Dear Parishioners,
As we once again prepare to celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary (March 19), our
parish will observe 40 Hours of Eucharistic
Adoration from March 17 to March 19. Beginning with an evening Mass at 7 PM on
March 17, the Blessed Sacrament will remain continually present on the altar
for private prayer and adoration, except when a Mass is scheduled. We will have an additional evening Mass at 7
PM on both March 17 and 18 (in addition to our regular morning Mass at 8:30
AM).
On Saturday, March 19 there
will be a Mass at 8:30 AM (regular
morning Mass), and at 12:00 Noon we
will have the closing of the 40 Hours with a procession of the Most Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. Please note:
There will be no Stations of the Cross on Friday,
March 18 while 40 Hours Eucharistic Adoration is taking place.
I have asked Fr. Larry
Polansky, our former hospital chaplain, to return to preach during the 40
Hours evening Masses.
I truly believe that when we take the time to be with Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament, it is a
time of tremendous graces and blessing not only for us as individuals but also
for our families and for our entire parish
family. I do not ever want us to
take for granted the great gift of the Real
Presence of Jesus in the Holy
Eucharist. Time spent with Him is indeed
a grace-filled time. We can express our
love and adoration for Jesus, thankfulness for our blessings, and contrition
for sin (our own and the sins of others). We can also intercede for one another and
petition the Lord for our various needs.
It is an invaluable time to spend with Jesus, truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament—especially
during this Jubilee Year of Mercy. Remember to ask for God’s mercy.
When we come into the Lord’s presence, Jesus can do
something to us. We may think
that we go to pray, to petition and to worship, or even that we
might be doing God a favor by
spending some of our precious time with Him. Our Lord Jesus, however, can transform us
while we spend time with Him. We do not
need to worry about what prayers we should say, what spiritual readings we
should be reading or what we should be doing in His Presence. Just
being with the Lord can be transforming.
Be quiet and listen. He can
soften our hearts, heal our wounds, inspire us and guide us. He can give us an inner peace that nothing in
this world can match. Making the
commitment to spend time with Him can truly transform us.
What I am once again requesting from you, my parishioners, is
that you dedicate one hour in
adoration of the Lord sometime during these days. (Ideally, this should be in addition to
any time attending Mass.) This devotion
will continue for two nights—around the clock—and I need your help and
cooperation in order to do this. Could
you please think about dedicating an hour in prayer before the Most Blessed
Sacrament? Why not encourage members of
your family to pray as a family for
an hour? Perhaps a group or organization
within the parish can make a holy hour together. I especially need a few insomniacs or
night owls once again to cover those late hours!
A sign-up sheet is
available near the baptismal font of the church so that we can be sure that
there is always someone keeping watch with our Lord. Please assist me once again in making this a
special time for our parish as we adore our Eucharistic Lord.
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
No comments:
Post a Comment