The season of Easter concludes today with the Solemnity of Pentecost. On Pentecost, we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. The descent of the Holy Spirit marks the beginning of the Church. As a community of faith, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to “go out into the world to proclaim the Gospel message.”

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all of our Moms. May your special day be filled with God’s blessings as we, your children, honor you on this your special day. Of course, we should always pay respect, love, and honor to our mothers, not only on Mother’s Day, but every day. I will remember all mothers, living and deceased, at every Mass this weekend. There will be a special blessing for all mothers on this day as well.

We continue to celebrate the Easter season, reflecting on the Paschal Mystery unfolding before us. Jesus focuses our attention on love being at the heart of discipleship. In a unique way the risen Lord is with us here today as we gather in faith, in the ministers and in each other, in God’s word proclaimed, and in His Body and Blood we received. As disciples of Jesus, we grow closer to Jesus and His mission by sharing God’s love with others. As we go about our day/week, may we bring the risen Lord with us wherever we go and whatever we do—striving always to give witness to His love.

As we enter the Fifth Week of Easter, the Gospels will be taken from the 15th, 16th, and 17th chapters of St. John’s Gospel. We will hear sections from these three chapters until the Solemnity of Pentecost. Today’s passage recalls the wisdom Jesus shared during the Last Supper. The Son of God uses images from creation to break open His hopes for how the disciples are to be in relationship with one another and with God. Today, He tells us, “I am the vine, and my Father is the vine grower.” Their followers, then, and now, are the branches.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday because in the three-year cycle of the Lectionary, the Gospel for each cycle is from the tenth chapter of Saint John’s Gospel in which Jesus teaches that He is the Good Shepherd.

During the Easter season, we hear how the disciples encounter the Risen Christ at different times and in different ways—all the while trying to understand the meaning of the Resurrection. In today’s Gospel from the Gospel of Luke, two disciples recounted their experience of the Risen Christ on the road of Emmaus and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of bread—an early understanding and connection to the Eucharist. We too are called to contemplate the implications of the Resurrection and consider how we see the Risen Lord in our lives. It helps us gather at Church, where we can seek the presence of Christ as we worship: in the assembly, in the ministers, in the Word of God, in the Holy Sacrifice, and in the Eucharist. This week let us pray that we may better discern the Lord in our midst.

As an Easter people we continue to celebrate the Good News of Jesus’ Resurrection— today, we celebrate God’s unparalleled mercy. Today is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. In the Acts of the Apostles, we witness the life-changing difference Jesus’ Death and Resurrection made for the first Christian community. They no longer cling to things they thought would bring them security—possessions, wealth, status, proof. When they received Jesus’ blessings of Peace from His own breath, saw the nail marks with their own eyes, and touched His wounds with their own hands, everything changed. Now, their mouths would carry Christ’s message of mercy to the ends of the earth. Their eyes would see one another differently. Their hands would heal and forgive, and they would be believed because they were “of one heart and mind.” Because of that community who committed their lives to one another in Christ, here we are. Because of us and how we commit ourselves to live together of one heart and mind in Jesus, others may also come to believe. For we belong to one another because all belong to Christ.

HAPPY EASTER! We sing with joy ALLELUIA! The Lord is Risen! We gather in joy to celebrate the most wonderful of days—Easter Sunday. Easter is more than the Easter bunny, or Easter egg hunts, or Easter candy. It is the fact that Christ is Risen! Not even death could keep Him from us. So mighty is His love that He transformed the evil of the cross into a blessing through which He can eternally unite us to God. He is here! He is Risen! Alleluia!! Alleluia!!

Today, we begin the holiest of weeks in the Liturgical Year with Palm Sunday. We begin under the portico calling down God’s blessing upon the palms that we will carry into church. On the first Palm Sunday, the crowds accompanying Jesus cried out “Hosanna to the Son of David!” We, too, sing Hosannas today as we enter the holiest week of the year—the week when we recall Jesus’ Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

Wednesday, March 27th. Confessions will be heard at St. Peter Church from 4:30 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.

As we draw closer to Holy Week, we hear Jesus talk about His approaching death. Today, Jesus uses the image of a grain of wheat. He says, “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” Jesus’ message to His disciples is not so much about His death as it is about eternal life. As Christians, we know that as difficult as death is, our true focus—our true hope—is eternal life, trusting that our Lord is our source of eternal salvation. During this final week before Holy Week, let us keep in mind that just as our Lenten journey will not end with Good Friday, but with Easter, so too does our own life’s journey end not in death but in new life.

If you can donate palm fronds for our Passion Sunday liturgy, please bring them to the rectory by March 21. If you have some to donate, but can’t bring them, call 536-2887.

The most famous quote of Sacred Scripture is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.” It is the most important belief in the Christian message. The Holy Spirit draws us here each week to allow us to express our love for God in the way that we worship God and the way that we treat each other. As we enter the Fourth Week of Lent, we are reminded of God’s unparalleled love, mercy, and ultimate purpose for each of us.

On this Third Sunday of Lent, we hear God deliver the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Chosen People. The commandments provide a way for them to live up to their part of the covenant. We face the same challenge today. Lent is a wonderful opportunity to examine our consciences and recall times when we have failed to follow one of God’s commands and determine which one of the commandments we find difficult to obey consistently.

As we continue our Lenten journey, we hear stories of two significant journeys in the history of our faith. First, Abraham travels to a distant land with his son, Isaac, where his devotion and obedience to God will be put to their greatest test. Secondly, Jesus leads His closest disciples up a high mountain where He will be transfigured in glory. As we continue our journey this Lent, may fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, transform us into more loving and devoted disciples of Jesus.

Ashes and rainbows make a strange combination. Ashes are dirty, messy, and ugly. Rainbows, on the other hand, are beautiful and inspiring. We encounter both ashes and rainbows at the beginning of Lent this year. On Ash Wednesday, ashes were put on our foreheads as a sign of our mortality and sinfulness. Today, we hear that God set a rainbow in the sky as a sign of the covenant with us. As we begin this season of Lent, let us recognize both truths: we are always in need of repentance, but God stands ever waiting to forgive us. As ashes reminds us to repent of our sins, may rainbows remind us of God’s eternal forgiveness.

We’ve had a very short Mardi Gras season this year. That meant we had less time to eat King Cakes. This is the last weekend before the big day on Tuesday. Let’s pray for everyone’s safety during the last few days of the Carnival season. For the rest of the nation, it will be a typical Monday and Tuesday, but for us it’s Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras. The church and cemetery offices will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, February 12 th & 13 th .

As we conclude Catholic Schools Week, the annual St. Peter School Alumni and Friends Reunion will be on Saturday, February 3, 2024. The celebration will begin with all alumni and friends of St. Peter School attending the 5:00 P.M. Vigil Mass, where the Distinguished Graduate will be introduced.