Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Welcome to Holy Week! Today, we begin the holiest week of the year for the Catholic Church. This week the Church commemorates Christ’s death and burial. Ancient writers called this the Great or Holy Week of Our Lord’s Passion. The custom of keeping the Holy Week goes all the way back to the time of the Apostles. When the early Christians spoke about Jesus to others, they started with the Passion of Our Lord. Scholars believe that the Passion of Our Lord spread before the other parts of the Gospel were even written down. The Passion of Our Lord is really the starting point for building our relationship with Jesus.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Lazarus, the one who Jesus loved, has died. Perhaps, you can feel the impact of that death on his sister Martha and those who come to grieve with her. Martha certainly believes in Jesus’ power, but she also believes that the time for that power to help has passed. She says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Maybe at one time, Jesus could have helped. But now He can no longer do so according to Martha’s understanding of the current situation. But there is so much more to come. You may remember the late Paul Harvey and his unique way of delivering the news. Each broadcast opened the same way; “You know what the news is. In a minute, you're going to hear the REST of the story.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This is the 28th Year that the United States has recognized and celebrated March as National Disability Awareness Month!

On February 26, 1987, President Ronald Reagan officially declared Proclamation 5613, making March National Disabilities Awareness Month. The proclamation called for people to provide understanding, encouragement, and opportunities to help persons with disabilities to lead productive and fulfilling lives. Everyone wants, and deserves, to enjoy life, feel productive and secure. But in March, we take extra steps to raise awareness about the supports and rights of the people with disabilities and to celebrate their contributions to our communities and society as a whole!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The woman in today’s Gospel needs Our Lord but she is completely unaware of the healing mercy and love of God. Her life, like her water jug, is empty. Even though we don’t know everything about her, we do know she had a difficult life.

First of all, she is a woman in a culture that was not easy for women. We also know that she has been married five times, and now she has another man in her life who is not her husband. How did this happen? Did some of them die? Were they abusive? Did they divorce her? Did she leave them? We don’t know. But any woman in that circumstance would not have been treated well and she was definitely not seen as a victim by others. She is alone.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Earlier this week, I walked into our church around 7:45am to hear confessions and I noticed several people quietly making their way around the church while silently praying the Stations of the Cross. It is very moving to see the faith, love, and devotion that is so present in the many people at our parish. It is a beautiful witness and truly a gift for this pastor to see this love for Our Lord day after day and year after year. That “walk” of course, recounts Our Lord’s journey to the cross to satisfy the debt of our sinfulness.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“Lent is a privileged time of interior pilgrimage towards Him Who is the font of mercy. It is a pilgrimage in which He Himself accompanies us through the desert of our poverty, sustaining us on our way towards the intense joy of Easter.” (Pope Benedict, XVI, Lenten Message, 2006) We all need a “spiritual tune up” from time to time. Lent provides God’s faithful a time for conversion and an opportunity to grow in one’s faith.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Lenten Season begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb 22. On Ash Wednesday, St. Bernadette parish will offer a 6:30am Mass, 8:30am Mass, a 12:00pm Liturgy of the Word and 5:00pm Mass. Everyone who comes to Mass or the noonday Liturgy of the Word will receive ashes on their foreheads. The symbolism is powerful. The ashes are reminders that each one of us came from dust and will return to dust one day. The ashes on our foreheads are in the shape of a cross. Wearing this sign on our foreheads proclaims to others "I live for Christ".

For non-Christians, the Lenten season means nothing. But for those who would like to grow in their relationship with Our Lord, Lent is a time to offer personal sacrifices by giving something up like a favorite food, doing greater works of charity, and praying more intently. The Apostle Paul gives us words of encouragement: "We entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain.... Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor 6:1-2).

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Like the early disciples, we too, are a faithful community that seeks to love the Lord with our whole hearts. We too are invited to be in close relationship with Jesus. We too have been called to a unique mission of bringing hope to the hopeless, comfort to the sorrowful, and love to the lost. Sharing your blessings, your gifts and talents, brings the light of Christ to those who have known much darkness.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Our Lady’s statue arrived at the parish over 8 years ago. This statue of Our Lady of Lourdes once adorned our church space high above the altar on top of the baldacchino. Our Blessed Mother has been reverenced by thousands of parishioners for several years here at St. Bernadette. Since the parish beautification project included an image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception on the apse in the sanctuary, it was decided that the statue would be better seen and venerated in the grotto along with a statue of St. Bernadette to represent the apparitions in Lourdes.