Next Weekend Is Palm Sunday

My Dear Parishioners,

Our celebration of Confirmation was truly beautiful. We continue to thank all of those who, in any way, contributed to the beauty of the day. We thank our newly Confirmed for the seriousness and the joy that they expressed as they prepared for their Confirmation.

We also continue to thank His Excellency, Archbishop Edward Adams for being with us. We thank him, moreover, for challenging our newly Confirmed to bring others to know and to love Jesus. As the Archbishop said, this is now the potential in our newly Confirmed. They now have the Grace to bring others to know and to love Jesus. This was such a powerful message. I personally believe that they will.

We have such a great parish with so many wonderful people. We are a home where anyone who is searching can come to know and love Jesus. We are truly blessed.

It is hard to believe that next weekend is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. To help us enter into Holy Week, this week our Church presents us with the story of the woman who was caught in adultery.

One important lesson from the story is that Jesus does not condemn us, but He does condemn our sins. St. Augustine affirms this: But when that woman was left alone, and all they had gone out, He raised His eyes to the woman. We have heard the voice of justice, let us also hear the voice of clemency.

For I suppose that woman was the more terrified when she had heard it said by the Lord: He that is without sin of you, let him first cast a stone at her. But they, turning their thought to themselves, and by that very withdrawal having confessed concerning themselves, had left the woman with her great sin to Him who was without sin. And because she had heard this, He that is without sin. let him first cast a stone at her, she expected to be punished by Him in whom sin could not be found.

But He, who had driven back her adversaries with the tongue of justice, raising the eyes of clemency towards her, asked her, Hath no man condemned you? She answered, No man, Lord. And He said, Neither do I condemn you; by whom, perhaps, you feared to be condemned, because in me you have not found sin. Neither will I condemn you.

What is this, O Lord? Do You therefore favor sins? No! Take note of what follows: Go, henceforth sin no more. Therefore the Lord did also condemn, but condemned sins, not man. For if He were a patron of sin, He would say, Neither will I condemn you; go, live as you will: be secure in my deliverance; how much so ever you will sin, I will deliver you from all punishment even of hell, and from the tormentors of the infernal world. He said not this. (St. Augustine, Tractate on John).

St. John Paul II adds: The Lord does not condemn her; in fact he saves her from being stoned. He does not say, “You have not sinned”, but, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again” (cf. Jn 8:11). Only Christ can truly save man, because he assumes the burden of man’s sin and offers him the possibility of changing.

This Gospel passage clearly teaches that Christian forgiveness is not synonymous with mere tolerance, but implies something more demanding. It does not mean overlooking evil, or even worse, denying it. God does not forgive evil but the individual, and he teaches us to distinguish the evil act, which as such must be condemned, from the person who has committed it, to whom he offers the possibility of changing. While man tends to identify the sinner with his sin, closing every escape, the heavenly Father instead has sent his Son into the world to offer everyone a way to salvation. Christ is this way: dying on the Cross, he has redeemed us from our sins.

To the men and women of every age, Jesus repeats: “Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again” (cf. Jn 8:11). (St. John Paul II, Angelus Address, March 29, 1998)

Jesus is so good. He is so loving. He not only calls us to conversion, He provides the love, the mercy, the forgiveness, the Grace needed for conversion. He provides us with good people in our lives and the Saints in Heaven to provide good example. He provides us with everything we need to grow in virtue and Holiness. He provides us with everything we need to overcome sin.

Let us continue to stay close to the Sacraments, those beautiful founts from which the love, mercy, forgiveness, and Grace of Jesus continue flow into this world.

I am looking forward to my first Holy Week with you, andI am certain that our celebration of Holy Week will bring us all closer to Jesus and closer to Heaven.

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

Fr. Michael J Pawelko, Pastor