Dear Brothers and Sisters in  Christ, 

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!  Never does this salutation gets old since it expresses the turning  point in world history that should  dominate all our hopes and  aspirations.

Today, Divine Mercy Sunday, completes the Octave of Easter, but reminds us that we are now in the Great  50 Days which will culminate on the Solemnity of  Pentecost. Of course prior to Pentecost we have the  Ascension of the Lord and the Novena to the Holy  Spirit. In these days of Eastertide we continue to  reflect on the wonders of our Lord’s Resurrection  and the budding life of the Church which was born  from the pierced Heart of Her Savior and Bride groom. The Church has always been imagined as the  Bride of Christ. He is the new Adam, the first born  of the new creation, and the Church symbolizes the  new Eve, created from His side. Just as God said  that in marriage the two become one flesh, so too  Christ and His bride, the Church, become one Mystical Body. Our Lord Jesus is the Head and we all are  members of the body by virtue of our Baptism. And  it is through the Sacramental Life of the Church that  the Body is ever nourished with life from her Savior  and Spouse.  

The Church, therefore, is meant to always be chaste  and pure, and Christ in His mercy has given the  remedy for that to be. As we contemplate the Easter  evening appearance in the Upper Room of the Risen  Lord and His Apostles, He immediately reconciles  them to Himself in the Shalom, Peace be with you,  and surprisingly enough He gives the power to those  who are weak themselves to forgive sins. There is no  end to the mercy of God and in a very special way  we celebrate this on Divine Mercy Sunday.  

Today at St. Mary Magdalen, beginning at 2;30 PM  we will have our Divine Mercy Service ( No Mass)  coupled with Padre Pio devotions (who better was  a dispenser of Mercy in our time than he). In the  Presence of the Blessed Sacrament we shall have  Divine Mercy prayers, Rosary, Chaplet, Eucharistic  Procession and Benediction. Come give thanks to  our Savior and Redeemer for the ever-flowing grace  of forgiveness from His Divine Heart. 

Again I would like to recognize and extend thanks to  all who made our Easter celebrations so beautiful and  memorable. Much effort has been put in behind the  scenes by parishioners who love their parish so much  and indeed thanks to all who were so generous in your Easter giving. May God reward you all abundantly.

With Blessings, 

Father Langan

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 representation of Christ’s saving work.  By prayer and ritual we are invited to participate intimately in the work of our 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 fidelity to Him.  We are very much aware of our fellow Christians throughout the world who suffer and are persecuted for their Faith.  We stand in solidarity with them and offer our fraternal love and support.

On Holy Tuesday Bishop Bambera summons his priests to join him in the consecration of the new Sacred Oils: Oil of Catechumen for those who are candidates for Baptism; Chrism for Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, Oil of the Infirm for the Anointing of the sick.  The Chrism Mass will be at 4:00PM in St. Peter’s Cathedral and the Faithful are encouraged to participate.  At this Mass the priests renew their priestly vows and call upon their parishioners to assist them with their prayers.

The Passion of the Lord dominates the Sacred Triduum (Three Days).  We begin with Morning Prayer (Lauds) on Holy Thursday evening at 7:00PM in St. John’s we commemorate the Lord’s Last Supper wherein He institutes the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (the First Mass); the Holy Priesthood; and the giving of the Mandatum (the new commandment) “love one another as I have loved you”.  Following the Mass, there will be a procession to St. Mary Magdalen with the Holy Eucharist for Adoration until 11:00PM.

Good Friday begins with Morning Prayers at 7:25AM (SMM).  The Way of the Cross (Stations) at 9:00AM (SMM) followed by the blessing with the relic of the True Cross on which our Savior died.

The main celebration of the day begins at Noon in St. John’s as we commemorate the Lord’s Passion.  We go in heart and mind to Calvary where we have been cleansed in the Blood of the Lamb.

At 3:00PM we begin the Novena and Chaplet of Divine Mercy which culminates on the Octave of Easter-Divine Mercy Sunday.

Good Friday evening at 7:00PM in St. John’s we chant in Hebrew, Latin, and English the most ancient and hauntingly beautiful dirges of the burial of Christ in the Office of Tenebrae.

On Holy Saturday, Morning Prayer will be offered at 7:25AM (SMM).  Please note that this year the Blessing of Easter baskets will take place at 10:00AM in the courtyard of St. Mary Magdalen, NOT in Holy Family Hall.  We prayerfully prepare for the great and Glorious Vigil of Easter at 8:00PM in St. John’s. During this Night-of-Nights, we recall the history of our salvation and renew all things in Christ, Who has conquered sin and death.

These are the days most important in the spiritual life of each one of us in the Family of Faith.  Let us therefore either in person or virtually come to be with our Blessed Lord and avail ourselves the abundant graces that come from celebrating these holy days.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     As we draw near to Holy Week our Lord is preparing His disciples and followers for His approaching death.  But the paradox of this is that He is in charge.  This is all part of God’s plan to demonstrate the magnanimity of God’s love for His creatures.  It appears that the Lord is the victim of man’s inhumanity to man and in a way that is true BUT the plan of God is to conquer what seems to be so dominant in life with His compassion, mercy and sacrificial love. This is the new law that we hear Jerimiah speak of in the first reading. It is transformative An even though it seems impossible to grasp, it is nonetheless the divine formula for the “new Israel”–the Church; the “new Covenant”–the paschal Mystery (the death, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and the descent of the Holy Spirit); and the Way for those who are followers of Jesus.

    In these most Sacred Days that soon will be upon us we make every effort to partake of this transformative renewal in our own lives.  The Paschal Mystery is not only something we celebrate It is what we become.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     Today is Laetare Sunday, (rejoice Sunday) because we have reached the halfway point of our Lenten journey and our cause for rejoicing are the words we hear from St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: “God is rich in mercy!”  This alone should give us hope and consolation as we review our lives and desire to conform them more to the will of God. This of course is a process as we are journeying through Lent.  We leave behind the darkness of sin and increasingly enter into the light, even the liturgical vestments of the day reflect this.  

      Physically we are confused, disoriented and directionless when we are in the dark but as we approach the light reality becomes much clearer and it delights our eyes, mind and heart.  Who would not want to revel in the sunshine.  We know how good it makes us feel.  Freedom from sin does the same and that freedom comes to us so readily through the Sacrament of Confession/Reconciliation.  The richness of God’s mercy in this Sacrament is the guarantee that God has wrapped His loving arms around us and set us free.  In order to receive this wondrous mercy we need only come humbly before the Lord, Who on Easter Sunday evening empowered His Apostles and their successors, bishops and priests, to dispel the darkness of sin and assure the penitent that they indeed are His sons and daughters.  As the hymn says: What wondrous love is this.

    We are halfway.  Lighten the rest of your Lenten journey by getting rid of the excess baggage of sin so that you can hold your head up high and see the light of divine mercy.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Lent moves swiftly and we do not want to be surprised that it has passed and we did not take advantage of the purifying grace of the season. As we hear in the Gospel for today Jesus knew human nature well, that is, He knows us!  And what he knows about us is that if we do not put our mind to something it will slip by and grace-filled opportunities will be lost.  

    From Exodus we are re-acquainted with  the very foundation of the moral law, The Ten Commandments.  Though originally inscribed upon stone the Law was meant to be inscribed upon our hearts.  Perhaps a good Lenten discipline would be to memorize the Commandments and even to do it has a family devotion, testing each other on how well they have been implanted in our memory.  These, after all, are the Code by which we conduct our lives.  Some have wrongly thought that our Lord abrogated the Commandments.  Certainly not!  He did however raise the bar to a greater perfection in the giving of the Eight Beatitudes.  In many ways, these show us how to put the Commandments into practice.  Together they are the pathway to life showing us how to imitate our Lord.  

    So why not ratchet up your Lenten discipline.  Memorize both the Commandments and the Beatitudes and let them be the guide for your evening examination of conscience and your preparation for a good Confession in this season of purification.

With Blessings

Father Langan

Enjoy your meat-free Friday meals by purchasing our cheese pizzas for Lent. Our pizzas will be for sale on Fridays, March 1, 8, 15, and 22. The pizzas are 12 x 16 “Take-And-Bake” freshly prepared that day. The cost is $14 per pizza. Pizzas will be available for pickup in St. Mary Magdalen Church basement from 10:00AM – 4:30PM. PREORDERS ARE REQUESTED TO GUARANTEE AVAILABILITY. Pizzas can preordered by texting 814-932-7184 before noon each Friday. Please include your name, number of pizzas, date for pickup and estimated time of pickup (10:00PM – 4:30 PM.).

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