July 16-17

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

    Hospitality is the key to understanding today’s Word of God.  We see how Abraham, our father in Faith, welcomes three strangers offering them rest and sustenance.  Little does he know that he is welcoming the Lord and His accompanying angel.   Then in the Gospel  Martha and Mary open their home to Jesus and as we know He always travelled with the entourage of the Twelve.  Can you imagine how frazzled Martha was?  Nonetheless their home and hearts welcomed the Lord.  Some might say: “it’s too much trouble or I don’t have the time”.  Surely our lives have become very busy and hectic but look at what we are missing out on if we let hospitality slide away– the lost opportunity to entertain the Divine.

     In a similar sense Christ Himself becomes the host in the celebration of Mass.  He invites, He feeds, He initiates the conversation, He welcomes all but the same excuse is offered–I’m too busy.  Who loses out?  No one but ourselves if we don’t respond to the gracious  invitation of being in the Presence of the Lord.   Jesus longs for us.  He desires to speak to us and to feed us.  What banquet could ever compare to the Table of the Lord?  May we always return the hospitality of the Lord by welcoming Him into our hearts with joy and gladness.

   Speaking of hospitality, how often have we found it such a comfort to go to grandma’s house.  Beginning today we recognize the grandmother of Jesus, the mother of Mary, as we pray the Novena to Saint Ann.  This devotion has always been a special mark of the Diocese of Scranton especially since we have the Basilica of St. Ann in our midst.  I very much encourage our parishioners, especially families, to make a pilgrimage to the Shrine in Scranton.  Many graces are to be gained in making a pilgrimage as you pray for your special needs and those of your loved ones.

With Blessings

Father Langan

July 9-10

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     How do we respond to those who hate us, wish to antagonize us or, at least, marginalize us?  The Lord seems to answer this problem with His parable of the Good Samaritan.  We recall that there was great animosity between Samaritans and Jews.  Neither would have anything to do with the other.  Their views and their religions could not be further apart but when the “hated” Samaritan comes upon the beaten man he extends mercy, compassion and at his own expense cares for the unfortunate who was ignored by his own people. 

     There are a lot of people in distress these days which causes them to become concerned with their own immediate relief.  The tragedy of their own life experience blinds them to the freeing and enlightening Truth of Jesus Christ.  Though we may be perturbed by their actions, it is necessary on our part to see them as beaten individuals, hurting and in need of compassion.  Our faith demands that we be the good samaritans to those who even may reject us.  But if we approach them with the love that Jesus has for us, the transformation of their lives for the good, the true, and the beautiful is sure to come about.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Reminder – VBS drop off/ pick up will be at the back lower door (one way traffic on the right side of the CFCC).

June 18-19

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     Long before there was a Bible or any compilation of the Sacred Scriptures of the New Testament there was and always has been, since the Last Supper, the Holy Eucharist.  Our Lord Jesus Christ ever fulfills His promise,” I will not leave you orphans.”  In other words: “I am with you until the end of time”.  Every time then that the Church has gathered, She has not only listened to and recalled the Words of the Lord but She has also celebrated His Presence in His Body and Blood, the Food of eternal life.

     As we celebrate this glorious Solemnity of Corpus Christi, we rise in gratitude for the most precious, and sadly least understood, gift that God has bestowed upon humanity.  To be absolutely clear and to the point the Most Holy Eucharist is the unbloody Sacrifice of our Savior upon the cross, the complete and total offering of the Son of God to the Father in order to reconcile humanity.  Because of the original sin of our first parents, there was a break in the intimacy that we had with our Heavenly Father.  Jesus our Savior repaired the rift caused by sin and continues to reconcile us in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the re-presentation of Calvary.  No greater love has this world known than the Sacrifice of the Son of God for the redemption of us all.  And it continues to this day at every Catholic and Orthodox altar.

     With today’s Solemnity the Church in the United States begins a year of Eucharistic renewal.  Sadly, so many Catholics have drifted away from the Sunday celebration of Mass no doubt because they do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.  How is it possible that we ignore  the very words of Christ our Savior:  ” Do This in memory of Me”?  In the days ahead, we shall recall with great emphasis the Mystery that makes us one with God and with each other.  Let us devote ourselves to the renewal and greater appreciation of what God has given us in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

June 12, 2022

Dear Brothers and sisters in Christ,

One of the most heart whelming actions I notice as your pastor is when a mom or dad brings a toddler into Church and teaches their child   how to bless themselves.   This simple yet profound act of faith silently speaks volumes as to what we believe and how radical that belief is evidenced in our lives.  Invoking the Name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is a declaration of the most fundamental tenets of our Christian Faith.  We have been enlightened by Christ and the Holy Spirit to peer into the very nature of God, i.e., God is a Family.  And we, being created in the image and likeness of God, are meant to imitate Who God is in our earthly, human lives.  This can only happen by grace.   And the first instance of grace comes to us at our Baptism.  In Baptism, the power of the Cross to redeem us and the Name of God to possess us, makes us the dwelling place of the Holy Trinity.  This beautiful gesture of teaching a child to bless themselves is an outward sign of the divine reality within each Baptized soul.

Certainly, the nature of God is beyond our comprehension.  Who among us has not tried to wrap our heads around the belief that God has no beginning and no end.  And if we have the blessed fortune to live with Him forever after our earthly sojourn we will have all eternity to ponder the things that now confound us.  In the meantime we must be ever grateful to God for revealing to us through His Son Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, Who He is, One and yet Three Divine Persons in love with each other.  There is no better way then for us, His creatures to honor and glorify the Lord than to imitate our Maker.

We offer our congratulations and heartfelt best wishes to all of out recent graduates from  eighth grade, high school and college.  May their education and the virtues they have received in their Faith Formation prepare them for the next stages in their life’s journey.  May the Gospel be their North Star to guide them in all aspects of their lives.

A safe and restful summer to all.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

June 4-5

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     The Great 50 Days come to a close with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  Though the Easter Season of 2022 has ended, the enthusiasm of Christ’s Resurrection never ends.  The Apostles are energized with the Divine Gifts of the Spirit in order to make Christ known to the world.   And this movement of the Holy Spirit continues in our time and will continue until the end of the world.  The question arises:  “Who then is responsible for the continuation of this “fire” of the Holy Spirit?  The answer: We are!”  The celebration of Pentecost reminds us of our own personal Pentecost that occurred at our own Confirmation.  At that time we received the 7-fold Gifts:  Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Council, Fortitude (Courage), Piety, and Fear of the Lord (Reverence).  It is an opportune time for us to review the use of these gifts in our lives.  If they have become stagnant or unused, we implore the Good lord to unleash them once again.  Who would not agree that these gifts are needed in the world today?  When so much of the world is in travail and sadness it needs faithful and practicing Christians to set it aright by virtuous living.

      Today at the 10:30 Mass 16 of our young parishioners will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.  They too will be recipients of the seven Gifts and it is our hope and prayer that they will be faithful witnesses of the Lord by the fervent practice of their Faith.  Let us support and encourage them by our prayers.

      And I draw your attention to the multi-year Eucharistic Revival initiated by the Bishops of our country.  Starting on The Solemnity of Corpus Christi, June 19, 2022 all dioceses and parishes will participate in drawing people into a greater understanding and appreciation of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ.  Please note the announcement by our Bishop and we hope some will join in the diocesan celebration.  Of course we will have our own Eucharistic Procession following the 10:30 Mass on June 19^th.  Our Blessed Lord has given Himself to us without reserve, may we give ourselves to Him in joyous return.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

May 28-29

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     We all have longings, even our Lord.  In today’s Gospel He offers the priestly prayer that expresses His longing for unity among His disciples and ultimately for the Church.  The greatest scandal among Christians today is the disunity based upon personal opinion and not on the  revealed Truth that comes to us from the Holy Spirit.  The Catholic Church is the guarantor of revealed Truth as Our Lord had entrusted to Peter and the Apostles.  That Truth has been safeguarded throughout the centuries and innumerable followers of Christ have died rather than compromise on the Truth as is evidenced in St. Stephen’s martyrdom in the First Reading.

   The evil one is relentless in trying to sow disunity and chaos.  Starting with Adam and Eve, on to Cain and Abel and throughout the history of humankind he never ceases to divide and those divisions wreck families, communities, nations, and civilizations.  Why do we let him have the upper hand?  It makes no sense, completely illogical.  Christ is the one Who first of all restores our unity with our Heavenly Father.  Just think of the Lord’s Prayer: Our (communal) Father, hallowed be Thy Name (how? by our living as brothers and sisters) Thy Kingdom come (not separate kingdoms-only one), Thy Will be done (not yours, mine, his or hers) on earth as it is in Heaven.  Throughout this prayer we pray “us” and “our”.  It should remind us how important unity is in the mind of God.

    Unity in Truth then is the very nature of what it means to be a disciple of Christ.  From the earliest days of the Church, it was necessary to correct those who had veered from the Truth with the longing to bring them back into the fold.  Just as in the rite of Baptism one is called to renounce satan and all his works and all his empty promises so too there needs to be sincere and honest repentance before one can be in union with the faithful.  There is no room for arrogant individualism in the Body of Christ.  As we contemplate the mystical and penultimate Priestly Prayer of Christ in the Upper Room let us pray for those who have gone astray to humbly return to the Lord and His eternal Truth, the Truth that sets them free.

     Our congratulations to the children who this week made their First Holy Communion.  May they grow daily in the love of God and reverence of His greatest gift to us in the Holy Eucharist.  And let us remember those who next Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, who will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.  May they mature as loyal disciples and faithful witnesses of Christ.

   As our Faith Formation program has come to an end for the summer, I would like to thank our very devoted and excellent catechists and director and assistants.   Their love and care for the children of the parish is absolutely essential in building up the faith in our area. May God bless them abundantly

    Following all our Masses we will be praying the Novena to the Holy Spirit.

WIth Blessings,

Father Langan

Help Wanted – Sacristan who will be responsible for the preparation for the weekend Masses in St. John the Evangelist and St. Mary Magdalen.  The average  time commitment is 12 hours per weekend.  He/She must be a registered, practicing member of the parish; fully initiated member of the Catholic faith; understanding of the knowledge of the Catholic faith and liturgy.  Please contact the Parish Office if interested.

This Thursday, May 26 is Ascension Thursday and it is a Holy Day of Obligation. Mass schedule is as follows:

Vigil (5/25) St. Mary Magdalen Church – 6:00 P.M.

7:25 A.M. St. Mary Magdalen Church

12:05 P.M. St. Mary Magdalen Church

5:30 P.M. St. Joseph Church, Rileyville

6:00 P.M. St. Bernard Church, Beach Lake

May 21-22

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The days of Eastertide are coming to a close and this week we celebrate the return of our Lord to our Heavenly Father, the Solemnity of the Ascension (Thursday May 26th).   It is a Holy Day of Obligation so kindly refer to the Mass schedule.  The return of the Lord in glory was a bittersweet event in the lives of the Apostles and disciples but absolutely necessary if they were to mature in their faith and become instruments of God’s continued presence in the world.  Our Lord’s plan is to continue His saving work through the ministry of the Church, which has sole authority over the preaching of the Word and the celebration of the Sacraments.   This is how He remains with us today.

In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we see how the Holy Spirit operates in the deliberation of the Apostles at the Church’s first Council in Jerusalem.  What began then and continues to our present time is the assurance of the Holy Spirit’s guidance, as the fathers of the Church must address issues that are pertinent in our time.  This does not mean that the Church follows the prevailing trends and fads of the time but rather instructs and guides the present age by the immutable Truth handed down by our Lord to the Apostles and their successors.  The Church therefore is the beacon of Light and Truth that the world must follow lest it bring on its own demise.

The shepherds of the Church realize that not all ascent to the teachings of the Faith.  We need only look to the Old Testament to see how the prophets constantly had to warn the people to turn back to God and live according to His Commandments.  The same is true today.  Therefore, we ask the Lord to give us courage to strengthen our resolve to employ the prophetic spirit we all share by virtue of our Baptism and Confirmation.  At the 10:30 Mass this Sunday our 7th grade Confirmation candidates will publicly declare their commitment to prepare diligently for the reception of the Sacrament next year at Pentecost.  May we assist them with our prayers and encouragement to be steadfast in their desire to receive the Seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit and live the Christian Faith to the fullest.

With Blessings,

Father Langan