Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     Last Sunday we journeyed with Christ into the desert to contemplate His encounter with the devil and the temptations He endured.  In today’s Scripture, we hear the great temptation that Abraham, our father in Faith, endured and wonder how one could possibly fulfill God’s request.  Some may indeed question the benevolence of God for demanding such obedience.  There are perhaps many things we question when it comes to God’s expectations of us and that in itself puts us to the test.  How we respond determines the strength of our Faith.

    Perhaps the best way to approach these tests of Faith is to continue to call upon God for the gift of Wisdom.  We see and experience life very myopically and in our narrow vision fail to see the whole picture.  God indeed knows the full story , the final outcome but we do not.  very often we think: “this is the way it is supposed to be.”  But in fact God has a better outcome.  We don’t know it at the time but when all is said and done we may well be happily surprised that God’s plan and purpose was and is far better than anything we could imagine.  Who would have thought that Abraham’s obedience would bring the blessing of nations of Faith -filled people?   Who would have thought that the crucifixion of the Son of God would bring Salvation?  Yet this is the way God operates and as confounding as it may be we ask for that wisdom or at least that confidence to trust in the Lord to remain faithful to the end, just like Abraham.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     By now, the ashes that marked our foreheads at the entrance way to Lent have been washed away.  The external sign that, though gone, has not diminished our resolve to draw closer to Christ by our ardent prayer, fasting, and acts of charity. A way to keep focused on these Lenten disciplines is to imagine ourselves in the desert with our Lord.  Certainly, we cannot go into the desert physically but we can use our imagination to enter a place where there are no distractions, no noise.  It may be as simple as turning off tv, social media or those things that diminish our listening to God.

    Such meditation begins with the glorious covenant that God made with us at our Baptism.  In today’s Scripture from Genesis we hear of God’s covenant with Noah.  A rainbow signifies the connection between Heaven and earth, between God and man.  It is a prelude to our personal connection between me and you and God that occurs at our baptism.  In the Flood all evil was washed away.  In our Baptism sin was destroyed and life given. Our ascent to Easter is a preparation for renewing our Baptismal promises and also to support those who will be received into the Body of Christ at the Easter Vigil.  We  pray for and assist, with our prayers, those who are in preparation for that glorious day.  This Sunday I will be accompanying our Catechumen to the Cathedral for the Rite of Election.

    Beginning next Sunday and the following Sundays of Lent we will have sung Vespers and Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament in St John’s Church beginning at 4 PM.  Though not the desert it is certainly a time to draw closer to the Lord and experience His Presence in our midst.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

7:25 AM & 12:05 PM-St. Mary’s

4:00 PM-Dist. of Ashes Only-St. Mary’s

5:00 PM-St. Joseph’s, Rileyville

6:00 PM-St. Bernard’s, Beach Lake

STATIONS OF THE CROSS–FRIDAYS DURING LENT:

11:40 A.M. & 7:00 P.M. – St Mary Magdalen

5:00 P.M. – St. Joseph, Rileyville

6:00 P.M. – St. Bernard, Beach Lake

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

      Do not be caught unaware!  This is not a dire warning but rather a reminder that Holy Lent will soon be here, in fact this coming Wednesday. This year we have had a very short time between Epiphany and Lent and so we may feel it has sneaked up on us, nonetheless we have time to set for ourselves our spiritual program for the 40 days ahead.

     Generally, after Christmastide we fall into a spiritual slump.  Those externals of the season are gone, the dark and cold take their toll and we start to long for more sunlight, warmth and sunshine.  Of course, we anticipate the new life and growth that come.  But first we must pass through the “valley of death” which we call Lent.  Surely it is not a time of gloom and doom but rather a time for regeneration and spiritual renewal.  Mother Church, brilliant and loving as She is toward Her children, provides the necessary disciplines that make Lent successful, not in a material sense, rather for our spiritual growth and development. Prayer, fasting, and acts of charity are the disciplines we happily take upon ourselves to reach the goal, which is greater union with Jesus Christ.  Walking the Stations of the Cross with Him on Fridays or any other time, daily Rosary, even better, daily Mass, Bible reading and study, learning more about our Faith; abstaining from the things we think we cannot live without, following the regulations for fasting from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays and having abbreviated meals; assisting in our parish outreach programs through the St. Vincent de Paul society; making a sacrificial donation to our sister parish of St. Anthony in Ghana, are just a few of the many ways we can make our spiritual journey to the great and glorious day of Easter.  Let us also remember in prayer those who are making their final ascent into the fullness of Faith at the Easter Vigil.

     Be sure to always take a bulletin home so as not to miss the Lenten opportunities and join in our journey together.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

World Day for Consecrated Life will be celebrated in the Church on Thursday, February 2, 2024, and in parishes over the weekend of February 4-5, 2023. Please pray for all those who have made commitments in the consecrated life, and be sure to thank them on their special day. May they continue to be inspired by Jesus Christ and respond generously to God’s gift of their vocation.

Financial statements are available to be picked up at the Parish Office.

INTERCESSION

May every father of a preborn child lovingly support the mother of his child in welcoming new life.

PRAYERS

Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be

REFLECTION

Fatherhood has its origins in God, who chose to reveal Himself to us as Our Father, sending his only Son for the sake of our salvation. Fathers therefore have a special role “in revealing and in reliving on earth the very fatherhood of God” (Familiaris consortio 25). Fathers are called to exhibit “generous responsibility for the life conceived under the heart of the mother” (FC 25). They are uniquely entrusted with the protection and defense of both mother and child and, in this way, in safeguarding the sanctity of human life.

As evidenced in our world today, the role of the father “is of unique and irreplaceable importance” (FC 25). Often women choose abortion because they do not have the support of the child’s father, or—even worse—the father of the child pressures her to make the decision to abort. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge with compassion that men can also be overwhelmed by an unexpected pregnancy and that society increasingly tells them that they should have no say in their children’s lives. In the face of these false messages, we pray that fathers of preborn children will find courage in the example of Saint Joseph—who embraced the role of father amid difficult circumstances—and offer loving, life-affirming support to the mothers of their children.

ACTS OF REPARATION (Choose one.)

Give up sleeping on your pillow—or even your bed—tonight. Offer this small sacrifice for the intention that fathers of preborn children will courageously answer their call to support both mother and child.

Pray a decade of the Rosary for all fathers of preborn children, that through her intercession, Our Lady may inspire in them the virtues of Saint Joseph.

Offer some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of penance that you feel called to do for today’s intention.

ONE STEP FURTHER

Research continues to show that one of the top reasons a woman chooses abortion is due to a lack of financial resources. Read “Poverty and Abortion: A Vicious Cycle,” which explores the connections between abortion and poverty, and how the absence of fathers contributes to this ongoing cycle.

We pray, O gracious Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that we all may be one as you are one. In your community of complete unity, we have our beginning and our end. To you we pray, asking for the gift of visible unity among all who believe in your Christ.

As we commemorate this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we are reminded by your Word that all human beings are our neighbors and that we are to love them like ourselves and in the same way we love you. Help us to overcome the barriers and divisions we have nurtured against your will.

Grant to us, O Lord, a new Spirit of love and solidarity, that we may proclaim your good news to all of creation. We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirt are one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     Epiphany, the manifestation of God-become-man to the Gentiles, reminds us of the on-going missionary nature of the Church. The words of Isaiah ring true to our ears:” those who live in darkness have seen a great light”. The Great Light is Jesus Christ and we glimpse the profound effect that the “Light” had on the Magi.  They thought they knew it all until that marvelous encounter with the Child of Bethlehem.  Only then did they come to understand Who was the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  One can only imagine what joy filled their hearts and minds and though we may not have a clear picture of their later response no doubt the word was out that the Long-awaited One had arrived.

     Right from the start the missionary nature of the Faith had begun, both locally with the shepherds and universally with the Magi.  Who would you like to imitate?  It is instilled in our spiritual DNA to make known Jesus Christ to the world.  Whatever our gifts may be, simple or spectacular, they are to be employed in advancing the Good News:  Our Savior is here among us, most especially in the Holy Eucharist.  In this year in which we are celebrating a Eucharistic revival it is all the more crucial that we evaluate our own reverence and devotion to our Eucharistic Lord and make it known to others that Jesus beckons us to come and be with Him.  Perhaps we have taken his Presence for granted and become a bit too casual before Him.  As the saying goes:       “actions speak louder than words”.  We would do well to review the manner in which we comport ourselves in the Presence of the Holy Eucharist:  Have I spent time in adoration and thanksgiving before Him?  Do I point to Jesus as did John the Baptist, saying He must increase and I must decrease?

     Let us take the opportunity to fulfill the mission of drawing others to Christ in the New Year before us rejoicing as we usher them into the Light.

     This year we will be welcoming Bishop Bambera three times to our Parish.

First , for the conferring of the Sacrament of Confirmation in April, then for the Ordination to the Holy Priesthood of Deacon William Asinari, and what a wonderful privilege and blessing this is for us.  In all my years as a priest I have never heard of a priestly Ordination being held in a parish church.  We are greatly honored, and thirdly for the 100th anniversary celebration of the founding of St. Bernard in Beach Lake.  It will be a very busy year.  Please assist in any way you can.

     Finally I want to thank all of you for your kindness and generosity to me personally in this Christmas season.  I regret that I cannot possibly get through to send individual thanks and recognition but please know that I am truly grateful  and appreciate your cards, gifts and endearing sentiments.

With Blessings for a Healthy and Happy New Year,

Father Langan