Dear Friends:
Now that Lent and Holy Week have concluded, looking back on those six weeks, the number attending daily Masses as well as the numbers participating in the celebrations of Holy Week, I want to commend all of you for making the effort to make this Lent and Holy Week special. In the years I have been in Milford, eleven-plus in all, the numbers attending Holy Week celebrations and the Easter Masses have never been greater than they were this year.
I might make a simple suggestion. Why not try to continue some of the practices you built into your observance of Lent into the
rest of the year? Why not set aside more time for prayer and for silent reflection before God? Why not try to come to daily Mass several times a week? Why not try to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) more frequently? Why not practice the discipline of fasting throughout the year? Might I suggest something? Why not set aside your cell phones and check in on them less frequently? None of these will hurt you. They may help you, and do so immensely.
This Sunday, by decree of Pope St. John Paul II, is designated as Divine Mercy Sunday, a response to the visions and revelations made to a Polish nun, Sr. Faustina in the early part of the last century. The Gospel today, the traditional Gospel reading for the Sunday after Easter, tells the story of how the Lord instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Breathing on the disciples, he said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven. Whose sins you retain, they are retained.” The Sacrament of Reconciliation is not meant to be an experience of torture and shame. Quite to the contrary, it is meant to be an encounter between us, who are sinful, weak and imperfect, with the Lord, who is gracious and merciful, always ready and willing to forgive. The traditional Divine Mercy Devotions will be prayed at St. Agnes at 2:00 PM this Sunday afternoon.
As of this writing, our parish has already pledged just shy of $90,000 toward our goal for the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal. I thank those who have responded thus far. If you have not yet made a gift or a pledge, please consider doing so. Our generosity assists the Archbishop in meeting so many and varied needs across the three counties that comprise the Archdiocese of Hartford.
Have a good week!