FROM THE DESK OF THE PASTOR

Dear Friends in Christ,

This Sunday we hear the Gospel account of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Martha and Mary’s brother Lazarus had died and these friends of Jesus and all the people around them are grieving. They send for Jesus, and he comes to them in this moment of great grief and sadness. They believe in him, they believe in the resurrection on the last day…but vaguely, in a distant future to come. But here in this moment, Jesus reveals himself as the resurrection and the life. Jesus tells Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” Jesus asks Martha in the midst of her mourning, “Do you believe this?” 

My dear friends, in the days to come and certainly at some point in our lives, in the midst of grief, and sadness, we will be faced with this question: “Do you believe this?” Martha and Mary placed their trust in the Lord Jesus and stayed close to him. Not only did they see their brother come out of the tomb still bound up in burial cloths, but they saw Jesus himself risen, after enduring death on a cross.  Do you believe Jesus is the resurrection and the life?  Do you believe that he has the power to unbind us from the bonds of sin and death?  Jesus invites us to place our trust in him even in the midst of sin, sickness, death and grief. Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and faith in him brings forth life and eternal life. 

We are in a time when we are not able to physically gather together for Mass or the sacraments, and this is painful for all of us.  It is painful because we know that the sacraments are real encounters with the Lord Jesus and his merciful love. As believers, we long for the encounter with the Lord, and we are full of desire for him.  But this trying time also reminds us, that the effect of the Mass reaches far beyond the boundaries of the church building.  The Mass even offered alone by the priest is always offered together with all believers, the angels and the saints. The Eucharist and its effects reach all the sick of the parish, all the homebound, every believer and even unbelievers, for it is Christ’s sacrifice made present sacramentally for the salvation of all. 

 At this time, the most important things we can do are to listen to the Lord in prayer, repent of sin—that is changing our lives-lay aside those things that are not in accord with God’s will, and nurture our relationships with God and our neighbor. So, pray! Read scripture! Participate in Mass by livestream! Love, forgive and build up your relationships with those you are living with and those in need.  Make a perfect Act of Contrition and Spiritual Communion. These things are the best things to do to weather the coming storms of life and to get ready for Easter. It will be a very different Holy Week and Easter this year, but if we are faithful to him, he will sustain us, and help us through this, and make us, too, to be witnesses to his life, death and resurrection. 

Blessings, love and prayers to you and your families!

Fr. Johnson

PS:  Thank you for your continued generosity to St. Jude and Holy Innocents and especially our outreach ministries, St Vincent de Paul, the Holy Innocents Food Pantry, and St. Jude Safe Parking.  Please remember, that our parishes are entirely dependent on your weekly giving. We know this is a difficult time financially for many. So, we are very grateful, and we very much need those who are able to support us to continue to send in their envelopes or make their gifts by EFT. So please see the links on this page for online giving. It is only by your generosity and prayer that we are able to fulfill the ministry entrusted to us by the Lord.  Thank you for your prayers and your financial support!!!