My Dearly Beloved in Christ;

We are very near now to that time which is for us a new beginning, the commencement of the Blessed Passover in which the Lord was sacrificed. Starting from this day on which we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, the Church recalls the entrance of Christ the Lord into Jerusalem to accomplish His Paschal Mystery. This event of the Triumphant Entry of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, serves as the gateway to the High points of the Liturgical year which we celebrate in the Holy week.

A friend of mine wrote an imaginative reflection on the raising of Lazarus that caught me off guard. She proposed that when Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb, the man was not joyful but angry and annoyed. After so much suffering, maybe death felt like a release. He had finally escaped the pain. And then, suddenly, Jesus' voice cuts through the silence: "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:43) The light stings his eyes. The pain returns. And now he is dragged back into a world that had broken him.

Dear Parishioners of the Blessed Sacrament and Visitors,

Today marks the fourth Sunday of Lent, traditionally known as Laetare Sunday, or the Sunday of Rejoicing. Rightly so, in the opening antiphon of the liturgy of this Sunday, the church proclaims, "Rejoice, Jerusalem, and be joyful, all who are in mourning."

Fellow parishioners of Blessed Sacrament and Visitors,

We are already in the third Sunday of Lent, and time is flying by quickly. Before we know it, Easter will be here. If you started off slowly in fully embracing this season, it's time to roll up your sleeves and recommit yourself to your Lenten resolutions.