Holy Sepulcher Parish

I am the Good Shepherd
Knowing Jesus and knowing about Him are two different things. One is mental or academic knowledge, while the other is experiential knowledge. In today’s gospel, Jesus says that His disciples know His voice, they know exactly what He is saying, and they obey Him. God is Father, and He has given Jesus responsibility for all His children. Jesus takes this responsibility seriously. He accepts full responsibility for us, just as the role of being a shepherd included His willingness to die in protection of the sheep entrusted to Him. The people who listened to Jesus were very conscious of the role of a shepherd, and of the strong bond that developed between a shepherd and his sheep. God has entrusted each of us to Jesus since we are under His protection, we have no need to fear. If God is for us, who can be against us?

“The reward of
sacrifice is peace.”
-St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton

Questions to Ponder this Week:

1. Have you known any good shepherds in your life?
2. Do you pray for those called to shepherd God’s people?
3. When do you experience yourself as one of Jesus’ flock?

A Prayer for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
O, Lord, help us each day to experience Easter in the ordinary; in the everydayness of our lives and in the mundane events that contain opportunities for grace.  Let us see the familiar we take for granted with new eyes.  Let us love anew so that we, like the Good Shepherd, may help transform that part of the world we touch each day.  Amen.

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION

There are few openings for “Shepherds” in the classified ads today, but few occupations are as dear to the Christian heart.  Most of us tenderly place shepherds by our Christmas cribs, name the Twenty-Third Psalm as our favorite, and recognize “Good Shepherd” as a title of Jesus.  Bishops carry a staff, called a crozier, modeled after the shepherd’s walking staff.  Long before Christian artists painted Jesus on the cross, they traced on the walls of the catacombs of Rome images of a strong young shepherd, shouldering a lost sheep and bringing it to safety.  Springtime is the season of lambing, a time when the shepherd not only learns the faces of the new arrivals, but also when the newborn sheep become attuned to the voice of the shepherd.  This is exactly what we do as a community in Easter as we shelter and guide the newly received Christians, and also put our Lenten muscles to good use: listening more attentively to God’s Word, and responding with springtime vigor to God’s call.

A FEW REMINDERS

1. Due to my vacation, there will be NO MASS on Monday, April 30. Daily Mass will resume Wednesday, May 2 at 7:00pm.

2. Attention School Parents!! We are still looking for officers for our PTG.  If you are interested in serving the school community, please see Sr. Anna Marie or Marcia Macri.

3. If you are interested in planning a wedding, please remember that there is a six-month preparation required by Church law.  Wedding dates cannot be made over the phone or through email.  Engaged couples must first meet with the pastor or deacon before a date can be secured.

4. Please mark your calendars – our 2012 Bazaar will be held on Sun., August 12^th. Also, we would like to start accepting donations of bottled water and 2-Liter Pop Bottles (any brand) for the Bazaar.  If you are able to donate a case or two or a few bottles, please leave them in the coatroom across from the Priest Sacristy.  Thank you!

5. First Holy Communion Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, May 12 at 10:00am.

6. May 17^th is Ascension Thursday, a Holy Day of Obligation in the Church.  Masses will be celebrated at 7:00pm (Vigil) and 9:00am and 7:00pm.  Please make time in your schedule to attend Mass and praise the Lord!

7. We continue to make progress in lowering our church building debt and I thank you for your generosity.  Please remember that every little bit helps!  Any donation to the building fund is a good donation!!

8. In the coming weeks, I will be announcing our plans for our new parish sign on Route 8 as well as plans for our former church building.  After nearly seven years, it is time we move forward with these projects in order to meet our growing needs here at Holy Sepulcher Parish.

In Christ Jesus, Our Risen Lord,
Fr. John Gizler
jgizler@hotmail.com