Our Parish will be holding a Day of Reflection on July 1 beginning with a Mass at 8 A.M. at St. Mary Magdalen. The retreat will continue from 9 A.M. to 1 A.M. Please contact Angie Swendsen if you are interested in attending.

The Parish Office will be closed tomorrow (Monday, June 19) in observance of the Federal Holiday.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

From today to the end of November, we celebrate a  nearly unbroken string of Sundays in Ordinary Time.  However, let this not convey a misunderstanding that  

nothing “special” happens until Advent. Ordinary Time  is merely the counting of Sundays outside the climatic  seasons of Christmas and Easter and their preparatory seasons of Advent and Lent. It is the time to delve  into the earthly life of our Lord between His birth  and death and to more appreciate our response as  His disciples.

In the Gospel today He declares that: “the Kingdom  of Heaven is at hand.” With that declaration He  chooses the Twelve and begins to send them out to  make it known. We indeed believe that the Kingdom  is at hand and it is up to us to continue the work the  Chosen ones were commissioned to do. We must  never forget or diminish the fact that we are the  Chosen here and now. And by the power of God’s  grace the Kingdom of Heaven will advance depending  on the good work we do. 

Many unsung Chosen advance the Kingdom in ways  we may not see but their efforts and service are fundamental to the building up of the Kingdom. Think of  all the particular ministries in this parish. We depend upon so many who selflessly employ their God-given talents to serve and build up the Faith. For all of them, we are endlessly grateful.

I am especially grateful to all who prayed so earnestly for my speedy recovery; I only wish I had the time to thank all of you personally for your prayers, good  wishes, beautiful cards and tasty gifts. I am most appreciative.  

Also, this is the time of year when many young  people are making important transitions in life, i.e.  graduation. We as a parish extend our best wishes to them and hope they play a vital part in extending the  Kingdom of the Lord. 

And finally, we entrust to the Lord all of our fathers  those living and those called home to God. May the  Lord give those among us the grace to image our  Heavenly Father’s love and mercy, understanding and  compassion. May they have the wisdom and strength  necessary to provide and guide those entrusted to  their care. 

With Blessings, 

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine.”  These words of an ancient Eucharistic hymn convey the sentiments and Faith that we express on this Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Sometimes there is the danger to take for granted the most awesome gift God has bestowed upon us. And there are those who even today echo the sceptics who rejected the  Words of the Savior: “unless you eat My Flesh and  drink My Blood you will have no life within you.” The Mystery of the Holy Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, indeed challenges the faith of many, but  what is Faith after all if not the humble acceptance of  God’s command. Jesus Christ invites us into the Mystery of His Real Presence. He beckons us to partake of His Resurrected Body that cannot be contained by time nor space. The Holy Eucharist effects a union with Him, The Father and the Holy Spirit which pre pares us for eternal life. Heaven resides in us right now through the workings of this Most Precious gift. 

How then do we approach this most glorious union?  Too often, our approach may be too casual. As we enter church our attention and affection should first be drawn to The Presence of our Lord in the tabernacle. As we bless ourselves and genuflect we are not performing rote rituals but rather are making a declaration of Faith. In other words, we are saying,  “I believe Lord that you are here and that you promised to come to me, I therefore come for you. This outward declaration of one’s faith by silent word and  action gives witness to others that we adore the God  Who has humbled Himself to dwell among us.  

Secondly, we consider the state of our souls as we present ourselves before Him. We know, or should  know, that if we are not in the state of grace we need  to refrain from the reception of Holy Communion  until we have made things right with God through a  good Confession. It would be insulting to family and friends if we invited them to our home which looks  as if a cyclone has passed through. How much more would it be an insult to God if our soul was in disorder by the chaos of sin. If we have not been coming  to Mass because other things have been deemed by  us as “more important” than God, such as shopping,  entertainment, athletics, then what are we saying  about the importance, or lack thereof, of the Holy  Eucharist in our lives?  

We remember the encounter that Our Lord had with the disciples on the road to Emmaus on Easter Sunday afternoon. At first they were prevented from recognizing Jesus until it came to the “Breaking of the Bread”– the Holy Eucharist once again, the second  time since the Last Supper. And what was the reaction of those disciples:  “Were not our hearts burning within us?” Let it be the same with us. Let us burn with longing to receive worthily Our Lord. Let us come to adore Him this day and any day possible to be possessed by God and not the distractions of this  world.  Come and experience true freedom from the only One Who can set you free and provide for you already a taste of heaven. 

With Blessings,

Father Langan 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     Now that we have returned to Ordinary Time, we begin this Liturgical Season with two doctrinal celebrations which are fundamental to our Christian beliefs.   This Sunday we celebrate the Most Holy Trinity.  Our Lord Jesus has revealed to us the very nature of God, One yet Three Divine Persons.  Our finite minds may have difficulty in grasping this but we remember that we are embracing the mystery of God Who draws us into His infinite love and has demonstrated that love by sending His Son to save us.  Father and Son promised to be with us always and so they have sent the Holy Spirit as our constant companion and guide.  In the Sacrament of Confirmation, we have become fully aware of the Holy Spirit’s working in our lives.  This we call the life of grace.  And how does that grace come to us? In the Sacraments of the Church most especially in the Holy Eucharist.

      Sad to say some have lost their understanding of the necessity of the Holy Eucharist in their lives.  Jesus said: “Unless you eat My Flesh and drink My Blood you will have no life within you.”  When we dismiss the necessity of the Real Presence of Christ in us often there is an endless and futile search for the things of this world to fulfill our longings.  The result is a profound emptiness that can never be fulfilled.  Without Christ in us we are nothing.

     This brings us to the next Sunday, which is the feast of Corpus Christi.  We demonstrate our Faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist not only by our participation at Mass but also by our processing with the Holy Eucharist outside and around the church, weather permitting. After the procession, we return to the sanctuary for an afternoon of adoration.  At 3 PM we will pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy; at 3:30 the family Rosary; and at 4 PM sung Vespers and conclude with Benediction.  You are welcome to join in all or part of our afternoon celebration.  This inaugurates the nationwide Eucharistic Revival.  By our devotion, we pray that those who have slipped away from the understanding of God’s profound love for us may once again embrace the faith they received in their youth.

     As the Psalm says: “How can I make a return to the Lord for all the goodness He has bestowed on me?” The answer is simple.  Come spend some time with Him in the Presence of the Holy Eucharist and know how much He loves you.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Reminder – Confirmation practice starts promptly at 10am until 12pm at St. John’s.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

Fifty days ago, we gathered at the Vigil Mass for the celebration of our Lord’s triumph over sin and death.  During these hallowed days we experienced the joy of the Resurrection as Jesus made His presence known to the disciples, and in a sense prepared them to take over the reigns of spreading the Good News  to all the world. No doubt they were uneasy with this monumental task but it came with a promise.  The promise of the Holy Spirit. On this day of Pentecost we celebrate the fulfillment of that promise not only for the original Apostles and disciples but for us  as well. 

With unfettered joy, we celebrate the Seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit that we received on the day of our own Pentecost, on the day we were Confirmed. As we contemplate the gifts of Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude (Courage). Piety, and Fear of the Lord we must honestly ask ourselves,  “how am I using these gifts that God the Holy Spirit  has lavished on me?” Our response is the measure of our discipleship. 

Today, our young parishioners will assume this awesome responsibility of being witnesses of the Faith as they are Confirmed. We congratulate them on their diligent preparation for this special day and continue to encourage them in the faithful living and practicing their Faith. 

Also, we offer our heartfelt congratulations to Deacon William Asinari who on Saturday, at the hands of  Bishop Bambera, received the Holy Order of Deacon.  Surely he has allowed the Holy Spirit to inspire and guide him and put into practice those gifts of the  Holy Spirit which we celebrate today. Our continued prayers for him, and his family as he prepares for ordination to the Holy Priesthood next year. 

Keep in mind that June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We ponder the infinite love that emanates from His Divine Heart and how desperately  the world needs to come to Him before it is too late.  Jesus meek and humble of heart make our hearts like  unto Thine. 

With Blessings, 

Father Langan

Reminder – Last class for Honesdale students minus 2nd grade. Please bring text books and unused activity books.

Christ is Risen; Indeed He is risen, Alleluia! 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

This ancient acclamation of the Gospel’s glorious Good News may temporarily fade from our lexicon since Eastertide is drawing to a close. Pentecost marks the culmination of Easter, but in fact, we continue to celebrate the most important event in the history of mankind when Our Savior conquered sin and death and opened for us the gates of Paradise. In fact, every Sunday is considered a little Easter and so  is the focal point of all our activities and aspirations. 

Like our Lady and the Apostles, we pray in earnest for the coming of the Holy Spirit to send His Seven-fold gifts upon our candidates who will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation next Sunday. We offer our heartfelt congratulations to the children who have received our Eucharistic Lord for the first time this past Saturday. May they continue to come to the Lord in holy innocence and inspire their families to walk in faithfulness before the Lord. 

On Saturday in St. Peter’s Cathedral, Bishop Bambera will ordain William Asinari to the Order of Deacon.  What a blessing this is for him and his family and his parish family. With him, we give thanks to God for his vocation and his continuing preparation for the Holy Priesthood. Parishioners are very much welcome and encouraged to attend the Mass of Ordination at 10:00AM. 

In these closing days of Eastertide God is abundantly pouring forth His graces upon our parish. May He continue to do so especially in calling forth from our midst young and faithful men to serve the Church as priests. Pray daily for vocations so that you may never starve spiritually for lack of the Bread of Life.  Remember: No priest; No Eucharist.  Thank you. 

 With Blessings, 

 Father Langan