Dear Parish Family,
The Gospel for this Fifth Sunday of Lent concerning the raising of Lazarus from the dead is the third "scrutiny" Gospel. The past two weeks, we heard the first and second scrutiny Gospels with the Samaritan woman at the well and the healing of the blind man. These three Gospels are geared not only to us who are already living the Catholic life, but also toward those in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults who are seeking to be baptized this Easter. These Gospels awaken our desire to approach Christ as Savior (Woman at the Well), to proclaim His power to restore our spiritual vision (Healing of the Man Born Blind), and assert His authority over sin and death itself (Raising of Lazarus). We pray for all those entering the Church this Easter, and for all of us on this journey of faith as we draw closer to our Lord's Paschal Mystery in the days ahead.
 
One of the great mysteries of our faith expressed in today's Gospel with the raising of Lazarus is the resurrection of the body. Jesus doesn't simply tell Martha and Mary that Lazarus' soul is in heaven. Jesus foreshadows His own resurrection from the dead in raising the body of Lazarus. The Apostle's Creed which we profess in the Lenten season at Mass uses those precise words: resurrection of the body. In the resurrection of the dead, Jesus does not simply lift our souls up to heaven. He raises our entire personhood, body and soul, to share the glory of heaven with Him. The body matters, both in this life and in the next. That's why our Church teaches that in a very real sense we are our body. We aren't just souls inhabiting a body, but our body and soul form a unity that constitutes our very identity as a human person. What we do in the body matters. We will have our bodies in heaven. Just as Jesus' risen body bears the healed wounds of the nails and spear, so our risen bodies in heaven will tell the story of our salvation in Christ gloriously and triumphant, healed wounds and all.
 
RIM Mission Sharing of Graces
For those who were able to participate in or watch my Parish Mission on RIM (Relationship, Identity, Mission) last month, I want to invite you to a follow-up "Sharing of Graces" night this Tuesday, March 28 at 6:30 pm in the St. Mary Parish ABC Room. We will have the chance to be together to share and listen to how the Lord touched our hearts. It will be a prayerful time of deepening encounter, and I look forward to sharing this time with you.
 
Stations & FINAL Fish Fry
Come to the St. Mary's FINAL Fish Fry this Friday, March 31st from 4:30 - 7:00 pm. Who knows what kind of special treats we will have there :)
We will have our usual Stations of the Cross at St. Patrick's and at St. Mary's starting at 7:00 pm.
   
Weekly e-Blast Sign-Up
Have you signed up yet for our weekly e-blast? What are you waiting for! Each Friday at 4:00 pm, we will send an email straight to your inbox with everything you need to prepare for the weekend and upcoming week at the parish. This is another great way to stay informed on what's happening here if you're away or maybe missed something in the bulletin. You will need to sign up to receive these emails. You can do so by clicking the Weekly e-Blast sign up link below: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/nIqNlT8/eblast.
 
Parish Office Updates
I would like to let you know about two updates for our parish office.

1. As you may be aware, our parish office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am till 4:00 pm. Starting this week, we will have extended office hours on Wednesdays until 7:00 pm. This will allow people who work a chance to connect with our office during the week.
2. I am happy to announce that after a long COVID break, we are bringing back our Weekend Office! The Weekend Office will be set up in the gathering space after all weekend Masses and managed by volunteers who will receive training to make available things like scheduling Mass intentions, preparing sponsor certificates, facilitating parish registration, taking sacramental requests, assisting with event signups, and more. We need volunteers to coordinate the weekend office as we bring back this offering. Please see the volunteer request in this weekend's bulletin and reply to our Office Manager, Michelle Rihtar (mrihtar@stmarychardon.org), if you are interested and able to assist with this renewed ministry. Training will be provided.

I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow