Seventh Sunday of Easter

My Dear Parishioners,
 
In our celebration of the Lord’s Day we mark the Seventh Sunday of Easter. In the reading of Acts of the Apostles we hear how the members of the Early Church chose to replace Judas who had betrayed the Lord Jesus. They did so by praying and then by casting lots. Of the two worthy candidates proposed, Barsabbas, also known as Justus and Matthias; it was Matthias who was chosen to join the Twelve in the apostolic office. Prayer assisted the Apostles in making the correct choice.
 
Prayer was a defining characteristic of the Early Church. We read that after the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven the disciples returned to the Upper Room in Jerusalem, “ When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas, the son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” (Acts 1:13-14)
 
Prayer prepares us to welcome the Lord and His will for our lives. Prayer gives us strength, insight, motivation and so much more. For this reason, along with our union with God, prayer is vital for the life of a disciple. The Scriptures testify that the disciples waited and prepared for the coming of the Holy Spirit by praying in novena, which is for nine days, as the Lord instructed them for the Pentecost event which would change their lives. Gathered around the Mother of God and Ever Virgin Mary, the Disciples followed her posture in welcoming the Holy Spirit. As the Lord Jesus was born from the Blessed Virgin Mary, so too is the Blessed Virgin present at the birth of the Church at Pentecost. She is the Mother of Our Lord and the Mother of the Church.
 
Next week I plan to use my pastor’s article to address the new liturgical observance our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has established on the Monday after Pentecost.
 
This week I will be away on Tuesday and Wednesday leading a group of parishioners on a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. visiting shrines and sites dedicated to Saint John Paul II and the Holy Scriptures. I am looking forward to this spiritual journey.
 
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all the mothers of our parish. Through the intercession of the Mother of God and Ever Virgin Mary, may our mothers be blessed with health, strength and all the wonderful gifts which come from above. May Christ who is risen from the dead grant eternal joy to the souls of our mothers who have gone before us – may they rest in peace!
 
Christ is Risen!
Father Zig