Fourth Sunday of Lent March 27, 2022

1 Fourth Sunday of Lent March 27, 2022 State Charity Raffle Tickets For Sale $5ea 100% of the proceeds support your brother Knights and other members of our community to alleviate sorrow, ease financial burdens and restore hope to victims and families of accidents and illness. Knights are selling tickets after Masses or stop in to the parish office. Prizes 1st prize $50,000 or a new Ford F150 XLT Supercab; 2nd prize is $25,000 or a new Harley Davidson motor-cycle. 98 people will win $500. Last year the KC s sold over 500,000 tickets which means that your odds of winning are certainly much better than in the State Lottery. 4th Sunday of Lent 2 March 27, 2022 Stewardship The Sixth Station of the Cross is Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus.

2 The face of God became flesh in the face of Jesus, who smiled upon sinners with tenderness. He looked with pleasure on little Zacchaeus up in the tree and decided to stay with him rather than the self-righteous and respectable people. He smiled on Levi, another tax collector, and called him to discipleship. He looked with kindness on Peter after he betrayed him. But what about us? We are the Body of Christ, and so we must be the face of Jesus today. It is the small but necessary beginning of all Christian witness. According to the legend, Jesus on the way to the cross found among a crowd of hostile faces one that gazed on him with pity, and to her he gave an image of his face.

3 May our faces be shaped by grace into tenderness and welcome, true images of his. May we always see with Jesus compassion and be alert to those who feel invisible and despised, recognizing them as our brothers and sisters. -Timothy Radcliffe, Stations of the Cross Holy Week and Easter We are in need of a large number of Liturgical Ministers for Palm Sunday , Holy Week, and Easter. Hospitality Ministers, Proclaimers of the Word, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and Altar check for openings on the app and sign up as soon as possible when you know you are available. If you have trouble with the app, please call or email Carol Reider and she can add your name.

4 Thank you for your service to our parish. For Your marriage Praying the Stations of the Cross is an ancient tradition going back to the 4th century when Christians went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The 14 Stations commemorate Jesus last day on earth and allow us to recall and meditate on specific details that Jesus experienced. There is a prayerful version of the Stations of the Cross written for marriage and families that can be found at the website listed below. Its purpose is to encourage all to reflect on Jesus passion in the context of family life, whether those families are immediate or extended, near or far, known or unknown.

5 As St. John Paul II told us, the family is the building block of society, and so in this meditation, we pray for all families in light of the Way of the Cross. You can find this prayerful meditation at: From the desk of Fr. Really? The hallway was dimly lit with concrete walls on either side of me. An imposing police officer led me through where numerous inmates were taking part in a Bible study. Finally, we reached an empty jail cell with a metal picnic table in the center. I sat down, and soon I was joined by a man about my age in an orange jumpsuit. Sitting across from this man, my heart began to race. With-out a police officer in the cell with us, thoughts like, Surely I can take this guy if he attacks me, ran through my head.

6 But then he began to tell me his story, and everything changed. Right in front of me was a broken man. He was ashamed of himself. He had lost all hope. He had hit rock bottom. After hearing him out I simply asked, Do you know Jesus loves you? He isn t happy with what you did, but He still loves you and wants to make you whole again. Even before I finished those few sentences, this big man started to cry. This man had heard all these things before, but probably for the first time in his life he actually heard them. He is not destined to remain smothered in the garbage of his past sins, but rather offered a new life in Jesus. St. Paul speaks of this reality for all reborn in Jesus.

7 Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away (2 Cor. 5:17a). The message of Jesus and St. Paul are thousands of years old, yet in that present moment their message rang true in the bruised and broken heart sitting across from me. As a cradle Catholic, I ve heard the good news of Jesus s love from little on. However, watching another finally receive that message revealed to me the true power of the Gospel. Unfortunately, the Gospel can sometimes fall on our deaf ears. We ve heard it before and so it just kind of washes over us, and we don t allow it to sink in. In this, we forget the great power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

8 With Easter rapidly approaching, I encourage you to hear the Gospel message anew. Make these last few weeks of Lent count. Try to hear the message of Jesus s love as if you were hearing it for the very first time. Like the young man I met in the jail cell, allow Jesus to speak directly to your heart. Give Him the opportunity to make you a new creation in Himself. 4th Sunday of Lent 3 March 27, 2022 Enrollment and re-enrollment for the 2022-23 school year is now open! If you are interested in exploring your options when it comes to education, we would be happy to show you what Aquinas has to offer. We have options for financial aid beginning in 5K, after-school care options, and wide-reaching bus routes throughout the area!

9 Aquinas Catholic Schools is a Christ-centered family devoted to nurturing students of all faiths through educational excellence in its vibrant Catholic tradition. Contact with any questions or visit to get started. Follow @AquinasCatholicSchools on Facebook to stay up-to-date on everything Aquinas. Lent is a Season of Enlightenment It is necessary for us to acknowledge the reality of sin and the real struggle between good and evil. We can become used to the darkness and not even realize we are enslaved. There is a need to be continually exposed to the light of Christ and His grace to help us in the struggle to overcome the darkness of Satan and sin.

10 Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life (John 8:12). This enlightenment the light of faith allows us to know which way to go and where we are going; to the Kingdom of Jesus, which is also a Kingdom of Light. Jesus says: I am the Light of the world. The foundation of this Kingdom is to love God with our whole heart, mind and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus died on the cross so that our sins can be forgiven. We, in turn, are called to forgive others. Important Faith Formation Dates Wed. March 30 No Faith Formation Catechist Appreciation Night Wed. April 6 Knights Lenten Soup Supper for Faith Formation Families in the gathering place at 5:30pm Franciscan CORE June 19-25, 2022 This youth theology institute is a five-day summer service opportunity offering education, experience, and reflection on Catholic Social Teaching themes and principles using a Franciscan lens.