St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish is here for you.  Sunday Mass is at 12:00 noon at St Francis of Assisi Independent Catholic Chapel: 195 Ridgewood Avenue Glen Ridge, NJ.  Please call the parish office to arrange for the sacraments and please join us at our weekly mass.

“So that none might be Lost.”

 

3rd Sunday of Lent
March 7, 2010

Opening Prayer

Dear God, I am humbly in your presence.
Please open my heart and my mind
so that I may dwell
in your Spirit
in the midst of your assembly

MEDITATION:

An Angry Savior?

The Gospel for Sunday sounds a bit angry and threatening, and we must talk about that. Is God as we have known him really furious and offended, demanding infinite justice? If so, the following should be our slogan: “Be afraid, be very afraid.”

But let us look. Here is the story from the Gospel. News comes to Jesus that Pilate has murdered some Galilean people. Still worse, Pilate has actually mixed their blood with that of sacrificed animals.

This is a terrible, gruesome story, worthy of denunciation. But instead, Jesus seems to scold the people who brought the bad news.
“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way
they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”
What is the logic here? It sounds as if you don’t have to rank as the worst sinner in the world in order to get punished. You can qualify just by failing to repent.

Why is Jesus so harsh? Is he an angry savior? Angry in the same way that the God of the Old Testament was, at least in the way many people think? Unforgiving, warlike, furious, demanding an infinite sacrifice to make up for humankind’s sins against an infinite God?*

To the contrary, when we look at the First Reading, we do not find an angry God at all. Instead, we find God grieving over the troubles of his people.
“I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt
and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers,
so I know well what they are suffering.
Therefore I have come down to rescue them.”
God speaks these words to Moses miraculously from the midst of a burning bush that is not consumed by flames. He begins to instruct Moses about how to rescue his people. Great compassion from the depths of the transcendent God.

Why didn’t Jesus have the same kind of compassion for his own people?
Or maybe we have the wrong impression. Jesus tells a parable in the second half of the Gospel that might help us understand.

In brief, a sadly unproductive fig tree is to be chopped down, the orchard owner says. His gardener says to leave it one more year and see if, with some tending, it will bear fruit. Give it one more chance.

We always assume that Jesus is the heartless orchard owner. We half remember the story in Mt 21:18-19 of Jesus actually cursing a fruitless fig tree.

Yet what if Jesus is not the owner but the gardener in the parable? The gardener is asking mercy for the disobedient fig tree. Isn’t this exactly what Jesus is doing when he warns us we will perish if we don’t repent? Isn’t he shouting at us to turn back to God in order to avoid destruction? He is “startling the poor sheep back” from the edge, to paraphrase the poet Hopkins, and you and I are the sheep.**

There is still reason to fear God, of course, since he is infinite and infinitely more fiery than the burning bush. You can get hurt. But the closer you come to the real center of God, the more your fear turns to gratitude. You are not scalded or consumed by the divine fire—you are warmed and gentled at its welcoming hearth.
Nothing angry or threatening after all.

Greetings and Peace!

Hello and Peace

Hello everyone and warmest greetings as we prepare to celebrate the second Sunday of Lent, moving forward toward holy week.

I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who had contributed their favorite delicacies for a very successful and bountiful first of our monthly parish brunches. We are planning our next brunch for the last Sunday in March.

We as a parish are making an effort to coordinate our weekly liturgy planning, especially looking toward Holy Week. Anyone who would like to participate in planning the liturgy for our Sundays is certainly welcome to. This would give members of our congregation the opportunity to serve as readers, as well as choose hymns for our services. Along with that, we would like to sign up parishioners each Sunday to read for the following Sunday’s mass. Those who are interested, please notify either Geety or Anthony.

Also, we encourage anyone who plays a musical instrument, or would like to participate with Brother Geety in leading the congregation in hymns during our Holy Week services to notify Geety or Anthony. We would be thrilled to have you share your talent!

Speaking of Brothers Geety and Anthony, we are planning a retreat to Easton PA. from July 28-31st, where, upon completion of their Novitiate education, will be vested in their Franciscan habits. During our Novitiate classes, we have been discussing and planning their participation in our ministry, and are looking forward to their inductions as Friars in our faith community.

After a very successful Holiday plant sale, we are overjoyed that Kathy and Jane are willing to work with us on an Easter plant sale this year. We will have the information and order forms available as soon as possible.

St. Francis parish is looking forward to getting our “Holy Grounds” discussion group under-way, hopefully within the next few weeks. Café Eclectic (444 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair) is willing to host us. Dates and times will follow.

Our next parish council meeting will take place before mass on Sunday March 14th at 10:30 am. Anyone who would like to participate and share their ideas is certainly welcome to join us!

Have a terrific week and we will see you Sunday at 12:00

Love and Peace.

Blessings,
Most Rev. Dr. George Lucey,  DD, FCM
Presiding Bishop of the American National Catholic Church

A parish community of the American National Catholic Church Jurisdiction