February 2015

II Sunday of Lent – “B” – March 1, 2015

From the Pastor /

This encounter of Peter, James and John upon the mountain with the glorious Christ seems out of place in the Gospel of St. Mark. Why are the disciples not able to see the glory of Christ at every moment? Why can they not see this? It is because they have not accepted that Jesus must die on the cross. We, readers of St. Mark’s Gospel, are now seeing all this in the light of the cross and resurrection. We know that without the cross there can be no resurrection. It is only after Jesus has risen that the disciples will understand the significance of what happened upon the mountain. The mountain of the glorious appearance of Jesus only makes sense in the light of that other mountain, Golgotha, the place of the crucifixion. When we think of earthly glory we think of those who have risen above our ordinary human weakness and vulnerability. Those who are rich and famous do not share in our daily struggles to make a living. Sometimes we think that sharing in the glory of Christ will make us invulnerable to human weakness and suffering. With Peter we say it is wonderful to be with the glorified Christ, and we wish to build a dwelling place so that Christ can stay forever with us. Yet remaining with Christ means following Him to that other mountain, the place of the cross.

In order to enter into His glory, Christ calls us to follow Him on the path to the cross. It is very tempting to remain on the mountain, but we are called to return to our lives. Each of us is confronted by suffering: the pain and disappointments of our own lives, the sufferings of those around us. As Christians we are not called to rise above the pain and suffering of the world, but to follow Christ and enter into those places where people suffer. We can only do this as Christ’s disciples, allowing Him to enter into our own suffering and pain, so that we can show to others this healing love. This is what it means to show the glory of Christ.

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Invitation to our Lenten Retreat – A Year of Regenereation

PNCC /

Lenten Retreats in parishes and Seniorates all over the country and Canada are scheduled for this season. The retreats are only one of eight initiatives set forward by this past national Synod for “each and every parishioner to play a role in bringing about a renewed and active spiritual life in the parishes and in the entire Church” as Prime Bishop Anthony wrote in January’s God’s Field. Our Scranton Seniorate in combination with the Plymouth Seniorate will conduct its Lenten Retreat on Saturday, March 21st in Dupont, PA from 11 am to 3 pm. All our parishioners are invited to participate in this national and international effort for a program built around the theme: Return to Me with Your Whole Heart. There is no charge for this spiritual exercise.

The program outline for this day of reflection and recollection is given here:

11:00 – 11:15 am – Welcome/Introduction – Bp. Bernard Nowicki
11:15 – 11:35 am – Biblical Reflection/Meditation – Fr. Carmen Bolock
11:35 – 11:50 am – Time for Silent Meditation and Prayer
11:50 am – 12:15 pm – Biblical Reflection/Meditation – Fr. Janusz Lucarz
12:15 – 12:45 pm – Light Lunch
12:45 – 1:05 pm – Biblical Reflection/Meditation – Fr. Walter Placek
1:05 – 1:20 pm – Lenten Hymns
1:20 –1:45 pm – Seven Last Words of Christ – Fr. Sr. William Chromey
1:45 – 2 pm – Private Prayer
2:00 – 2:30 pm – Penitential Devotions – Fr. Sr. Zbigniew Dawid
2:30 – 2:45 pm– Reflection on Penance – Fr. Sr. Zbigniew Dawid
2:45 – 3 pm – Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament – Fr. Sr. Z. Dawid

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I Sunday of Lent – “B” – February 22, 2015

From the Pastor /

In the old legends, the hero was recognized as such from an early age. Mark’s Gospel gives no information on Jesus’ early years, but all Gospel references to what follows Jesus’ baptism draw attention to His unique status. First, however, He is put to the test. We are told that Jesus was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He was tempted by Satan. We are also told that He was with the wild beasts. It was commonly believed in the ancient world that the wilderness was where evil spirits and demons lived. Jesus was also looked after by angels. In today’s Gospel story, the issue is whether Jesus, the beloved Son of God will trust His Father where the nation Israel, the children of God, did not. Mark doesn’t explicitly tell us the outcome, but we are told that Jesus emerged triumphant from this test and, after John’s arrest, proclaimed: “The kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.”

Perhaps our own test, especially during Lent, is to ask ourselves if we really believe that the kingdom of God is at hand and that it really is good news for us. The goal of Lenten repentance is to change our mindset to accepting God’s good news, and letting it make a difference in lives. After all, the English word “repentance” comes from a Greek word that literally means “a change of mind”. We are called first to change the way we think about God’s kingdom and Jesus’ good news before we try to change our behavior. This change of mind is what Lent is really about.

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Quinquagesia Sunday – “B” – February 15, 2015

From the Pastor /

The person who brought about this turnaround in the life of Paul was Jesus himself, whom Paul met on the road to Damascus. As Paul hunted down the followers of the Lord, Jesus said to him, “I am Jesus and you are persecuting me.” From this moment onwards, St. Paul would never again do anything offensive to anyone, neither Jew not Greek nor Church of God. St. Paul had come to know the Lord, who went about preaching and curing all who were sick. This Jesus of Nazareth never did anything offensive to anyone, though His opponents found much to be offended about. Today we hear of an encounter with a leper. Jesus is anxious that this cure should net be broadcast, for fear it would cause uproar. Ironically, the leper has found his place back among his own people and the Lord has been forced outside. But despite that consequence, Jesus was more than willing to heal the sick man. That is why He came – to bring true life to all people and to heal our sickness.

Our deepest hurts are the things that cause you to fight one another, our anger and our sense of injustice, our aggressiveness with one another and our violence. We are back where we started, with the advice of St. Paul: “Never do anything offensive to anyone.” These are the true sorrows of our world. How do we heal them?

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Sexagesima Sunday – “B” – February 8, 2015

From the Pastor /

It’s easy for us to be so wrapped up in our lives – the daily routine, the demands that simple existence makes upon us – that we lose sight of our true purpose and calling. Like Job, we can be left struggling with our existence, failing to find a meaning in our lives. Sickness, mental illness, stress and anxiety in particular can so consume us that our life feels like no more than “pressed service” and “hired drudgery”. But that highly charged, symbolic good deed of Jesus points away forward us: Simon’s mother-in-law is restored by Jesus’ touch not simply to health but to service. Her encounter with Jesus transforms her suffering into the freedom to serve. This Gospel truth is a lesson the disciples struggle to learn: that true greatness lies in service, for Jesus himself came not to be served but to serve. Those of us who, like Simon’s mother-in-law, are touched by Jesus are raised to serve like Him, to continue His mission of bringing healing and wholeness into our world. So many people are weighed down by burdens of suffering, trapped by external forces of oppression and poverty, or enslaved by internal compulsions and addictions. The response of Christ – of the Christian – is to do more than simply ask “Why?” We are called to engage actively, by proclaiming the nearness of God’s kingdom through lives of loving service.

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Septuagesima Sunday – “B” – February 1, 2015

From the Pastor /

It is said that the greatest victory the devil has won in our modern age is to persuade people not to believe in him. His greatest skill is to deceive people. C.S. Lewis, who wrote a brilliant book called The Screwtape Letters, made the devil into a rather humorous figure.

In the New Testament the devil is no joking matter. In the first-century Palestine, the world of the demonic was taken deadly seriously. St. Mark sees the world into which Jesus comes. It was not neutral ground but occupied by Satan. The Messiah would have to be involved in a cosmic battle with him. In today’s Gospel the battle begins as he performs an exorcism in Capernaum. Jesus goes to teach in the synagogue. The devil recognizes Jesus not as a healer but as a destroyer: “Have you come to destroy us?” Then he tries to trick Jesus into submission by using two names for Him, Jesus of Nazareth and “the Holy One of God”. But Jesus is not deceived. He casts out the unclean spirit, who violently shakes his victim and screams out in defeat.

Imagine such a scene at a Sunday Mass. What would people make of all that shouting and writhing in the sanctuary? It’s not what we expect in church. In our modern, scientific society we may be embarrassed by all this talk of demons and Satan. Modern medicine can certainly explain a great deal of the sickness and disease that we see in the Gospels. On an individual level many people are taken over by powerful addictions, such as drugs, drink or pornography. They are imprisoned. There can seem to be powers at work that are more than the sum of individual people’s evil. The good news of the Gospel is that Christ has won the victory over evil and we can share in His risen power. Evil will never have the final word. Jesus calls us to stand firm against evil and unjust behavior in this world. We do not need to be afraid, as we can know that He is with us and has won the victory over Satan and all his works.

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