Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Hosanna to the Son of David: “Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord.”

Today commemorates our Divine Savior’s entrance into the Holy City of Jerusalem and His accomplishment of our Heavenly Father’s plan for our salvation.   These days of Holy Week are an intense re-presentation of Christ’s saving work.  By prayer and ritual we are invited to participate intimately in the week of redemption. 

    On Palm/Passion Sunday, Mother Church places branches in our hands, blessed palms, that we might honor Our Lord and King and pledge loyalty and faithfulness to Him.

    On Holy Tuesday, Bishop Bambera summons his priests to join him in the consecration of the three new sacred oils: Catechumen for Baptism, Chrism for Confirmation and Holy Orders and Baptism, and Infirm for the sick and dying.  The Chrism Mass is celebrated at 4 PM in St. Peter’s Cathedral, Scranton and the Faithful are encouraged to participate and pledge their support for their priests who at that time renew their priestly vows.

    The Passion of Our Lord dominates these High Holy Days.  They are known as the Sacred Triduum (Three Days).  We begin with Morning Prayer (Lauds) on Holy Thursday morning at 7:25 AM in St. Mary Magdalen Church.  Holy Thursday evening, 7 PM in St John’s Church we commemorate The Lord’s Last Supper wherein He institutes the Holy Eucharist (the First Mass) and the Holy Priesthood; and the Mandatum (the New Commandment): “To love one another as He loves us.”

     Good Friday begins with Morning Prayer at 7:25 AM (SMM).  The Way of the Cross at 9 AM (SMM) followed by the blessing with the True Cross on which Our Savior died.

      The principal celebration of the day begins at Noon in St. John’s as we commemorate the Lord’s Passion.  There we stand in heart and mind at Calvary being cleansed in the Blood of the Lamb.

    At 3 PM we begin the Novenas and Chaplet of Divine Mercy which culminates on the Octave of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday.

    Good Friday evening, at 7 PM in St. John’s chant in Latin, Hebrew and English the most ancient and hauntingly beautiful dirges of the burial of Christ, the Office of Tenebrae.

    On Holy Saturday we prayerfully prepare for the great and glorious Vigil of Easter.  Morning prayer again at St Mary Magdalen at 7:25 AM: Blessing of Easter foods at 11 AM (SMM) courtyard.  And the Vigil at St. John’s beginning at 8 PM.  We have the joy of welcoming two new parishioners, Susan and Brendon who through Confirmation and Holy Communion enter into the fullness of our Faith.

     These are the days most important in our spiritual lives.  Therefore, let us make every effort to be with Our Lord in the Sacred Triduum and receive the abundant graces He has in store for us.

With Blessings

Fr. Langan+

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     What did He write?  In today’s Gospel, we hear about the woman caught in a compromising situation.  Her destiny seems bleak and her life soon to be cut short by the self-righteous mob.  She becomes a pawn in order to trap the Son of God.  But the self-righteous  don’t know Who they are up against.  The plot does not go their way.  As they believe they are going to expose an adulterous woman  and a “charlatan preacher”  from Nazareth the tables are soon turned and it all starts with a few words in the dust.

     Frequently there are mysterious gaps in our Sacred Scripture accounts and these, I believe, are purposely done in order to engage our imagination.  Being human means we can employ our intellect, given by God, to supply our own filling-in as long as it is consistent with the Church’s magisterial teaching.  The “fathers of the Church”, i.e., St Augustine, St. Cyril and others did just that and we can ponder and proscribe meanings that enhance our meditations on the living Word of God.

   So what do you think our Lord wrote in the sand? The sins of the accusers?; the sins of the woman?; an exoneration?; our own?  Jesus, from the beginning of His public ministry,  preached repentance, conversion and reliance upon the mercy of God.  As we enter into these penultimate days of Lent let us avail ourselves of that mercy so readily available to us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  When we do the burden of shame, regret and loneliness will be lifted from us just as it was for the woman who received the pardon of our Lord.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     It is Laetare Sunday, our half-way point in Lent.  It comes from the Latin word for rejoicing, not because our Lenten sacrifices are almost over but because we are approaching the great and glorious days of the Resurrection, in English and German speaking countries, Easter: in  Romance languages Pasch.  Whatever term we choose to employ it is the greatest celebration of our Christian  Faith because as St. Paul says: “if Christ had not risen from the dead, we are the greatest of fools.”

     Fools , we are not but rather people of Faith who are continually seeking God, desiring to know Him better and striving  each day to follow Him more fervently.  Such is the path to which we aspire.  Like the people of Israel who longed to enter the Promised Land,  we long to enter the Eternal Land of Promise, namely Heaven.  And so we continue to journey, sometimes making great strides, other times falling behind and perhaps falling but hopefully being picked up by the Lord in Confession and starting the journey anew, just like the account of the prodigal son in today’s Gospel.

    On behalf of all our parishioners and in my own name I would like to extend heartfelt congratulations to the 7 young parishioners in the 12th and 8th grades who received the Bishop’s Youth awards this past Sunday at our Cathedral in Scranton.  These faithful young Christians have exemplified all that is good in today’s teens and certainly give witness to Christ in a world that often puts Him to the side.  We are very proud of you.  Keep up the good work.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

“Men, it’s not too late to register for the Men’s Lenten Retreat, next weekend, April 4-5 at Holy Transfiguration Retreat center in Dalton PA.  For more information and to register please go to the Be A Catholic Man website.  The retreat. “Be Imitators of Christ” will include talks by John Edwards, Adoration and confession and Mass with Bishop Bambera.  The cost of $100 includes two meals and lodging.   www.BeACatholicMan.com “

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     “Missed opportunity”   This may be one of the most distressing terms in the English language.  Why?  Because it has passed us by.  The chance to do good when a situation presents itself and the neglect to do it,  leaves us with a sadness and emptiness that cannot be retrieved.  But rather than wallow in self-pity over the lost opportunity we have the God of second chances and Lent is the very time we recognize God’s patience and readiness to His mercy toward us.  As we approach the mid-point of Lent, now is the time to let no second chance pass us by. Every day of this holy season affords us another attempt to do what is necessary to have a fruitful Lent.

     First, we make that necessary examination of conscience.  Outside the confessionals in our churches are ample brochures that assist us in enlightening our interior lives to see if we are measuring up to what God desires of us.  We ask ourselves in light of today’s parable from the Lord: “Am I bearing good fruit?”  If not, perhaps our “tree” needs some pruning (i.e. Confession), and cultivation (i.e. Prayer and Fasting).   These are the opportunities that we do not want to pass us by as we continue our Lenten journey.   God grant us the wisdom and diligence to “carpe diem”.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     We have begun our Lenten journey hopefully with enthusiasm and determination to take each day as an opportunity to draw closer to our Lord and to imitate Him in our lives.   This Sunday’s Gospel directs us on our way.  Our Lord was led into the desert, there to confront the father of lies, deception, and evil.  To face temptation headlong and overcome it with serenity and the power that comes from doing the heavenly Father’s will.  Jesus affords the same serenity and power to us though at times we forget to utilize it in confronting temptations. 

     He was led into the temptations of the desert and so are we, perhaps in not so dramatic a fashion but just as real.  So it begs the two-fold question:  Why are we led there? And how do we resist?   Though we recoil at the thought of being put to the test or having to take a test we ask what is the purpose and what is the gain?  The purpose is to look deeply into ourselves and see what makes us tick,  what are we made of?   It is a means of self-discovery.  Do we really know ourselves and do we understand our relation to the world around us?  This quest separates us from the rest of creation.  The temptation then is to make us less human, less self-aware, just go with the flow instead of directing the flow to higher things, namely, the Divine.   It reminds us of what we should and must be pursuing, GOD.  

     The second answer to how we resist temptation: first, with humility, recognizing that we cannot do it on our own.  And where do we find the tools?  In the Sacramental life of the Church.  Christ readily gives us all we need:  Baptism, Confirmation, most especially the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Confession, which burns the evil one itself who dwells in the Inferno.

      Therefore we do not fear the temptations that come our way but instead meet them head on with the ammo God provides.  So be victorious as you navigate your way through holy Lent.

       Remember to mark your calendar and commit to joining your fellow pilgrims on March 20, Thursday evening at 7 PM, when Bishop Bambera will preside at the Solemn Vespers and Benediction in St. John’s Church. In this Jubilee year a plenary indulgence is acquired by visiting the Church, praying for the Pope, making a good confession and receiving Holy Communion with in an eight-day period. Hope to see you there.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Reminder- Lenten Pizza Sales begin this week (3/7) and will run each Friday in Lent through 4/11. Pizzas can be purchased at St. Mary’s Basement beginning at 11:30 AM and in front of St. Mary’s Church after 3:00 PM until approximately 5:30 PM (or until sold out). If you wish to pre-order your pizza, please see the bulletin for details.