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Fr. Dennis

3/26/2018

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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
 

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Paul Fahey

3/19/2018

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This Monday, March 19th, Bishop Boyea will Confirm thirty-three sophomores here at Most Holy Trinity. So I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about this sacrament and what our vision here is for preparing students to receive Confirmation.
 
First, I think it’s important to “get back to the basics” and look at what sacraments are in the first place. I think us Catholics are so used to the sacraments in our day to day life that we forget just how amazing they are.
 
The Catechism says that sacraments “are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us” (CCC 1131). Without all the big words, this is saying that the sacraments are ways, paths, that Jesus established for us to encounter him and be transformed into his image. We sometimes talk about grace like it’s some abstract thing, but grace is simply Christ in us, Divine life. The grace we receive from the sacraments transforms us into God. Next time you go to Mass pay attention to the words the priest says at the altar as he mixes the water and wine, “May we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”
 
Jesus instituted Confirmation then, together with all the other Sacraments, so that we might have union with God, that we might participate in His Divine Life. The Spirit heals and transforms those who receive him by conforming them to the Son of God. The fruit of the sacramental life is that the Spirit of adoption makes the faithful partakers of the divine nature by uniting them in a living union with the Son of God (CCC 1129). Thus, in Confirmation, The Holy Spirit anoints the candidate with himself, thus bringing the candidate into a more profound union with God. In other words, Confirmation is not merely something we do, or even, something we receive, but it is a necessary moment in God's plan, God's unwavering desire, to draw each one of us deeper into the Life of the Blessed Trinity.
 
However, we cannot just go and receive the sacraments without first preparing ourselves. The Catechism says that the sacraments “must be preceded by evangelization, faith, and conversion. [They] can then produce [their] fruits in the lives of the faithful” (CCC 1072). The Catechism even gives us specific guidance for how to prepare individuals for the sacrament of Confirmation. So I want to use that passage to frame the vision for Confirmation preparation that we have here at our parish. That paragraph says:
 
“Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit - his actions, his gifts, and his biddings - in order to be more capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities of Christian life. To this end catechesis for Confirmation should strive to awaken a sense of belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, the universal Church as well as the parish community. The latter bears special responsibility for the preparation of confirmands” (CCC 1309)
 
Notice how the Church doesn’t say that we need to prepare people by sending them to a class or simply teaching them about the sacraments. Obviously those things are important, but the most important thing is that the students have a relationship with Jesus, “a more intimate union with Christ.” To that end, here at MHT we have the students preparing for Confirmation attend at least one (though most attended several) full weekend retreat. This can be a Steubenville conference or one of our own high school retreats. Corey Luna has some incredible things going with our youth ministry retreats, there the students have multiple opportunities to encounter Christ in Adoration, Confession, prayer teams, or small groups.
 
The second thing the Catechism mentions as essential for Confirmation preparation is that the candidates know the voice and actions of the Holy Spirit and are capable of taking on the apostolic, evangelical, mission of the Church. So on top of the weekend retreat we have the candidates attend a one day retreat here at the parish that focuses on who the Holy Spirit is, listening to the Spirit, and the importance of prayer. There we also prepare them for our Door-to-Door Evangelization Project. The best way to learn how to share Jesus with others is to put yourself out there and talk about Jesus with other people. So we break the students into teams and send them around Fowler going door-to-door asking if anyone has anything they would like prayers for.
 
Finally, the Church says that candidates should have “a sense of belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, the universal Church as well as the parish community.” So we incorporate multiple service projects into Confirmation preparation, some that benefit our parish and some that benefit the wider community, to help awaken that feeling of responsibility and belonging to the Church.
 
 
All of these things, and many that I didn’t mention, are directed toward helping the students really receive the fruit given to them at Confirmation. And what great fruit that is! The Catechism says that Confirmation “roots us more deeply” in the love of the Father, “unites us more firmly to Christ, increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us, renders our bond with the Church more perfect, and gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ…” (1303). Certainly this is fruit worth preparing for.
 
Please keep the Confirmation candidates in your prayers and consider joining us for the Mass with Bishop Boyea on Monday. The Church says that every Confirmation is a new Pentecost, so let’s pray that the Spirit will use these students, and all of us who have already been Confirmed, to spread the Gospel and heal our broken world like the first apostles did.
 
Christ’s Peace,  Paul
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Kristina Fahey

3/14/2018

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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. ​
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Ralph Pung

3/5/2018

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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.
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