SOURCES OF OUR VITALITY
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream”
-Jeremiah 17:7-8
Our readings for the Holy Mass this Sunday are an invitation to live with our hearts and souls rooted deeply beside flowing waters. This is the Lord’s invitation to us— that He would be our one true hope—but it is a choice each of us must make. If you feel as though you are wilting or withering or experiencing dryness in prayer, consider the extent to which you are rooted and grounded in Christ (see Ephesians 3:17). Perhaps this season is truly the perfect season to dive deeper through one or more of these suggestions:
+ Time with Our Lord in Adoration: See details and times at www.ourholycross.org/eucharistic-adoration - we recently began to utilize very handy software that can help check in, request subs, find open times and more.
+ Fr. Justus and I recently wrapped up a teaching series on the Sacrament of Penance which is archived on our YouTube Channel in a video playlist. Find our channel at www.youtube.com/@holycrosscatholicchurchnem9168/videos. Stay tuned as we are working to develop a whole new series on the Holy Mass which we will be sharing by Flocknote in the coming weeks and months to dive deeper into the gift of the Holy Eucharist. Along with these videos, the obvious encouragement is to live the Sacramental Life of the Church more fully!
+ This past week the Church recalled the encounter between St. Bernadette Soubirous and Our Lady who appeared in Lourdes, France in 1858. Quite literally, at Our Lady’s invitation St. Bernadette discovered the running streams of a spring of healing water which continues to flow to this day. St. Bernadette was also encouraged to pray the Rosary faithfully. What an opportunity for us to follow her example! I recently noticed a Rosary dangling from my Uber driver’s mirror which started a wonderful conversation about the gift of the Rosary. If you’d like company, consider joining the Rosary in a Year Podcast which you can find here: https://ascensionpress.com/pages/riysignup or another personal favorite, the Movement of the Holy Family Daily Rosary Meditations: https://schooloffaith.com/daily-rosary-meditations
+ Lent is coming soon, but we don’t have to wait to start living more intentionally. For example, each Friday is intended to be a small but real opportunity to focus on the Passion of Jesus. One devotion we are initiating in the parish is the Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus which is rooted in the encounter between Our Lord and St. Veronica on the Via Dolorosa. See more about this beautiful and profound devotion: https://holyfacedevotion.org/
+ It is not too late to get involved in a parish Small Group: www.ourholycross.org/small-groups.
+ Stay tuned for other Lifelong Discipleship opportunities around our parish and beyond. On March 15th we will have a morning at St. Clement focused on discovering the spiritual teaching of the 14th English mystic, Julian of Norwich. See details of how to sign up on p. 7. Looking further ahead, on Saturday evening, April 5th we will host All Shall be Well, a one-woman play based on the life of the Julian of Norwich presented by Molly Delaney Druffner within a fuller evening Passiontide Celebration of Beauty and the Arts at St. Clement. Stay tuned for more details.
Like everything that grows, our life in Christ is made up of various seasons but Ordinary Time is especially meant for growth. What practical steps can you take to plant your roots more deeply beside the hopeful streams of Everlasting Life?
-Fr. Howe