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Fifth Sunday of Lent

From the Desk of Father Tharp

 

Pastoral Region (St. Ann / Sacred Heart) Penance Service

 

The Lenten Penance Service for St. Ann and Sacred Heart (many priests available to hear confessions) will be this Wednesday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m. at the Sacred Heart Church location.   We will have numerous priests available to offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  This is the week before Holy Week.   During Holy Week lines are sure to be long.  Multiple priests will be available to hear confessions.

 

No Confessions Tuesday April 16!!!

 

As the Dean of the Hamilton Deanery, it is my duty to receive and distribute the newly blest Holy Oils to the pastors of the Hamilton Deanery.  The Archbishop will celebrate the Chrism Mass on Tuesday, April 16 at the Cathedral.  As in previous years, there will be NO (6:30 p.m.) EVENING CONFESSIONS on Tuesday of Holy Week. 

 

Easter Vigil at St. Ann and Sacred Heart

 

I am truly blest by the friendship of our Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Binzer, who has once again agreed to help cover the Easter vigil celebrations for our pastoral region.  Obviously as one old pastor (Fr. Tharp) who has never figured out how to bi-locate, I cannot be two places at once.  This year, most of the candidates and catechumens are associated with St. Ann.  Since I have led them through the RCIA process, I will therefore celebrate the Easter Vigil at St. Ann at 8:45 p.m. and bring our new members into the Church.  Bishop Binzer has agreed to celebrate the Easter Vigil at Sacred Heart at 8:45 p.m. so that both parish locations can again have their own Easter Vigil celebration.   I am very grateful to Bishop Binzer.

 

Holy Week Schedule

 

Morning Masses on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday will be as usual.  No Mass is permitted on Holy Thursday morning.  I will have the Mass of the Last Supper at St. Ann at 5:30 p.m. and the same Mass at Sacred Heart at 7:30 p.m.  No Mass is allowed on Good Friday morning.  I will have the Three Hour Good Friday Service at Sacred Heart from 12:00 noon to about 2:45 p.m.  I will have the Evening Good Friday Service at St. Ann starting at 7:00 p.m.  Fr. Schmitz will have a Good Friday evening Service at Sacred Heart.  There are no Masses or regular Confessions on Saturday morning at either parish location.  Easter Vigil at both locations will begin at 8:45 p.m. which is the earliest time allowed by Liturgical Law.  THEREFORE REMEMBER NO EVENING MASSES ON HOLY SATURDAY AT ANY CATHOLIC CHURCH UNTIL THE TIME OF THE EASTER VIGIL.

 

Divine Mercy Sunday

 

Because of First Communion at St. Ann on Sunday, April 28 at 2:00 p.m., the pastoral region (St. Ann and Sacred Heart) Divine Mercy Celebration will be at St. Ann but the time will be moved to 4:00 p.m.

 

 

Reflection on Scripture

 

The story of the woman caught in adultery appears only in John’s Gospel, but it is written in a Synoptic style similar to Mt. 22:15-22 or Mark 10:2-12.    Jesus is teaching in the temple and is interrupted by the Pharisees who have caught a woman in the act of adultery.  Deuteronomy says that such a crime carries with it a punishment of stoning for a betrothed virgin, or strangling for a wife caught in such a crime.   The Pharisees wanted to catch Jesus in a legal trap in which any answer Jesus would give would put him in peril.  Jesus outsmarts them and saves the woman’s life by refusing to engage in any legal adjudication, but throws the question back on their consciences.  He reminds them that Mosaic Law requires the accuser to carry out the execution.  Since the Pharisees are the accusers, Jesus says, “You can kill her in justice only if you have no sin of your own.”  Since all knew they were sinners, the first to throw a stone would convict himself.  Horrified by Jesus’ ability to turn the tables on them, they retreat for the time being and look for another opportunity when perhaps they can outsmart him. 

 

My apologies for the lack of grammatical correctness in the following, but it is my experience that “whenever you are out to get someone, you end up being the one who gets got!”  Jesus says it better, “Do not judge and you will not be judged.”  God’s justice is mercy.  Forgiveness is the way of Jesus.  It is the only way!

 

Next Weekend: Palm Sunday of Lent

    

Luke  19:28-40

Is 50:4-7

Phil 2:6-11

The Passion according to Luke

 

Theme: Remembering the Week that changed the World!

 

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