Today is Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of Holy Week. It is a week that truly changed the world. It is the week in which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ fulfilled His mission to redeem the world by His Passion, Death and Resurrection.

 This Sunday is the 5th Sunday of Lent. For the readings from Cycle B, the Gospel from John (12:20-33) tells us that “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. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.”

Anyone who would like to make the Consecration to St. Joseph on Friday, March 19th, please join us immediately after the parish Stations of the Cross. Women and men of any age are most welcome to join us. St. Joseph, pray for us!

Brothers and sisters: God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ — by grace you have been saved —, raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Today marks the 3rd Sunday of the season of Lent. We are half way to the beginning of Holy Week and, perhaps, this is a good time to reflect on how we have or have not embraced this holy season. If we have been faithful to our resolutions and experienced a deepening of our prayer life, let’s give thanks and praise to God! If we have struggled with prayer, fasting and almsgiving, let’s not get discouraged or be tempted to give up on this sacred time!