March 20-21

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On this Fifth Sunday in Lent there is a change of tone and emphasis regarding the days ahead.  Though some six centuries before the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth the prophet Jeremiah heralds:  Behold the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with His people.  This new covenant is inscribed upon the hearts of all those who have been Baptized into the Death and Resurrection of Our Lord.  It is most important to remember that we are not passive recipients of the Covenant, but that is takes two parties, God and each one of us individually, to ratify the Covenant.  How then is this accomplished?  The answer is before us in today’s Gospel:  “…and once I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself.

Did not Our Divine Savior say repeatedly:…”that if you would be my disciple you must die to yourself, take up your cross and follow me.”?  That is our affirmation of the New Covenant.  It is the course of life that we are set upon.  These forthcoming days set the Cross before our eyes.  We recognize that the Cross bore the weight of our sins as Jesus took them all upon Himself.  He and our Heavenly Father along with the Holy Spirit longed to show we creatures the immensity of their love for us.  What more could God possibly have done for us that He has not done?

When we contemplate this New Covenant, forged in the mystery of the Cross, it should create a longing within us to make a return to the Lord.  Abundant graces are bestowed upon those who participate in these most important days ahead.  If unable to be in person, sanctify the High Holy Days of our Faith by virtual attendance.  Be honest about recognizing the spiritual hunger within you because of social restrictions and ask Our Lord to satisfy your longing until you can soon be in His Presence again.

God’s peace be upon you as we make our ascent to Calvary,

Father Langan

Confessions will be heard at St. John the Evangelist instead of St. Mary Magdalen on Saturday, March 20 from 10:30 AM to Noon due to the Confirmation Retreat.

March 13-14, 2021

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We have come to Laetare Sunday, the half-way marker of Lent.  Even in the midst of Lent we remain joyful (Laetare) people because of God’s abiding love for us in spite of our sinfulness.  Of course, we are not meant to wallow in our sinfulness, but rather come to the Lord, Who is rich in mercy, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Nothing gives a person greater joy than to be relieved of the burden we carry because of sin.  Even though we may have repressed them or consigned then to the deep recesses of our conscience they fester there nonetheless and dis-cease our relationship with the Lord and others.  In both the Old Testament lesson and the Gospel of today we are reminded of how easy it is to drift from God and His Holy Commandments.  When that happens despair, confusion, and grasping at the things of this world only brings disaster.

There is only one place that we may turn for redemption and that is Jesus Christ.  He Who was lifted up on the Cross, allowed that to be for our reconciliation with the Father.  It is that redemption, reconciliation and relief that comes to us in the Sacrament of a good Confession.  Next Sunday, there will be a communal celebration of Reconciliation with individual confessions at St. Thomas More, in Lake Ariel beginning at 2:00 PM.  There will also be additional Confessions in our own parish on Monday evening of Holy Week, 6:00 PM, as well as before and after daily Masses.  Please consult the flier in the bulletin regarding further times and places.  On Saturday, March 20, we will be conducting our in-house retreat for the 18 Confirmation candidates who will receive the Sacrament on April 22.  Please keep them in mind and prayer as they prepare for this most important encounter with the Holy Spirit on their journey of Faith.

With blessings on your Lenten journey,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

We fail, we sin, we fall and who picks us up?  It is the Lord!  God knows how prone we are to let the world have its way with us.  Why else would He have given us the Ten Commandments.  They are for OUR benefit – to keep us safe and sound.  They promote the dignity of the human person reminding the glory of God.  But, as we know, these fragile temples can easily accumulate that which dims its beauty, i.e., sin.  Just as Our Lord cleansed the temple of Jerusalem so, too, He is ready to cleanse us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  He uses His sweepers, his priests, to take care of the “dirty work” and restore the pristine glory of our souls.  No one likes a dirty house, much less a dirty soul.  Let the cleaners in.  They are happy to do the work of the Lord.

On Monday afternoon this past week, I had the pleasure of meeting with two young men, David and Adrian, who have passed through the “valley of the shadow of death” and by the grace of Almighty God have been restored to the joyful life of being a child of God.  These men have courageously shared with me their history, of alcohol and drug addiction and their years of sobriety and interior peace.  The Corona Self-Help Center, Inc. (Drogadictos Anonimos/Drug Addicts Anonymous) is a non-profit association that offers all of its services free of charge.   Their mission is to help people with problems of addiction to recover, regardless of their legal, or economic status of ethnicity.  Primarily, its focus is on people who cannot receive help because of their legal situation and do not have resources to solicit help in places that require payment.

They support themselves by producing very beautiful tee shirts and donations from the neighboring communities.

So impressed was I by their presentation that I have invited them to give a short presentation following the weekend Masses of March 20-21.

Hopefully you will be able to support their good and noble work either with a donation or the purchase of their tee shirts.

Blessings on your Lenten journey,

Father Langan

February 27-28, 2021

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

Tests are a fact of life!  I have never met anyone who “enjoys” taking tests or having to be tested whether it be academic, medical, for employment or otherwise.  Tests mean stress and who in their right mind wants to go through it.  We wait for the results many times with fear and trepidation.  When the results are favorable we exalt and when not, we are in agony.  Either way, however, we get a good look at who we are and what we are capable of doing or where we need improvement.  The test exposes our character.

Today’s Old Testament lesson from Genesis starts with God putting Abraham to the test.  As heart-wrenching as it was, he passed with “flying colors” and we ourselves are part of the results.  Do we not acclaim Abraham to be “our father in faith”, (cf. Eucharistic Prayer 1)?  We cannot always anticipate what the results may be, but if God is putting us to the test it is because He wants us to see ourselves in relationship to Him as loving, trustful and obedient, God gains nothing by this test; we gain everything.

Very often our loving Father softens the angst with regard to the “test”.  He certainly does in the Gospel of the Transfiguration.  Forty days from this revealing of Jesus’ divinity, the apostles will be in the midst of Our Savior’s Passion.  Seemingly, everything they hoped for would be dashed.  In the midst of trial it is easy to forget the blessings and goodness that preceded.  Perhaps it is the same with us.  We forget all the good that the Lord has bestowed on us.  The test overwhelms and we lose sight of the results yet to come.  Like Abraham, we need to remember that God is indeed faithful to us and has only our best interest in store.  Be not afraid of the test nor cower from it.  The best is coming.

We offer our congratulations to our children who on Saturday made their First Confession.  We commend their parents and catechists who diligently prepared them for this important day.  They beautifully passed the test, and may they now experience the love of Jesus more profoundly in their lives.  May we as well.

Blessings on your Lenten journey,

Father Langan

Eucharistic Adoration Chapel will be closing today (February 22) at noon and will reopen tomorrow morning (February 23) at 8:00.

February 20-21

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Forty days from now we will find ourselves at the foot of the Cross.  Each day of Lent should bring us closer to the summit of our salvation.

So how do we prepare ourselves for this?  Our Lord’s words at the very beginning of His ministry set the direction for our journey to Calvary:  “Repent, and believe in the Gospel”.  These words are not unfamiliar to us for indeed we may have heard them on Ash Wednesday when we were sprinkled with the burned remains of last year’s palms.  We began our days of penitence not in gloom and doom, but with a renewed vitality to live the Faith handed down to us.

We recognize that we are sinners and that sin carries with it a burden that the Lord does not wish to be a ball and chain around our souls.  He came to set us free, and continues to set us free, as many times as we need, through the joyful Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Next week God’s little lambs, our children preparing for their First Confession, are filled with that simple trusting joy as they prepare to meet the Lord of mercy.  These little ones are our teachers.  They remind us how to approach the Lord in trust and confidence NOT in hearing and trembling.

So many souls these days are looking for assurance and certainty in a very uncertain world.  These can be found in precisely what Our Lord has left us:  His mercy without end in the Sacrament of Forgiveness.  Confession is a wondrous gift and the peace that comes from making a good confession cannot be met by anything in the world other than receiving Our Savior in the Holy Eucharist.  For anyone who has forgotten the abundance of heavenly grace that fills our souls as a result of Confession, I invite you to come and see the Mercy God has waiting for you.  How can we possibly turn down such a gift?

With blessings for a fruitful Lent,

Father Langan

Stations of the Cross (Fridays in Lent)

11:30 a.m. St. Mary Magdalen Church

5:30 p.m. St. Joseph, Rileyville

7:00 p.m. St. Bernard, Beach Lake

7:00 p.m. St. Mary Magdalen

Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament follows these 7p.m. Stations at St. Mary Magdalen

Confessions in Lent

Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. – 12p.m. – St. Mary Magdalen Church

Fridays, 11:00-11:30 a.m. – St. Mary Magdalen Church

Fridays, 6:00 p.m.-6:55 p.m. – St. Mary Magdalen Church

Saturdays, 3:15 p.m. – St. Bernard, Beach Lake

Sunday, 8:30 a.m. – St. Joseph, Rileyville

Sunday, St. John the Evangelist – 15 minutes prior to the Mass

Saturday evening and Sunday morning Confessions as listed in the bulletin.

Usual confessions before daily Masses at St. Mary Magdalen Church.

Evening Prayer (Vespers)

Evening Prayer (Vespers) will be offered Sundays in Lent at 4 p.m. in St. John the Evangelist.

Eucharistic Adoration Chapel has extended closure hours until Noon Tomorrow (Feb. 16).

The first meeting of the St. Joseph’s Consecration Group has been postponed for this evening. Participants are asked to start the first week from home. Meeting will take place next Monday, February 22 – weather permitting.