Bulletins from February 2023

We should be very clear about this: temptation can be insidious in that it makes us believe that we must do something which we might otherwise avoid. But we should also be clear of this: being tempted is not a sin. The Book of Genesis relates that Adam and Eve gave in to the temptations of the serpent. We call this “The Fall.” However, Jesus, as recounted this Sunday from the Gospel of Matthew, was successful in overcoming the temptations that He encountered during 40 days in the desert. To be human is to be subject to temptations of all kinds. The discipline of Lent (prayer, penance and care for the poor) aims to help us to be faithful to our Baptism. Lent is also – and primarily – the time of “purification” for those who are preparing for Baptism at Easter. May we – the baptized – by our prayer and our example – help those who will be elected for Baptism by our Bishop. And may the Elect grow closer to the Lord these six weeks that precede their joining with Christ and the Church.

“Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:1). “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). These two passages taken from this Sunday’s readings remind us of the challenged given to all the baptized. Yet, when hearing this, we may decide not even to try, because the task seems to be impossible. Can we really be like God? Our catechism, echoing the words of the Book of Genesis, teaches that we are made “in the image and likeness of God.” If God, therefore is holy and perfect, we also have that capability. As we have heard often, we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. We strive toward holiness little by little, poco a poco, and we must not be discouraged if it takes a long time or even, at times, seems impossible. With God, all things are possible, even, by God’s grace, achieving holiness that mirrors God’s holiness. As we approach the season of Lent, the final period of preparation for those to be baptized or received into the Church, we use this coming 40 days to rediscover the life of Baptism that is ours. That is the reason Easter is so full of the symbols of Baptism, including the weekly sprinkling with baptismal water. Please join us on Ash Wednesday as

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother [or sister] has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court (Matthew 5:23-24). Based upon this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, there was a consultation throughout the Church some years ago to consider moving the Sign of Peace from its current place, just before Communion, to a position prior to the Procession of Gifts at Mass. The proposal was not accepted, but it did serve to make us think: How many times do we bring “our gifts” to the altar without first being reconciled with others? It is true that just before we receive Communion, we pray, “Lord, I am not worthy. . .” But this statement of unworthiness and the request, “Only say the word, and my soul shall be healed,” cannot be a substitute for making peace with others. The two go hand-in-hand. First, we make peace, attempt to right the wrongs of our lives, then, after that effort has been made, we look to the Lord to heal us, to nourish us. We “bring our gift” to the altar, not to gloss over some wrong that we have done, but as a sign of the peace which we have already sought.

This Sunday’s gospel passage is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount, found in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. We hear Jesus’ words, “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world. . .Your light must shine before others.” Isaiah 58 (our first reading) is clear on the path of virtuous living, of walking in the light: Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn. Care of the marginalized has been central to the life of God’s people for thousands of years. We are chosen to be light for others in the ways we support them. On this Annual Diocesan Pledge Sunday, we realize that support of our parish and the Appeal is one way of letting our light shine, of sharing with the hungry and homeless, so that our light might break forth like the dawn.