The Stations of the Cross

My Dear Parishioners,

It is always such a Blessing and a true Grace that we are able to gather together and to pray together and praise the Blessed Trinity together in our beautiful church. Praised be Jesus Christ now and forever!

The Ashes we received on Ash Wednesday were a reminder to us of our mortality. Those Ashes were also a reminder to us that sin is the cause of our mortality. Thankfully though, those Ashes were imposed in the Sign of the Cross, to remind us that we really do have a Savior, and that through His Holy Cross He as redeemed that world.

Those Ashes, as we know, were made from palms from last year’s Palm Sunday. This is also a reminder that those who praised Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on that very first Palm Sunday were also the same people who condemned Him to death on that very first Good Friday. As the old African spiritual askes: were you there when they crucified my Lord? If we acknowledge our sinfulness, we can then acknowledge that Jesus died for us.

As with past years, the Stations of the Cross are in our beautiful church on Fridays at 7:30 PM. The Stations of the Cross allow us to walk in the footsteps of Our Blessed Savior from His condemnation under Pontius Pilot through His Crucifixion and His placing into the Holy Sepulcher.

The Stations of the Cross are another opportunity to thank Him and to acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior as we begin each Station with the invocation, we adore You, Oh Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.

As we gather to celebrate the Holy Eucharist and remember the Stations of the Cross, we really are so Blessed and Graced to be able to give back just a small portion of Jesus’s Love for us. We are truly Blessed and Graced, moreover, because He has promised infinite rewards for those who open their hearts to Him.

I have included two very interesting articles in this week’s letter. The first explains why Elijah was the one to represent all of the Prophets at the Transfiguration. The second article is from a Protestant Website on Abstaining from meat on Fridays of Lent. While not offering the fullest of explanations, I thought that it offered a pretty good overview on why we avoid meat on Fridays of Lent. I hope that you enjoy these articles.

St. Joseph, Patron of the Church, and our Patron, pray for us!

Fr. Michael J Pawelko, Pastor