Easter Thanks
Another great Easter celebration at Saint Rose of Lima! One of the most beautiful and profound ever! As usual, the Church was decorated beautifully by our dedicated parishioners who give so much of their time to make sure everything looks so wonderful. Many thanks to them! Also, as usual, the music throughout the Triduum was spectacular, along with superb liturgical planning. The tremendous dedication and com-mitment given by our music ministry deserves our heartfelt thanks as well. I can’t fail to mention our Priests, Deacons, Altar Servers, Readers and all the countless and often unrecognized heroes who did a fabu-lous job and really helped to make the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection special. We have such a great parish made up of great people who love the Lord. Thank you all for once again making our Parish’s Easter so beautiful!
The Easter Season
Remember that the Easter season lasts until Pentecost Sunday. In a very real way, the time from Easter until Pentecost might be considered as one continuous celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord. So much so that St. Athanasius, the fourth century bishop of Alexandria Egypt, called the fifty days between Easter and Pentecost “the Great Sunday.” We should do our best to maintain our enthusiasm and joy at the rising of Christ from the dead throughout this time, gleaning more and more from this great season of grace. Be attentive to the prominence of the Easter Candle, the white vestments, the sprinkling of Holy Water at Mass, all indications we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus for more than just one day, in fact we celebrate it for fifty days. The paschal mystery – the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ - is the center and height of the Christian liturgical year; let’s make sure we let the Lord know we mean it!
Spring has Sprung
Speaking of letting the Lord know we mean it……with the coming of the warmer weather of Spring, and Summer soon after, I wanted to remind you of the importance and value of the virtue of modesty. I think nearly everyone would admit that wearing shorts and a tank top to a funeral is not appropriate. But by admitting that, then we implicitly accept the principle that what we wear matters and in certain circum-stances express, to a certain extent, our interior disposition toward the situation. If that is true, then what we wear to Mass does say something about us. In other words, when we look like we are ready for the beach, a soccer or baseball game, a cookout, or some other pursuit other than worshipping God; it may say something about our interior disposition as well as being a distraction to others. It is important to remem-ber there are two things to consider about modesty: Firstly, what we are saying about ourselves (consciously or unconsciously), and secondly, the effect our attire may have on others.
While the comment “I have no problem with how I dress and God knows I love him, so why should someone be bothered about what I am wearing?” might seem like a fitting response, it can lack a certain courtesy and sensitivity to others. Sometimes things just happen and we come to Mass as we are because we can’t help it, I’m sure the Lord has no problem with that. But all the other times we should be consciously dressing to worship God, and I expect the Lord appreciates when we make the effort to look our best for him. It is good both for ourselves and for those around us.
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