed the outcome in an instant, so much that the nets were filled to the brim and they nearly sank their boat pulling them in. We find these ordinary fishermen tired, frustrated, angry, disgusted with the toil of their labor, and failing to turn up anything—until the Lord intervenes.

Dear Parish Family,

I pray the New Year has been off to a good start. It has been for us as staff, as we manage to continue to achieve some of our goals and tasks in creating our new confessional, hand-crafted by our own Felipe Ruiz. The confessional is a lovely addition, creating the perfect ambiance. We were blessed to receive some much-needed moisture this week, and the beautiful light blanket of snow made for a poetic setting around the parish grounds of St. Catherine Laboure.