Another astounding chapter of the Easter story unfolds in today's readings. We continue the account of Peter and John and the crippled man they healed. This time, Peter, who cowered and raged against his allegiance to Jesus after His arrest on Holy Thursday, now submits to custody by the temple guards, and undaunted, pursues his evangelizing, "filled with the Holy Spirit." Psalm 118 abounds with praise for God. We listen eagerly to the familiar recital of Peter and some other disciples returning to their fishing business, and again, drawn completely out of their mundane activity by the appearance of Jesus on the lake shore, who invites them to eat with him. The Optional Memorial of St. Vincent Ferrer is superseded today by the Easter Octave Solemnity.
The solemn celebration of the resurrection of Our Lord goes on, with Monday the first weekday of eight solemnities. In many places, this Monday after Easter Sunday rings with new celebrations. Some faithful know this day as the Day of the Angel, because it was an angel who confirmed to the baffled humans, including the women at the tomb, that Jesus had risen. Our Mass readings show a majestic Saint Peter confidently proclaiming his Savior, our Psalm affirms our hope in the Lord, and our Gospel recounts the cherished story of Jesus meeting Mary Magdalene at the empty grave.
No Mass is celebrated today: our services resume from the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper, with Holy Communion distributed from hosts consecrated yesterday. The altar is bare, the service begins in silence. Today, we recall Our Lord’s Passion and Death, beginning with the well-known lines from Isaiah: "He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon Him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by His stripes we were healed." We hear the lament of Psalm 31, “Into Your Hands I Commend My Spirit,” and read the Passion Gospel according to St. John. We venerate the Holy Cross and depart in silence.
Please pray the Stations of the Cross Fridays in Lent: after the 8:30 AM Mass at St. Elizabeth; 6:00 PM at St. John and Queen of Peace. Here are the dates: March 8, 15, 22. On Good Friday, March 29, Stations will take place at 6:00 PM at all three churches.
Today the Church mourns and waits at the Savior’s tomb, where He lies still bearing the wounds of His Passion. The apostles gather in secret, the Blessed Mother guards her heart with joyful anticipation. All is quiet: no Mass is celebrated today until this evening; the altar and church are bare of decoration, images may be shrouded. The faithful prepare, decorating eggs, cooking for an Easter feast, choosing Easter finery. No morning Mass or morning or afternoon Confessions today at the Cathedral.
Holy Thursday – also called Maundy Thursday, referring to the Latin word mandatum, commandment, quoted in the verse before the Gospel. Today the only Mass celebrated at our parish is the Mass of the Last Supper at 7:00 p.m. at St. John. We honor and adore the Blessed Sacrament, instituted at that Passover feast by Christ Himself, who also gave the priesthood to his apostles. The feet of twelve faithful may be washed, replicating Christ’s humble service to the Twelve at the Last Supper. We hear the Gloria and bells, which then cease until the Easter Vigil. The Mass does not end but closes in silence without a final blessing. The altar is stripped. The Blessed Sacrament is transferred solemnly to an altar of repose where we may keep vigil, as Our Lord did in the garden of Gethsemane, in the first agony of His passion.
Deacon Pete Gummere will bless Easter food, following the tradition of Eastern Catholic Churches. Parishioners may bring baskets or other containers of decorated or plain, hard-boiled eggs, breads, meat samples, and other Easter favorites for blessing at 3:30 PM Holy Saturday at St. John.
Palm Sunday, March 24 - Regular Mass Schedule Monday, March 25 - NO daily 8:30 AM Mass - Father Harlow will be at the Cathedral in Burlington attending the annual Chrism Mass. All are welcome - 11 AM. Tuesday, March 26 - Daily 8:30 AM Mass, St. John. Wednesday, March 27 - No daily Mass. Holy Thursday, March 28 - 7:00 PM Mass, St. John. Good Friday, March 29 - Service - 3 PM, St. John; Stations of the Cross - 6 PM - all three churches. Holy Saturday, March 30 - Easter Vigil Mass - 8 PM, St. John. Easter Sunday, March 31 - regular Sunday Mass schedule - 8AM - Queen of Peace; 9:35 AM - St. Elizabeth; 11:30 AM - St. John.
This two-week period begins on the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of Lent, formerly called Passion Sunday. In the past, church statues and crosses and crucifixes were covered with veils, usually purple, simple and unadorned. Our churches today still may cover statues and crosses, or leave them revealed until Holy Thursday, when they may be hidden by purple covers. The veils are removed before the Easter Vigil Mass. Various authors describe different reasons for the veiling: shielding these beloved images helps us fast, in a sense, from images of God and his saints, and hunger for their return at the great Easter Solemnity. The shrouds also connote death, as the Church will journey through the Lord’s passion and death soon, and wait in silent vigil for the Resurrection at the end of the upcoming Holy Week. We also may view this allusion to death as a symbol of our own Lenten struggle to die to sin and be born anew at Easter. A Gospel of Passiontide in the Traditional form speaks of Jesus hiding himself, as we hide these images. Veiling statues also calls to mind Jesus’ hiding or veiling his divinity during his Passion. Another author likens the removal of these statues from our sight as one of the steps taken during this time in Lent, to hide and reduce more aspects or our faith, just as we had earlier put away the Gloria and Alleluia, and soon lose bells and the Mass itself at the end of Holy Week. Soon we will enter Holy Week, when we hear, read, and dwell on the Passion, Crucifixion and Death, and Resurrection of our Lord.
The following is a list of Guidelines to help Catholics observe this special season of prayer, penance and works of charity. · Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, in particular, are the most important penitential days of the liturgical year. They are days of both fast and abstinence. All Fridays in Lent are days of abstinence - no meat. The rule of fasting states that only one full meal a day can be taken. Two small meals, “sufficient to maintain strength”, are allowed, but together should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals breaks the fast, but drinking liquids does not. The rule of fasting obliges all Catholics from 18 to 59. · Abstinence refers to the eating of meat. The common estimation of the community is used to determine what falls under the category of meat. The rule of abstinence binds all Catholics 14 years or older. The substantial observance of the laws of fast and abstinence is a serious obligation. Self-imposed fasting on the other weekdays of Lent is recommended. Abstinence on all Fridays of the year is also highly recommended.
This last weekday before the Easter Triduum is also known as Spy Wednesday, when, as we hear in the Gospel, Judas Iscariot bargained for Christ’s arrest. Earlier in the Mass, Isaiah affirms his faith in the Lord: "I have set my face like flint, He is near who upholds me." The Psalm echoes this staunch fidelity, even though the singer is beset by trials and insults.
At Mass, the prophet Isaiah trumpets himself as the strong, fine-edged servant of God, a weapon in the hands of his Lord. The Psalmist tells his trust in God, "For you are y hope, O Lord". In the Gospel, Jesus reclines at table at the Last Supper, “deeply troubled,” offering Judas a chance to turn away from evil, hearing Peter avow his undying loyalty.
We hear from the great prophet Isaiah one of his descriptions of the suffering servant. The Psalm urges us to "be stouthearted and wait for the Lord" during the heart-rending events of this week. In the Gospel at Mass, Mary of Bethany pours costly oil over Our Lord, and weeping with remorse for her sins, wipes His feet with her hair. Jesus speaks of her great love which merits great mercy. The Solemnity of the Annunciation, usually celebrated this day, is moved to April 8, outside of Holy Week and the Octave of Easter.
Confessions will be heard at these times: Sunday, March 24, 6:00 to 7:00 PM, St. Elizabeth; Monday, March 25, 6:00 to 7:00 PM, Queen of Peace; Wednesday, March 27, 4:00 to 5:00 PM, St. John.
With Ash Wednesday, we have begun our penitential journey to the Church’s greatest Solemnity, Easter Sunday. The word Lent derives from a German word for spring. On Ash Wednesday, we fast and abstain from meat following Church guidelines. The ashes on our foreheads are a sign of humility, penance, and mortality. Throughout Lent, our priest wears purple vestments, we no longer pray the Gloria or sing the Alleluia, and church decorations are spare. All music must be instrument accompanied singing. Honoring saint feast days, except for Solemnities (St. Joseph, the Annunciation) is optional. Some writers describe this paring down and reducing as reflections of the penitent’s losing, casting off the encumbrances that bar our salvation. "Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation!" said St. Paul.
The Chrism Mass will be held Monday, March 25, at 11:00 am at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Burlington. Archbishop Christopher Coyne will celebrate this special Mass, at which the Oil of Chrism is consecrated, the Oils of Catechumens and the Sick are blessed, and the priests within the Diocese of Burlington recommit themselves to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. All are invited. Free parking is available along Elmwood Avenue and pay lots/garages are near the Cathedral (first two hours are free in city-owned parking garages). Carpooling is highly encouraged. Parish representatives may pick up holy oils for their parish after the Mass. A reception will follow in the parish hall. PLEASE NOTE: The Chrism Mass is celebrated on Monday this year.
Today we mark Christ’s humble but triumphant entry into Jerusalem, riding a lowly donkey, as followers spread palm branches and garments to pave His way. We may walk in procession at the start of Mass, holding blessed palms and singing a hymn, our priest vested in red. Later in the Mass, we hear the Passion Gospel of Mark, beginning with the chief priests and scribes plotting Jesus’s end. Then the scene switches to Jesus in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, and the woman who anoints Him with costly oil, only to be reprimanded by Judas. In the next scene, Judas offers to sell Jesus to the chief priests. Then we hear the disciples receive their instructions from Jesus to prepare the Passover. Quickly we are with Our Lord who reveals the presence of his betrayer, then we are at table, watching Jesus institute the Eucharist. The rest of the familiar drama unfolds: the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas’s treachery, Peter’s denial, and Our Lord’s Passion and death. We leave Him in the silent, dark tomb, with its seal and guard of soldiers. Now we will enter Holy Week, days of hush, waiting, preparing, hoping, as the great Easter feast approaches.
GSCS invites parishioners to contribute to their fundraiser with a spaghetti dinner Sunday, March 24, served sit-down or packaged for takeout. Payment is by donation. Please call to reserve a place at one of the six seatings, or order a meal to take home. Dinner includes pasta and sauce, roll, and side salad. Telephone: 802-751-8223. Seatings are 12:00 Noon to 2:00 PM. Please help the school and enjoy a great meal.
Jeremiah the prophet predicts the new covenant that Jesus the Christ will establish: “I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts. … I will be their God and they shall be My People.” The Psalmist begs for this grace: “A clean heart create for me, O God” in the words of the great penitential psalm. The second reading from Hebrews relates how Jesus carried how His divine plan, with “prayers and supplication … he became perfect, the source of eternal salvation.” In today’s Gospel, Greeks arrive seeking Jesus. Jesus speaks to His disciples, telling them the parable of the grain of wheat that must die, a veiled foretelling of His coming death and resurrection, which will save mankind from their sins. Jesus goes on to ruminate, saying He is troubled, resolving to choose His Father’s will and not His own, and asking his Father in Heaven to do His glorious will. From on high, the Father reassures His Son.
Father Harlow asks parishioners to join him in a nine-week Novena, petitioning for help with parish finances. The Novena begins Sunday, January 14. We will pray through Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, whose intercession healed a St. Johnsbury man of foot gangrene in 1942. Faithful prayed a fervent novena, aided by a relic of Sr. Bourgeoys, and John Ludger LaCroix found his limb free of disease when the novena ended. St. Marguerite Bourgeoys was a seventeenth-century French religious sister whose order, the Congregation of Notre Dame, founded schools in Montreal (when the settlement was called "Ville Marie"), and in St. Johnsbury and St. Albans. St. Marguerite Bourgeoys is credited with helping to establish the New France colony through her work educating and teaching homemaking skills. Father Harlow said he hopes this Novena will bring generous donations to the parish finances to cover large expenses. Here are the Novena prayers: "O Blessed Marguerite Bourgeoys, grant that like you we may place all our trust in Jesus Our Savior, and in Our Lady of Good Help, in order that, through your intercession, we may obtain the grace we so ardently desire. 3X - Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. There is no planned gathering to pray the Novena but parishioners may get together to recite the prayers.