March 21, 2025

Friday of the Second Week of Lent

 

O God, author of every mercy and of all goodness,

who in fasting, prayer and almsgiving have shown

us a remedy for sin, look graciously on this

confession of our lowliness, that we, who are

bowed down by our conscience,

may always be lifted up by your mercy.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity

of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen

 

Collect for the Mass on the Third Sunday of Lent

 

Brothers and Sisters,

 

“Repent and be faithful to the Gospel”.

You may have heard these words spoken to you on Ash Wednesday, the start of our 40 Days of Lent, as the ashes were placed upon your forehead. The ashes are a biblical sign of the desire to turn away from sin and be reconciled to God.

The three fundamentals, or pillars, of our Lenten observance are prayer, fasting and acts of charity, or “almsgiving”. Each is a remedy for the sins of pride, the placing of the things of this world above God, and selfishness. Lent is to be a time of purification and testing in preparation for Holy Week and Easter.

As we approach the midway point of Lent, these fundamentals are emphasized in the Scriptures for Mass this coming Sunday. Moses encounters God in the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1-8, 13-15). God is sending him to bring the people of ancient Israel out of slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. The journey will not be an easy one. It will be a time of great testing and purification for the people that will last 40 years.

But even with all the setbacks and stubbornness of the people, which we hear St. Paul refers to (1^st Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12), God does not give up on them. Nor does God give up on us in our stubbornness to accept the remedy for sin that Lent invites us into. For as we hear in Psalm 103, “The Lord is kind and merciful”.

In the Gospel reading (Luke 13:1-9), Jesus uses the Parable of the Fig Tree to remind us of the call to repent and be reconciled to God through the Cross and Resurrection of the Lord. God will offer to us the graces we need to do so. It will be up to us, in humility, to acknowledge the need to repent and take advantage of the opportunities to do so.

 

Sacraments of Healing

 In the coming days of Lent there will be opportunities to receiving God’s mercy through the Sacraments of Healing in both the confessional and by the anointing of the elderly and sick.

The first will be our Lenten Reconciliation Service on Tuesday, March 25, the Solemnity of Annunciation. A total of nine priests will be available from 5pm to 7pm in the church for individual confessions. We will also have our usual confession times on the weekends and weekdays of Lent. There will also be extended confession hours during Holy Week.

The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick will be offered at the conclusion of all Masses the weekend of March 29-30, the Fourth of Sunday of Lent. The elderly, the chronically ill, regardless of age, and those preparing for medical procedures, also regardless of age, are encouraged to be anointed.

 

Our Parish

Our Fridays of Lent devotions continue today with Stations of the Cross starting at 6pm in the church with a meatless meal being served in McGuire Hall immediately afterwards. All are welcome. I encourage every household to take part in at least one of the Stations of the Cross this Lent.

That Man Is You (TMIY) meets on Wednesdays from 6am to 7:15am in Room 101. This is a wonderful men’s ministry in our parish. All men of the parish are welcome to attend.

The Theology of the Body Retreat for our high school age youth will be on Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29. Please keep all participants in prayer.

Also, on Saturday, March 29 we are hosting a father/son retreat day sponsored by the Diocese. The day will begin with a Mass at 8:30am, to which anyone is welcome. The information to register for this retreat is below. Please keep all the participants in your prayers.

The parish Landscape Committee will hold a workday on Saturday, March 29 starting at 9am. Volunteers are welcome to help prepare our garden areas for Holy Week.

On the Sundays of Lent, most of the sung Mass responses are offered in Latin. There are cards in the pews to assist you in doing so. During the month of March, we will be using incense at our 9:00am Sunday Mass.

Audio recordings of the homily at our 9:00am Sunday Masses are now available on our parish’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Please continue to personally invite to Sunday Mass those you know who are not active in the Catholic faith, as well as those who have no church home. All are welcome.

We will have extended hours of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the St. Scholastica Chapel on April 3 to April 6 and again April 10 to April 13. The intention is to pray for those participating in the ACTS Retreats.  You can sign up this weekend in the church commons for an adoration time.

 

Conferences and Retreats

There are several conference and retreat opportunities this Lent. They include,

Oklahoma Catholic Women’s Conference, “Talithakoum, Women Arise”: Saturday, March 29, in Oklahoma City. Online registration at catholicwomen.com.

TeenMEN, Father & Son Retreat: Saturday, March 29, the Church of Saint Benedict, 8:00am to 4:00pm. Suggested ages 10-14. Contact megan.allen@dioceseoftulsa.org for more information.

St. Benedict ACTS Retreats: Women’s Retreat Thursday, April 3 to Sunday, April 6, Men’s Retreat Thursday, April 10 to Sunday, April 13. Registration is available in the church commons.

 

Divine Mercy Sunday

 Please mark your calendars for the devotions on Divine Mercy Sunday on April 27. In addition to our regular Mass schedule, we will have a Holy Hour of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the praying of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and the opportunity for confession. It all begins at 3pm and all are welcome.

 

God bless and keep you safe.

Fr. Bryan