Fourth Sunday of Lent 3/10/2024

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Community • March 7, 2024

Dear Friends,

Can you believe that we already have moved past the midpoint of Lent? I am so happy to see many of us taking this Holy Season of Lent seriously and making use of all the opportunities available here at the parish. However, recently I have detected a bit of weariness in some of us.

To those who are experiencing this, I say: do not worry! Holy Mother Church, in her watchful care for us, already knows this can happen. Therefore, she has prepared a brief respite. This Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Lent, we celebrate as Laetare Sunday. “Laetare” in English means “rejoice.” Our liturgy will have a tone of joyful anticipation. To mark that change in tone, the vestment colors are Rose, musical instruments are permitted, and … guess what? … even flowers are permitted in the sanctuary. These changes are designed to allow us to briefly turn our focus away from repentance and conversion and instead catch a glimpse of the joy that awaits us at Easter. This respite comes just before we enter into the somber days of Passiontide, which begins next Sunday. As Michael R. Heinlein would say, it is the Church’s way of giving us a “shot in the arm” as we approach the horrific sufferings of Jesus that we will soon be called upon to witness. Throughout this coming week, I invite you to move away from any feelings you may have of just trying to “get through Lent.” Rather, I ask that you embrace with gratitude the opportunity given us to continue praying, fasting, and giving alms. Do not give up! We are almost there.

On this Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year B, we hear from the Gospel of John about God’s immeasurable love for us (Jn 3: 14-21). Out of this immense love, He sent us his only Son, and all he asks of us in return is that we believe in him. This belief will impel us to live lives worthy of him, and this in turn will ensure that we receive eternal life.

Yet, time and again, like our forefathers in faith, we turn away from His gift. Sunday’s First Reading, from the Second Book of Chronicles, tells us that “In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the Lord’s temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.” Does this sound familiar?

However, despite all of our infidelities, God does not give up on us. In the days to come, especially during the Holy Week liturgies, we will hear of God’s faithfulness in the face of our faithlessness. He loves us so passionately that he asks his only Son to die for us, thereby ensuring that we “might not perish” but instead “have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).

Let’s not forget to pray for our wonderful brothers and sisters who, to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, have become “the Elect of God” and Candidates. This week, they will experience the Second Scrutiny. During this Rite, they will reflect on the Man Born Blind (John 9: 1-39) which invites them, and us, to move from darkness into light.

Please mark your calendars: we will celebrate a Lenten Reconciliation Service on Tuesday, 12 March 2024 at 7 p.m. Many priests will be present to hear confessions. Please do not miss this opportunity for renewal and grace.

Have a Blessed Week!

With love,

Fr. John

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First Sunday of Lent, March 9, 2025

March 9, 2025

Dear friends, The holy season of Lent has begun with a glorious Ash Wednesday. It was heartwarming to see our children at the 7 a.m. Mass that day. They wore the cross-shaped ashes on their foreheads to school, proud to show their faith and be silent evangelizers. We are very proud of them! Now that it is Lent, we will offer Stations of the Cross at the Grotto each day of the week except Sunday, including the traditional Stations on Fridays. I urge you to look at the bulletin for all the details about special Masses and other spiritual activities that have been created to support you on your lenten journey. I ask that you take the Lenten Schedule on page 8 and post it where you will remember to look at it. In particular, note the information about the Lenten Mission on March 16-18, the special programing for the Tuesdays of Lent, and the many spiritual activities on Fridays. We can approach Lent as the opportunity to do a spiritual “spring cleaning.” As one good priest reminded me: “Lent is a time to re-read the ‘owner’s manual,’ to tune our ‘engines,’ and to refurbish our ‘vehicles’ – not only for the journey of 40 days but also for the journey of life, the right life–and the right eternity.” God has given us an inexhaustible capacity for the transformation needed for becoming holy. Lent is also that special time of year when we walk with our catechumens and candidates as they prepare to become full members of the Catholic faith during the Easter Vigil. We are called to support them through our prayers and examples of faith. Remember to pray for their sponsors and their families as well. During the Vigil Mass on 8 March, the St. John’s family will join with our catechumens in celebration of the ritual called the Rite of Sending. In this rite, they will be recognized for the progress they have made in their spiritual formation. Then we will send them on to the Rite of Election which will be celebrated by Bishop Noonan the next day, 9 March, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe. We are very proud of the perseverance and dedication of our sisters and brothers . In this Jubilee Year 2025 themed, “Pilgrims of Hope,” it is good to reflect on the words of St. Teresa of Avila about hope and what it accomplishes: “Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one. Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end.” On the First Sunday of Lent, we always revisit the scene of the temptation of Jesus in the desert where he spent 40 days fasting and praying. We also recall our ancestors in faith, the ancient Israelites, who for 40 years trudged their way through the desert to the promised land. Jesus, through his patient acceptance of suffering and his rejection of the allurements of the devil, models the correct response in times of adversity and testing. This is in contrast with the ancient Israelites who murmured and complained bitterly about their ordeal. Jesus never swerved from being obedient to his Father; he completely and utterly depended on Him. Let us, too, place complete confidence in the Father during our times of trial, of which there will be many. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, continues to need our prayers. Let us continue to pray for his healing: “O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look favorably on your servant Francis, whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd; grant, we pray, that by word and example he may be of service to those over whom he presides so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care, he may come to everlasting life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” I take this opportunity to announce that Beth Lowry has joined our parish staff as the new Business Manager. She held the position of bookkeeper in our office some years ago. Beth is well known to many at St. John’s. She and her devoted husband Steve have long been involved in many of our ministries. Beth brings a rich variety of work experience and abilities to her new position, and we wish her a positive and pleasant experience as she takes on this leadership role at St. John’s. Welcome, Beth! Have an inspiring and enriching LENT! With love, Fr. John