Our Readings at Mass today go straight to the heart of our Catholic faith. They speak of death, and new life in Christ. In the First Reading, from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:12-14), we heard: “Thus says the Lord God: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel.” In the Gospel (John 11:1-45), the stone has been rolled back from the tomb of Jesus’ friend, Lazarus. Jesus commended that he come forth from the tomb and be released from all the wrappings that bound him up, and then set him free.
This Wednesday, March 25th, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord - nine months to the day of his birth in Bethlehem. The Gospel for the day is Luke 1:26-38, and it describes the event of the Annunciation, and encourages us to follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary by placing our trust in God. The Archangel Gabriel greeted Mary with “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” These words brought confusion to Mary and troubled her. The angel spoke again telling her “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Then we hear the angel’s announcement that Mary has been chosen by God to bear His Son, Jesus.
The image of mercy flowing like water is present in today’s Gospel (John 4:5-42) where Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well. From the start, we know that this is no ordinary meeting: It is with a Samaritan with a mixed marital history, spurned by others to such a degree that she must come to the well at the hottest time of the day, when no one else is there. But there is someone there: Jesus! And despite her scandalous personal history and the social norms of the time which would have prohibited a man from speaking to a woman in public who was not his wife, Jesus speaks to her. And what a conversation it is!
Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School Spring Fling Craft Fair In Fatima-Gallagher Hall, March 28 from 9 AM -5 PM & March 29 from 8 AM -2 PM. There will be Pampered Chef, Oils (Doterra, Young Living), Mary Kay, Handmade jewelry and much, much more! Come join us and support our local talent!!
Lent is a season of change; a season of transforming our spiritual lives. There seems a natural correlation since the very word “Lent” is rooted in a word that meant “spring” and we are all familiar with the changes that take place in springtime as the earth bursts forth with new life that has been dormant during the winter season. Unfortunately, while nature seems quite incapable of resisting the changes common to springtime, we human beings seem all too capable and willing to resist changes in our lives. Transformation requires energetic effort. It challenges and disturbs our comfortable patterns of behavior, even when those patterns may be harmful to us, either physically or spiritually.
We have received the following updated notification from Archbishop Wester concerning the ongoing prevalence of the flu in New Mexico and the current international outbreak of the Coronavirus: “Given the highly contagious nature of the flu and the coronavirus, communicants MUST receive Holy Communion in the hand and not on the tongue. I realize that there are some who prefer to receive Holy Communion on the tongue. However, during the flu season and given the possibility of being exposed to the coronavirus, ALL communicants are to receive Communion in the hand..."
Although fasting is only required on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, many people use fasting as a spiritual exercise during the Lenten season. The Scriptures are filled with examples of fasting where the rewards sought and attained were spiritual. Jesus fasted forty days in the desert before beginning his public ministry; Moses fasted before receiving the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai; Elijah fasted before meeting the Lord on Mt. Horeb (also known as Mt. Sinai); St. Paul’s ministry began after a period of prayer and fasting that followed his being blinded on the road to Damascus; and the disciples were encouraged by the Lord to fast when he was no longer with them.