A Message from Fr. Jay
Dear Friends,
A frustrated couple who thought the world was falling apart, wanted peace not only in the world, but peace in their hearts. One day, they decided to go shopping and picked a store at random. They walked into the store and were surprised to see Jesus behind the counter. They went up to Jesus and asked: “What do you sell here?” Jesus replied: “Oh, just about anything! Feel free to walk up and down the aisles, make a list of things you want, and when you come back, I’ll see what I can do for you.” They walked up and down the aisles and saw all sorts of things they wanted: peace on earth, no more war, no hunger or poverty, peace in families, no more drugs, clean air, and careful use of resources. They were excited about the possibility of getting all their heart’s desires in one shop. Finally, they made a list of the things they wanted and handed it over to Jesus. He read through the list, looked at them and smiled. “No problem,” he said. Then He bent down behind the counter and picked up a number of small packets. “What are these?” they asked. “Seed packets,” Jesus replied. “This is a catalogue store.” In surprise, they said: “You mean we don’t get the finished product?“ No,” He answered. “This is a place of dreams. When you choose what you want, I give you the seeds. You plant the seeds and watch them grow. There is one catch, however: you will not receive the benefit of your good work …. others will.”
“Amen, amen I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies it produces much fruit”. (Gospel). God has called us to bear fruit for others and bring the greater glory to His name. This is His law that He wanted to write upon our hearts (1st Reading). During this season of Lent, as we near Palm Sunday and Holy Week, God is reminding us, as Christians, that we are called to suffer anything for the sake of bringing glory to His name.
Some of you might have already started the Novena, as suggested by Cardinal Burke, to fight the ‘forces of sin’. The Novena began March 12th and continues for nine months until the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12, 2024. Each month we reflect and pray over a theme. This month’s theme is “Answering the call of Our Lady to grow closer to her Son through her intercession.” I encourage you to participate and continue the effort to fight the forces of sin that surround us.
Wish you all a happy St. Patrick’s Day.
God Bless
Fr. Jay Raju
- Reading 1: Jeremiah 31:31-34
- Reading 11: Hebrews 5:7-9
- Gospel: John 12:20-33
