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Good Shepherd Sunday – April 15, 2018

Frackville, From the Pastor /

During this Easter season we are reading the Acts of the Apostles, which describes what happened at the beginning of the Church. First came Pentecost. You could not have a more spiritual occasion. The Spirit comes with power in wind and fire to each of the apostles. In today’s reading from Acts, Peter speaks filled with the Holy Spirit. The healing he has performed was only possible in the name of Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified and whom God raised from the dead. But how do we share in the power of the risen Christ? Peter did not tell crowds at Pentecost just to enjoy themselves and let the Spirit take them over. No, he told them that they must be baptized. They must become a member of the body of Christ, join a community, a church. After baptism the early Christians shared their possessions with each other and broke bread together. It was a religious group. Jesus tells us in the Gospel today that we are called to be part of His flock. At the heart of this flock, this community, is a God who shows His face in Jesus the Good Shepherd. He respects our freedom and nourishes and cares for us. He is willing to lay down His life for us when the wolf comes to attack. Jesus will sacrifice His own life in order to bring His sheep together, united in the one faith.

Together we are part of the body of Christ. And in turn we are called to bear witness to that divine love of Christ in the way we care for each other, especially when it challenges our individual selfishness. We could ask ourselves whether we imitate Christ in our pastoral care for our neighbors. Are we good shepherds to our family and friends? We have many weaknesses and are in constant need of reform. We need it to give our spirituality a constant push in the right direction towards justice, charity, and strong witness.

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Low Sunday – April 8, 2018

Frackville, From the Pastor /

The Gospel reading about the appearance of our Lord to St. Thomas can lead us to focus more on the apostle’s doubt. “Doubting Thomas”, we often call him. We tend to think of Thomas as a rationalist, who carefully weighs evidence. But is this a real basis of his doubt? Perhaps Thomas doesn’t in fact doubt that Christ could rise from the dead; but he can’t believe that he would. He had seen Jesus’ miracles. He had seen Lazarus raised from the dead, as we are told in this same Gospel. Thomas also seems to be the one who recognizes that Jesus is truly God. Why would Jesus return to them? Why would He return to a world that not only rejected Him but put Him to death? To believe that Jesus is risen is to believe that He has forgiven us. Thomas doubts the resurrection because he doubts God’s mercy. To accept mercy requires faith, which is why it is so hard to forgive by human powers. Thomas finally understands that God is too great to be merciless. How do you convince someone that they are forgiven, when you and they are not really sure? To truly forgive and to truly accept forgiveness requires faith, as Jesus points out.

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Resurrection of the Lord – April 1, 2018

Frackville, From the Pastor /

Today is the great Christian feast. We may be tempted to think that Christmas is the feast of feasts because it captures our imagination, and it is so much easier to relate to a vulnerable little child than to enter into, let alone understand, the mystery of a God who, having died a horrendous death as a public criminal, should be raised again to life. The apostles were struggling to understand what was happening. St. John describes the drama in the early morning of Easter Sunday when Mary of Magdala reports that the tomb is empty. He let us know that he was in on the act and ran with Peter to check for himself. It is worth remembering that John was writing his Gospel with the benefit of having been able to piece the story together after a lifetime of meditating on it. He notes that this was the moment that he began to see the connections and the fulfillment of what had been prophesied in the scriptures. He is not afraid to go on and tell us what happened in the evening of Easter Sunday when Jesus came to the apostles who were hiding behind locked doors. It is not insignificant that Thomas, who was absent, refused to accept the evidence of the others. We will hear more about this next Sunday. In the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples return to the key elements of the faith. We see them in Peter’s address to Cornelius and his household: Jesus is the awaited Messiah; He was crucified for us, He was raised from the dead; He is now appointed to judge everyone.

Today is enough for you and me to realize that we are being asked to accept our call to be faithful witnesses of the resurrection. Now, as heralds of this good news – we are proclaiming not only that Christ was brought back to life, but that we too have been brought back to life with Him. There is a temptation to think that we must wait until our earthly life comes to an end before we will experience this new life, if we deserve it. But it is clear from the writings of St. Paul that this is not so. We have already been brought back to life and freed from the sin that held us bound.

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Holy Saturday – March 31, 2018

Frackville, From the Pastor /

Lighting the paschal candle from the Easter fire is always a tricky business. It might rain. A strong wind may blow it out. The wick may burn quickly but not melt the wax. The heat of the fire will make it difficult. There is always relief when the lighted candle is carried into the safety and protection of the church.

This most wonderful night celebrates newness, transformation and the growth of the Church. From the setting of the sun in the Pacific Islands, across Australia, to China, Korea and then the Indian subcontinent, through Africa and Europe towards the Americas, this light has spread and the hope of Christ’s resurrection has dispelled fear. Christians persecuted in many countries are renewed and strengthened by the victory of Christ over suffering, death and evil. The light of each candle offers God’s holy people the hope that good will triumph over evil, hope over despair, justice over oppression and peace over division. As we celebrate the baptism of new Christians into the Church and receive other Christians into full communion, we are reminded of the adventure of being follower of Jesus Christ and the promise that God loved the world so much that He sent His Son so that those who believe in Him will inherit the promise of eternal life. Jesus as the fragile light is carried into the Church, so it is a reminder that we are called to nurture those people whose faith is faltering and reach out to those who have wandered away from the practice of the faith. We are called to reach out to those in need.

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Good Friday – March 30, 2018

Frackville, From the Pastor /

During Lent the Stations of the Cross are a favorite devotion in which we ponder on the mysteries of Christ’s passion, suffering and death. We reflect on the 5th station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the cross. The German artist Sieger Koeder presents a fascinating image of this scene. He places Simon next to Jesus. They stand shoulder to shoulder and both look out of the picture towards us. The yoke of the cross sits across their shoulders so that equally they bear its load. In fact, it is difficult to know which is Jesus and which is Simon. This image reminds us of two things: Jesus helps each one of us to carry the cross; and we are each invited to help others to carry their crosses. He helps me carry my cross; I am called to help others carry theirs. These acts, however small, however great, are generous acts of love.

“We adore you, o Christ, and we praise You, because…” These familiar words sum up the meaning of Christ’s passion, suffering and death. God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son. Through Christ’s death and resurrection we become the adopted children of God. Christ stretches His arms outwards from the cross so that God’s mercy can embrace each one of us in love. The weight of His body stretched His arms to their limits and made breathing heavy and difficult. When He breathes His last breath and dies, Mary and John experience the deep pain of grief, but at the same time the hope of His words, which promise eternal life, resonates in their hearts. Christ is lifted up as the high priest who offers His life out of love for His people. This is the promise of the reconciliation and adoption that Christ has gained for us.

As we come with reverence to venerate the cross, with a kiss or a loving touch, we carry with us our own aches and pains as well as hidden tears in the heart. Like Simon of Cyrene, we bear the crosses of others whom we love. We offer these lives to Christ who alone can satisfy the longings of the heart and who offers His prayer to the merciful Father. We can carry with us those Christians who are suffering for their faith and enduring persecution even to death. We bear the names of our loved ones and family who are sick. May Mary, the Mother of Mercies, intercede for them so that they may receive the gift of health.

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Holy Thursday – March 29, 2018

Frackville, From the Pastor /

Tonight there is no usual end to the Mass. The priest and those serving will process to a side chapel or altar and leave the Blessed Sacrament instead returning it to the tabernacle. The liturgy will end in silence, without the priest giving a blessing. Tomorrow he will come in in silence and prostrate himself in the sanctuary and then he will begin the liturgy without the usual… At the end, without the priest giving a blessing, we will leave in silence. On Saturday, again, the Mass is not celebrated anywhere in the world. Over the next 3 days we are called to walk the whole awfulness of the story with Jesus, reacting in similar ways to the disciples and Mary. On this holy night the Church invites us to be present and close to Jesus for this one service that will last three days.

The liturgy this evening is full of symbols. The Lord has many messages for us, His disciples, as Jesus gets up from the table and washes the feet of those He calls friends. Jesus is trying to teach us, how to truly be Christian. He has given us an example so that we may copy what He has done for us.

As Jesus gave us this command to wash feet, how we are nowadays to interpret this? We are called to build the God’s kingdom through acts of generosity, kindness, simplicity. As we go to the altar of repose this evening, let us spend some time in prayer considering how we can best serve our neighbor, how can we show our love and concern, not only for our family members and friends, but more widely as Jesus.

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Palm Sunday (“B”) – March 25, 2018

Frackville, From the Pastor /

The Gospel story, told by St. Mark, tells us the story of Jesus, the just man, of His life journey and its culmination in arrest, unjust condemnation and death on a cross. Today we hear that story told again and we witness the injustice of it, the unfairness of it and the cruelty of it. The man who lived in the daylight is arrested in the dark. The man who spoke openly sees His words twisted and used against Him. The man who honored every person He met is brutally treated and taken out to die.

We tell this story and continue to tell is because it is the story of every person in this world. It is the story of the just person who seeks to live an honorable life, who meets with suffering and with cruelty, with injustice and with flawed societies. It is the story of how the just person perseveres in goodness despite all setbacks and opposition, and seeks the face of God. This is how life is in a fallen world. The forces of darkness are very real. The darkened sky over Calvary, where Jesus died, tells us to prepare ourselves for

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Passion Sunday (“B”) – March 18, 2018

Frackville, From the Pastor /

As Jeremiah describes it, the Lord will plant His Law deep within us, writing it on our hearts. It is seen as God’s response to our failure to keep the covenant. Instead of punishment God forgives our iniquity and never calls our sin to mind, giving us an image of God that will be taken up by the person of Jesus. In the synoptic Gospels Jesus faces His death with the agony in the garden, where He is described as struggling with what is being asked of Him by God His Father. Today from St. John’s Gospel we see Jesus troubled in similar fashion. The difference is that in St. John’s vision this testing is seen in itself to be the hour in which the Son of Man is glorified, a view that is underlined by the voice from heaven, like a clap of thunder, declaring, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The symbol Jesus offers us is that of the wheat grain that falls on the ground and dies. It is only by falling on the ground and dying that the grain can yield a rich harvest.

Most of us will not be asked to take extreme steps in our lives. We will, however, be asked to take such steps in many little ways every day of our lives. How do we develop the ability to take such decisions? How do we create a framework in our lives that will help us respond with the same generosity that we see in Jesus and His followers? We find Jesus in dialogue with others and with himself. And we know that before any major decision He retired to be by himself or with a few special disciples to pray. These too create the framework for our own decision-making. We don’t get on the right track out of the blue. It is through prayer, open discussion and the sacraments that we prepare ourselves constantly for whatever decisions will be asked of us, especially the decisions that will demand generosity and self-sacrifice on our part. There is the vision too of the wider cause we serve, the world in all its variety that always awaits the healing touch of Christ.

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Parish Committee Installation Service – 2018

About us, Frackville, PNCC /

Our newly constituted Parish Committee was installed on Sunday, March 11th. This years officers and trustees are:

  • Chairperson – Mrs. Ann Marie Wycheck
  • Vice-Chair – Mrs. Marjorie Dean
  • Recording Secretary – Mr. Lance Nelson
  • Treasurer – Mr. James Abicunas
  • Financial Secretary – Mrs. Sandra Elsavage
  • Directors: Mrs. Elaine Antalosky, Mrs. Barbara David, Mrs. Judith Touchinsky, Mrs. Betty Brazausky, Mrs. Jean Keim, Ms. Angela Elsavage, Mr. John Plaxa, Mr. George Tokarczyk, Mr. George Wycheck.

Congratulations and May God Bless You All!

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