Easter Sunday April 12, 2020 Our Lady Most Admirable give us a right understanding of the essential and a hunger for it! Amen. From the Gusset Happy Easter! Of course studying Theology at the Angelicum (the Dominican University in Rome), which takes its name from the nickname given to St. Thomas Aquinas (they called St. Thomas the Angelic Doctor, simply because of his eloquence in speaking about these creatures that are pure spirit) and then having spent 4 years as a priest at Holy Angels Church in Aurora M I can’t help but see angels everywhere! Whenever I think of Easter and our Lord’s Resurrection M I almost immediately think of how all four Gospel writers mention Angels at the Resurrection. St. Matthew and St. Mark mention one Angel being at the tomb and St. Luke and St. John speak of two Angels, one at the head and one at the feet of where the Body of Jesus had been. Every time I celebrate the Mass, there are always a minimum of two lit candles on the altar M I see a candle in the liturgy and I immediately think of an Angel. Truly, Heaven empties itself of all its Angels whenever the Catholic Mass is celebrated M for wherever the Body of Christ is there is the multitude of Angels M they have come to adore God, they have come to see this incredible mystery M that God would take on human flesh, die, and be raised M all to bring the human person into the glory of Heaven. Mary is the Queen of all the Angels and Saints and our Lady Most Admirable has been teaching us, for 40 days now, to detach ourselves from the visible and to fix our gaze on the invisible. Just one of those invisible realities that surrounds us is our Guardian Angel. Just as one Angel (or two Angels) remained at the graveside of the Christ, so also, when we die, our Guardian Angel will stand guard at our graveside until the 2nd Coming, when the Lord will come in all His glory to raise our mortal bodies from the dead and reunite them with our immortal souls. I always feel a sublime joy when I make a visit to the cemetery. To pray at the graveside of my Mom, my brother, my (continued on next page) Grandparents, Godparents, and parishioners, whose Funeral Mass and burial, I have celebrated M is truly an encounter with the Body of Christ, which, other than the Mass, cannot be replicated this side of Heaven. Yes, the pandemic will not allow us to gather in groups of more than 10, but we can, and we should visit the cemetery and walk and pray and be amongst the deceased members of our family and Church Community. The world sees one person walking amidst the tombstones, but in reality it is really one person walking with and talking with 100’s of Angels, who stand guard over the precious treasure, the bodies, of the persons God asked them to rule and guide. Do you want to feel good this Easter season? Make a visit to the cemetery and talk and pray through your Guardian Angel to the Guardian Angels of your beloved dead. Let the deceased know how much you love them and still: pray for them, celebrate Mass for their repose, and offer up works of reparation for their sins. And if per chance, your beloved is buried in a cemetery too far away for you to make a trip M simply send your Guardian Angel to the deceased’s burial plot and allow your Angel to talk to their Angel and wish your beloved dead a Happy Easter! Our Lady Most Admirable ...pray for us! Yours on the Path Fr. Randy What would your Dentist say, if he were a Priest? With the Coronavirus canceling all but emergency dental work M what are Dentists recommending to their patients? They revert to the essentials of good dental hygiene: brush your teeth regularly, floss, and drink plenty of milk to get your calcium and vitamin D. While these things in no way can replace the great benefits of a biannual cleaning and a checkup by your Dentist M they will ensure that you are working at the good health of your teeth. In a much similar manner, your Priest instructs you, during the pandemic, to continue to practice your Faithlife: say all your daily prayers, practice your favorite sacramentals, unite your prayers to the prayers your Priest is praying in his daily Pro Populo Mass, and make a Spiritual Communion on Sunday when you watch the YouTube video of our Mass celebrated at olphmarystpatrick.com. Although, we cannot personally attend the Holy Mass, if we do these thing M work at our spiritual health M the Catholic Church assures us, we will grow in holiness. Our Lady Most Admirable…pray for us! Heroes of God; Feast Days of the Saints St. Benezet Patron Saint of Bridge Builders & Single Men April 14th Benezet lived a very short life (11631184), but it was said that he desired to be holy from his childhood. Originally, just a simple shepherd, at the age of 15 he left the countryside and set out for the city of Avignon in France. When Benezet came into town, the community was mourning a tragic drowning in the Rhone river M a small boat trying to cross the raging river was capsized M killing all aboard. Benezet learned that this was a common occurrence. Soon after, in a dream, God appeared to Benezet and told the young man to build a bridge to save the suffering people of Avignon. Knowing nothing about building bridges, but with an open mind, Benezet set out to learn all he could to complete this important work. The young man simply had a desire to serve his fellow man. Approaching the Bishop of Avignon, this shepherd boy turned bridge builder, met with disapproval. The Bishop told Benezet, “you have no idea how difficult this project is, which you are undertaking.” Nevertheless, the young man went ahead with his mission and enlisted the aid of volunteers, who were convinced that God had spoken to Benezet. When the Bishop saw how determined this small band of construction workers was M he offered financial and technical aid toward the project. Although Benezet died 4 years before the bridge was completed M all marveled at the beauty of the bridge and all were grateful for the ability to safely cross the river. It is said that over a dozen miracles occurred during the bridges final phase of construction M the phase corresponding to the death of Benezet. As a result, the Bishop ordered the construction of a small chapel on the bridge and Benezet’s remains were interred there. A part of the bridge was washed away in 1669 by a violent flood and Benezet’s coffin was carried away! When the townsfolk of Avignon recovered the coffin M miraculously, his body was recovered whole, and it is said that the color of his eyes was still “bright!” His relics were translated to the Cathedral in Avignon and later in the 19th century moved to the Church of St. Didier. I think the single vocation is perfectly captured by this young man. Being single means: I desire to be holy, and I will become holy, if only I set out to do what God wants me to do with my life. When I receive my mission from God, even if I don’t know anything about what God is telling me to do, I trust that God will give me the strength to be undaunted by the task, and I will serve my community with the graces God gives me. St. Benezet…pray for us! You are invited to pray the Pro Populo Mass of Divine Mercy Sunday with your priest. Simply go to our Parish Website, www.olphmarystpatrick.com, scroll down to the YouTube video, and click on the play button. We will pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet before Mass begins. Besides the Masses listed below, Fr. Randy will continue to celebrate an addition Mass each day for the intentions of all the living members of our parishes and for those buried in our cemeteries (a Pro Populo Mass) until the end of the pandemic. Saturday, April 11th Easter Vigil SMA (+) Pro Populo/ Fr. Randy Sunday, April 12th Easter Sunday St. Patrick (+) Arthur & Doris Walzer/ Mr. & Mrs. Darrell Full OLPH (+) Thomas Fassler/ Ellen Jones Monday, April 13th (+) Alvin Montavon/ Mr. & Mrs. Donald King Tuesday, April 14th SMA (+) Sr. Chikaomasili Ezenagu/ DDL Wednesday, April 15th OLPH (+) Deceased members of the Mr. & Mrs. Louie Vaessen Families/ Mr. & Mrs. Louie Vaessen Thursday, April 16th SMA (+) Fr. Edward Hughes/ Torri Family OLPH (+) Matthew Rood/ Mr. & Mrs. Floyd Wilson Friday, April 17th St. Patrick (+) Michael Bickett/ Mr. & Mrs. Darrell Full Saturday, April 18th OLPH (+) Elaine Flessner/ Cecil & Shirley Harrison & (+) Ronald Fronek/ Mr. & Mrs. James Fronek SMA (+) Janet Hornung/ St. Mary’s Choir & (+) Gerald Hornung/ Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Henkel Sunday, April 19th Divine Mercy Sunday St. Patrick (+) Charles & Bea Buckley/ Family OLPH (+) Pro Populo/ Fr. Randy Sublette Farmers Elevator Co. A Farmer Owned Company Proud to have served American Agriculture Since 1919 Reed Akre, Manager Phone: 815-849-5222 Rt. 251 N at 22nd Street Fax: 815-849-5288 Mendota P.O. Box 289, Sublette, IL 61367 815-539-9306 MIHM - JONES Dixon Giesen & Flessner FUNERAL HOME JONES BROTHERS Law Office Patrick R. Jones, Sr. TRUCKING 121 E First St.