Adult

It is a time for new beginnings and exploring the faith through an adult perspective.
There is always something to learn and do to help us grow in relationship with God and others.

Grow in Your Faith 


Sunday, March 17, 2024

Dear Friends,

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!

This week we celebrate the great Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Joseph is honored as the patron saint of the Universal Church. He is also honored as the patron saint of workers and the patron saint of a happy death. We will honor this great saint at Mass on Tuesday, March 19th at our 7am morning Mass and will have a relic of St. Joseph’s cloak available for veneration. Dr. Pius Parsch in volume 2 of his work “The Church’s Year of Grace,” reflects on this feast day.

“Joseph was an ordinary manual laborer although descended from the royal house of David. In the designs of Providence, he was destined to become the spouse of the Mother of God. High privilege is expressed in a single phrase, ‘Foster-father of Jesus.’ About him, Sacred Scripture has little more to say than that he was a just man – an expression which indicates how faithfully he fulfilled his high trust of protecting and guarding God’s greatest treasures upon earth, Jesus and Mary.

“The darkest hours of his life may well have been those when he first learned of Mary’s pregnancy, but precisely in this time of trial, Joseph showed himself great. His suffering, which likewise formed a part of the work of the redemption, was not without great providential import: Joseph was to be, for all times, the trustworthy witness of the Messiah’s virgin birth. After this, he modestly retires into the background of holy Scripture.

“Of St. Joseph’s death, the Bible tell us nothing. There are indications, however that he died before the beginning of Christ’s public life. His was the most beautiful death that one could have, in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Humbly and unknown, he passed his years at Nazareth, silent and almost forgotten, he remained in the background through centuries of Church history. Only in more recent times has he been accorded greater honor. Liturgical veneration of St. Joseph began in the fifteenth century, fostered by Sts. Brigid of Sweden and Bernadine of Siena. St. Teresa, too, did much to further his cult.

“At present there are two major feasts. On March 19 our veneration is directed to him personally and to his part in the work of redemption, while in May we honor him as the patron saint of workmen throughout the world and as our guide in difficult matters of establishing equitable norms regarding obligations and rights in the social order. St Joseph is also the patron of a holy death.”

Let us never fail to invoke the powerful intercession of so great a man.

Please know of my prayers for you and kindly remember me in yours.

Fr. Arena

The Seven Last Words #4 & #5

My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

There is no distance between you, Jesus, and your Father. There can’t be: The Father and I are one. Still, your body bore the terrible abuse of your executioners, and your soul knew what it meant to be sorrowful even to death. You did not protect your human life by pouring it out in order to give us your own divine life. Now whenever we experience that abandonment, that silence, that interior pain that allow us to know at times, we can trust that your life is stirring in the deep places of our soul. When you allow me to feel forsaken, let me find in that experience the love that impelled you to carry the cross for me.

I THIRST

Lord, you offered to the Samaritan woman a spring of water welling up to eternal life, and yet on the cross, you thirst. You promised to quench all parched throats, and yet now you ask for a drink. Looking out upon the world from the vantage point of the cross, you take to yourself the longing of all who have desired to drink deeply of true life, and you reveal that we thirst because you thirst. In this is thirst: not that we have thirsted for God, but that he has thirsted for us, and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. May I never reject your thirst for me.

Spaghetti On Second

Our next “Spaghetti On Second” dinner is scheduled to be held in our Parish Center on Sunday, March 24th from 11:30am to 2:00pm. Tickets may be purchased by contacting the Parish Office at 717-985-1330.

The cost of the dinner, which includes, homemade pasta with or without sauce, two meatballs, salad, bread and coffee is $12.00. Other beverages, such as, soda and bottled water may be purchased for $1.00 each. Desserts are always available at various prices. You may join us by dining in or you may take-out your dinners. Extra meatballs are available for purchasing at $1.00 each.

Join us for a delicious homemade pasta dinner and bring your family and friends.

What Does It Mean to Be Catholic?

What Does It Mean To Be Catholic? 

The Catholic Church was founded by Christ and his Apostles.  There are four marks or characteristics of the Church, and we are reminded of them each time we pray the Nicene Creed at Mass.

One:  Means all members are united as the Body of Christ, given life by the one Spirit.  We acknowledge one Lord, one faith, one Baptism.

Holy: Means the Church is centered on God.  It is Christ who, by his sacrifice, makes the Church holy.

Catholic:  Means universal.  The Church is for all times and all people.  The Church is “the fullness” of the means of salvation”. (CCC830)

Apostolic:  Means the Church is built on the foundation of the Apostles.  We teach the doctrine of Jesus as it has been handed down through the apostles and their successors, the pope and bishops.

Each Catholic is called to full and active participation in the life of the Church and has the right and responsibility to:

1.) Attend Mass on Sundays and on Holy Days of Obligation.

2.  Confess your sins, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a least once a year.

3.  Receive the Eucharist.

4. Observe the days of fasting Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstinence on Ash Wednesday in Lent established by the Church.

5. Help to provide for the needs of the Church

Encountering Christ and being a witness to his love means we are called to live like Jesus and work for justice and peace in this world by living the 10 commandments, the Beatitudes, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

We are called to stand for the: Life and dignity of the Human Person, Call to Family, Community and Participation, Rights and Responsibilities of the Human Person, Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, Dignity of Work and Rights of workers, Solidarity of the Human Family, Care for God’s Creatures.

 

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

Spiritual Communion:

     My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.  I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.  Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.

    I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.

     Never permit me to be separated from You.  Amen.

Blessed Virgin Mary Grotto

Dear Friends

Visit our Grotto at Prince of Peace Parish-Assumption of the BVM Church. Pray to our Blessed  Mother for peace in our country and the world and ask her assistance to bring friends and families who are not practicing their faith to return to her son, Our Lord Jesus.

Our Blessed Virgin Mary Grotto is the Queen of Peace.

Sacrifice of the Mass

The Sign of the Cross and the Greeting tells us who we are as we gather to enter into the Mystery of Our Lord’s Death and Resurrection.

The Penitential Rite  gives us the opportunity to acknowledge our sinfulness as we approach the Sacrifice of Christ that destroys sin and bring us back into a relationship with God.

The Gloria is a hymn that leads us to praise glorify, adore, thank and ask our Triune God for all we, His sons and daughter, need as we beg His mercy.

The Opening Prayer or “Collect” collects the intentions of the people assembled and presents them to God by the priest who stands in persona Christi (in the person of Christ).

In the Reading of the Old Testament we hear the story of God’s covenant with His chosen people Israel and the revelation of Himself that speaks of His mercy and desire for their salvation.

The Responsorial Psalm is the faithful’s response of praise and thanksgiving to God’s Word in the First Reading . It reminds us that we are not passive listeners to the Word; we are in a relationship of love with the Word of God.

The Second Reading from the New Testament tells us of God’s New and Eternal Covenant forged in the Blood of His Son who is the Word Made Flesh.

The Gospel is a proclamation of an event from the life of Our Savior.  In the readings from Holy Scripture that are not taken from the Gospel, it is God who speaks to His people.  But when the Gospel is proclaimed, it is specifically Christ Jesus, true God and true man, who speaks to us.

The Homily is a vital part of the liturgy of the Mass that explains the Holy Scriptures and instructs us in the Faith.

The Profession of Faith (the Nicene Creed) is the ancient formula of beliefs that unites the people assembled with the Universal Church of all ages in their expression of their Faith in Christ.

General Intercessions or Prayer of the Faithful offers prayers to God for the Church the world, and the need of people both living and dead.

The Preparation Rite is the offering of the bread and wine brought to His altar by the priest on behalf of the people of God assembled.  The people participate in the offering by virtue of their baptism into the priestly people of God.

The Eucharistic Prayer makes present the Mystery of Our Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection.  Christ’s Sacrifice of the Cross, His offering to the Faith of Himself for the salvation of the world is represented on the altar.  At the words of consecration the bread and wine brought to the altar become the Body Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.  The baptized are called to participate in the sacrifice of Christ that is made present through the ministry of the ordained priest.

The Our Father begins the Rite of Communion.  We are faithful to Jesus’ command to pray in the words He taught us.  The priest prays for deliverance from evil, peace, and freedom from anxiety as we wait for the coming of Christ Our Savior in glory.  The priest extends a greeting of Christ’s peace to all present in the assembly.  The faithful share a sign of peace with one another.  The priest comingles a portion of the Sacred Host that he has broken in the chalice of the Precious Blood. The faithful sing the Agnus Dei. “Lamb of God You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, grant us peace.”

Communion has arrived.  The faithful go forward to receive His Sacred Body.  This reception of the Holy Eucharist effects communion between the individual and God and among the individual members of the Body of Christ.

The priest then blesses the people in the name of the Holy Trinity and dismisses all to go forth to witness to Christ in the world.

No One is a mere spectator at Mass.  All of the baptized are invited to participate in the sacred Mysteries by full, conscious and active participation.  This participation is not limited to eternal expression.  It must also be an external expression of faith and devotion.  The mass is an awesome treasure! It is Christ’s work of salvation active in our midst!

Eucharistic Revival

  June 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.” John 6: 54-55

On June 19th. of last year, a multiyear National Eucharistic Revival began in the dioceses across the United States.  This revival is not another new program, but rather an intense, purposeful focus on the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

Recent studies have indicated an alarming trend that a small percentage of Catholics, possibly as low as 30%, truly believe that the Holy Eucharist is the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.  This is a fundamental teaching of our faith.  Without the Eucharist, the real Body of Christ, we cannot be the People, the Catholics, nor the Church that we are called to be.

We believe that “the Eucharistic is the source and summit of the Christian life.  The other Sacraments and, indeed, all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist an are oriented toward it.  For in the Blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch” (CCC, 1324)

Today, our society is plagued with fear, doubt, war, hatred, and an overall indifference to the sanctity of human life.  There is desperate need to experience the love and truth of Christ.  Now, more than ever before, we need this belief of the Eucharist celebrated with renewed vigor in our parishes, Catholic schools, apostolates, ministries and programs.  The Revival aims to do just that.  Clergy, religious, laity, apostolates, movements, parishes and Diocesan leadership will work together with one common goal – to celebrate our faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist that all might come to believe.

Throughout the Diocese of Harrisburg we are grateful to the many faithful who already commit themselves to Holy Mass and to Eucharistic Adoration.  In a special way, I see the real love for our Eucharistic Lord alive in so many and invite you to join me in praying fervently for that love to fill the hearts of all Catholics.

As we continue the Diocesan phase of this Revival, we encourage you to frequent our website, www.hbgdiocese.org/eucharist, and visit our app (MyParishApp -Diocese of Harrisburg) for the latest information on our Revival activities.  We will be updating these platforms throughout the year, including ways you can be involved in this important work.

Together, let us respond to Christ’s invitation and open our hearts to Him, present in the Most Holy Eucharist.  United in faith and invoking the intercession of Mary, the Mother of the Eucharist, let us pray this Eucharistic Revival bears fruit for the glory of God.

Sincerely In Christ,

                                            

www.hbgdiocese.org

Prayer for our Deceased

PRAYER FOR OUR DECEASED:

    God Our Father, Your power brings us to birth, Your providence guides our lives, and by Your command we return to dust.

     Lord, those, who die still live in Your presence, their lives change but do not end.  I pray in hope for our families, relatives and friends and for all the dead know to you alone. In company with Christ, Who died and now lives, may they rejoice in Your kingdom, where all our tears are wiped away.  Unite us together again in one family to sing your praise forever and ever.  Amen.

May they rest in peace.