As we enter into the holiest week of the Liturgical Year, I want to bring us back to where we started, at the beginning of Lent with the word that the Lord spoke to us  that He wanted this Lent to be a healing time for us all. Did you experience His healing? Of course the answer to that question does depend on whether we took this holy season seriously?  Did we pray? Did we ask the Lord to show us the areas of our life that needed to change – and did we give the Holy Spirit permission to come into our hearts and change us?

​This Holy Week presents us with one more opportunity to enter into the mystery of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection.  I want to do this by meditating briefly on the Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross. This is an ancient liturgical tradition.  In some churches on Good Friday these Seven Last Words are celebrated publicly. They are not merely “words” but messages to us. Just like the Jewish people speak of the Ten Commandments as the 10 words, so these “words” recorded in the Gospels tell us something significant about Himself and what is going on at the Cross.  Each of these words is a healing word for us. I hope this Holy Week and Easter is a continuation of the healing work God wants to do in all of us.

First Word:   “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34). 1 Corinthians 2:8 tells us that the people there did not really know what they were doing. The important thing that Jesus states is that forgiveness take place. You see, the Cross is all about forgiveness. The reason that Jesus was on the Cross was to provide a way for us to be forgiven. Jesus was the sacrifice. Jesus was and is the way. Jesus is telling us that the Cross is all about forgiveness.

Second Word:  “This day you will be with me in paradise.”  (Luke 23:43). Jesus promises one of the men crucified with Him  paradise. What is that? Revelation 2:7 says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." The Cross is part of God’s plan to reconcile us to Himself. Jesus didn’t come to save just the nice people, but the most broken and the darkest sins and transgressions of humanity.  The Good News is not for those who think themselves righteous, but to those who will admit they need God.

Third Word:   “Woman, behold your son . . .”  (John 19:26-27).  Even on the cross, Jesus is not distracted by ego.  He pours out His love on humanity. Some theologians tell us that as Jesus gives us His spirit as He dies, He is breathing the church into life.  He pours out His love and His spirit on John and Mary, who represent us. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin.”   Hebrews 4:15,

Fourth Word:  “My God, my God why have you forsaken me” (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34).  This is one of the most mysterious passages recorded in the Gospel about Jesus’ suffering and death.   Jesus is taking on the sin of the world. He is the Lamb of Sacrifice. He is the New Covenant between us and God.  On the cross Jesus takes on not just the offences against God because of sin, He takes on the effects of sin – separation from God.  This is what hell is – to be separated from God for all eternity. Jesus embraces and redeems the most darkest aspect of sin.

Fifth Word:  “I thirst…”   John 19:29   Jesus was not only thirsty for drink. He was thirsty for our souls. Recall Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman at the well in John, chapter 4, when he asked for a drink. The woman was bewildered, for Jews did not share drink with Samaritans. But Jesus replied, “If you know the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” It was not actual water that Jesus spoke of, but rather the promise of eternal life. He thirsted for the woman’s soul, to give her eternal peace in Heaven with God.  Jesus the man had a chance to drink wine mixed with myrrh prior to his crucifixion, but he declined. The drink would have acted as a sedative, dulling some of his pain. But Jesus wanted to experience his full suffering — so that we would never have to know that kind of pain.

Sixth Word: “It is finished.”  John 19:30  Some onlookers believed the sixth word to be a cry of defeat. But no, this was a cry of victory! Jesus had done what he had been born to do. He had fulfilled his Father’s plan. He had saved us from our sins.

Seventh Word:   “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”  Luke 23:46
Each year, on Good Friday, we bear witness to the death of the Savior. Imagine this year that you’re standing at the foot of the cross, looking up at Jesus as he cries out to his Father in Heaven.  How will you go forward and live a life that will please Jesus, a life of gratitude for what Jesus did for us.

God bless Fr. Dennis
 

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of attending the bi-annual parish retreat for the third time. My husband, Paul Fahey, and I have been parishioners at MHT for the past four years. As a very busy mom of four kids five and under, I find myself looking forward to these retreats for months in advance. It has become a welcomed opportunity for relaxing, growing friendships, and just having the space to step back from life and refocus. It has also been a very needed time for spiritual growth, renewal, and healing.

It's always beautiful to see how God offers me just what I need that weekend. He knows the baggage I'm bringing in, and he knows the circumstances of my life right then. Without fail, he enters in and works. And to see that happen, not just in my own life, but in the lives of other parishioners, is exciting! When I first started attending these retreats, I always went hoping that I wouldn't be disappointed. Now I go with the expectation that great things will happen. Without fail, they always do.

This year was especially meaningful for me. Mostly because of the baggage that I wasn't bringing along with me. Moving to a small town where everyone seems to know everyone is intimidating. Between that, being an introvert, my family living in the south-west part of the state, and my time being consumed with a young family, I was in a very lonely place. I felt isolated. And when one is lonely long enough, it can make you question your value and if you are worthy of friendship. My postpartum depression and anxiety made this even harder. It was a very difficult place. And as far as I thought, it was a struggle I'd always have.

I remember all of this surfacing on a previous retreat and bringing it to one of the prayer teams during Adoration. It was a very moving experience for me, and I came to understand that loneliness was not God’s plan for me. I was able to see that it was a lie that God wanted me to be alone. And I was able to renounce that lie.

Healing started there. It has been a process. But when I stepped back again this past retreat and evaluated life, I quickly realized what a different place I am in. I have been blessed with many close friendships. I was supported more than I could have asked for during my most recent pregnancy and after Francis was born. I have grown to love this parish and this community. I no longer struggle day to day with deep loneliness. This process has also helped me to rebuild a confidence in my worth and to be more open to receiving God’s love for me.

The retreat a couple weeks ago allowed me to be grateful for the healing that I have been experiencing in my life. I was able to enter into the weekend with greater freedom to simply receive whatever the Lord wanted to give me.  On the retreat, I was excited to be on a prayer team for the first time. There God was able to use me in a small, but real way, to bring the healing He has given me to others.

My testimony is one of the many stories of how God has worked through these retreats in the life of the parish. I’m looking forward to the next one already and have full faith that God will continue to do great things. ​

Hello All.  Here I’ll run down a list of the most recent improvements and changes at the cemetery.  Our biggest project for 2017 was the removal of shrubs and stones around the Chapel and Crucifix and the repainting of both.  We also had patterned cement installed around the crucifix to match the cement work in the Veterans memorial, along with regular cement on the south side of the chapel (pictured above). 
 
The north and east end were backfilled and reseeded.  We continued repairing and reseeding graves.  Unfortunately, our lack of rain worked against getting new grass to grow, but the cemetery was sprayed for weeds and the plan is to continue that practice again this year.  Four trees were cut down as we identify trees that are getting in bad shape.  We would rather take them down in a controlled manner than to have limbs continuously falling down throughout the year, as they can do damage when falling.  We continue to trim trees up as they become a problem when trying to mow.  On the south side, the fence line was cleaned out and straightened up.  We can now mow on both sides of that fence keeping it looking neat and weeds under control. 
 
The statue of Mary that was by the northeast drive has been repainted by Carol Crichton (picture below) and is being kept inside the chapel until we come up with a new place for it in the cemetery.  If you have input on where to place it, please let us know. 
 
We also had a 24” drain tile extended to the south of where the center drive would go in the new section so we could have the ravine filled in.  Several other low spots were also filled in as we make the northeast section more suitable for grave sites.  If you have been past the cemetery along Walker Road lately you will have noticed that work being done.   All of this dirt is from the project south of the High School, which was available to us at no charge so it made good sense to take advantage of it.
 
We continue to look for new volunteers for our mowing teams as we have people who are no longer able to help out.  Some of these people have been helping for many years and we are very grateful for them and their years of service.   We are also seeking volunteers that would be interested in helping to work on the two shrines that are in the southeast section to improve their appearance.   It takes a lot of time and help to not only maintain the cemetery but to also improve its appearance.   We all want the final resting place for our loved ones to be a beautiful place.  If you are willing to help out please call the parish office or Ralph Pung.
 
Thanks and God Bless,
 
The Cemetery Committee

If you have a statue that you would like to have restored, please contact Carol Crichton at 989-307-5750.