Fr. Greg

Happy Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord! The Ascension is not Jesus getting away from us or some form of distancing, but really the opposite. As long as Jesus walked the earth, he was bodily in one place at one time (although being God, he really is omnipresent). But as Jesus ascends, it becomes clear he present to us all, at all places at all times. As Jesus says at the very end of the Gospel of Mathew, “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt 28:20) The Ascension is also about the enthronement of Christ and his dominion and glory.

Thank you for all you do, so often unseen and unsung, but of the utmost importance. The month of May is traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, our spiritual mother, whose humble fiat to God brought Christ into this world.

I’d highlight a couple happenings in the parish this week. We have a Mass of Healing and Remembrance for all parents who have lost a child before birth or baptism. Anyone can attend. It will be this Thursday, May 13th, at 7pm.

Importantly, I need to share the news on the obligation to attend Mass: Archbishop Naumann has chosen the Solemnity of the The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, the weekend of June 5-6, 2021, as the occasion on which the dispensation from the obligation by the faithful to attend Mass shall be lifted. Beginning with Masses for that weekend, all the Catholic faithful residing within the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas must return to observing the precept of the Church to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.

Dear parishioners,

I share the communication below which we posted on our website last weekend, April 10/11, and sent out in our weekly email earlier this week. I am very saddened by it, and strongly encourage your prayers along with your trust in the process.

Peace,
Fr. Greg

4/10/21

I regret to have to inform you that earlier this week we were made aware of an allegation naming Deacon Chris Slater. This allegation was posted on social media by a family member and did not relate to any of Deacon Slater’s ministry as a Deacon of the Archdiocese.

Happy Easter! This Sunday is the eighth day of the Octave of Easter, so it is still considered Easter Day itself. So keep celebrating. This Sunday is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday.

This Sunday, April 11th is Divine Mercy Sunday. In a series of revelations to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s, our Lord called for a special feast day to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. Today, we know that feast as Divine Mercy Sunday, named by Saint Pope John Paul II at the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000.

Christ is risen…He is risen indeed!

Do you know the "Paschal Greeting”? It is what I wrote above where we greet people on Easter with “Christ is risen,” and they respond with “He is risen indeed!” This is a tradition in almost all of Christendom, especially in the Eastern Churches, but this is certainly also a tradition in the Latin Church. This is a good tradition for us to keep, because it is our greatest truth!

St. Paul wrote, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.“ (1 Corinthians 15:17)

We enter into a sacred time this week. Palm Sunday has the full name of “Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord.” What I find most powerful about Palm Sunday is not the blessing of palms to take home, which is certainly nice, but the long reading the gospel of the Passion of Jesus. That is what this week  is  about—what  Jesus  has  done  for  us  in  his  last supper,  agony  in  the  garden,  crucifixion  and death!

I invite you to come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation for Lent. This is the last week of Lent before Holy Week so you can’t procrastinate any more if you want to go to confession before the Sacred Triduum and Easter. We have lots of options this week, eight days straight of confession times:

This upcoming Friday, March 19th is the Solemnity of St. Joseph. It is the highest rank of feasts every year, and in the universal Church normally a holy day of obligation (but not in United States). In addition, this is the Year of St. Joseph. So, we had better celebrate the day! It falls on a Friday of Lent, so it triggers a special treat—the requirement for abstinence from meat is lifted. No fasting on a feast day of highest rank!

Is it time for Spring cleaning? According to Wikipedia, “During the 19th century in America, prior to the advent of the vacuum cleaner, March was often the best time for dusting because it was getting warm enough to open windows and doors (but not warm enough for insects to be a problem), and the high winds could carry the dust out of the house.” Sounds about right to me. I’m eager for Spring to come. The first day of Spring is Saturday, March 20th. But next weekend, Sunday, March 14th, Daylight Savings Time begins—and I’m particularly excited about having more evening light!