3rd Sunday of Lent March 15, 2020
Stations of the Cross: Friday, March 20th, in Sublette’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church From the Gusset There are quite a few symbols that surround Mary in her fresco: Our Lady Most Admirable. To Mary’s right in the fresco is a vase with a lily flower. The Lily is a symbol of purity and resurrection. I think it is fascinating that the lily flower is native to the shores of the Lake of Gennesaret and in the valleys of Palestine. We will decorate our altars with lilies come Easter time, and we are encouraged to make a donation to our Churches in honor of deceased loved onesNthat we pray will experience the full glory of our Lord’s entrance into Heaven for themselves. The lily in the fresco is white, which further symbolizes chastity and virtue M often we see the Saints of Heaven holding a white lily in their hands M a sign they have received the beatific vision. To Mary’s other side is a distaff M which symbolizes the matrilineal branch of a family or domestic life. Our Lady Most Admirable humbly accepted her vocation to be the Mother of all the living, and when Joseph took her into his house M Mary performed all the duties in the home that a wife and mother would perform. She never said, “Joseph, take out the garbage. As the Mother of God, this is beneath my station!” But of all the symbols in the fresco, the one that is most often overlooked is the basket full of books at Mary’s feet. Mary knew the scriptures M she was taught them by Zechariah in the temple. Though the basket is full of books, the lid of the basket is left open M meaning M that a new testament of scriptures is about to be written by the life that her Son will live. St. Thomas Aquinas thought that the greatest quality that a student could have was docility. It is very difficult to get a young puppy to learn anything. Why? Because they are bouncing all over the place, easily distracted, unable to concentrate even for a minute, hyper,…. St. Thomas goes on to say that docility is a respect for what has been determined by the wise M the Angelic Doctor classifies docility as an integral part of the moral virtue of prudence. Even the most learned people need to be docile, because no one is completely selfsufficient in matters of prudence. We are encouraged, as Catholics, to read from Sacred Scripture as often as we can, even if it is only a few verses a day. It is interesting that during the Lenten season, both the 1st reading and the Gospel reading jump around in the scriptures. During Ordinary time, the weekday readings and the Sunday Gospel are sequential M one day’s reading picks up right where the previous day’s reading ended. I wonder what messages the Holy Spirit would send to us, if we just read the Gospel of the Day for these 40 days of Lent? Our Lady Most Admirable is trying to teach us how to fix our gaze on the invisible M how to look for and see the essential things of life, and how not to be distracted by the nonessential, which is often flashy but void of content. Ask yourself the question this Lent: Am I docile to the teachings of the Catholic Church? Our culture would tell us to be docile is too childlike M “think your own thoughts, live your own life” M that is what society says. But to live in docility to the Faith, actually requires a great intellect, because everything, that Holy Mother Church teaches us, is for our eternal salvation. Yours on the Path Fr. Randy Parish Lenten Retreat Coming: March 31st & March 25th at 6:30 PM at April 1st & 3rd looking at things Our Lady of Perpetual Help through the lens of the Church, in Sublette Eucharist In the sacrament of penance the faithful who the power of Sick persons to heal our confess their sins to a priest, are sorry for wounds; as well as, an Anointing Mass their sins, and have a purpose of Our Lady Most Admirable’s understanding amendment, receive from God, through the of the essential in our lives absolution given forgiveness of sins they have committed, and they are reconciled Three great talksNyou won’t want to miss! with the Church, which by ST. ANNE’S BAKE sinning they wounded. Be Reconciled Day SALE is Wednesday, April 1st TODAY, SUNDAY, Confession Times SMA noonN1:30 pm MARCH 15TH, St. Patrick 4:005:30 pm THE TOY SHOW WEEKEND OLPH 9:3010:30am, 8:009:00 pm Chrism Mass Thursday, April 9th 11 am at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rockford If anyone would like to celebrate the end of Lent and the beginning of the Triduum by attending the Chrism Mass in Rockford, please let Fr. Randy know. He is looking for a volunteer from each parish to receive the Holy Oils. This is one of the most beautiful Masses of the year taking a back seat only to the Easter Vigil & an Ordination Mass.
Collection Amounts for the Month of February 2020 OLPH SMA St. Patrick Loose Collection $827 $102 $157 Envelopes $4,457 $3,956 $1,669 Total $5,284 $4,058 $1,826 Monthly Expenses $8,354 $4,683 $3,532 Diocesan Appeal $11,435/11,015 $16,341/5,517 $8,820/3,532 Heroes of God; Feast Days of the Saints St. Jan Sarkander March 17th Jan was born on December 20th in 1576 in the town of Skoczow, Bohemia (now a part of Poland). He believed he was called to the priesthood, but was instead married. The marriage lasted only a year, when his wife met an untimely death M the two were childless. Jan then went to study at the Jesuit College M believing that his wife’s death was a sign from God to pursue the priesthood. (Note: there are countless women Saints, who, upon the death of their husbands, become religious sisters. I wonder why it is that there are only a handful of male Saints, who, when their wife passed, became priests or brothers?) Ordained in 1609 in Moravia, by the Jesuit Order M his first assignment was to a parish in a strongly Protestant area. His Bishop hoped that Fr. Jan would help those struggling to live their Catholic Faith amid strong Lutheran and Hussite mindsets. This was a particularly dangerous time in the history of central Europe as the 30 years War broke out in 1618. In order to prevent soldiers from burning and plundering his town, Fr. Sarkander lead a Eucharistic procession to meet the approaching army. Carrying the Blessed Sacrament in a Monstrance, Fr. Sarkander led his parishioners out the city gates. When the Catholics in the army saw the Eucharist, they fell to their knees, and when Fr. Jan returned our Lord to the tabernacle, these same men went to confession. Fr. Jan and the Jesuit Order priests wound up reconciling 200 nonCatholics to the Faith. Accused of being a traitor by the Protestants, Fr. Jan was imprisoned and tortured. It seems they were attempting to find out the allegiance of the Catholic Soldiers and the converts by having Fr. Sarkander reveal what he had heard in the Confessional. Placed on the rack, he endured torture for three hours M suffering ruptured tendons and many broken bones. Fr. Jan Sarkander died March 17, 1620. He is known as the patron of the secrecy of confession, and when his remains were exhumed in 1720 M they were deemed incorrupt. St. Jan Sarkander… pray for us!
“I would choose, with God’s help, rather to be torn in pieces than sacrilegiously to violate the seal of confession.” Fr. Jan Sarkander Mass Schedule email address: [email protected] Saturday, March 14th 4:00 pm, OLPH (+) Elaine Flessner/ Mr. & Mrs. Charles Stephenitch & (+) Stacey Wertz & Sue Leffelman/ Gene Leffelman 5:30 pm, SMA (+) Gerald Hornung/ Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Bresson Sunday, March 15th 3rd Sunday of Lent 8:00 am, St. Patrick (+) Mr. & Mrs. John & Evelyn Ryan/ Family 10:30 am, OLPH Pro Populo/ Fr. Randy Tuesday, March 17th St. Patrick’s Feast Day 7:30 am, SMA (+) Donna Vaessen/ Mr. & Mrs. Mark Bresson (+) William O’Hare/ Mr. & Mrs. Doug Klein Wednesday, March 18th 8:00 am, OLPH (+) Lynn Peterson/ Mr. & Mrs. Greg Malach Thursday, March 19th St. Joseph’s Feast Day 7:30 am, SMA (+) Anne Corcoran/ Mr. & Mrs. James Anderson 8:30 am, OLPH (+) Alvin Montavon & Robert Bonnell/ Mr. & Mrs. Mark Streit with Holy Hour and Confessions to follow Friday, March 20th 8:00 am, St. Patrick (+) Joanne Burke/ Mr. & Mrs. Myron Leffelman 5:30 pm, OLPH (+) Thomas Fassler/ Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Bresson Saturday, March 21st 4:00 pm, St. Patrick (+) Lynn Peterson/ Mr. & Mrs. Edward Klein Sunday, March 22nd Laetare Sunday 8:00 am, St. Patrick (+) Doug Blaine/ Diane Blaine 10:30 am, St. Patrick (+) Pro Populo/ Fr. Randy Next Weekend (5th Sunday of Lent) Bishop Malloy will be celebrating the Mass out in Maytown’s Church of St. Patrick to commemorate the laying of the Church’s cornerstone 100 years ago. There will be only one Vigil Mass on March 28th (the 4:00 pm Mass in Sublette) and then only one Mass on Sunday, March 29th the 8:00 am Mass with the Bishop. Please make every effort to attend the Bishop’s Mass and receive his blessing. A reception will follow in the Hall.
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