Quinquagesima
Daily Sermons
February 2 – Fr. McKenna – Now Thou dost Dismiss Thy Servant
February 5 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Francis de Sales and St. Paul
February 6 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Titus & St. Dorothy, Model Catholics for Us
February 8 – Fr. Lehtoranta – The Fidelity of Holy Job
February 9 – Bp. Dolan – A Pretty Wild Place
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✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
This is the season, the week of transformation. Spring is struggling to come in, yet Winter clings to life, some days giving us its very worst. This is a good picture of the struggle of a Christian as we receive our ashes Wednesday, enrolling among the combatants in the holy forty day struggle we call Lent.
But first, a little liturgical and innocent indulgence during this Mardi Gras season. Last Friday’s Winter Soup Supper was a warm and friendly affair. Who’d think that soup could be so much fun? Thanks again, everyone. More soup on the way for Lent!
Today we have our St. Valentine’s Day Bake Sale. Indulge yourself with one last treat or two before Lent. Move St. Valentine up a day and you’ll do well. Some clever blogger found Lent in the patron saint of court-ship: St. VaLENTine. Pretty neat. It is all about love anyway. Come Wednesday to Mass or Stations or ashes, but especially to Mass this year, and receive your own Valentine of Our Lord’s Heart, broken for you on Cal-vary.
But transitions are never easy, and a serious re-form, a program of penance and prayer and participation in daily Mass (our goal this year) can just seem “too much.” So, pray the Holy Face Triduum with us. Amongst the many and lavish promises Our Lord makes to those who honor His Face is that of “settling the affairs of their household.” If house and soul are in order, how much easier will our Lent be.
Let’s ask Our Lady of Lourdes today for Lenten help as well. How insistent she was upon penance, and how much did little St. Bernadette suffer. But such love, and what glory!
Our first Lenten Friday of Recollection, following our time tried and traditional formula, is this week. We begin with Mass at 5:45, and offer a nice Lenten Supper afterwards. No charge, but offerings accepted. You can stay with us all the way through for Stations and closing Benediction or join us for the Way of the Cross at 7:30. Every Lenten Friday, not just Good Friday, is “come when you can, leave when you must.” But really you must come.
We had our first practice for Fr. Selway’s consecration last week. Fr. Cekada, reprising his role of twenty five years ago, has been working very hard preparing the rubrics from our end. One of the fine seminarians will be serving as MC, and organizing the entire affair, a complicated and challenging ceremony to be sure, but truly one for the ages. Many of our faithful will be attending.
Fr. McGuire was struggling to get to Milwaukee on Friday, for the big weekend he had scheduled. The snows intervened, but he made it by Saturday, via Charlotte, going east to go west. Today Fr. McKenna celebrates his sixth ordination anniversary. Sr. Jeanne Marie has made some progress in her ability to stand during her stay thus far in rehab. Please do keep all of our hardworking priests and religious and seminarians in your good prayers.
The cats continue to prove remarkably resilient. I thought Puccini had broken a leg again, but it turns out he was hopping around due to “early onset arthritis.” He seems back to normal, as does Caravaggio recovering from a mysterious puncture wound. Michelle kindly took them to the vet on Candlemas. Puccini woke me up at 3 AM the other night, wanting to play. Well, that’s the Devil’s hour, so I admonished him and said a prayer to St. Michael and went back to sleep. The cat managed on its own for recreation.
Enjoy these days of Mardi Gras or Shrovetide, but enjoy Wednesday even more. The most blessed season of the year is about to begin.
With a pre-Lenten blessing in Our Lord’s Holy Face and His Immaculate Mother,
–Bp. Dolan