1st Sunday of Lent

Back in January, I was away for 12 days. The first 7 days were just time away. I took a little road trip, which included stopping by some cathedrals, churches, & chapels as well as other historical & cultural sites. One chapel I visited & prayed at was the Saint Anthony's Chapel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is known for housing the largest collection of relics outside the Vatican, containing more than 4500! While I’m not the biggest relic’s buff in the world, it was an interesting place to pause & pray – not just with “so great a cloud of witnesses”, but literally “surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (Cf Heb 12:1).

The second, and arguably much more important, part of my time away was spent on retreat at the Passionist Monastery of St Joseph in Whitesville, KY. The Passionist nuns are a group of cloistered women religious whose whole life is dedicated to and organized around Prayer & Praise of God, so as to grow in personal holiness and to lift up the whole Church for universal holiness. As their name suggests, the Passionist have a particular devotion to Christ’s suffering & death upon the Cross – His Holy Passion. I’ve been blessed to retreat with the Passionist nuns each year now for the last 6 years. Canon law states that bishops, priests, and deacons “are equally bound to make time for spiritual retreats” (Canon 276.2.4). The Church binds, that is, requires, us ministers to set aside dedicated time to spend in prayer with God each year. This is on top of the many other forms of prayer we engage in daily, such as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, meditation, and devotions.

Retreats are not vacations, even while retreats most certainly include getting added rest – spiritual as well as physical – and stepping back from typical daily responsibilities. Yet, they are so importance that the Church actually embeds the clerical right & responsibility to an annual retreat in the Code of Canon Law. Including it in Canon Law also has the added purpose of reminding (insistently!) bishops, priests, and deacons just how important such dedicated time of Retreat with God is, if we are going to minister well for Christ and the Church. I look forward to my annual time of retreat, and I can’t imagine missing it.

I bring up retreats because bishops, priests, and deacons are not the only ones who can benefit by dedicated & intentional times of prayer & Godly encounter. I realize a week of silence at a monastery might not be everyone’s calling, but growing in holiness & relationship with Jesus most certainly is. And yet, it will look differently according to one’s particular vocation and state in life. I do know some laity who make retreats to monasteries, but such persons tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Yet, it is the idea of a universal call to holiness, the need for dedicated time for prayer, and the need to step back from daily pursuits so as to encounter God in some new way, that encourages many parishes to host Parish Missions. A Parish Mission is a kind of retreat for the whole parish family. It is better structured to accommodate the busy life of laity who can’t necessarily step away for multiple days at a time, but who still want to grow in their faith in a sustained way. Rather than just silent personal prayer, Parish Missions are typically a series of spiritual talks or sermons on a certain aspect of the Christian life typically given by a visiting priest or spirit filled lay person.

This week, Holy Family is hosting a 3-night Parish Mission titled: Led by the Spirit with speaker John Beaulieu. Mr. Beaulieu serves Franciscan University, Steubenville, OH as the Director of Evangelization and Formation. He is going to empower us to bring the Holy Spirit more fully into our lives, especially in this blessed season of Lent. While you are not obligated by Canon Law, I do hope you take advantage of this Blessed Opportunity to join us each night, Monday to Wednesday @ 6:30p in the church with an open heart to receive some spiritual rest and renewal.

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Lenten Adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist

didn’t sign up? Don’t worry. Just Show up & Pray!

Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God.

Holy Family, Led by the Holy Spirit, Pray for us.

~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries