PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD

28 MARCH 2021

 

          When Saint Paul wrote to the Church in Philippi, he knew that there were divisions and conflicts within the community.  So he tells them to imitate the example of Jesus Christ.  Unlike our first parents who grasped at equality with God, Jesus emptied himself of his equality with God, took the form of a slave, and remained obedient, even to the point of death.

            This magnificent Philippian hymn sets the stage for Holy Week.  We begin Holy Week by adding our voices to those in Jerusalem proclaiming “Hosanna,” welcoming Christ as our beloved king.  We sing “Hosanna” when we welcome the stranger in our midst, feed the hungry, or care for those in need.  But we also cry “Crucify him” when we fail to do these things.

            Holy Week unveils the drama of the central Mystery of our faith.  Holy Week invites us to put ourselves into the details of the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection.  At times, we are formed to do the right and just things, even when we do not understand.  In those cases, we are like the unnamed woman who shatters the alabaster jar to “waste” expensive oil to anoint Jesus. But at other times, we betray Jesus with our actions, like Judas Iscariot.  Or we are like Peter, James, and John, unable to stay awake during our watch.  Sometimes we are like Peter, very sure of our faith until we are tested.  More often than we care to admit, we are like Pilate, longing for justice but following the crowd.

            The readings of Palm Sunday set the stage for our participation in this Mystery this week.  Lent ends when we enter into the Triduum with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Thursday evening.  Please join us for the major Triduum Liturgies.  We have gone to great lengths to accommodate the crowds while still observing the pandemic protocols.  You can also follow all the Liturgies online. 

 

 

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

21 MARCH 2021

 

          Jesus has an important conversation today with a higher authority:  his heavenly Father.  After the stone had been rolled away from the tomb of Lazarus, he addresses his Father:  “Father, I thank you for hearing me.  I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.”  Then he cries out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  When the dead man emerges from his tomb tied hand and foot with burial bands, with his face wrapped in a cloth, Jesus commands that he be untied him and let go.

            On Good Friday, Jesus has a conversation with another higher authority:  Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor.  Pilate says to him, “Do you not speak to me?  Do you not know that I have power to release and I have power to crucify you?”  Jesus answers him, “You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above.  For this reason the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”

            In both cases, Jesus confronts death head on.  He knows the horror of death.  He has already expressed his hatred of death by being deeply perturbed and weeping at the tomb of Lazarus.  After being addressed by his Son so that the crowd would believe, the Father raises Lazarus.  Despite Pilate’s cowardly refusal to listen to him, the Spirit raises Jesus from the dead.  Death loses both times.

            Death always brings pain and grief.  But death loses.  The Elect have come to believe that truth in their formation through the RCIA this past year.  As we pray the third Scrutiny over them at the 10:00 Mass, they will be strengthened to approach the waters of Baptism at the Easter Vigil.  They will emerge from that watery tomb with all their sins forgiven, completely one with Christ.  They trust what Saint Paul tells the Romans in the second reading:  “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit dwelling in you.”

            In his conversation with Martha, Jesus does not tell her that the resurrection is an event that will occur in the distant future.  He tells her that he is the resurrection and the life now.  He promises her that those who believe in him, even if they die, will live.  We already share in his risen life through our baptism.  Only the burial bands of sin can separate us from his risen life.

            It is important to hear this message as we prepare to renew our faith in the resurrection at Easter.  In these final weeks of Lent, we must find ways to turn crucifixion into resurrection now.  We can roll away stones by giving the Lord’s mercy to others.  As Jesus orders Lazarus to be unwrapped with burial bands, we can breathe forgiveness to those who hurt us, just as the risen Christ will breathe forgiveness to the disciples who abandoned him.  We can expose the darkness of our prejudices and tendencies to isolate ourselves to the bright light of the Lord’s love.  We can die to our need for control and embrace the Lord’s call to embrace the will of the Father.

            Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead and instructs those around him to untie him and set him free.  The religious authorities respond to this miracle by resolving to put him to death.  They fear that if this final sign causes all to believe in him, the Romans will take away their land and nation.  The high priest Caiaphas tells the Sanhedrin:  “… it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.”  He is speaking selfishly of the power of the chief priests, who are aligned with the Romans.  Ironically, his words are truer than he could ever imagine.  When the Spirit frees Jesus from death, no one has to untie his burial bands.  They are wrapped up in the corner of the tomb on Easter Sunday.  He has died for the sake of all nations, and he will never die again.

 

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT

14 MARCH 2021

 

          At the beginning of his Gospel, Saint John reveals that Jesus is the light sent into the world to dispel its darkness.  Today, Jesus displays that truth to those gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.  During this harvest festival, faithful Jews would build tents in their fields to commemorate the journey of their ancestors from slavery to freedom in the desert, where they lived in tents. On this feast, the priests would bring water from the Pool of Siloam and pour it over the altar in the temple brightly lit with hundreds of candles and torches.

            Jesus chooses to work a miracle (or “sign”).  He passes by a man born blind from birth with his disciples.  Instead of debating about the origins of his blindness, Jesus points out that his blindness will become an opportunity for him to manifest God’s work.  Jesus takes the initiative, because the man does not ask to be healed.  By forming clay from the earthly materials of spit, water, and mud to smear on the man’s eyes, he manifests the truth of the Incarnation.  Jesus, the Son of God has a human body formed by the clay used by his Father to fashion our first parent.  He tells the man to go to the Pool of Siloam.  The man obeys and comes back able to see.

            This sign is visible to everyone.  Like the other six miracles in the Gospel of John, this sign has the power to give authority to the person of Jesus.  It can bring people to faith in Jesus.  It can teach the truth about the Incarnate Word of God and his power to bring light in the midst of darkness.  But the effectiveness of the miracle depends on the openness of people to accept it.

            We see the variety of responses in what happens next.  His neighbors ask a question. Is this the same man who lived among them or someone who looks like him?  The man insists that he is the same person.  He cannot answer their questions about how he was healed.  But he knows that Jesus did it.  Then the Pharisees, the religious leaders, get involved.  Some of them accept the sign.  Others insist that Jesus is a sinner, because he healed the man on the Sabbath.  The light of the world is already bringing about a judgment.  So they drag in his parents.  Afraid of being expelled from the synagogue, they refuse to get involved.  Finally, the religious leaders drag in the anonymous man to grill him.  In contrast to the fearfulness of his parents, he has the courage to speak the truth.  Once he has been expelled, he comes to see Jesus as the Incarnate Son of God, the true light sent to dispel the darkness of the world.

            During this past year, our Elect have been faithful to the Tuesday evening RCIA sessions and have followed the path to faith of the man born blind.  Their eyes have been opened to the truth about Jesus Christ.  They acknowledge him as the Light of the world.  They have turned away from other “lights” that have not saved them from darkness.  They look forward to the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil, when they will be freed from sin and receive the Light of Christ.  At the 10:00 Mass today, we will pray the second scrutiny over them and ask the Lord to continue to open their eyes to the presence of the Light of the world in their midst.

            Saint Paul reminds the rest of us that we have been enlightened when we were baptized.  We have not always lived our baptismal promises.  We have easily slipped back into darkness with our bad choices and sins.  Like Jesse, we have too often judged other people by outward appearances, instead of seeing them as God sees them.  As we pray for the Elect, we can allow the Lord to shine more brightly through us by receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  We can bring our deeds of darkness into the light of the Lord’s mercy and judgment.  We will be much more ready to renew our baptismal commitments at Easter.

 

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

7 MARCH 2021

 

          Water plays an important role in the Exodus story.  It symbolizes the freedom of the Israelites as they leave their slavery in Egypt and are sent into the desert to learn how to grow in relationship with God.  The infant Moses had been saved from death when his mother hides him in a papyrus basket on the Nile River.  The adult Moses confronts Pharaoh with the first of the ten plagues when he uses his staff to turn the water of the Nile into blood.  Moses dramatically leads his people through the waters of the Red Sea, which saves his people and drowns the Egyptian army pursuing them.  Throughout their forty-year journey in the desert, water plays a powerful role in their growing understanding of their relationship with God. 

            In today’s reading from the Book of Exodus, they complain about their thirst for water and accuse Moses of leading them into the desert to die.  Moses strikes the rock with his staff, causing water to flow to quench their thirst.  Despite the many times that God had proven his faithfulness, their fidelity is weak.  They are easily distracted from God’s providence.  But, God displays the gift of mercy in abundance, like a stream of flowing water that never runs dry.  Saint Paul speaks of this mercy incarnate in Jesus Christ and compares his grace to water being poured out into our hearts.

            When Jesus approaches Jacob’s well, he is thirsting for much more than a drink of water.  He is thirsting for the faith of this anonymous woman who represents the outcast Samaritans.  Just as his ancestors had courted their brides at this well, Jesus is the faithful bridegroom who courts the Samaritans.  He knows that they had chased after six false gods in the course of their occupations by foreign powers.  During their conversation, this woman responds to the courtship of the bridegroom.  At first, she sees him as a kind man who treats her with respect.  Then she recognizes him as a prophet, who speaks the truth with love.  Finally, he reveals to her that he is the Christ, the promised Messiah.  With her thirst for God satisfied, she leaves her most prized possession (her water jar) and becomes the first evangelist and spreads the Good News to her fellow Samaritans.  They trust her witness and come and see for themselves.

            The Elect of our parish are also thirsting for water.  After meeting every Tuesday night for the past year, they have come to understand that their thirst for God’s grace in their lives will be satisfied when they pass through the waters of Baptism at the Easter Vigil.  They have come to understand that the love of God, poured out into their hearts, will release them from all past sins and free them to embrace the Lord’s Sanctifying Grace in their lives.

            At the 10:00 Mass this morning, we prayed the first Scrutiny over them.  When we hear that word, we think that these poor people are being dragged to the front of church to be grilled about their past lives.  However, the three Scrutinies acknowledge the reality of sin in our world.  They acknowledge the truth that Satan does not want anyone else to be conformed to Christ in Baptism.  The Scrutiny invites the Elect to continue to turn away from whatever might lead them away from Christ and look forward to the grace of Christ poured into them in baptism.

            The Scrutinies teach a lesson to us who are baptized.  Like the Israelites wandering in the desert, we have experienced the water of God’s grace and love in the waters of Baptism.  Like them, we are easily distracted from God’s providence.  We constantly seek to satisfy our thirst for God in many other ways.  That is why we use this cycle of readings for these three Sundays of Lent.  They invite us to scrutinize our lives, name our sins, and turn more completely to the Lord.  Through the Lenten disciplines, we can express our awe and gratitude at the Lord’s presence in our lives.  Like the Samaritan woman, we can bring this Good News to others.

 

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

28 FEBRUARY 2021

 

          This account of Abraham willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, is one of the most chilling and gut wrenching stories in all of Scripture.  Yet, the Book of Genesis recounts it with little emotion.  To our modern ears, this story seems impossible.  Instead of trying to analyze it, we can see it as an account of faithfulness.  God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of a host of nations.  Abraham trusted that promise, even though he and his wife were beyond childbearing age.  Now, his trust in that promise is severely tested as he takes his only son to Mount Moriah.  How could God keep his promise if Abraham sacrificed the only link to that promise?  He places his entire life in the hands of the all-knowing and loving God.  Abraham passes the test.  God keeps his promise and assures Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sands on the seashore (the third of the Covenants). 

            We see a similar example of trust in today’s Gospel.  Jesus is a descendant of Abraham.  He assumes the role of both Abraham and Isaac.  He exhibits complete trust and puts his entire life into the hands of his all-knowing and loving Father.  He also assumes the role of Isaac.  He will become the sacrifice, the Lamb of God, who is willing to shoulder the cross and give himself to death out of love.  His decision is both chilling and gut wrenching.

            However, death will not be the end for him.  Isaac’s life was saved by the ram caught by its horns in a thicket.  Jesus will be saved from death by the Father raising him to transformed life.  On Mount Tabor, Peter, James, and John receive a glimpse of his resurrection.  The presence of Moses (giver of the law) and Elijah (the greatest of the prophets) underscores the faithfulness of an all-knowing and loving God who keeps promises.  The voice from the clouds repeats the identity of Jesus revealed at his Baptism:  “This is my beloved Son.”  Only this time, the voice instructs them:  “Listen to him.”

            They will indeed have to listen to him.  He will lead them from this mountain to another “mountain.”  On Mount Calvary, he will not be clothed in a dazzling white garment.  He will be stripped of his clothing.  There, he will not be surrounded by two venerable witnesses.  He will be surrounded by two thieves.  There he will not be enveloped in a cloud of glory.  He will be put to a dark and terrible death.  His disciples will have to learn the lesson of the cross and the death of the Messiah.  Only then will they understand what rising from the dead would mean.

            The Father gives us the same command:  “This is my beloved Son.  Listen to him.”  We must shoulder our crosses and carry them as we follow the Lord to Calvary.  Crosses come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.  Each of us has our own.  However, all of us are carrying a common cross these days – the cross of this pandemic.  This pandemic has dramatically changed our lives, charging all of us with heightened emotions.  These emotions are not surprising, because they are emotions associated with mourning.  We are mourning the loss of a normal life.  Mourning brings up different and powerful emotions:  denial, anger, depression, sadness, and many more.  All too often, we express these emotions in unhealthy ways – blaming others, lashing out in anger, or throwing full-fledged pity parties for ourselves. 

            These forty days of Lent can help us to see our changed lives as a cross.  Lent invites us to carry this very heavy cross together.  The disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving can encourage us to find healthy ways to vent our emotions.  More than anything else, our Lenten disciplines can remind us that this cross will not destroy us.  With the Lord carrying this cross with us, this cross can transform us.  This cross will end, and we will get a glimpse of what rising from the dead really means. 

 

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

21 FEBRUARY 2021

 

          In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus emerges from his baptism in the Jordan River and looks up to see the sky rent in two and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  Then he hears a voice from the heavens:  “You are my beloved Son.  On you my favor rests.”  Then the Spirit drives Jesus out into the desert.  Although Saint Mark does not give specifics, it is clear that Jesus spends his forty days in the desert being tested.  In the midst of wild beasts and angels ministering to him, Satan tests him.  Are you really the Son of God?  Or are you the son of a carpenter from Galilee?

            There is a contemporary metaphor that expresses the purpose of this desert experience.  It is known as “time out.”  Children today are sent to “time out” to force them to think about what they just did.  (My parents preferred corporal punishment, which they administered often.)  Hopefully, they will emerge from “time out” to with their behavior modified.  Of course, Jesus never turned away from his Father and did not need to modify his behavior.  But his “time out” clearly shows that he passes all of Satan’s tests.  His “time out” is very different from his ancestors.  They had spent forty years in the desert of Sinai.  In their “time out,” they had failed the tests time and again, losing faith in God and Moses and turning to other sources, thinking that those created objects could save them.

            The Spirit has driven us into this “time out,” this forty-day Season of Lent.  This “time out” is not punishment for our sins.  Instead, we might see it in terms of a sporting analogy.  In football and basketball, time outs are crucial to the coach’s effort to win the game.  They are not penalties inflicted on the team by a referee.  Rather, time outs are limited and cherished assets.  The coach uses time outs at the most important moments of the contest.  Time outs allow the team to focus their thoughts, to regain their stamina, or to align their wills for the deciding point of the contest.

            We are not involved in a sporting event in terms of our faith.  However, we are on a pilgrimage walking to the New and Eternal Jerusalem.  On Wednesday, we were sprinkled with ashes to remind us that death awaits each of us on our pilgrimage.  That reminder tells us that this is the perfect time for us as the Church to take a “time out.”  Knowing that each of us will die impels us to use these forty days to focus our thoughts, to regain our stamina, and to align our wills for the deciding point of our journey of faith.  We enter into this “time out” by embracing some kind of penance.  We can spend more time in prayer during these days.  We have provided many resources to help.  We can commit ourselves to fasting either from food or drink or from Facebook or video games.  Mindful of our many blessings, we can be attentive to the needs of those who lack these basic essentials and be generous in almsgiving.

            We began our pilgrimage when we emerged from the waters of Baptism.  For those who will receive the Easter Sacraments of Initiation, this forty day “time out” is their final time of preparation.  Their motives for receiving the Sacraments of Initiation will be purified and their hearts will be enlightened.  This “time out” can do the same for us, especially because we are more like Israelites in their “time out” than Jesus Christ in his.  We have failed to keep our baptismal promises.  Trusting that the ashes of our death will not be the end for us, we can see these forty days of “time out” as a gift.  This gift allows us to make the necessary adjustments to align ourselves with the Lord.  Then we can renew our baptismal promises at Easter, when we celebrate the Lord’s victory over sin and death.

 

ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEDICATION OF SAINT PIUS X CHURCH

14 FEBRUARY 2021

 

          This conversation between Jesus and his disciples occurs at an interesting place.  Caesarea Philippi was a Hellenistic city located at the headwaters of the Jordan River. It was populated by Gentiles, and there was a shrine dedicated to the pagan god, Pan.  Years earlier, Augustus Caesar had given the city to Herod the Great, who gave it to his son Phillip the tetrarch, who renovated it and named it after himself. 

            Far removed from the Jewish crowds and those trying to trap him, Jesus asks his disciples what people are saying about him.  They tell him the various opinions.  There is a common theme:  Jesus is in the line of the prophets.  He calls people to repentance.  He works mighty deeds.  He speaks of God’s will for his people.  Over the centuries, prophets had consistently given hope that God would keep the Covenant he had made to David.  That Covenant is the last of the Old Testament Covenants in the center aisle of our church.  God promised David that he would establish his kingdom for all time.  One of his heirs would be an “adopted son.”

            Then Jesus asks his disciples who they think he is.  Simon Peter calls him the Christ, the Anointed One, who has fulfilled the promise centuries after the Monarchy of David had collapsed.  Then he identifies him as the Son of the living God.  Jesus acknowledges that Peter did not make a good guess.  His Father has inspired him to make his profession of faith.  Despite the many faults of Simon Peter, Jesus calls him the “Rock” upon which he will build his Church.

            Jesus is not talking about a physical building when he intends to build his Church on the rock of Peter’s faith.  He is speaking of a gathering of people, the Mystery that Saint Paul mentions in his Letter to the Ephesians.  His Church is composed of people, living stones, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ himself as the capstone. 

            We are those living stones.  The Lord incorporated us into a living temple through the waters of Baptism.  He continues to form us through the Sacramental life of the Church.  Today, we stand in our physical temple like Solomon, who gives thanks to God for the temple he had built after the death of David.  As we celebrate this anniversary of the dedication of our church, we are grateful for the ways our parish has embraced the stewardship of prayer, service, and sacrifice.  These stones are the result of many sacrifices made by living stones.  We give thanks to God for the ways this sacred space has served our parish.  We now realize that the technology built into our Church has allowed us to broadcast Masses, weddings, funerals, and many other liturgical services and prayers to those who could not join us in person during this this time.

            This past year has been difficult in many ways.  The pandemic has changed our lives.  There have been deep divisions about how to handle the pandemic and deep divisions in our culture.  However, we can trust the leadership of Bishop Rhoades, a successor of the Apostles, who provides a sense of unity as he continues to guide us through these times.  We see the image of Saint Peter, as we continue to ask the intercession of Saint Pius X, one of his successors.  Jesus will keep his promise that the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against us.

            In addition to praising God for the gift of our church, it is time to renew our stewardship of sacrificial giving.  Please read the information we have sent to your home.  Please pray about your response and be prepared to make a commitment next Sunday.  For now, please listen to Mike and Tracey Plenzler, as they share their story of embracing stewardship as a way of life.

[Mike]

Hello St. Pius Family!

I am Mike Plenzler and this is my wife, Tracey.

This upcoming Labor Day weekend, we will celebrate our 34^th wedding anniversary and we have been SO blessed over the years.  We have two beautiful daughters, Ashley and Alissa.  Ashley is married to Coilin Walsh and together they have 2 wonderful daughters, Maeve (2) and Ellie Grace (2 months).  Alissa continues to establish herself as an accomplished vocalist and instructor.

We moved to this area in 1997 and quickly became members of St. Pius and it felt like home from the first day.  Tracey signed up for RCIA that Fall and Ashley and Alissa received the Sacraments of Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation at the appropriate times.  We basically checked the appropriate boxes along the way.

However, nine years ago, we encountered a challenge to our faith life, at least what we thought was our faith life.  This challenge caused us to look very closely at our priorities.  We decided we needed to learn more about Catholicism.  We turned to prayer, study and of course guidance from our Pastor, Fr. Bill!

We have continued working on our relationship with God since then and He has continued to bless us in so many ways.  As a result, when we were asked to be a part of the Capital Campaign for this beautiful Church we just had to say YES.  YES to being a part of building the kingdom of God!  YES to our family and the communities we are a part of and YES to our St Pius Family. 

[Tracey]

Please understand this is NOT a disguised pitch for the capital campaign.  Rather, over the last 24 years and more specifically the last 8, WE have grown exponentially by giving of our Time, Talent and Treasure.  Many years ago we joined our first service opportunity as Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist and still enjoy serving today.  Mike is a long-time lector at Sunday mass and currently 6:45 am weekday masses.  We’ve both been on CRHP teams and I have recommitted to being a member of the Continuation Committee with Christ Renews His Parish/Welcome ministry and enjoy being a member of the core team of Rooted in Christ’s Love.  We also commit time daily to grow in our relationship with Christ in prayer with the Liturgy of Hours, scripture, Lectio Divina and silent prayer. 

We say YES to Father Bill when he asks about opportunities like this one, and of course, plan regular giving to the Church when we review our monthly budget with the intent on increasing our giving annually.  We remain committed to giving our first fruits to further build the kingdom of God. 

[Mike]

Saint Peter says, “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”  (1 Peter 4:10)   So, please, we invite you to join us in giving of your Time, Talent and Treasure to the Church in whatever way you can.