Christus Resurrexit,
Sicut Dixit, Alleluia!!!
Christ has Risen,
as He said He would, Alleluia!!!
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. ~ Matthew 5:4
In the bulletin this weekend is an invitation to join us this coming Wednesday for an Evening of Prayer and Remembrance. In conversation with so many parishioners, there is a sense of unresolved grief & loss. This past year for reasons all too well known, our typical ways and means of grieving, gathering, and getting support in times of need has been stymied by social distancing and stay-at-home provisions. While we all can understand the reasons behind these safety measures, it has been particularly hard on those who have lost a loved one. Maybe you were unable to travel to attend a funeral. Perhaps the funeral had attendance limits that kept you home. Perchance there was no public memorial service or Mass at all. While people may not ‘like’ funerals, the practice and routine of funerals assist us all to process the loss of a loved one. Commending them to the Lord in the presence of Scripture and Sacrament brings our spiritual belief in the sanctifying power and mercy of Christ to bear for the deceased and for the living. Being together in community helps us know that while one has moved on, we are not alone. The physical encounter with death in a funeral assists us emotionally and psychologically to grapple with mortality itself. All this helps us grieve; yet, to grieve as people of hope (I Thessalonians 4:13). While Wednesday’s Prayer Service will not nor could not replace the funeral or memorial service for your particular loved one, it will provide a communal setting for us as Church to support and encourage one another, to offer and receive compassion and consolation, to encounter the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His saving presence in our loss and sadness. If you’ve experienced a loss this past year, please join us for a simple Prayer Service together. Perhaps, it might bring some healing, closure, and new life into your life this Easter Season.
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Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Paul & Casey (Knapp) Regier. They were married here this weekend at Holy Family. Casey joined the Catholic Church at Easter. They are a great young couple, and the parish is much enriched by their presence. We wish you a long, faithful, fruitful marriage, full of love, grace, and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Holy Family, making God’s love present to one another & the world, Pray for us.
~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries