Lent V – Passion Sunday
Daily Sermons
April 1 – Bp. Dolan – April: Opening of Purgatory
April 2 – Bp. Dolan – Opening of the Ears & Eyes
April 3 – Bp. Dolan – Easter’s Coming: Souls Rejoicing
April 4 – Bp. Dolan – Take Away the Stone
April 7 – Fr. Lehtoranta – Church’s Voice Against Persecutors
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✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
Passion Sunday’s purple shrouded statues sound the death knell for this year’s Lent, already waning towards Holy Week and Easter. Lent to us these forty days are; Our Lord expects them back from us with interest. Or are you perhaps not particularly interested? One day bills come due.
If your Lent has had any effect at all, you will regret that we are rushing towards its close before any spiritual buds open in the soul. Remember your resolutions of Ash Wednesday? At least regret that it all should come to so untimely and unfruitful a conclusion next week, next week. What have I done with my Lent?
I hope and pray that your personal observance of this time for prayer and penance has been sincere, and that even any lapses have led to an increased sorrow for sin, and generosity in good deeds. It must be so, on the inside, because externally Lent’s clarion call to church for Masses and Stations, sermons and adoration, seems to be a fading ping from the black box of Catholic conscience. Fewer and fewer even make the Stations each year. The Friday evening Mass and supper have almost a handful, the same as at any other season. We shall not speak of Sunday Vespers or most weekday Masses, a lost cause. “If they do this in the green wood, what will they do in the dry?” (Our Lord at the eighth station.) Well, the answer is seen on Sundays. Those who miss, regularly, continue to do so even in Lent. Dry wood. Stay green! Thank God for the expiation offered each First Friday Adoration by the men of the Guard of Honor.
Ah, dear friend, “today if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart.” Confess your sins, accuse yourself, and take strength for this fortnight, the holiest two weeks in the year. The devotion to the Passion of Christ, the sorrows of Mary, these will warm a cold heart yet, replacing sinful selfishness with generosity, warming a cold heart with God’s love.
God reward your generosity in your Sunday offerings. “Alms covereth a multitude of sin.” You are helping us pay the king’s ransom which the Duke demands for another of our “global warming” Winters. Imagine if it were really warm? I imagine the heating bills would be lower…
Well, welcome Spring! We sprang into Spring with an absolutely delightful afternoon program of poetry, dance and music provided by our school students on Laetare Sunday, followed by an enjoyable lunch. Thank you to all who worked so hard, and to those who came to enjoy it with us.
The first dandelion has appeared, along with my late Lenten roses (blossoming now with the hyacinths), delayed by the long Winter. The grass is slowly greening, and will soon be growing. Doby has been seen checking the equipment for a new season of mowing. The choir is doubling up on practices as Easter approaches. Fr. Cekada was up at 4:30 this past Thursday to catch the only available flight from Florida, home in time for last week’s second music rehearsal.
Fr. McKenna is due back this evening. Fr. McGuire visited a prisoner in Chillicothe this past Wednesday, and many of our sick and shut-in last week. He reports that little St. Clare is growing large, a happy problem to have. God will provide, we are sure.
This Friday we conclude our nine Fridays of Novena in honor of our Sorrowful Mother, and the last of our Lenten suppers and Stations. Thank you to those who helped with all of yesterday’s activities, veiling statues, and testing First Communicants.
Next week is Palm Sunday. Holy Week begins.
May the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus inspire you with a hunger for Him!
– Bishop Dolan