Fr. Lara's Lines
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Lazarus Raised from the Dead
In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus raises Lazarus from the
dead. This amazing miracle speaks of the divinity of
Jesus, letting us know that he has power over sin and
death. Lazarus was not only brought back to life, but
also given a new life in Jesus Christ. Jesus takes care
of the dead and the living. He consoles Lazarus’ sisters,
giving them hope in the resurrection on the last day.
This miracle communicates several things to the witnesses
and to all people. He is fully human and fully divine.
He has conquered sin and death. He comforts the
afflicted, gives hope to those in despair, and gives
new life since he is the resurrection and the life.
I invite you to reflect on the story of Lazarus and his
sisters, Martha and Mary. Are you like Martha who
questioned Jesus when dealing with the loss of a loved
one? She was in despair because of the death of her
brother. Her pain and spiritual suffering prevented her
from trusting in Jesus. We all go through suffering and
pain in our lives. Jesus invites us to trust in him. Are you
like Mary, who stayed at home depressed or grieving
the situation? Mary did not know how to respond to
Lazarus’ passing. Sometimes we don’t know what to do.
We freeze when facing bad news. Jesus invites us to
come to him and embrace his presence. Jesus will
comfort us and give us the peace we need. We are all
like Lazarus, who was raised from the dead by Jesus.
We have received new life in Christ at Baptism. Also,
in the Sacrament of Confession, our souls are brought to
life again by his mercy. What does the story of Lazarus
say to you? Do you identify with any of the people
from the story?
Annunciation of the Lord
We celebrate the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord
on March 25. This is one of the most important days in
our faith since it commemorates the incarnation of Our
Savior. On this day, the Church celebrates the Word
made flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The gospel of Luke narrates the annunciation of the
angel Gabriel to Mary: “The angel Gabriel was sent
from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a
virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of
David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to
her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for
you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive
in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him
Jesus." On that day, God’s promise of salvation was
fulfilled. His only begotten son was conceived in the
most sacred womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The
baby would be born in nine months, since he is like us in
all things except sin. After nine months, on Christmas,
December 25, Jesus was born into the world. So the
feast of the Annunciation is the beginning of God’s
new covenant with his people.
The feast of the Annunciation also speaks about Mary’s
trust in God, or her fiat. Mary’s yes to God confirmed
Mary’s total surrender. The archangel Gabriel came to
Mary with a difficult and confusing message, but Mary
knew that it came from God and she accepted it with
humility: “Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaid of the
Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
Mary’s abandonment of her own will to God is an
example for us to follow. It is difficult to trust in God
when the unexpected happens. Many times, our faith
and trust in God is not as strong as we might think it is.
We struggle to embrace God’s will in our lives. Mary
invites us to trust in God’s plans. When have you had a
difficult time trusting in God’s plan? Do you surrender
your life to God when he calls you to do something that
isn’t in your plans?
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross is a Lenten devotional practice for
Catholics. Praying the stations helps us reflect on the
passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Lent echoes
the spiritual journey of Jesus, which began with opposition,
rejection, and suffering. This trail led him to his death
and finally his resurrection. The Stations of the Cross
vividly tell us the struggles and pain of Jesus, carrying
the cross, falling three times, being rejected by the
people, dying on the cross, etc. We also hear about
those around Jesus who suffered along with him: His
Mother Mary, who undergoes the almost impossible task
of seeing her son dying on the cross, Veronica and the
women of Jerusalem, who grieve the suffering of Christ,
and even the repentant thief, who knows that Jesus
doesn’t deserve to die.
Our parish community has been praying the Stations of
the Cross every Friday during Lent. As we gather in
Church, we remember Jesus’ love for humankind. He
took on all the sin and dysfunction in the world to the
point of death. By dying, Jesus set us free from the
power of evil to live as children of God. I invite you
to keep meditating on the Stations of the Cross for the
rest of the Lenten season. It will help us to be grateful
for all Jesus has done for us.
Peace
Fr. Lara
Recognize God in Your Oridinary Moments - By Colleen Jurkiewicz Dorman
Offerings
Offer it up. My grandmother used this phrase with
her children, and my mother, in turn, used it with
me. It’s a kind of verbal heirloom, a gift of wisdom
from a generation that knew suffering all too
well. We know it to be true that God will work
through our suffering if we invite him to. We know
it and we have seen it — we have only to look at
Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary.
But, often, I invite God into my suffering only to
tell Him where I want Him to stand. I make an
offering of suffering but expect God to do
something very specific with it. Teach me this,
please. Give me this specific grace. Show me this
specific answer.
The happy ending in today’s Gospel is not the
alleviation of the sorrow Martha and Mary feel
because it isn’t alleviated, Lazarus is still human,
and death still awaits him. Someday, his sisters
will have to mourn at his tomb. That loss and pain
will not be avoided. The happy ending is that he
is resurrected now, and in doing so, brings so
many to belief. The happy ending is that Martha
and Mary do not abandon discipleship because
things didn’t work out exactly the way that they
wanted. They run out to meet Christ, eyes dim
with tears. They fling themselves into his company
and onto his providence.
They made an offering of their suffering, and
their happy ending is that their offering was
accepted.
“You are not in the flesh, on the contrary, you are
in the spirit.” — Romans 8:9
©LPi
Honor Our Military
Please take time to give thanks for those who have served and
are serving in our military and to pray for the safety of those who
may currently be in harm’s way. In a special way, we thank and
pray for these parishioners and relatives of parishioners.
He Who Sacrificed His Life
†CHRISTOPHER ZIMNY
Those Still Serving
JAY MARTIN, Nephew of Becky and Tom Brennan
JESSICA CAMERON, Niece of the Cameron Family
JOHN PODCZASKI, Grandson of Genevieve Podczaski
STEVEN TUMBARELLO, Son of Sylvia & Vince Tumbarello
CRAIG BEHRENDT, Grand-nephew of Sister Mary Helen
DANIEL BELZER, Nephew of Dave & Bev Belzer
MICHAEL KELLY, Nephew of Kevin and Kathy Kelly
EUGENE WALL, Nephew of Suzanne Lessner
NAILL SWIDER, Grand-nephew of Alice Swider
BRYAN DUFF, Son of Julie Duff
RYAN BLOCHBERGER, Nephew of Mae Grady
TIMOTHY DWORKIN, Grandson of Barbara Bouska
ALEXIS GONZALES, Great-niece of Eden & Lyle Gonzales-Nemzin
JACK MAHON, JR., Son of Jack, Sr. & Eileen Mahon
MICHAEL FOLEY
JOHN FOLEY
PETER MULLER
DANIEL FRAYNA
JOSEPH GULLO
SANG HOON LEE
ANTHONY PALMERO
MORRIS COREY MCMAHON, SON OF CHRIS & JULIE MCMAHON
RYAN FONTILLAS
To add or remove someone, please send the person’s name and relationship (optional) to bulletin@stcatherinelaboure.com
Please Pray for Ukraine
For our sisters and brothers involved in or
affected by the war and devastation in Ukraine--
the deceased, the injured, the frightened, the
displaced, the fighters, the protesters, the leaders.
May God give them solace, healing, comfort, and
hearts and minds directed toward peace.
Donations can be made here:
Knights of Columbus: https://www.kofc.org/secure/en/donate/ukraine.html
Caritas: https://www.caritas.org/
Ukrainian Catholic Archdiocese of Philidelphia: https://ukrarcheparchy.us
"May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war" - Pope Francis
Neighbors of other Faiths
The Golden Rule
Excerpted from charterforcompassion.org/the-golden-rule-in-seven-major-religions
We may speak of great differences in
religious beliefs and forms of worship
around the world. Called by an endless
number of names, all, however, recognize and worship a Supreme
Being. And all religions, somewhere in their sacred literature,
expound the fundamental philosophy of the Golden Rule.
Buddhism: Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.
~ Buddha, Undanavarga 5:18
Christianity: Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that all men
should do to you, do ye even so to them.
~ Matthew 7:12
Confucianism: What you do not want done to yourself, do not do
to others.
~ Confucius, Analects 15:23
Hinduism: Good people proceed while considering what is best
for others is best for themselves.
~ Hitopadesa
Islamism: No one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother
what he loves for himself.
~ Mohammed, Traditions
Judaism: And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
~ Leviticus 19:18
Zoroastrianism: Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do
unto others.
~ Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29