Dear Friends in Christ,
A number of years ago, a priest was standing outside a parish church in Philadelphia. It was a hot day and he was dressed in the noble cassock. An “enlightened” person questioned Father as they were exiting the church, “Aren’t you hot in that thing?” I can still recall Father’s answer, “Better hot now than for all eternity!” This is a sobering thought. We should all long for Heaven when the Lord calls us…to spend eternity with the Lord Whom we learned to love more and more each day in this life. As we wonder about the Covid 19 Virus, we know that there is an insidious virus that attacks the very core of our being: sin. Like a virus, it spreads mysteriously from person to person, thought to thought. It has infected our media and all aspects of life. It can be combated and we can protect ourselves from the virus of sin. We must use the confessional to rid ourselves of the poison of sin and to use prayer and penance to protect ourselves from destructive temptation. We have adoration every Friday, from after the nine o’clock Mass until 7:00 PM. I am concerned that at times the church is empty when the Holy Sacrament is exposed. We want to create a schedule that does not change for people to adore the Lord. Please call Cindy at the rectory to sign up for an hour of power in the church. Hopefully, there will be two people for each hour and we can have substitutes when people cannot make their scheduled time. The weekly, willy-nilly sign up does not work. So, for example, Father Szolack and John Smith would be scheduled for 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM every Friday. If one could not make it, he could call the rectory for a substitute. A parish this size and with the great devotion that so many have for the Lord should not make this difficult. Please pray and consider this need. We also have two of our prayer groups starting up again: Flames of Fire and the Alliance of the Two Hearts. The Flames of Fire Prayer Group is charismatic and it meets every Thursday at 6:30 PM. The Alliance of the Two Hearts meets every First Friday. This group begins with Mass at 7:00 PM in our church in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus followed by adoration until midnight. Confessions are held following the 7:00 PM Mass. Another Mass is celebrated at 12:00 Midnight in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This month, the Alliance will honor the Blessed Hearts of Jesus and Mary August 7th at 7:00 PM Mass into August 8th with the Midnight Mass. We need prayer and the Lord Jesus is the Hope of the world. Our Lady of Hope is honored as such because she carried all Hope in her womb and raised Him with great love. The Most Holy of Contemplatives, the Blessed Virgin Mary, exhorts us to “Do whatever He tells you.” (John 2:5). We do not know what to do unless we spend quiet time alone with the Lord. Consider becoming a prayer warrior through adoration and/or a prayer group.
God bless you,
Father Szolack