He Comes
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
We have already gone through four weeks where we have been preparing for living this Holy Week healthily because this week we commemorate the passion and death of the saint of Our Redeemer, living healthily means to try to live with the same spirit in which Jesus lived in Nazareth. We need to attend with Religious Spirit the liturgical purpose these days by having an attitude of recollection, of meditation and of worship.
And the people shouted: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! We begin Holy Week with the procession with palms. We should accompany, happily and excited the one who comes in the name of the Lord, who comes to save us and to announce our freedom. We should feel happy and grateful to God for allowing us to accompany him in his painful road to the summit of the resurrection and raise our palms and let us sing with humility to God who saves us.
Jesus is still dying today; today He invites us to choose which path to follow. He asks which side we want to be: With or against the suffering servant of Yahweh? Indifference here is not possible. Jesus awaits our response: If we are in favor of justice, supporting the weak, struggling for a better world, suffering what is intended for us in order to make gospel reality and being followers of Jesus to death. We have to ask, what character do I identify with? Perhaps with Judas, the traitor, or Peter, the coward, with John, the faithful disciple, with good thief, with the holy women … Today Jesus is dying for us and for many “Christs” in the world who suffer “their passion.”
Message from Pope Francis
“As a way of overcoming indifference and our pretensions to self-sufficiency, I would invite everyone to live this Lent as an opportunity for engaging in what Benedict XVI called a formation of the hear. A merciful heart does not mean a weak heart. Anyone who wishes to be merciful must have a strong and steadfast heart, closed to the tempter but open to God. A heart which lets itself be pierced by the Spirit so as to bring love along the roads that lead to our brothers and sisters. And, ultimately, a poor heart, one which realizes its own poverty and gives itself freely for others. Then, brothers and sisters, let us all ask the Lord: Make
our hearts like yours (Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). In this way we will receive a heart which is firm and merciful, attentive and generous, a heart which is not closed, indifferent or prey to the globalization of indifference. May the Lord bless you and Our Lady keep you.” —Pope Francis
Holy Week
Come live with us this Holy Week where we commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. Holy Week is one of the most deep-rooted feasts of Christianity in centuries of tradition. Starts with Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday. Holy Week is preceded by Lent, which ends in the week of the passion where the Eucharist is celebrated on Holy Thursday, Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday and resurrection
is celebrated on Easter vigil during the night of Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday.
Holy Triduum:
The most important days of Holy Week are formed by the so-called Easter Triduum: Introducing the Triduum (Holy Thursday and Good Friday), in which Christ’s death is commemorated; Holy Saturday, which commemorates Christ in the tomb and Easter Sunday of Resurrection.
Suggestions: How to celebrate Holy Week?
- Make a good confession
- Become aware of the Holy Week activities in your parish
- Visit other parishes
- Take part in the Easter Vigil.
Elect to Celebrate the Sacraments
The following people are those who will receive the sacraments of Christian initiation (Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation) at the Easter Vigil, April 4, 2015: Joanne Vega, Justin Martinez, Kimberly Hernandez, Gilberto Carcamo, Angelica Quintanilla, Ezequiel Alvizar, Erick Alvizar, Odalis Alvizar, Mirka Alvizar, Victor Hernandez, Vanessa Sanchez, Jose C. Sanchez, Eduardo Sanchez, Carmen Garcia & Karin Antonio Lopez
News
- We congratulate the members of our parish community that are preparing the Living Stations of the Cross with great responsibility and devotion.
- You are cordially invited to attend the scenes of the Via Crucis represented by members of our parish community on Friday, April 3rd, at 4pm at the corner of Paxton St. and Remick Ave.
- We invite you to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Friday from 8am to 6pm. We invite and encourage you to spend a few minutes in the company of Jesus.
- Every day at 5pm we invite you to pray the Holy Rosary for the increase of priestly and religious vocations. We await you in the church.
- We welcome Fr. Victor Santoyo who has come to visit us. May the Lord continue to bless him in his priestly ministry as a Good Shepherd to the People of God.