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Spring Voice 2010
LENT 2010
As we enter more deeply into the season of Lent, we are invited to share deeply the mystery of the Justice of God, who is Christ himself. This is the theme that Pope Benedict set forth for the season of Lent this year. I share with you part of his reflection on the Justice of God which we come to know in Christ:
Conversion to Christ, believing in the Gospel, ultimately means this: to exit the illusion of self-sufficiency in order to discover and accept one’s own need – the need of others and God, the need of His forgiveness and His friendship. So we understand how faith is altogether different from a natural, good-feeling, obvious fact: humility is required to accept that I need Another to free me from "what is mine," to give me gratuitously "what is His." This happens especially in the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Thanks to Christ’s action, we may enter into the "greatest" justice, which is that of love (cf. Rm 13, 8-10), the justice that recognises itself in every case more a debtor than a creditor, because it has received more than could ever have been expected.
As the Holy Father teaches: Lent is a time for us when God’s grace reaches out through our relationship to one another in the Church and to Him to "free me from "what is mine," to give me gratuitously "what is His." The traditional acts of Lent, prayer, fasting, and alms giving are the obvervances which build upon this gift of freedom.
The Holy Father urges us to enter into this gift of new freedom through the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist. During this Lenten season, we have added two additional times for the celebration of Reconciliation: 6:30 on Wednesday nights and Noon on Fridays. The daily celebration of the Lenten Masses is a wonderful invitation to prayer, along with the Stations on Friday night and the celebration of Taize Evening Prayer on Wednesday nights.
How can I fast appropriately? I personally find the Muslim tradition of fasting during the day to be rather meaningful. It means after early morning breakfast, no snacking, no lunch, no treats until sundown. It is a way of offering the day to God and his service. In this observances, in our bodies we know "the illusion of our self sufficiency."
Finally, the journey of Lent has two primary purposes: 1) to unite ourselves to all those people preparing to join the Church in the celebration of the Easter Sacraments, and 2) to prepare ourselves to enter into the fullness of the Sacred Triduum - the two days of fast (Good Friday and Holy Saturday) and the day of glorious Easter celebration. I pray that we rejoice in the Justice of God which frees us from sin and selfishness to make this Lenten journey with Christ.
FACILITIES REPORT
The Facilities Committee is in the process of looking at the challenges we face here at St. Mary’s. Our gym/upper unit boiler is having some problems. The future of the heating systems in the fifty+ year old buildings is obviously problematic. We postponed a Capital Campaign for eighteen months ago, early in the financial melt down, but maybe now the reality of our needs may call us to begin this process. The priorities have not been agreed upon, but I can give you my own preliminary list: Three phase power upgrade, HVAC upper pod, HVAC lower pod, Windows in classroom buildings, sound system for Church, painting in Church, roof upgrades, HVAC in gym, Church, administration wing, replace asphalt in parking areas and 50K settlement debt. One item that is clear is that the parking lot asphalt is beyond repair and so must be removed before being replaced. Therefore there is no reason not to wear it out completely before doing that removal. The Committee will clarify the priorities and present proposal to the Pastoral and Finance Councils and to the community.
December Voice 2009
Carillon
I hope that you have heard the Bells ringing the call to worship as you have come to Mass in the last three weeks. An anonymous donor has given the parish this new electronic Carillon. The Carillon can be programed to do many things, even to ring on the hour if that was the wish of the community.
In the Churches tradition the bells are rung each day to announce the call to prayer. The most traditional prayer invitation is for the Angelus which is rung morning, noon and night. We will ring the Angelus each day at noon and at 6:00pm. At the end of the day the bell tolls the remembrance of the dead. If you are on the grounds you will hear the bell toll at 9:00pm to remember the departed. The prayer of remembrance is called the De Profundis.
Finally on Sunday, the bells announce the celebration of the Eucharist by the community. The "Call to Worship" will be rung three minutes before the 5:30pm Saturday night Mass, and before the 9:00am and 11:15am Masses on Sunday. The Carillon has the capability of playing over 2000 songs. For example after the Masses of the Christmas or Easter season, you will hear the playing of seasonal songs on the bells. The Carillon can provide a tolling of the bells at the end of a funeral or the celebration bells at the end of a wedding.
The text of the Angelus and the De Profundis:
Angelus
The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary..
Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done to me according to thy Word.
Hail Mary...
And the Word was made flesh.
And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary...
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us Pray
Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts; that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. AMEN
De Profundis (Ps 130)
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Lord hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, Lord who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered.
I trust in the Lord; my soul trusts in his word. My soul waits for the Lord more than sentinals wait for the dawn.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn, let Israel wait for the Lord. For with the Lord is kindness and with him is plenteous redemption; and he will redeem Israel from all their iniquites.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And Let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.
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