As we journey together on this Fifth Sunday of Easter, we give praise and thanks to God for sending us the Son, who sacrificed His life to save us, who has shown us the way to eternal life. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that He is preparing a place for them in His Father’s house. Jesus tells the disciples and us that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Let us place our trust in the Lord that one day we will reach God’s dwelling place.

As many of you may not know, St. Peter’s Food Pantry has been delivering food to the community every 2 weeks, either directly to families in St. Peter’s and St. Hubert’s parishes or to the Ministry of Care. We have reached a critically low inventory on hand and would like to ask for these critical items. Here is the list of items needed: Pasta Sauce, Spaghetti packs, Peanut Butter- any size, Rice, 4 Pk Fruit cups, Knorr Rice side dishes, Knorr Pasta side dishes, Instant Potatoes- Regular or Idahoan Flavored packs if possible Thanks as always for your support in helping those around us. As always if you have a family in immediate need, we can put food together to assist that day. God Bless Y’all, Joel Ocmand, Social Justice Committee

Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally called Good Shepherd Sunday because the Scripture Readings, especially the Gospel, invites us to reflect on Jesus as the Good Shepherd. In each of the three-year Lectionary cycle, the Gospel is taken from the tenth chapter of Saint John’s Gospel. The chapter sets the framework for Jesus’ teaching about Himself as the Good Shepherd.

Next week we will take up the Catholic Home Missions Appeal. Home mission dioceses are those dioceses in the United States, its territories, and former territories that cannot provide basic pastoral services without outside help. Basic pastoral services include Mass, the sacraments, religious education, and ministry training for priests, deacons, religious, religious brothers, and lay people. Today, nearly 40% of dioceses in the United States and its territories are unable to fund the essential pastoral work their communities need. In the state of Louisiana, the dioceses of Houma-Thibodaux, Lake Charles, Alexandria, and Shreveport receive grants from the Catholic Home Missions Appeal. Your support of this appeal helps them meet these faith formation and sacramental needs. Please prayerfully consider how you can support this appeal.

Today, on this Second Sunday of Easter, we also celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope Francis, as he preached his first homily as the Pope said, “Mercy is the Lord’s most powerful message…It is not easy to trust oneself to the mercy of God, because God’s mercy is an unfathomable abyss—but we must do it.” Pope Francis continued, “He has the ability to forget, which is special: He forgives our sins, He kisses you, He embraces you, and He says to you, ’Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, sin no more.’ Only that counsel does He give you.”

Happy Easter! Rejoice! This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!! Today, we begin the Easter Season—our 50-day meditation on the mystery of Christ’s Resurrection. Our Gospel today tells us about the disciples’ discovery of the empty tomb. It concludes by telling us that they did not yet understand that Jesus had risen from the dead. Thus, the details provided are not necessarily meant to offer proof of the Resurrection. The details invite us to reflect upon a most amazing gift—that is faith in Jesus and His Resurrection.

Today, we begin Holy Week, the days which we journey with Jesus on His way to the Cross and anticipate His Resurrection on Easter. The Liturgy (Mass) begins with the procession with palms to remind us of Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. The Paschal Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, are the holiest days of the Roman Catholic Church’s Calendar. The Sacred Triduum (three days) begins on Holy Thursday evening with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:00 P.M. At this Liturgy, we celebrate the institution of two Sacraments: Holy Orders and the Eucharist. Adoration will follow the Mass until 10:30 P.M. On Good Friday, we commemorate the Lord’s Passion at 3:00 P.M., with the Liturgy of the Word, Veneration of the Cross and reception of Holy Communion, which was consecrated at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening. On Holy Saturday evening we gather in the darkness of the night at 8:00 P.M. to begin the Easter Vigil Liturgy with the blessing of the fire and the lighting of the new Paschal Candle. At this Mass, Tavin Jackson, a seventh grade student from St. Peter School will be fully initiated in the Roman Catholic Church. He will receive the sacraments of Baptism-Confirmation-and Holy Eucharist.

If you can donate palm fronds for our Passion Sunday liturgy, please bring them to the rectory by March 30th. If you have some to donate, but can’t bring them, call 536-2887.

Brand/ Safeway scaffolding up for lighting repairs in day chapel. Thank you for helping St. Peter’s.

Welcome Father Chris Krymski, O.S.M. who will lead our Parish Mission on Monday, March 27th and Tuesday, March 28th. The theme for the Mission is: Jesus Christ is Our Real Presence of God in the Eucharist. The Mission begins at 6:30 P.M. The Mission talks will take place during a Holy Hour with Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Monday’s Mission talk will be How do We Prepare Ourselves to Receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist? Tuesday’s Mission talk will be How do We Share Jesus in the Eucharist with Others? Please make every effort to attend the Mission. Invite your family and friends to the Mission!! Our Eucharistic theme for the Mission is in response to the Bishops of the United States implementing a “Eucharistic Revival.”

The coir is in need of some extra voices for the Holy Week Services.  If you like to sing, would you consider joining the choir, even if it’s for only the Holy Week Services.  A special practice for the Sacred Triduum Liturgies will be on Wednesday, April 5th at 10;00 A.M.

As we did last week, we are reading from the Gospel of John. Today, we will listen to the story of the healing of the blind man to which we turn for insight into the spiritual life. For people in the Bible, isolation from the community was a form of death. Life was re-entry into the community. As we celebrate the blind man’s healing, we celebrate his acceptance and return to the community. What is it that needs healing in our lives? How do we need to change our hearts and let Christ’s gifts of freedom, light, and life enter us?

On this Third Sunday of Lent and for the next two Sundays, we take a break from reading the Gospel of Matthew to read from the Gospel of John. In today’s Gospel, the dialogue between Jesus and a woman from Samaria is among the most lengthy and most theological found in Sacred Scripture. The most startling aspect of the conversation is that it happens at all. Jesus an observant Jew of that time, was expected to avoid conversation with women in public. Jesus and the Samaritan woman speak of their thirsts, their shared human need. Jesus offers the woman “life-giving water!”

As we journey with Jesus on this Second Sunday of Lent, we move from Jesus’ retreat in the desert to His Transfiguration. Each year on the Second Sunday of Lent, we are told the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration from the Gospel writers of Mark, Matthew and Luke. The Transfiguration follows Jesus’ first prediction of His death and His teaching about the cost of discipleship. Jesus’ Transfiguration is a promise of Jesus’ glory—His Resurrection. On the mountain in today’s Gospel reading, a voice affirms that Jesus is God’s Son: “This is my Beloved Son; with whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.” During our Lenten journey, let us fine tune our listening skills to hear and respond to the voice of God.

As we start our journey through Lent, we read how Jesus was tempted by the devil. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke tells us about the temptation. Mark’s gospel account is very short; however, the accounts of the temptation in Matthew and Luke’s Gospel gives us more details. In St. Matthew’s version, the one we read today, the devil presents three temptations to Jesus. The devil tempts Jesus to use His power to appease His hunger. The devil tempts Jesus to put God’s promise of protection to the test; and the devil offers Jesus all of the kingdoms of the world if Jesus will worship him. In each case, Jesus resists the temptation, rebuking the devil with the words from Scripture. As we face temptations during the season of Lent, may we adopt the same confidence that Jesus had in the face of temptation: God’s word alone will suffice. God’s promise of protection can be trusted—God alone is God.