Don’t some of those religious email “chain letters” or postings on Facebook drive you crazy? You know: “Say the prayer below. If you are not ashamed to show your love for Jesus, send this to 20 friends or post it on your account and a miracle will happen.” Then the “conditions” are presented: “If you send this to 20 friends, God will bless you greatly. To 10, God will bless you somewhat. To 5, God isn’t sure you are a friend. And if you delete this message, Jesus will know you are ashamed of him and he’ll delete you from God’s list of special friends in heaven.”
God does NOT need to use guilt to get people to pray! When the worship of false gods was a temptation for the Jewish people, God came to Moses in the burning bush to make it clear that the Jews knew it was THAT God, the One True God, who was going to free them from slavery.
When God says, “I AM THE ONE WHO IS,” it means that God is the God of every cell, and every sub-atomic particle. God grounds everything that has being.” God is our Matrix, our “Womb” and our Source. Because God IS, we are. God saved the Chosen People, but they fell to whining and grousing, and began to “desire evil things,” so many died in the desert. As sufferings increased, they wasted their freedom in cursing God. Instead of repenting, they forgot that they needed God.
Jesus says we must all repent from living wasted, ungrateful lives. We don’t need guilt-inducing emails or postings. We need a change of consciousness to realize that everything is sacred; all places, all of creation, all the times in our lives are sacred. Not necessarily pain-free, but sacred. During this Lenten Season, let us try to see that everything is of God and everything is sacred and holy.
Bishop Zubik, who as you know, is recovering from shoulder surgery, will visit our parish twice in the upcoming weeks:
Friday, April 1st: Bishop Zubik will celebrate Stations of the Cross along with Adoration and Benediction at 7:30 p.m. at St. John Capistran Church. All are welcome to pray and attend.
Sunday, April 3rd: Bishop Zubik will celebrate the 11:30 a.m. Mass at St. Thomas More Church to administer to our Seminarian, John Ferguson the Rite of Candidacy. This is a formal declaration that John makes confirming his intention to seek ordination to the priesthood. A good comparison is an engagement period for people who intend to get married. All are welcome and encouraged to attend this mass. A light reception will follow in the Family Life Center.
Resurrection Parish opportunities for confession before Holy Week: St. John Capistran & St. Thomas More, 6:00-8:00PM Wednesday, March 30th St. Thomas More, 12:00 noon - 1:00PM Monday, April 11 Tuesday, April 12 Wednesday, April 13
**The Parish Offices will close at noon on Wednesday, March 30**