Third Sunday of Lent (Jn. 2:13-25) “Fasting, Prayer, Almsgiving”
Third Sunday of Lent (Jn. 2:13-25) “Fasting, Prayer, Almsgiving”
Sacred spaces are important in human life. For the ancient Jews the place that was most holy was the temple in Jerusalem. God was said to dwell there. Sacrifices were made there to thank God. People were initiated into the Jewish faith. Forgiveness was sought at the temple.
The temple was prominent in the life of Jesus. He traveled there many number of times in his life. The Christmas season ended not too long ago. We remember two stories from the childhood of Christ that happened at the temple. When Jesus was just a few days old he was taken to the temple where he was dedicated to the Lord. We also recall how he ran away to the temple when he was twelve to learn from the scribes about God his Father. He was in love with his religion.
Later in the Gospel narratives Jesus is said to come to the temple on festival days. We especially remember the last week of his life when he preached in the temple precincts. We should remember today, as we read the story of the cleansing of the temple. that Jesus didn’t disagree with the worship that took place there. But he was unhappy that people had forgotten that worship was to be a precursor to a holy way of life. He would have agreed with the prophet Isaiah who said, “These people pay me lip service, but their hearts are far from me.” Jesus valued liturgical worship. And that is why he frequented the temple whenever he could go there.
Sacred Heart church is a very important place for people to experience liturgical life. Every day we have Masses here. People come from all over the area because of the beauty of our space. Also, they come here because we have Mass times that are different. No other parish in our area offers a 6:30 a.m. daily Mass for example. If someone wants to encounter the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament before they start a difficult day, they know that they can come here. During COVID our Mass attendance fell. Slowly it recovered. We have heard often during this Eucharistic year about the importance of Eucharist in people’s lives. People are not passively entertained during Mass, but we greet others, we verbalize our prayers as a community, we process up to receive Jesus’ body and blood. We are also challenged to get involved. Jesus gave us this unique way to encounter him. The Eucharistic action is the something we participate in just as the Apostles did.
We have also seen a renewed hunger for other sacraments in the last couple of years as people look for new purpose in life. One of the things that our Bishop has emphasized is making disciples. Sacred Heart takes a time-honored approach to forming followers of Jesus. Our parish has the most children in Seton Catholic School (200). We have many students at Alleman. Our religious education program has also expanded to over 120 students. We have many children who have come to us for our RCIC programs. Youths of various ages are preparing for the sacraments of initiation right now. We also have adults who are in our OCIA program. Others come to our adult education offerings. When people walk through our doors wanting their family to join us, we are ready to show them the way to follow Jesus.
There are many stories to tell about our parish life. We could speak of our social life, the charitable works that so many people do, our outreach to the community. No church is a perfect place. We are a collection of sinners trying to imitate the life of Jesus. But we hope the community is a better place because Sacred Heart is here.
To continue the good work, I just described we need your help. Lent is a time to consider our almsgiving. We are challenging people to reflect on their offertory donations this year with the His Heart Our Hands program. You will receive a mailing this week that describes all the ways Sacred Heart touches the world. In the mailing is a brochure and pledge card. We are asking people to make a concrete commitment. You aren’t going to be billed for what you pledge but nonetheless we ask you to reflect on your commitment. You can turn in a commitment card or pledge on our parish website. Next week will be what we call commitment Sunday. We will have (in pew) solicitation for those who want to make their pledge here.
When people pass through our neighborhood, they see the spire of our church piercing the heavens. The physical structure of the church reminds them that God is present here in a special way. Hopefully, that is reassuring. Our doors are open so that people can enter and encounter God. The doors are also open here so we can go out to world to proclaim the Good News.
Reflection Questions:
Why is my parish special? How does it touch my life?
Where does my charitable giving go? Could I do more?
Dear Parishioners,
The 4th Sunday of Lent is Laetare Sunday. This is also will be commitment Sunday for our His Heart Our Hands program. Hopefully, you can donate to our offertory collection each week. We need your help if our parish is to remain financially sound.
Sometimes we get in a rut with our charitable giving. We might go for years to donate the same amount to charity. Meanwhile costs rise. Sacred Heart impacts all our lives. Most of us have contact with our parish often. But it is not just about us. It is also about loving our neighbor. When people are celebrating they come to Sacred Heart. Soon we will be celebrating the sacraments of initiation with dozens of our parishioners. When people are burdened, they also turn to the parish community for solace. When you donate to Sacred Heart financially you are participating in the ministry of the church.
Please turn in your commitment card. We would like to have everyone participate. Lent is about prayer, fasting and almsgiving. This is like a three-legged stool. If we cut off one leg the stool falls. Let’s engage in all three of the traditional penances.
May Our Lady of Peace pray for us,
Fr. Mark
P.S. Remember, the Lenten talk on Tuesday March 12th at noon. Fr. Britto Berchmans will be here to talk about healing relationships. The session is meant for busy people who still want to have some adult education. A simple lunch will be served