From the Pastor's Desk -March 29
Dear parishioners,
First, I would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone visiting our parish today with family or friends. I am well aware of the difficulties we all face in keeping our faith alive. If you are visiting for the first time in a while, know that you are in my prayers, and that you are invited to become an active member of our parish. We are here to support you and your family on your faith journey and help you reconnect with or deepen your practice of our faith.
Today we enter Holy Week through Palm Sunday. Christ entered Jerusalem hailed as a King and proclaimed as the long-expected Messiah. The pilgrims who came to Jerusalem with Jesus spread their garments on the street along with Jesus passes. This has a precise meaning: it is a gesture of enthronement in the tradition of the Davidic kingship (as explained by Pope Benedict XVI). We know what happened a few days later: Jesus was crucified as the King of the Jews. The crucifixion summarizes his mission: to rescue us from the power of Satan and death by surrendering himself in all humility. Christ has chosen to be always at our feet as the humble servant of God.
The gesture of spreading garments finds a more radical expression in the gesture of Christ during the Last Supper: the washing of the feet. Among the different explanations given buy theologians, two stand out. The washing of the feet was a symbolic action pointing to Jesus´ death and it is also paradigmatic of the service he came to fulfil, to give us an example of true service. But, Pope Benedict XVI explains a deeper meaning to just an exterior example: Jesus´action becomes ours, because he is acting in us. “He who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater than these because I go to the Father” John 14:12.
I am also glad to report that we have finished installing a new roof on our parish hall/school gym. Thanks to all who donated and to EZ Prado Construction for their generous donation of time and labor. We are improving our facilities one step at a time, and the damage from the recent ice and snow storm became a total priority. Seeing such a strong response and growing sense of ownership from many of our school and parish families is inspiring. The proceeds from our Aquinas second collection, which totaled over $8,000, were used entirely to fund part of the new roof.
Finally, I would like to encourage you to attend the Solemn Triduum liturgies: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. These are the most important feasts of our faith, and we want to celebrate them together. On Saturday, we will welcome our newest brothers and sisters, who will be fully initiated through the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist. Please pray for them, and do your best to attend the Easter Vigil on Saturday, April 4, at 8:00 p.m., followed by a simple reception.
May the Lord bless your family with a renewed sense of belonging and faith this Holy Week!
Fr. Álvaro
