March 30, 2025

Today is the 4th Sunday of Lent and is traditionally known as Laetare Sunday.  It is called by this name because of the first word of the Entrance Antiphon.  Laetare means “Rejoice” and is taken from the Latin translation of Isaiah 66:10-11.  It sets the tone of joyful anticipation of the Easter mystery thus permitting use of rose-colored vestments.  Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her.  Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast.  Entrance Antiphon, 4th Sunday of Lent

Next Sunday is the 5th Sunday of Lent.  The practice of covering crosses and images throughout the church may be observed.  The covering will remain until the Easter Vigil.  Just as on the 4th Sunday we are anticipating Jesus’ Resurrection, on the 5th Sunday we are looking forward to Jesus’ Passion and Death.  This is also the final Sunday before Holy Week.  

On the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent we celebrate the Scrutinies with those to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. At the Masses where the Scrutinies are celebrated, the Readings for Year A are used: The Samaritan Women, the Prodigal Son, and the raising of Lazarus. For those of us who are baptized, this is a great time to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation as our way of being prepared for Easter.  

We keep in our prayers those who are preparing for the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil.  

Have a good week in the Lord, Gay Snell

March 23, 2025

Deacon Jim and I were recently invited to a special presentation on the Shroud of Turin. The Shroud is the burial cloth of Jesus. Turin, Italy is where the Shroud is currently housed. In 1976 a group of scientists, most from New Mexico, were invited to see and photograph the Shroud. The enhanced images are amazing. There is a museum in Alamogordo, NM called SEAM, Shroud Exhibit and Museum. It is an educational museum featuring information about the 1976 discovery and major scientific study of the Shroud of Turin. Sitting in front of the life-size photograph of the Shroud is awesome. One can see the image of Our Lord clearly, including the wounds from the nails and sword and the scourge marks on his back and legs. Deacon Pete called it the first “selfie”—an image left by Jesus himself. A VP-8 image analyzer was used by the scientific team to transform the Shroud into a 3-D image. It is like looking into the face of Jesus!
The exhibit is located at 3199 N. White Sands Blvd, Suite B-4 (in the White Sands Mall next to the Food Hall). It is open daily from 1:00pm to 4:00pm except on Wednesdays. “SEAM: Where Science and Faith Meet”.   -  Gay Snell

MARCH 16 2025

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven, may the faith You have given us in your Son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of Your Kingdom.

May our grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.

May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of evil vanquished, Your glory will shrine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of Heaven.  May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. 

To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever.

Amen.

We are called in this Jubilee Year to enter more deeply into prayer and acts of charity, finding ways to dedicate this year in a special way to the Lord.  If you go to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe website, you will find which parishes within the diocese are 2025 Pilgrimage Sites.  Gay Snell

MARCH 9 2025

Wednesday, March 5, we began Lent with Ash Wednesday.  Lent is a preparation for the celebration of Easter, the oldest and greatest Christian feast celebrating Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead.  The Lenten Season is 40 days long, from Ash Wednesday to Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, and commemorates the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert.  Lent is penitential, and as such, it is important for each person to receive the Sacrament of Penance.  There are 6 Sundays in Lent, the 6th being Passion or Palm Sunday.  This 6th Sunday is also the start of Holy Week.  The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday is often called Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday.  Mardi Gras is a pre-Lenten nonreligious celebration dating back to the Middle Ages.  It reflects the medieval custom of using up meats prior to abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays during Lent.  In 1748 Pope Benedict XIV instituted a special devotion of 40 hours of Adoration for the 3 days preceding Lent which became a precursor to today’s Forty Hours Devotion.  From this devotion came special days of Adoration during Lent.  During Lent we are thus called to abstain from meat and fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstain from meat the Fridays of Lent. Easter is a moveable feast.  It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox.  To set the date of Ash Wednesday, the Church counts back from the date set for Easter.  Gay Snell

MARCH 2 2025

Blessed 2025: Jubilee Year, Pilgrims of Hope.  Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (Romans 5:5)

What is a Papal Blessing?  A Papal Blessing is a blessing given by the pope to the people of the world.  It can also be given by a bishop to the people under his care.  From the beginning of their pastoral office, diocesan bishops and those equivalent to them in law have the right to impart the papal blessing with a plenary indulgence in accord with its prescribed formulary. This can be done at most 3 times a year in their own dioceses at the end of Mass.  This particular Mass would be celebrated with special liturgical beauty on solemnities or feasts.   

How does one bless oneself?  The Sign of the Cross is a sign, ceremonial gesture, or movement in the form of a cross by which a person confesses faith in both the Holy Trinity and the Redemption wrought by Jesus.  While making the Sign of the Cross, we intercede for the blessing of ourselves, other persons, and things.  It is also an outward sign of our unity as Catholics.  

Let us pray for the health and well-being of our Holy Father, Pope Francis.