Dear Parish Family,
On this second Sunday of Lent the Gospel reading proclaims the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration
The Transfiguration gives us a vision of Christian living. It gives us a notion of ourselves transformed by the power of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection.
We need to remember what our Heavenly Father said to Peter up on the mountain of transfiguration when he was confused. He said to Peter, “This is my Son whom I have chosen, Listen to Him!”
It is most important that we listen to Jesus. God the Father was saying that Peter needed to slow down and listen to Jesus. I think that is also pretty good advice for us today. We can listen to Jesus by reading about the life of Jesus in the bible. We can read what he said and taught and we can ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand too.
God Bless you as we journey through this Lenten Season,
Fr. Cyrus, Pastor
Dear Parish Family,
This weekend we celebrate the First Sunday in Lent.
In the Gospel the Devil tempts Jesus during his forty days in the desert. Jesus rejects the Devil’s suggestions and chooses to love and obey God his Father.
Pope St. Leo the Great on Fasting
“Enter upon the celebration of the solemn fast, not with barren abstinence from food … but in bountiful benevolence. … Let works of piety, therefore, be our delight, and let us be filled with those kinds of food which feed us for eternity. Let us rejoice in the replenishment of the poor, whom our bounty has satisfied. Let us delight in the clothing of those whose nakedness we have covered with needful raiment. Let our humaneness be felt by the sick in their illnesses, by the weakly in their infirmities, by the exiles in their hardships, by the orphans in their destitution and by solitary widows in their sadness: in the helping of whom there is no one that cannot carry out some amount of benevolence. For no one’s income is small, whose heart is big. …” (Excerpt from Sermon 40)
These acts of self-denial help us to free ourselves from worldly distractions, to express our longing for Jesus. We pray that, following Jesus’ example, we may remain faithful to God.
God Bless you as we journey through this Lenten Season,
Fr. Cyrus
Dear Parish Family,
In the Gospel this wekend Matthew emphasizes that love of God and love of neighbor are the fundamental commands on which all else depend. Because God’s love is unconditional, we are to strive to love as God does, though, of course, it is challenging.
In light of the tremendous loss of life and devastation resulting from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, we will take up a special collection at Masses this weekend.
I am grateful for the generosity of your parishioners, and grateful also for your prayers for the tens of thousands who lost their lives and those who remain as they rebuild. – Bishop Caggiano
God Bless,
Fr. Cyrus
Dear Parish Family,
In the Gospel this weekend, Jesus tells us that we are to go beyond just keeping the Ten Commandments. He teaches that we must observe the commandments in a new way. Jesus desires that his disciples live their lives in a way that goes beyond the standards set by the Scribes and Pharisees.
Just observing the Law is not enough. The law of the New Covenant is a law that God writes on the heart of each of us. Jesus invites us to embrace the spirit behind the commandment. Jesus’ law calls us to love.
God Bless,
Fr. Cyrus
Dear Parish Family,
The Bishop’s Annual Appeal is the yearly fundraising campaign that supports the ongoing ministries and programs throughout our diocese.
The Appeal will invest in initiatives that accomplish the following for all people in Fairfield County: To teach and preach the Gospel. The Appeal theme, “One In Christ”, is our opportunity to look beyond our parish. It calls us as sharers in the life and mission of the Church, to proclaim with joy the Good News of the Gospel by example and witness in our parish and in surrounding cities, towns and neighborhoods.
You will be receiving literature through the mail with the specifics of the Appeal. The countless good works that promote goodness, compassion and service that benefit from this effort allow us to fulfill the mission given to us all. We are invited to make a sacrificial gift through a pledge or a one-time donation.
Our parish goal is $146.300. As stewards of God’s gifts, let us pray for the success of this year’s appeal.
God Bless,
Fr. Cyrus
