Festival

Dear Friends in Christ,

When you read this we will be in the midst of our parish festival. I hope you and your family will spend some time at the festival and enjoy the food, games, rides and entertainment.

A few years ago we decided to link the festival with the feast of our patron St. John the Baptist. This is traditional in most parishes, especially when the patron feast falls during the warmer seasons. At Mass this weekend we are celebrating the feast of St. John the Baptist to focus on our patron and ask his intercession for all of us.

The festival has a two-fold purpose. First, it is a community building event. Parishioners come together to interact with each other and to meet in an environment that is family friendly and conducive to socializing. Relationships are formed and strengthened. We have an opportunity to celebrate spiritually at Mass and socially at the festival.

The festival is also a fund raising event. We depend on its proceeds to pay our bills and salaries during the slower summer months. What we can save is kept for emergency expenses and projects for improvement of our facilities.

Thank you for your support of our parish. My recent appeal to you brought a generous response from some of you. I hope that all of you will be able to continue to commit a percentage of your treasure to our parish.

My best wishes for a relaxing summer vacation (even if it has to be a “stay-cation”). If you are travelling don’t forget that Sunday Mass is still an obligation. It can be interesting to visit a local
parish church where you are travelling. When I was in college I worked in Grand Teton National Park during the summer. Every Sunday I helped the local pastor with Mass in a little log chapel.
Many people from all over would come to Mass. It was a great experience. For information about times and locations of Mass at your destination please go to www.masstimes.org.

See you at the festival,

Fr. Hildebrand

Feast of Stt. John the Baptist

Dear Friends in Christ,

The feast of our patron saint John the Baptist draws near. We are very blessed to have such a powerful saint to watch over our parish community. As you know the Church normally celebrates a saint’s day on the anniversary of his/her death, their “birth into heaven”.

In the case of St. John the Baptist we also celebrate his birthday. The Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist is June 24 (this Thursday). Because of his importance for us, we will celebrate the Mass of St. John the Baptist next weekend in conjunction with our 50th Anniversary Festival.

Here are some lessons we can learn from our patron’s life. Even before he was born John leaped in his mother’s womb for joy in the presence of the Lord, who was hidden in Mary’s womb. Let us remember to welcome unborn human life with joy, always rejecting the evil of abortion. St. John prepared the way of the Lord by his preaching and baptism of repentance. By our example we can prepare hearts to receive the grace of God. Perhaps we can encourage someone to become a Catholic or reach out to a lapsed Catholic to return.

As a model of the spiritual life, St. John the Baptist teaches us to allow Jesus to increase while we strive to decrease our pride. Jesus called John a shining lamp. May our patron guide our steps and strengthen our heart so that we will give a good example to others. St. John was so committed to the truth that he was willing to lay down his life. May his witness to truth keep us committed to learning the truth and
living it with love and sacrifice. St. John the Baptist, pray for us.

Sincerely yours in Christ and St. John the Baptist,

Fr. Hildebrand

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SJB Festival Opening Ceremony

• When: June 25 at 3:00 pm
• Where: Under the Big Tent
• Invocation by Fr. Hildebrand
• Greetings and Proclamations by Civic Leaders: Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, Assemblyman Van Tran, City Mayor Alan Mansoor
  

What a great way to start the Festival!

Sacred Heart of Jesus

Dear Friends in Christ,

This past week we celebrated the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In fact, June is the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart.

Some of us may remember in years past groups dedicated to the Sacred Heart and songs honoring the Sacred Heart. In our parish the Vietnamese community has a group called Men of the Sacred Heart.

What are we talking about when we speak of devotion to the Sacred Heart? Certainly we do not refer simply to the physical fleshly heart of Jesus alone. Here is how the Catholic Encyclopedia explains it:

“The worship, although paid to the Heart of Jesus extends further than the Heart of flesh, being directed to the love of which this Heart is the living and expressive symbol. On this point the devotion requires no justification, as it is to the Person of Jesus that it is directed; but to the Person as inseparable from His Divinity. Jesus, the living apparition of the goodness of God and of His paternal love, Jesus infinitely loving and amiable, studied in the principal manifestations of His love, is the object of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, as indeed He is the object of the Christian religion.”(New Advent website, Catholic Encyclopedia, Article on the Sacred Heart).

“The love of Christ gathers us together” says St. Paul. As humans we are drawn to Jesus because of His love for us. That love was manifested most perfectly in His offering of His life on the cross. After His death we recall that a soldier pierced His side with a lance and from his heart flowed blood and water, a sign of the saving Sacraments of the Church.

The Norbertine St. Herman Joseph is one of the earliest devotes to the Sacred Heart. He composed poems honoring the Heart of Jesus in the 12th century. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation nun of the 17th century is known as the Apostle of the Sacred Heart. She is said to have seen Jesus, Who gave her the famous promises of the Sacred Heart, which include the First Friday devo-
tions. Quoting the words of Jesus to her, St. Margaret Mary relates the prom-
ise related to the First Fridays as follows:
I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that its all-powerful love
will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on nine first Fridays of
consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they will not die under my
displeasure or without receiving their sacraments, my divine Heart making
itself their assured refuge at the last moment."

Heart of Christ we sing your praises, well-spring of eternal love.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

A Priest's Prayer

Loving Father,

I praise you, I love you, I adore you. Send your Holy Spirit to enlighten my mind to the truth of your Son, Jesus, Priest and Victim.

Through the same Spirit guide my heart to his Sacred Heart, to renew in me a priestly passion
that I, too, might lay down my life upon the altar.

May your Spirit wash away my impurities and free me from all my transgressions in the Cup of Salvation,

Let only your will be done in me. May the Blessed Mother of your dearly beloved Son, wrap her mantle around me and protect me from all evil.

May she guide me to do whatever He tells me.

May she teach me to have the heart of St. Joseph, her spouse, to protect and care for my bride.

And may her pierced heart inspire me to embrace as my own your children who suffer at the foot of the cross.

I humbly cry to her: please be my consoling mother, and help me to be a better son. Lord, make me a holy priest, inflamed with the fire of your love, seeking nothing but your greater glory and the salvation of souls.

I humbly bless and thank you, my Father, through the Spirit, in Christ Jesus, your Son and
my brother.

Amen

Appreciation in the Month of May

Dear Friends in Christ,

The month of May is nearly over. It has been a very important month for our parish. We have celebrated the First Communions of more than 200 children. Bishop Flores confirmed more than 100 on May 18. The crowning glory of the month was our parish’s 50th anniversary celebration with Bishop Brown. The bishop was very pleased with all the dedicated service and hard work, as he mentioned in hishomily. He obviously enjoyed celebrating Mass for us and as he said, the Holy Spirit was present in the sound and the wind. He blessed our new stained glass windows, which include the great Holy Spirit window in the choir loft. This was truly like another Pentecost. Sincere and heartfelt thanks:

• To our committee members, who have labored hard and long for two years
• To our invitation committee who prepared and addressed invitations
• To our commemorative book staff who worked right up to the deadline and produced an admirable book that tells our parish story
• To our musicians who performed beautifully, including the offertory piece which was premiered yesterday
• To our ushers who helped everything go smoothly
• To our extraordinary ministers, altar servers, and lectors, who assisted so skillfully at the Mass
• To our carpenters and environmental workers under the direction of members of the Vietnamese community who spent three days late at night in building and preparing a magnificent setting for the Golden Anniversary Mass that had historical and liturgical significance
• To our cooks and food service volunteers, who presented an elegant and delightful reception after Mass.
• To our Knights of Columbus for their help and distinguished service
• To our financial advisors and benefactors who provided from their talent and treasure to make this an event not to be forgotten
• To our first aid workers, police, traffic control for their vigilance and direction
• To every one else who had anything to do with preparing, setting up and taking down the altar and environment, especially volunteers from the Vietnamese and Spanish communities.
  

May the Lord reward you for a job well done. I have good reason to be proud of the parishioners of St. Johnthe Baptist parish.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

50 Years

Dear Friends in Christ,

In May of 1960, 50 years ago, James Cardinal McIntyre formed a new parish from the territory of St. Joachim Parish in Costa Mesa, California. Until that time Mass had been celebrated in the newly erected church building on Baker St. since the fall of 1959; the site was named “St. Joachim’s Annex”. The parish was erected under the patronage of St. John the Baptist, the great Precursor and Herald of the Lord’s coming. With its school that had opened in September 1959 the parish served the growing Catholic community in north Costa Mesa. On this fiftieth anniversary of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church we give thanks to God, “the Giver of all good gifts”

• for the opportunity to offer the sacrifice of the Mass and the sacrifice of our praise,
• for the ministry of nearly 50 priests from Msgr. Anthony McGowan to the Norbertine Fathers,
• for the parish leaders who devoted their time, talent, and treasure to building up the parish both spiritually and materially,
• for the Sisters of Mercy and the lay teachers who have dedicated many years of their lives to the formation and education of our young people in our school,
• for the diverse ethnic communities that have blessed this parish with their gifts,
• for the family and parish celebrations over the years that have united our parish in the love of Christ.
  

Our challenge today, as we move into our next 50 years, is to persevere in prayer and in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, in union with the Church and under leadership of the Pope, our bishop and myself, unworthy as I am to be your pastor.

On this great feast of Pentecost 2010, the feast of the Holy Spirit, let us ask the Spirit for an outpouring of his gifts so that we will be a “light shining before all”. May the joy of that first
Pentecost be ours on this 50th Anniversary of “preparing the way” of the Lord. God bless all the people of St. John the Baptist parish.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Haiti Update

Children at the Foy Ti Zanmi Jezi (Little Friends of Jesus) Orphanage in Port au Prince, Haiti, received handmade "Hearts for Haiti" cards from the children at Sacred Hearts Academy in the Diocese of Honolulu, Hawaii. The orphanage was badly damaged in the quake, but thanks to the actions of the older children in getting the little ones out of the building, all of the children survived. A CRS team arrived at the orphanage with food and toys for the children.

I visited there three months after the quake with some soccer balls for the children and the hearts. School has “reopened” and classes are now held under a series of tarps around the edge of the orphanage. During the days, the orphanage also acts as a school for local children. Despite the hardship and the damaged building around them, the children are clearly living and learning in a loving and nurturing environment thanks to care of the Missionary Servants of the Sacred Heart. CRS partnered with the orphanage long before the quake and will continue to care for
them in the months and years to come.

Tom Price, CRS Senior Communications Manager

Golden Jubilee Mass

Catholic Legislative Network

Dear Friends in Christ,

Sincere thanks to everyone who filled out cards to join the Catholic Legislative Network, our Catholic Voice for important issues that face our children and families. I would like to point out that this network is fully supported by our California Catholic Bishops. Its purpose is to keep all of us informed regarding important legislation coming before our representatives in Sacramento.

In recent years we have seen propositions about parental notification regarding teen abortion, assisted suicide, and the meaning of marriage. The Catholic Legislative Network provides concise and informative email newsletters to keep us up to date on these and other topics.

As you know from reading the news, our state is in crisis, not only economically but morally. Our bishops believe that a strong, well-organized, statewide moral network made up of parishioners could become a force for good, responsible decisions from our state legislators. They also believe in the Biblical teaching that part of being a good Christian/Catholic is to be an active citizen.

You have heard the name Life and Dignity applied to this network. These two words summarize our Catholic social teaching and our approach to state and federal legislation. Life is precious from conception to natural death. Threats to life and dignity like abortion, hunger, war, poverty, or lack of access to health care must be confronted by us Catholics. We stand for those whose
lives are threatened, and we stand with those who are in need of food, clothing, shelter, and health care. Jesus Himself has given us this mission.

Some might ask, “Why is the Church getting involved in politics? Isn’t there a separation between Church and State?” The Founding Fathers of our country wrote into our Constitution that there should be no established or “state” religion (as there has been in other countries). In the U.S. we have freedom of religion; each person has the right to worship God according to his/her conscience. This governing principle is not to be understood as freedom from religion, or to hold no moral values. It is both the right and duty of people of faith to carry their values and teachings into the public arena. While we must respect the values of others, we must do our best to express our own Christian principles and hope that they will be reflected in the laws and policies of the state.

If you have not yet signed up for the Catholic Legislative Network, please do so today by filling out the card you find in your pew today. Remember to print your email address clearly because this is the way to receive the newsletters from the Network.

Thank you for taking a stand to make the Catholic voice heard in California.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Month of May at SJB

Dear Friends in Christ,

The month of May brings with it continued Easter joys, and there are two joys that are especially connected with this month every year, First Communion and Confirmation. And this year we celebrate a special joy for our parish, our fiftieth anniversary Mass.

This weekend our school’s 2nd Graders continue their Christian initiation by receiving the most Blessed Eucharist for the first time. They have been preparing by the Sacrament of Reconciliation, studying, and prayer for this great moment. Now they will join us in receiving the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion and be filled with the grace of His real Presence. Please join me in praying for all of them that this Communion will be the first of many to come.

Later this month our Confirmation candidates, both youth and adults, will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at the hands of Bishop Cirilo Flores. This will complete their Christian initiation as they join the ranks of those strengthened to be witnesses for Christ.

Please mark your calendars for the great climax of our parish’s 50th anniversary. You are cordially invited to our:

GRAND 50TH ANNIVERSARY MASS
MOST REVEREND TOD D. BROWN
BISHOP OF ORANGE, CELEBRANT
SUNDAY, MAY 23, 2010 10:00 AM

This Mass will feature all of our parish choirs in a special premiere choir piece written for this occasion. There will be refreshments and a “Hall of Memories” following the Mass. We are fusing the 9:30 AM and 11 AM Masses into one for this special event. Please tell your friends and relatives who have any connection with St. John’s to join us for this great event.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Exerpt from Pope Benedict XVI's Message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations

A fundamental element, one which can be seen in every vocation to the priesthood and the consecrated life, is friendship with Christ. Jesus lived in constant union with the Father and this is what made the disciples eager to have the same experience; from him they learned to live in communion and unceasing dialogue with God. If the priest is a “man of God”, one who belongs to God and helps others to know and love him, he cannot fail to cultivate a deep intimacy with God, abiding in his love and making space to hear his Word. Prayer is the first form of witness which awakens vocations. Like the Apostle Andrew, who tells his brother that he has come to know the Master, so too anyone who wants to be a disciple and witness of Christ must have “seen” him personally, come to know him, and learned to love him and to abide with him.

Another aspect of the consecration belonging to the priesthood and the religious life is the complete gift of oneself to God. The Apostle John writes: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and therefore we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren”(1 Jn. 3:16).

With these words, he invites the disciples to enter into the very mind of Jesus who in his entire life did the will of the Father, even to the ultimate gift of himself on the Cross. Here, the mercy of God is shown in all its fullness; a merciful love that has overcome the darkness of evil, sin and death. The figure of Jesus who at the Last Supper, rises from the table, lays aside his garments, takes a towel, girds himself with it and stoops to wash the feet of the Apostles, expresses the sense of service and gift manifested in his entire existence, in obedience to the will of the Father (cf. Jn. 13: 3-15).

In following Jesus, everyone called to a life of special consecration must do his utmost to testify that he has given himself completely to God. This is the source of his ability to give himself in turn to those whom Providence entrusts to him in his pastoral ministry with complete, constant, and faithful devotion, and with the joy of becoming a companion on the journey to so many brothers and sisters, enabling them too to become open to meeting Christ, so that his Word may become a light to their footsteps. The story of every vocation is almost always intertwined with the testimony of a priest who joyfully lives the gift of himself to his brothers and sisters for the sake of the Kingdom of God. This is because the presence and words of a priest have the ability to raise questions and to lead even to definitive decisions (cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis, 39)

Phase 2 of SJB's Stained Glass Windows

Dear Friends in Christ,

The second phase of our stained glass windows should be completed in a few weeks. There are two distinct areas where these windows will be installed, at the front entrance, and the eight small windows above the sanctuary.

Above the front entrance, the large window in the choir loft will depict the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove hovering over the scene of the Baptism of Jesus which is depicted in the bronze doors below. At the very peak of the window is the creative hand of God gesturing downward. These higher windows depict the heavenly sphere, the dwelling place of God.

In the windows below, alongside the bronze doors you will see a continuation of the water and riverbanks that form a background to the scene on the bronze doors. Thus, the water in the lower parts of the six “saints” windows continues throughout as a sign of the water of Baptism whereby we are joined to Christ and become members of His Church.

The eight small windows high above the sanctuary continue the view of the heavenly sphere. The angels that adore before God’s throne are there; they are constantly praising Him. Their postures will portray various attitudes of prayer, from silent adoration to pious supplication. Please stop by the displays in the church vestibule today. You will see some color drawings of the new windows. I’m sure you will agree that they will enhance our place of worship, worthy of the house of God.

As you view these drawings, please remember to offer a prayer of gratitude for our generous donor who made this possible.

A happy and blessed Easter season to you and your family.

Fr. Hildebrand

New Archbishop of Los Angeles

Dear Friends in Christ,

The appointment of Archbishop José Gomez as coadjutor to the Archbishop of Los Angeles may prompt some questions. What is a coadjutor? What is the difference between a bishop and an archbishop, a diocese and an archdiocese?

First, a coadjutor bishop is appointed by the Pope to assist the bishop, like an adjutant to a military commander. He may, as in the case of Archbishop Gomez, also have the right to succeed the present bishop. Since the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is the largest in the country the Holy See has wisely decided to give Cardinal Mahony’s successor a “breaking in” period of nearly a year so that he can become familiar with the tasks that await him when he takes charge next year.

The word “diocese” comes from a Greek word which means an administrative division. A diocese is usually a territory over which a bishop exercises ecclesiastical jurisdiction. The Diocese of Orange, where we live, comprises Orange County and Bishop Tod Brown is the ordinary. Some dioceses cover a larger territory, even several counties.

An “archdiocese”, you might imagine, is a larger or more important ecclesiastical jurisdiction. It is like the “capital” of an ecclesiastical province and is headed by an archbishop. Los Angeles is an archdiocese because of its size (it’s the largest in the U.S.) and importance. An archbishop, like other bishops, has immediate jurisdiction only over his archdiocese. However, he does have the right to convoke a provincial council of his bishops and others may appeal to him for decisions made on the diocesan level. Dioceses are grouped into ecclesiastical “provinces” and the archdiocese is the metropolitan see which presides over the province. For example, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and the Dioceses of Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Fresno, and Monterey form the ecclesiastical province of Los Angeles.

Archbishop Gomez is going to have a huge task ahead of him in serving such a large and diverse archdiocese like Los Angeles. Let’s keep him in our prayers that the Lord will give him spiritual strength.

Fr. Hildebrand

Easter

Dear Friends in the Risen Christ,

Can you imagine Easter without the risen Christ? What if Christ had remained dead in the grave? St. Paul responded to this theory by declaring, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain. You are still in your sins” (I Cor. 15, 17).

If Christ had not risen from the dead, there would be no Easter, only “good?” Friday. But not a good day for Jesus and his followers because he, an innocent man, had been brutally killed by an angry mob. He would have passed into the history books as a tragic figure. A world without Easter would be a world without justice where only the clever and powerful survive and the poor and weak are crushed. There would be no hope for humankind beyond this world. The stage would be set for the victory of evil.

“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (I Cor. 15, 20). St. Paul and the other Apostles were witnesses who actually saw the risen Christ. They attested to the fact that He appeared to them and showed the marks of the nails. The signs of His passion and death became the tokens of His victory over death. He indeed has risen and our faith is vindicated. From His resurrection follow some wonderful effects.

First, heaven, which had remained closed to humankind, was now open again. Christ broke open the gates of hell and led out all those from the Old Testament who had waited patiently for His coming.

Secondly, Christ’s resurrection makes it possible for all to share in His resurrection. He is the firstborn from the dead, but not the last. We hope to share in His resurrection at the end of the world when “the dead will be raised incorruptible” (I Cor. 15, 52). This is the hope we have for all of our loved ones who have died and for ourselves. For the attainment of this hope we must strive to live in obedience to God’s commandments.

A third effect of the resurrection of Christ is our justification. Christ died for all, “the just for the sake of the unjust” (I Peter 3, 18). By our Baptism into Christ’s death we are joined to Him and our sins are forgiven. We have the possibility of reaching heaven, our true home. The other sacraments also have their power from Christ’s death and resurrection.

In different ways they contribute to our justification so that we can enjoy the friendship of God even here on earth. Besides these and other personal benefits, the resurrection of Christ is
a strong motive for evangelization. The message of the risen Christ is not for us alone; it must be shared with others so that they may know the hope to which we are called, eternal life. This exciting message should be on our lips and in our hearts as we celebrate the joy of Easter. May the graces of this greatest of feasts lead us to proclaim to our brothers and sisters that Christ is alive. He lives for ever. Alleluia!

Fr. Hildebrand

Holy Communion

Dear Friends in Christ,

Now that the flu season is almost over, we will again provide Communion under both species at Mass. This will begin on Easter Sunday (including the Easter Vigil Mass). Over the past months when Communion was distributed under the species of bread alone we were not “deprived” of the fullness of the Sacrament. We should be aware that the Catholic teaching on the form of Holy Communion is that “Christ, whole and entire, and the true Sacrament, is received even under only one species, and consequently that as far as the effects are concerned, those who receive under only one species are not deprived of any of the grace that is necessary for salvation.” (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, #282).

Further, due to the danger of infection from the flu virus, the parish priests judged it prudent to take extra precautions by providing hand cleanser and avoiding hand contact at the Sign of Peace. With the flu danger waning it is possible, according to the culture and customs of the people gathered and in keeping with our Roman Catholic heritage to exchange a gesture of peace in a “sober manner.” A physical exchange such as a handshake or hug is an appropriate manner for our local culture, however a simple verbal exchange may also be appropriate, especially for those who are sick.

Holy Communion under the species of bread and wine will be administered at the following Sunday Masses:

• Sat. 6:30 PM in Vietnamese,
  
• Sun. 9:30 and 11 AM in English, and 2 PM in Spanish.
  

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Mary, Mother of God

Dear Friends in Christ,

If you have seen the movie The Passion of the Christ you know that one of the most striking persons in the film apart from Jesus is Mary, His Mother. She appears in a doleful cameo all along the way of His suffering. The movie makes clear what our Catholic tradition has always held, that Mary accompanied Jesus in all of His sufferings. What Jesus experienced in His body
Mary experienced in her heart.

We cannot imagine the interior sufferings she endured from Thursday night through Saturday. From the cruel scourging, the crowning with thorns, the journey to Calvary, the nails, the spear, and finally to the descent from the cross, she was there with her Son. What a torrent of sorrow for the sinless Mother! And yet she is described in the famous hymn: “At the cross her station keeping, stood the mournful Mother weeping, close to Jesus to the last.” In spite of all the sufferings she endured she was able to stand by the cross. What a model of constancy and inner strength in the face of suffering!

The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary remind us that Jesus suffered the worst that human cruelty could devise. Mary was also there; she remained even when the Apostles fled in fear. Her compassionate heart was totally united with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. When we suffer let us remember Jesus and Mary. Our Christian faith should strengthen us in the hour of suffering because Jesus and Mary also went through terrible sufferings. Yes, our God is great not only because of his power and majesty but also because He has become one like us “in everything but sin”. And this “everything” includes suffering. We may not have an answer to human suffering, but we have a God who accompanies us in this “valley of tears”. Christianity is the religion of hope even in the midst of sorrows. In that hope let us continue our Lenten journey
with confidence.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Lent

Dear Friends in Christ,

How is your motivation now that we are 2 ½ weeks into Lent? Have you been faithful to your resolutions so far? Have you slacked off and given up? Don’t lose hope; probably a lot of other people feel the same way. Lenten practices can be renewed and revised. As for motivation, let’s examine why penance is important in our spiritual life.

First of all we have the example of Jesus Himself whose entire life and especially His death was penitential. He was born in a cave. He lived with Mary and Joseph in poverty for most of His life. During His public ministry He declared, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head”(Matt. 8:20). Finally, He died tripped of everything and was even buried in someone else’s tomb. He suffered hunger and thirst and exposure to the elements. And yet Jesus was innocent, free from all sin. He was in no way obliged to do penance to make up for His own sins. As the prophet says, “By his stripes we were healed” (Isaiah 53:5). He suffered; we benefit from those sufferings.

Now let us look at our own situation. We were baptized, which removes all sin and the punishment due to sin (Catechism #1263). However, we are responsible for the sins committed after Baptism. That is why the Church provides for us the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession, so that by confessing our sins we may have them forgiven. Now Confession is not like Baptism, which also removes the punishment due to sin. We confess our sins and receive absolution; after confession we receive a “penance” from the priest. The penance usually consists of prayers and other good works that we complete after leaving the confessional. This is an essential part of the Sacrament of Reconciliation because we not only need forgiveness of our sins, we also need to make reparation for the sins we committed.

Here is an example: A man steals a car, but then is sorry and asks the owner to forgive him. Let’s suppose the owner forgives him. That’s not the end of the thief’s obligations. He has to return the stolen car. Most of our sins don’t have to do with material injustices like stealing, but we still have the obligation to make reparation, either in this life or the next (purgatory) for our sins of anger, pride, lust, intemperance, lying, and any others which offend God and neighbor.

The penances we receive in confession are usually much lighter than what we deserve. In other words, we can’t expect that we will make up for the sins we commit just by saying a few prayers. The season of Lent is our opportunity to make reparation for our sins and even the sins of others, including the deceased. This is possible because of the grace won for us by Christ Who permits the merits of His Passion and Death to be shared through the Church.

Let us look on the cross of Christ to see the price He paid for our sins. United with Him and strengthened by His grace let us continue our Lenten penances, especially our charity. We shall then have greater joy in celebrating the Lord’s Resurrection.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

2nd phase of our new stained glass windows

Dear Friends in Christ,

When you look up to the choir loft or toward the front doors of the church you will see clear glass. This is part of the preparation for the second phase of our new stained glass windows. These windows will complement the bronze doors which depict the baptism of Jesus. Since the Lenten Season is a time of preparation to renew our Baptismal promises, I thought you might like to hear how the new stained glass windows can relate to our spiritual journey.

The large central window behind the choir will have the traditional symbol of the Holy Spirit, the dove hovering in flight. The Spirit is the Sanctifier, Who anointed Jesus as the Christ and prepared Him for His public ministry. At our Baptism the Holy Spirit fills our souls with sanctifying grace and prepares us for our life’s journey toward the kingdom. The stained glass will show rays of light emanating from the Holy Spirit. Above the Holy Spirit, at the top of the window, you will see a symbol of God the Creator. A hand extended downward evokes the Person of the Father Who opens the heavens and announces Jesus as His own beloved Son. His creating hand reminds us that with the coming of Christ the new creation has begun.

At Baptism we become the beloved sons and daughters of God by adoption. Christ, our head, welcomes us into the family of His Church. We are joined to the great family which includes the saints in heaven and the holy souls in purgatory. We prepare to enter the new creation which Christ has established by His saving sacrifice on the Cross. Alongside the bronze doors the windows portray a continuation of the scene of nature with the water and the river banks, reminding us of Baptism.

The new windows are scheduled to be installed in May, during the Easter Season. By then we will have welcomed about 30 new Catholics. They will be washed in the saving waters and will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at Easter. We will renew our own baptismal promises at Easter to remind us of the Spirit’s action in our lives. As we see the preparations continue and the new windows installed, may our hearts also be prepared and decorated with virtues. Let this Lenten Season be a time of spiritual renewal with prayer, penance, and works of mercy, so that the Easter celebration will bring true joy to our hearts.

May God bless you and may you have a fruitful Lent

Fr. Hildebrand

Our Lenten journey

Dear Friends in Christ,

How has your Lenten journey been so far? Does Easter seem a long distance away? Are you already losing spiritual steam? Here’s a true story for you that will hopefully restore your energy.

As I write this letter Mauro Talini is nearing the end of a 9000 km bicycle trip which began on November 29 in La Paz, Bolivia and ended at Cape Horn (southern tip of South America). Who is Mauro Talini and what was the purpose of this long journey? Mauro Talini, 36, is an Italian cyclist from Viareggio. In 2007 he cycled from Italy to Nordkapp, Norway (northern limit of Europe). Is this a long distance Lance Armstrong? You might think he would qualify for the Tour de France or the Olympics, but that is not his goal. Mauro Talini is diabetic and insulin dependent. His bicycle tours are called “Diabetes No Limits”. He is out to prove that the human spirit is greater than physical obstacles. But his South American tour has another important goal, a spiritual goal, which is the real purpose of his long bike ride.

This time Mauro has adopted an important cause for his bicycle tour, raising funds for the “City of Hope” in Riacho Grande, Brazil. This project is directed by the Father Kolbe Missionaries of the Immaculata (a Catholic secular institute of women missionaries). The Fr. Kolbe Missionaries have been working among the poor of South America for more than thirty years. The City of Hope is currently under construction in a very poor area near Sao Paolo where the Missionaries have an apostolate. Mauro’s trip “1 Bike, 1000 Dreams” hopes to raise money to complete the “city” which will include a welcoming center for children, classrooms, a sporting field, and other buildings. If you would like to check out Mauro’s odyssey and learn more about the project, here are some links (they’re mostly in Italian) www.Maurotalini.it (blog); www.gpsweb.it/talini; www.aipkolbeonlus.org.

For Mauro the bicycle tour is also a journey within, a journey with the Lord. He carries with him only his insulin, a light tent (at times he had to camp out in the Argentine desert), and funds for food. He depends on people along the way for his lodging. His is a journey of hope, for those with physical limitations, for those with spiritual limitations, and especially for the poor of Riacho Grande. He is an example of faith in divine Providence and the power of God that works through grace. Now, did you think you had a cross too heavy to bear? Mauro has a cross too, diabetes, but that doesn’t stop him from making strenuous and long bike tours. Our journey to Easter seems long, but day by day we have God’s promise that He will provide what we need. We only have to ask for it, …and keep pedaling!!

Happy Lent to all.

Fr. Hildebrand

Message from the Holy Father

The Christian Good News responds positively to man’s thirst for justice, as Saint Paul affirms in the Letter to the Romans: “But now the justice of God has been manifested apart from law … the justice of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (3, 21-25).

What then is the justice of Christ? Above all, it is the justice that comes from grace, where it is not man who makes amends, heals himself and others. The fact that “expiation” flows from the “blood” of Christ signifies that it is not man’s sacrifices that free him from the weight of his faults, but the loving act of God who opens Himself in the extreme, even to the point of bearing in Himself the “curse” due to man so as to give in return the "blessing” due to God (cf. Gal 3, 13-14). But this raises an immediate objection: what kind of justice is this where the just man dies for the guilty and the guilty receives in return the blessing due to the just one?

Would this not mean that each one receives the contrary of his “due”? In reality, here we discover divine justice, which is so profoundly different from its human counterpart. God has paid for us the price of the exchange in His Son, a price that is truly exorbitant. Before the justice of the Cross, man may rebel for this reveals how man is not a self sufficient being, but in need of Another in order to realize himself fully. Conversion to Christ, believing in the Gospel, ultimately means this: to exit the illusion of self-sufficiency in order to discover and accept one’s own need – the need of others and God, the need of His forgiveness and His friendship. So we understand how faith is altogether different from a natural, good-feeling, obvious fact: humility is required to accept that I need Another to free me from “what is mine,” to give me gratuitously “what is His.”

This happens especially in the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Thanks to Christ’s action, we may enter into the “greatest” justice, which is that of love (cf. Rm 13, 8-10), the justice that ecognizes itself in every case more a debtor than a creditor, because it has received more than could ever have been expected. Strengthened by this very experience, the Christian is moved to contribute to creating just societies, where all receive what is necessary to live according to the dignity proper to the human person and where justice is enlivened by love.

Dear brothers and sisters, Lent culminates in the Paschal Triduum, in which this year, too, we shall celebrate divine justice – the fullness of charity, gift, salvation. May this penitential season be for every Christian a time of authentic conversion and intense knowledge of the mystery of Christ, who came to fulfill every justice. With these sentiments, I cordially impart to all of you my Apostolic Blessing.

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI