"Why Do We Do These Things During Lent? - Rose Vestments on Laetare Sunday" by Fr. Alex

Today we celebrate the greatest joy of our faith: our Lord Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death and risen to new and everlasting life. The tomb is empty. Life has triumphed over death. Love has conquered hate. Light has overcome darkness. But St. Paul, in our second reading today from his Letter to the Colossians, reminds us that Easter is not only about Jesus rising from the dead—it is also about us. Listen again to his words: If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God… For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. What does this mean? St. Paul is telling us that the Resurrection isn’t just a past event; it is a present reality for us. Jesus is risen and we are invited to rise with Him—to live a new life, a different life, a Resurrected life. But to rise with Christ we must also die with Him. We must let die all that keeps us trapped: our sins, our selfishness, our fears, our attachments to this world. Easter invites us to leave the tomb of sin and those things that hold us back and step into the life of God’s grace. St. Paul says, seek what is above . That does not mean ignoring the world or escaping our responsibilities. It means seeing everything through the lens of Christ—letting our thoughts, decisions, and desires be shaped by heaven and not by the passing things of earth. So, on this Easter day, the question is not, “Did Jesus rise?” He did. The question is are we rising with Him to a new and more abundant life? The world offers us distractions, temporary pleasures, and false promises; the Risen Christ offers something far greater: a share in His victory. For those who live and die in the Lord’s friendship, life does not end in the grave but transforms into the fullness of the Risen Lord’s glory. We are called to be witnesses of the Resurrection in our homes, our workplaces, our schools, and here in our parish. People should encounter us and experience joy, goodness, and hope because we have been raised with Christ. While our true life may be hidden with Him, the totality of our lives should point to the good things to be revealed. So, where did the Easter Bunny come from? I’ve shared this before, but I’ll do it again for good measure. A long time ago, it was believed that rabbits did not sleep. They are not nocturnal animals, but termed crepuscular, meaning that they are most active at dawn and dusk. Because of this, rabbits were many times included in early art depicting the Resurrection because it was assumed that a rabbit was a witness to the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus and that rabbit was given the honor of becoming the Easter Bunny, tasked with brining treats to boys and girls to celebrate the joy of the Resurrection. Easter Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead!  Father Chris House

Luke’s Passion Narrative The Passion narratives of Matthew, Mark, and Luke rotate on a three-year cycle for Palm Sunday and this year the Church is presented with Luke’s narrative. Throughout Ordinary Time this year we have been presented with Gospel selections from Luke and that will continue after Pentecost, but this Lucan year also continues in the upcoming Easter season as Acts of the Apostles is traditionally understood as being authored by Luke too. Luke’s Passion Narrative is divided into four parts: in the garden, before the Sanhedrin, before Pilate and Herod, and finally Jesus’s crucifixion, death and burial. While Mark and Matthew present us with a Jesus surrounded by darkness and impending doom, and John portrays a triumphant Christ, Luke offers us a gentle and merciful healer who has given himself over to the Father’s will and continues his mission to the end. One of the more poignant occurrences in Luke’s Passion begins at the Last Supper, when Jesus speaks to Peter telling him that the devil had demanded to sift Peter like wheat, but that Jesus had prayed for Peter’s faith. This scene is one of the highpoints of the written artistry that Luke’s Gospel is known for. Peter quickly responds that he will never falter in his faith, in fact that he is prepared to go to prison for the Lord and to even die for him. Yet, in that same moment, Jesus tells Peter that he will deny him three times. Later that evening, the Lord’s prophecy comes to pass, just as he is being mocked by the Temple guards who tell Jesus to prophesy. When Peter denies Jesus, Luke tells us that Peter catches the Lord glancing through the crowd at him in that moment. After that moment, realizing what has happened, Peter goes out and weeps bitterly for his betrayal. I have often thought about that glance of Jesus towards Peter. What did it look like? I can imagine it being mixed with heartbreak and pain but also with love and mercy, void of condemnation. What about our lives, in those moments when we fail the Lord through our sinfulness and human weakness, how is the Lord looking at us? Perhaps a look of pain, but also one that invites us back, to know again the love that the Lord always has for us. His glance is one that does not illicit fear but that invites us to the fullness of mercy. Just as the Lord’s prophecy of Peter’s denial came to pass so did his prayer that Peter would not fail because Peter ultimately turns back to him. Peter humbles himself in contrition and therefore can receive the grace and the strength that the Lord wanted him to have. Sinners though we are, the Lord Jesus continues to intercede for us as he did for Peter. Mindful of our sinfulness in these sacred days of Holy Week, and always, let us turn to the Lord with humble and contrite hearts that we might know the fullness of his mercy, the power of his grace, and ultimately share in his victory as St. Peter did. Let us make this a true holy week as we are invited to walk with Jesus through his passion, death, and resurrection beginning today and culminating in the Sacred Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. The times for our liturgies and Masses are listed in the bulletin. Make time for the Lord Jesus and to ponder on the mystery of the depth of his love for us either through participating in these acts of worship or in your own personal prayer. Back Home – Thank You I don’t think I have ever experienced two months pass so quickly but my time at Saint Meinrad was good, both spiritually and in being able to advance my dissertation work. I thank all of you for your prayers during my absence. I especially wish to thank Fr. Alex, Deacon Scott, and all the parish and school staff for keeping the home fires burning in my absence and for allowing me to be able to truly devote these past two months to prayer and study. Blessings to you and yours for a grace-filled Holy Week! Father Chris House

Well…the church looks a little different today. Many of our images–the Cross, Mary and Joseph, and others–have been covered over. During Lent, the Sanctuary already looks quite stark with no flowers or plants or decorative cloths on the altar. But now, we have gone one step further in blocking out almost all of our imagery in the church. Indeed, everything around us is just a bit more sobering. But why do we do this? These last two weeks of Lent have traditionally been known as Passiontide. In former times, Passiontide was considered a special season within the whole season of Lent, almost like a super-Lent. During this time, statues were veiled, liturgical music would become more stark, and even whole prayers within Mass would be shortened to reflect the starkness of the season. Indeed, in the second half of Lent, the faithful were encouraged to focus their contemplation on the mystery of Our Lord’s Passion. With the liturgical reforms after the Second Vatican Council, the official distinction between Lent and Passiontide was relaxed. As such, many of the unique liturgical practices called for in the Roman Missal were smoothed over to make the entire celebration of the Lenten season more consistent. However, we are a people of tradition. We recognize that many of the practices of our ancestors in the faith remain good and holy for us as well. Therefore, one of the traditions still in place in many parishes across the world is the tradition of veiling sacred images for the last two weeks of Lent. Last Sunday, we were reminded of the joys of the celebration of the Resurrection to come. Next Sunday, Palm Sunday, we will have the opportunity to participate in the reading of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Luke. Today, we are invited to hunker down just a little bit more, trusting in the Lord to give us the grace of perseverance through the remainder of this holy season. Our veiling of sacred images symbolizes our desire to remove the things in this life which distract us from the act of our salvation: the Paschal Mystery. During these coming weeks, may God assist us in reorienting our focus upon His beautiful work in the world. Amen. –Fr. Alex

Join us for a Service of Darkness: Choral Meditations and Scripture Adapted from the Ancient Tenebrae. Featuring the combined choirs of Laurel UMC and Christ the King Church.

With the arrival of warmer weather which will, hopefully, stay around for a while, we are heading into the season of spring as well as the season of Lent. As Ash Wednesday is coming up in a few days, it is best that we take some time to consider in what way we can prepare ourselves to receive the countless graces which accompany this season. This last Monday, in our 4th Grade religion class, I talked about the season of Lent and offered some reflections as to why we do the things we do. I think it could be good for us to take some time to reflect on these things too: One of the greatest acts of penance we see during Lent is to fast from something. This is why we usually give up something. This can be something we like a lot, such as a favorite food or our favorite games. It can also be a chance to work on giving up the things we know are wrong but we find ourselves doing again and again. Lent can be a good chance to “give up” these bad habits. It is a chance for us to grow in virtue . The whole Church participates in “giving up” things. This is why we do not sing the Alleluia at Mass all throughout Lent. It’s also why on Fridays Catholics practice abstinence from meat. Abstinence from meat on Fridays means that we avoid eating land-based meats and instead choose to eat things like fruits, vegetables, and fish. This is because historically meat was seen as a luxury. To remember that Lent is a season of penance, we choose to avoid certain luxuries. Also, we do this on Fridays since we remember Jesus’ death on the Cross on Good Friday. Another thing we do during Lent is almsgiving . When we give alms, we choose to give up some of the material things we have, such as money or food, and give these items to people who live in poverty. Some people may choose to donate money towards a charity which helps the poor. Some may choose to donate food items to food pantries or homeless shelters. Some may also choose to volunteer at these places which help the poor. This is to remind ourselves that we should try to live a simple life so that we can rely on the gifts that God gives us. In addition, I gave our students three challenges which I think could be good challenges for us during these upcoming forty days: 1. What is one way I can fast during Lent as I prepare for Easter? What could I give up? 2. How can I grow in my relationship with God during Lent? 3. What is one way I can participate in almsgiving this Lent? Continued prayers for Pope Francis Please join me in continuing to pray for Pope Francis who, at the time of this writing, remains in critical condition in the hospital. We do not know what the future holds, but in charity, we unite our prayers with the rest of the Church, both on earth and in heaven. May God bless Pope Francis abundantly. Amen. -Fr. Alex

Archabbot Lambert Reilly, OSB, one of the former archabbots of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Southern Indiana, has always been known for his witty one-liners and comebacks. This was true during his tenure as archabbot, and it is true to this very day. One of these one-liners he became well-known for around the monastery is that “we have to love everyone, we don’t have to like everyone.” I may be paraphrasing, but his message rings true especially with today’s Gospel reading. To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If Jesus told us to love those who love us, it would be easy. In fact, we would probably do a pretty good job at that. However, Jesus did not say to love our friends. He told us to love our enemies. To some degree, we all have some sort of enemy. Maybe it is the coworker who constantly critiques the hard work we have done. Maybe it is the neighbor who constantly annoys us, and if we are honest, we probably annoy them too. Maybe it is a member of our family who we had a spat with years ago, and we both seem to struggle with letting that live in the past. We kid ourselves if we cannot, or will not, identify one person with whom we have a sour relationship. Love your enemies . It can be tempting for us to forget this call when we would rather hold a grudge. Equally, it can be tempting for us to think this cannot be done given the history we have with another. Perhaps we can look to the example Jesus Himself sets for us in loving our enemies. Later on in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus, enduring the absolute pain of the Cross, offers the simple prayer: Father, forgive them, they know not what they do . In this supreme act of charity, interceding on behalf of sinners, Jesus provides us the model for love. In fact, the entire Passion, Death, and Resurrection shows us the model for love. It is the offering of mercy to the other. This offering of mercy is best summarized and explained by St. Thomas Aquinas in writing on love. Love is distilled by St. Thomas Aquinas into the phrase: “to love anything is nothing else than to will good to that thing.” We love by willing good to others. It is why we as Christians should seek to practice the works of mercy. As God has loved us, willed our good, through the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, we should seek to live the same radical love. This form of love is by far the most difficult and only reaches its perfection with the help of God. Now, let us go back for a moment to Fr. Archabbot Lambert’s line. Certainly, we have received a divine call to love, but at the same time, we know it is impossible to be everybody’s friend. In fact, it would be unhealthy in many cases to strive for this. After all, we are humans, and we face limitations. These limitations include the emotions and history we carry from our interactions with each other. Indeed, there are particular situations in which it is prudent for us to not foster any sort of relationship with another person. We could probably come up with a good list of situations in which this prudence takes precedence. God never wants us to put ourselves in unnecessary danger of any sort, physical or emotional. The Gospel call to radical love still remains for us. Maybe Archabbot Lambert’s one-liner is a good challenge for us. Who do we need to learn to love as God calls us to love? Fr. Alex McCullough

We are all familiar with the Beatitudes. Blessed, blessed, blessed. In the context of the liturgy of the Church, they are drawn from again and again. But these beatitudes we encounter in this weekend’s Gospel seem different. They seem brief. They seem to cut a little deeper. There is a very simple explanation for this: these are not the ones we are used to hearing! In our Gospel this Sunday, we are given the privilege of hearing from St. Luke’s account of the Beatitudes as opposed to the more familiar ones from St. Matthew’s Gospel. Rather than being placed in the context of the Sermon on the Mount, as in St. Matthew’s Gospel, Luke sets this discussion of the Beatitudes within the context of the Sermon on the Plain. If we were to map out a chronology of Jesus’ ministry according to all four Gospels, the Sermon on the Plain would appear to be earlier than the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount took place alongside the Feeding of the 5000, but in Luke’s Gospel, the Sermon on the Plain is much earlier in the timeline of Jesus’ ministry. That is probably enough worrying about the timelines of these two Gospels. Instead, let us turn our attention to the truths Jesus reveals to us in our Gospel reading. In Luke’s account of the Beatitudes, we first encounter the same phrase of “blessed are…” However, we are soon turned over to a new proclamation: “woe to you.” For those of us who, at one point or another, find ourselves with a touch of cynicism, it is a bit of a welcome refresher from what we normally associate with Jesus. For some, the “woes” make us uncomfortable–many times throughout my life, I would prefer to be the things Jesus warns us about. It would be nice to have some money in the bank, to not worry about our bare necessities, to always be in a good mood, and to be well-liked by others. Certainly, we have all experienced a touch of this desire. While it is indeed prudent for us to have a healthy concern for these earthly things, we must look a little beneath the surface. Whatever we desire in this life, we are called first to recognize God’s handiwork and providence. When we lose sight of God, our creator and our redeemer, when we decide to place our desires in mere shadows compared to the Lord of life, we risk giving up the greatest gift of this life–eternal life with God. If we allow ourselves to choose the things, the created things, of this world over the very creator, something less than God rather than God Himself, we have fallen into the trap the evil one desires in which to ensnare us. We worship something other than God. These “woes” which Jesus gives us serve not to inform us of the vast punishments which await us when we fall. We know we have a God who seeks to extend His mercy to us. Rather, the “woes” serve to warn us of the dangers in which we put ourselves when we choose to separate ourselves from God. Blessed are we who seek above all else to be in union with God. Warm Welcomes Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Fr. Zach Samples, currently the Parochial Vicar at St. Agnes. Fr. Zach has graciously offered his assistance over the next two months while Fr. Chris is on sabbatical. On most weekends, he will rotate in as the celebrant at one of the Masses as well as hearing Confessions and celebrating Mass on most Thursday mornings. This will be a great help for me in taking a little off my plate and allowing me to have a day off through the week. Fr. Zach and I go way back to our days as students at EIU in Charleston before either of us was in seminary. Thank you for your assistance, Fr. Zach! Father Alex McCullough

Casting the Nets of our Lives Today’s Gospel brings a change in scenery from last Sunday’s Gospel; it may be a small detail but it is an important one. Last Sunday Jesus was in the synagogue in Nazareth. The “home town boy” was at first received well by those in the synagogue but the mood turned as the assembly found themselves challenged by Jesus. Luke records for us that the scene culminates with the crowd being so angry that they are preparing to throw Jesus off the edge of a cliff but he manages to get away. From Nazareth, Jesus returns to Capernaum. Capernaum was one of nine towns on the Sea of Galilee; the “Sea” of Galilee is actually not a sea as we understand the word today, being that it was thirteen miles, north to south, and about eight miles wide; the Scriptures also refer to it as the Sea of Tiberias or the Lake of Gennesaret. Today, the area around the Sea of Galilee is mostly buzzing with pilgrims, but in Jesus’s time those nine towns around it would have had a total population of tens of thousands of people. While this is the first time that Luke records Jesus actually being in Capernaum, we know he has been there before because of the previous Sunday’s Gospel where the synagogue crowd mentions Jesus performing miracles in Capernaum. This Gospel continues in the on-going theme of Epiphany that has been presented to us for the past several Sundays because of the astounding catch of fish that Simon and the others bring it. Experienced fishermen, they have worked all night, but at Jesus’s insistence they cast their nets one last time, against their own judgement, and their willingness is rewarded. In response to this manifestation of God’s grace and power, Luke tells us that Simon falls to his knees saying “depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Jesus does not go away but instead formally calls Simon, as well as James and John, to follow him. They leave everything behind and accept the Lord’s invitation. Like Peter, James, and John, the Lord is also calling us to follow him and become “fishers of men.” Jesus’s preaching and teaching was primarily done on the sea shore, in towns, and on the road, not in the synagogue or Temple. Our bringing souls to Christ must be done wherever we are, and while we witness to the Lord at Sunday Mass, being at church is not where this call is primarily lived out. Jesus is calling us to cast the nets of our lives; those living nets are to be constructed of our love, charity, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, and faith and they are to be cast at home, work, school, everywhere our daily living takes us. These “nets” are what bring other souls to the Lord. We need to examine our lives to be sure that sin, bad attitudes, a lack of hospitality, and so on, have not made holes in these nets. If we find holes are present, God’s grace is there to help us mend these nets of our lives. As with Peter and the others, we may find ourselves tired, frustrated, unsure, maybe even lacking in faith, but Jesus is still asking us to put out the nets of our lives for a catch. Hopefully we will each say yes. The Musings of Father Alex…. ….will be gracing this page soon as I am now at Saint Meinrad, getting re-acquainted with the library. When these eight weeks are over I will probably have spent more time in the library at Saint Meinrad now than when I was…..never mind. Below is an older aerial photograph of Saint Meinrad Archabbey and Seminary. Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead! Father Chris House

Last Sunday, the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, presented us with the Gospel of the wedding feast at Cana, particularly the sign of the water made wine. This first miracle by our Lord, as reported by John, points to the dawning of a new age, a new time: the time of the Messiah. These days of the Messiah are a time of grace and mercy, when God has opened up his own divine life to us in and through Jesus Christ. The good news for us is that these days are still upon us as the world continues to live in them until the Lord Jesus returns in his glory. This Sunday’s Gospel continues the theme of Epiphany with Jesus’s proclamation in his home synagogue in Nazareth of the words of the Prophet Isaiah. Jesus proclaims The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord . At the end of the proclamation, Jesus announces that today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing. He is the one of whom Isaiah spoke. He is the fulfillment of the promise of the prophets and the ultimate manifestation of God’s life, love, and grace in the world. To bring sight to the blind, liberty to captives, glad tidings to the poor, and freedom to the oppressed is a monumental task, one that is fit for the Messiah…and for us. We cannot do any of these things as Jesus did, but, as disciples, we are called to carry Christ into the world each and every day. It is the Lord Jesus who brings true freedom and sight, who lifts up the soul and fills it with richness. We are the vessels, the messengers by which he chooses to be continually made known in the world. We are called each day to be deliberate in our discipleship, to make the conscious choice for him every day so that we may be an avenue through which Jesus can be known and touched by those whom we meet. We are not tasked with this responsibility without any assistance. Luke tells us that in making this proclamation in Nazareth, Jesus had returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. The same is true for us. Through Baptism and Confirmation we are imbued with power of the Spirit to proclaim Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives. Let us avail ourselves to the power of the Spirit that, in and through us, the Lord Jesus may continually be made known in the world, a world that needs to know and accept his love, his grace, and his mercy. Now is the acceptable time for us to answer this call. Information About My Upcoming Sabbatical Last month I announced here in my column that I will be heading out on a two month sabbatical. I was originally to spend it in the Holy Land last year but, as I am sure you are aware, conditions there made that impossible. I will be heading to Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology located at Saint Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana; this is where I attended minor seminary; there I will spend those months in prayer and reflection but also doing research for my doctoral dissertation in canon law which will hopefully also lead to me getting some writing done while I am there. I will be gone from February 4th thru April 8th, back just before Holy Week begins. While I am gone I do not expect the rhythm of parish life to be altered but slightly. Father Zach Samples, parochial vicar at St. Agnes, will be taking a Mass just about every weekend to save Father Alex from offering four Masses; Father Zach will also be taking the Thursday morning Mass so that Father Alex is able to have a day off each week. There are two minor alterations to note. First, Father Alex will be attending a workshop for priests in their first year of ministry from February 10th - 15th. There will be Communion services each morning that week with Deacon Scott. Second, beginning the week of February 17th, there will be no Wednesday 7AM Mass but all are welcome to attend the school Mass which will still be held at 8:30AM. Mass will still be at 7AM the other four weekdays. The reason for this is that a priest may say no more than two Masses on a weekday. By temporarily eliminating this one Mass time, it frees Father Alex to be available for a funeral Mass M,W,F, with Tuesdays already having two Masses due to Mass at area nursing facilities and Thursday being his weekly day off. The 7AM Wednesday Mass will resume the week of April 7th. This May I will be ordained twenty-three years and this past August I marked twenty years working in the curia at the Catholic Pastoral Center. Honestly, I am looking forward to the short break, minus the research and writing but I’ve been asked to do it and so I will. While I am gone you will remain, as always, in my daily prayers. I won’t be responding to email or getting phone messages. Should there be a serious need that requires my attention, Father Alex and Mrs. Seaton, our principal, will get in touch with me. This will be a great learning experience for Father Alex and he is up to the challenge….please just don’t make the learning curve too steep! Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead! Father Chris House