March 21, 2021 – Fifth Sunday of Lent

  1. Who Does Not Need Forgiveness? I believe it is impossible to live on this fallen planet without getting hurt, offended, misunderstood, lied to, and rejected. Learning how to respond properly is one of the basics of our Christian life. The word “forgive” means to wipe the slate clean, to pardon, to cancel a debt, to begin anew.  We forgive because God forgave. Read and reflect upon Ephesians 4:31-32 and Romans 5:8.  You are invited to our Lenten Reconciliation opportunities each Saturday following the 9:00 am Mass, Sunday evenings during Lent at our Holy Hours from 5:00-6:00 pm, or by appointment. Take advantage of this spiritual opportunity!
  2. “Sir, We Would Like To See Jesus:”  Today’s Gospel (John 12:20-33) tells us of the Greeks who said this. Who did they think they had come to see?  As non-Jews, they represent the world “outside that in which Jesus had spent his ministry.” With their coming, by “opening up” Jesus’ mission to the whole world, He can now proceed to its final stage. His “hour,” as John puts it, had finally arrived. This hour, longer than 60 minutes, is the entire process that we shall shortly be celebrating in Holy Week, and particularly in the Triduum (three days), the passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, Son of God and Son of Man. “The Hour” is the moment when the Father will truly “glorify God’s name,” for “when I am lifted from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”
  3. Feast of God Taking on Human Flesh! The Annunciation commemorates more than the angel’s announcement to Mary of her divine motherhood.  It celebrates God’s taking on human flesh. Today the Church gives praise to God for becoming one of us. God does so not to understand our experience better as human beings, but so that we humans might know God more intimately, so that we might see how much God loves us. Becoming human, God also links us more closely to one another. This feast reminds us that we have a mandate to love and care for one another. Remembering this exhortation to care for and love our neighbor, we say with Mary: “May it be done to me according to your Word“! I invite you to celebrate the dynamic gift of Eucharist at 7:00am or noon on Thursday, March 25, the feast of the Annunciation of Mary.  We have a stained glass window of the Annunciation, can you find it?
  4. Gratitude: one year ago on March 17, we livestreamed our first Mass, thanks to a generous bequest which enabled us to purchase the specialized equipment. Little did we know how important livestreaming would become, even as we were installing it into the Cathedral church building! We livestream on our Facebook page & YouTube channel. Thanks to our dedicated and generous livestream volunteers: Hannah Bland, John Calhoun, Patrick Calhoun, Joe Harris, Byron Hartz, Greg Hartz, Eddy McFarland, John Kurtz, Max Kurtz, and Tom Kurtz!
  5. No Unnecessary Meetings/Gatherings during the most solemn week of the Church year—Holy Week. This week is to be like no other. Let’s make every effort possible to keep the spirit of this most sacred time, remembering the gift of our redemption. If you have scheduled a meeting or an event, please reschedule it if it all possible. Prayer groups and Scripture studies would be the exception! May our Lenten disciplines (PRAYER for the soul, FASTING for the body, ALMSGIVING for our neighbor) and practices bring us into a sacred Holy Week and prepare us for a joyous Resurrection/Easter! If you cannot participate in person, our Holy Week services will be live-streamed.