mar01nws

MARCH 2001 TAPESTRY

Making Lent Meaningful

     Lent is upon us again. Over the next six weeks we have the opportunity to review our relationships with God and other people. We are encouraged to strip away all that has gotten in the way and return to the Lord with our whole heart. There are strategies we can employ to make Lent a fruitful time. Let me suggest a few.
     The Church requires as a minimum that we fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. That means that we do not eat between meals and that our meals be smaller than normal. For most people this is not a difficult sacrifice. So, to aid in making these disciplines more useful, consider fasting one day each week of Lent. You can choose to fast from food or from something else that is enjoyable. You might fast from watching television or playing on the computer. Many people give up something enjoyable during Lent like desserts, candy, or cigarettes. Anything you do should be coupled with an intention to offer that sacrifice to the Lord. This can be truly helpful if you use the added time to pray or read from the scriptures; then it truly becomes a holy practice.
     We are expected to abstain from meat on the Fridays of Lent and on Ash Wednesday. This too is not usually much of a sacrifice. We can eat seafood, eggs, and other non-meat items. Some people choose to add a second day each week to abstain from meat as well. (In the Benedictine tradition, they abstain from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays.)
     The Church requires that we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year. Make an effort to receive this sacrament either on the fourth weekend or at our communal penance service on April 3rd. Also, almsgiving is a recommended practice in Lent. If you currently give to the Church and charities, consider increasing your giving. If you have not been in the practice of giving, this would be a good time to start. When you get paid, make the first checks out to the Church and your designated charities: then it becomes a regular part of your life.
     In prayer you might consider praying the Stations of the Cross. In our parish we offer outdoor stations along the berm. We pray them together at noon on Fridays. But if that is not convenient, choose another time of the week to make that your prayer. Also, our Spanish Community will be hosting the Good Friday processional Way of the Cross again. Make plans now to attend. Good Friday is April 13th.
    Also, we will offer Soup and Bread Suppers each Friday evening of Lent. From 6:30-7:00pm parishioners bring meatless soup and bread to share. Then at 7pm there is a presentation on some aspect of the faith. This year’s theme is Changing Our Hearts. Hopefully we will grow in our appreciation of the Bible and our community through these presentations.
     The Seder meal (re-enactment of the Passover) will be celebrated in the parish on Tuesday, March 20, at 7pm. Make that part of your Lenten journey as well. You may have other practices and ideas. Use whatever works to bring yourself closer to God. By Easter may we be a community whose hearts have been changed by the Lord.
Peace,
Fr. Chris

REGULATIONS FOR FAST AND ABSTINENCE

Ash Wednesday, February 28, 2001, and Good Friday, April 13, 2001, are days of fast and abstinence. Fridays of Lent are also days of abstinence. Fasting is to be observed by all 18 years of age and older, who have not yet celebrated their 59th birthday. On a fast day, one full meal is allowed. Two other meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to each one's needs, but together they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted, but liquids, including milk and juices, are allowed. Abstinence is observed by all 14 years of age and older. On days of abstinence no meat is allowed. Note that when health or ability to work would be seriously affected, the law does not oblige. When in doubt concerning fast and abstinence, the parish priest should be consulted. Fasting, almsgiving, and prayer are the three traditional disciplines of Lent. The faithful and catechumens should undertake these practices seriously in a spirit of penance and of preparation for baptism or of renewal of baptism at Easter.

THE CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS AND THE RITES

The Sacraments of Initiation. Because Lent is oriented toward the celebration of the sacraments of initiation at Easter, care must be taken to maintain this central focus. Honoring the most ancient of customs, the baptism of infants should not take place during Lent except in the case of emergency. Infant baptisms during the Easter Season follow the traditional custom of the Church. As such, the celebration of confirmation and the reception of first communion are also inappropriate during Lent, but most appropriate during the Easter Season.
For those involved in the RCIA, the Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion will be celebrated at Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine, Orlando, on March 4, 2001, at 3:00 P.M. Bishop Norbert Dorsey will welcome those preparing for baptism and those preparing to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church (CB 250, 408-419 and RCIA 118-127). The Rite of Sending the Catechumens for Election or the combined Rite of the Parish Celebration for Sending Catechumens for Election and Candidates for Recognition by the Bishop) may be celebrated in parishes (RCIA 108, 110).

F.R.E.E.

2nd SUNDAY of Lent
The theme for adult education on March 11, will be:

THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

This session will be held in the main assembly area Beginning at 3:30 PM.

In January of this year, 2001, our 17 year old granddaughter, Erin, and two other teen
aged girls went on a one week mission from her church, Emmanuel Baptist in Schenectady, New York, to Nicaragua. Following is a copy of the hurried and excited e-mail we received from her when she returned. - - - - - Peg & Ed Bacheldor

hello!!! I’m home. haven’t checked email in about a week. but here I am. I had such an experience. I will never forget it. it was great and sad and exciting and hard and hot and helpless, at the same time. we climbed in trees with machettis and cut down branches and fed them to goats. we taught vacation bible school to 110 kids at one sitting. (we did this twice) we went to cathedrals. We met people who lived near us. we played stickball in the street. We learned about the sandinistan revolution. we saw an active valcano. the poverty there was like I had never imagined. and so sad and so happy at the same time. It was so sad to see these kids with literally nothing. but they were all happy people. they just wanted to play like every other kid in the world. but they were starving and dirty. Every child there was beautiful. not like the kids here who are (compared to there) very shallow. there was faith in God like I had never seen before. and love like I’d never seen before. there were at least 8 earthquakes. We felt that huge one that happened in el salvador. but there were much bigger ones at 2 o'clock in the morning. and that was kinda scary. Nothing to eat except rice and beans there. But when you got it you were glad to get it. there was nothing else to eat. Mainly I loved the children. I felt awful for being an american who was blessed with money but they didn’t care. They were just happy if I picked them up and played with them. I loved them. I will never forget this.
love, erin

SAN PEDRO CENTER

ARTISTS RETREAT – MARCH 1-4
This unique retreat provides concentrated time for artists to explore their particular artistry, accompanied by an individual spiritual director, in the quiet of a retreat, among a community of other artists. $140 – includes room and meals. For reservations or more information, call 407-671-6322.

WRITING RETREAT DAY – MARCH 3 – 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Writing with the Mystics: The Wisdom of the Desert, led by Rev. Jan Richardson, author and artist. In the early centuries of Christianity, the desert drew men and women who were seeking liberation from the distractions of the city. In the season of Lent, these men and women who became known as the desert fathers and mothers provide wellsprings of wisdom and an invitation to reflect on the changing landscape of our own lives. Held at the Art Studio, Campside, $40 includes lunch. This retreat is not for writers only. For reservations or more information, call 407-671-6322.

SENIOR’S DAY – MARCH 8 – 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Fr. Christopher Panagoplos, T.O.R. will present this Day of Recollection at San Pedro Center. Donations accepted. Lunch will be served. Liturgy of the Eucharist will be celebrated.

FRIENDSHIP, FORGIVENESS AND FIDELITY: FOOD FOR THE JOURNEY
San Pedro Center – March 9 beginning at 7:00 p.m. – March 11 ending at 12:00 noon. A Lenten retreat facilitated by Heidi Peckham. Come pray and play your way to greater self-awareness, acceptance and love. Take a loving look at your relationship with God, with yourself, and with others. $85 shared room, $110 single, $60 commuter. For reservations or more information, call 407-671-6322.

With the beginning of 2001, the Troubadours entered their third year of entertaining the elderly at local nursing homes. Every Wednesday afternoon, these parishioners head for one of the nursing homes on their list. Yvonne Smith sings, K.J. Baker plays the piano, Rod plays the harmonica, and Celestino and Margarita Rodriguez dance together and sing in both Spanish and English. Frank Milnes fills in with jokes remembered from his disc jockey days, and funny stories from his bus driver’s job in New York City. The nursing home residents sometimes clap and sometimes sing. In celebration of the group’s second anniversary, the Rodriguezes invited the Troubadours, their spouses, and Father Chris to a Christmas lunch at their home.

SCRUTINY by Paul Turner

Tell people they will face a scrutiny before they can join your community, and they’ll probably say, “Thanks, but no thanks.” Boldly our church expects not one but three scrutinies of catechumens before their baptism at Easter.

Scrutinies are rites of self-searching and repentance. When people from another spiritual background seek baptism in the Catholic Church, they do so by stages. First, we accept them into the order of catechumens. Then as they complete their catechetical formation we enroll them among the “elect,” or those chosen for baptism. This rite of election generally coincides with the beginning of Lent. Three times during Lent the church prays the scrutinies to encourage a spirit of repentance among those who seek a worthy celebration of baptism.

Although scrutinies have returned fairly recently to Catholic parishes, they originated early in church history. St. Ambrose and St. Augustine celebrated them in the fourth and fifth centuries to mark the spiritual progress of the catechumens. The moral preparation of catechumens included prayers of exorcism to drive out the spirit of evil, which kept them from embracing Christ as their light. In the scrutinies, the church discerned if those exorcisms had achieved their effect. Catechumens entered the church, stood barefoot on goatskin, and renounced evil influences all night. Those unworthy of baptism had to wait another year for Easter to roll around again.

Today’s scrutinies seem less intense. They still include an exorcism, in which the priest or deacon prays that the spirit of good may replace the spirit of evil. Their purpose is not so much to examine the candidates’ mental readiness, but their spiritual readiness. Scrutinies offer the catechumens the support they need to approach the waters of baptism worthily.

For those who are already baptized, the scrutinies invite us to embrace the same spirit of self-searching and repentance. At Easter, we renew our baptismal promises as we see the catechumens baptized. So during Lent we renew our repentance as we see the catechumens scrutinized. The scrutinies remind us of the seriousness of our Christian life and inspire us to turn from evil and pursue good. They enliven our recommitment to Christ at Easter.

Paul Turner is a pastor and holds a doctorate in sacramental theology from St. Anselmo University in Rome. This article appeared in Modern Liturgy in 1994/1996.

*** The Scrutiny Rites will be celebrated in our parish at the 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Masses on March 18, 25 and April 1.

GOT A MINUTE? HOW ABOUT A WEEK?

The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul extend an invitation to single Catholic women between the ages of 19-55 to partner with them in aiding persons who are poor and in need, for one week sometime throughout the year. This live-in program with the Sisters includes communal prayer, volunteer ministry to persons in need, and time for reflection on the Vincentian Spirit of Love. Opportunities to serve exist in the following places: The District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and northern Florida. For further information, contact Sister Maureen Houlihan, D.C., Post Office Box 358, Gloverville, SC 29828 or call 803-593-5158.

GUN FREE DAY ON TV – SOMETIMES BIG IDEAS START SMALL

Shella Johnston of Chesterfield, Virginia is a mother of a 3-year-old daughter who was watching the coverage of school shootings on TV and was horrified with what she saw – the influence of TV violence on children. Uncertain at first about what to do, an idea came to her.

“I really felt helpless watching the news of the Johnsboro school shootings. I was in tears. It took a week of reflection and prayer, but I finally came up with an idea that I hoped might help in some small way. I thought that a way to start was to have just one day in the year where there wouldn’t be any guns or gun-related violence shown on TV. I took the idea to my church and they liked it.” Shella is a member of Midlothian Friends Meeting, a Quaker congregation located in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia. They were so enthusiastic about her idea that they decided to try to develop it as a national, grassroots movement.

Easter Sunday, April 15, 2001 is proposed as the first day in what the Midlothian Quakers hope will be an annual event on Easter. The Quakers are encouraging television networks to voluntarily structure their programming on that day so that no hand-guns or gun-related programming will be shown on television. Easter Sunday in 2001 will be close to two years after the Columbine high school massacre in which twelve students and one teacher lost their lives to two student gunmen (who also took their own lives).

Beth Schanz, clerk of the Quaker committee responsible for developing the idea, explained that, “This isn’t about gun control. It’s about changing the way we expose our children to the violent use of guns. We would like for everyone on that Sunday to just pause and reflect about how we, as a society, constantly expose our children to violence.”

The Midlothian Quakers developed an Internet web site to explain the idea. The site is in the form of questions and answers about the grassroots movement, and provides links to other sites that provide information about the effects of violence on children. The site address is http://www.GunFreeDayOntv.org.

Click on the web site for more information or call the Midlothian Friends Meeting at 804-596-1676.

THE HISTORY OF VALENTINE’S DAY

Mid February was traditionally the time of the Lupercian festival, an ode to the God of fertility and a celebration of sensual pleasure, a time to meet and court a prospective mate. In AD 496, Pope Gelasius outlawed the pagan festival. However, he was clever to replace it with a similar celebration, although one deemed morally suitable. He needed a “lovers” saint to replace the pagan deity, Lupercus.

The martyred Bishop Valentine was chosen as the patron saint of the new festival. Saint Valentine had been beheaded for helping young lovers marry against the wishes of the mad emperor, Claudius. Before execution, Valentine himself had fallen in love with his jailer’s daughter. He signed his final note to her, “From Your Valentine,” a phrase that has lasted through the centuries.

Pope Gelasius didn’t get everything he wanted. The pagan festival died out, it is true, but he had further hoped people would emulate the lives of the saints. Instead, they latched onto the more romantic aspect of Saint Valentine’s religious life. While not immediately as popular as the more passionate pagan festival, eventually the concept of celebrating true love became know as Valentine’s Day.

Haciendo de la Cuaresma algo Significativo

      Cuaresma yá está encima de nosotros. Durante las próximas 6 semanas tenemos la oportunidad de revisar nuestra relación con Dios y otras personas. Se nos anima a deshacernos de todo aquello que se ha interpuesto en el camino y regreso al Señor con todo nuestro corazón. Hay unas estrategias que podemos emplear para hacer de la Cuaresma un tiempo fructifero. Dejenme sugerirles unas cuantas.
      La iglesia requiere como minimo que ayunemos el Miercoles de Cenisa y Viernes Santo. Eso quiere decir que no comemos entre comidas y que nuestras comidas sean mas pequeñas de lo normal. Para algunas personas esto no es un sacrificio dificil. Entonces, para ayudar en hacer que esta disciplina sea mas util consideren ayunar una vez en semana durante la Cuaresma. Tu puedes escojer ayunar de comida o de algo que te sea agradable. Tu puedes ayunar de no ver television o jugar en la computadora. Muchas personas dejan algo que disfrutan durante la Cuaresma como postres, dulces, o cigarillos. Cualquier cosa que hagas debe de ser acompañado de la intención de ofrecer al Señor ese sacrificio. Esto puede verdaderamente ser util si le añades tiempo para la oración o leer de las escrituras. Entonces si que se vuelve una practica santa.
      De nosotros se espera que nos abstengamos de comer carne los Viernes de Cuaresma y el Miercoles de Cenisa. Esto tambien nos es usualmente gran sacrificio. Podemos comer mariscos, huevos, otras cosas que no contengan carne. Algunas personas escojen añadir un segundo dia de la semana para abstenerse de comer carne tambien. ( En la tradición Benedictina ellos se abstenian de comer carne los Miercoles y Viernes.)
     La Iglesia requiere que recibamos el Sacramento de la Reconciliación por lo menos una vez al año. Hagan el esfuerzo de recibir éste sacramento bien el fin de semana del 4 o en nuestro servicio penitencial en Abril 3.
     Tambien, limosna es una practica recomenda en la Cuaresma. Si corrientemente esta dando a la Iglesia y caridades consideren aumentarlas. Si no has estado en la practica de dar ésta es una buena oportunidad de comenzar. Cuando cobres haz el primer cheque a la Iglesia y tu caridad designada. Entonces se hace parte regular de tu vida.
      En la oración considera rezar las Estaciones de la Cruz. En nuestra parroquia ofrecemos estaciones al aire libre por toda la orilla. Las resamos juntos el mediodia los Viernes. Pero si no es conveniente escoje otro dia de la semana para hacer tu oración. Tambien, nuestra Comunidad Hispana estara auspisiando el Via Crucis en la procesión de Viernes Santo. Hagan planes para asistir. Viernes Santo es en Abril 13.
      Tambien, ofreceremos cenas de Sopa y Pan cada Viernes por las noches durante la Cuaresma. De 6:30 - 7:00pm los fieles traen pan y sopas sin carne para compartir. Entonces a las 7pm hay una presentación sobre algunos aspectos de la fe. Este año el tema es Cambiando Nuestros Corazones.   Ojalá que crescamos en la apreciación de la Biblia y comunidad a través de estas presentaciones.
      La comida Seder (una re-actuación de la Pascua) será celebrada en la parroquia el Martes, 20 de Marzo a las 7pm. Hagan de esto su jornada de Cuaresma tambien.
      Ustedes tendran otras ideas practicas. Usen lo que les acerque mas a Dios. Que para el Domingo de Pascua seamos una comunidad donde los corazones allan sido cambiados por el Señor.

La Paz,
Padre Chris