Letter from the Pastor
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March 27, 2022Today is called Laetare(=rejoice) Sunday from the opening words of the Entrance Antiphon. The strictness of the Lenten liturgy is interrupted today with words of joy. Today, rose-colored vestments are worn in place of purple, and the altar is decorated with flowers.
In this way the Church reminds us that in the midst of a penitential season, a time of mortification and penance, we can and must be filled with joy. After all, it is sadness and not penance, which is opposed to happiness. Sadness is not a way of life; we are not called to be sad. Rather we are called to be joyful.
We had reached the midpoint of Lent this past Thursday, March 24th. We are quickly approaching Good Friday and the moment of our Redemption. In this way, we ought to be filled with joy: Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her.
The mortifications we do during Lent should not take away our interior joy. Rather, it ought to increase it, because our salvation is near at hand. The sacred remembrance of that moment when our Lord, pouring out His love for mankind, which is the Passion, is coming, and the joy of Easter will soon be upon us. We therefore feel the need to be united to Our Lord, in His suffering as well as experiencing great happiness in the glory and joy of the Resurrection.
Christians are aware that joy and happiness stem from a heart that knows God loves us. And that love expresses itself in good and loving deeds for our brothers and sisters, despite our sinfulness.
As Holy Week and Easter draw near, so do God’s forgiveness, mercy, divine compassion and a superabundance of His many graces. If at times we have been afraid of penance, we will be filled with courage at the thought of how great the reward of being faithful to the Lord and His way of life. So let us joyfully follow Jesus to Jerusalem, to Calvary, to the Cross, which always leads to the joy.
As we begin the second half of Lent, it's time to take stock of our Lenten journey. Have you gone to Confession in preparation for making your Easter duty? Easter duty means that every Catholic must receive Holy Communion at least once a year between Easter Vigil and Trinity Sunday. Confession may be needed to receive Holy Communion worthily. Confessions are held every Friday evening at 6:30PM; Saturday mornings at 9:30 and again at 11:00AM. The Lenten Day of Reconciliation throughout the Archdiocese of New York, the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Center is April 11th, from 2-4 and 6-8PM.
Next Weekend we will welcome to our Parish, Sr. Jane and the Little Sisters of the Poor who will take up a collection for the elderly poor. We haven’t had the Little Sisters here for two years, so it’s good for us to welcome them back and help the Little Sisters of the Poor.
Finally, I would like to thank all those who marched with our school and parish last week at our town’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It was so good to see all our parishioners along the route cheering on our children. We had over 135 school children participate, along with their families.
It was a grand sight to behold!
