Thursday, April 1, 2021 Thursday, April 1 HOLY THURSDAY 7 pm – Mass of the Lord's Supper
Friday, April 2 GOOD FRIDAY 12 pm – Good Friday Meditation: "The Seven Last Words of Christ" - Msgr Vaghi 3:00 pm – Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday 4:00 - 5:00 pm – Parish Lenten Confessions 7:00 pm – Stations of the Cross
Saturday, April 3 HOLY SATURDAY No 5:00 pm Mass 12:00 Noon - 1:00 pm – Confessions
Sunday, April 4 EASTER SUNDAY
PASTORAL REFLECTION Deacon Don Longano
Our Easter Responsorial Psalm resounds in joy and peace. We are ever thankful to the Lord for his grace and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Christ's love has enabled us to reflect that love to our family and our Neighbor in need, as we have endured the hardships and challenges of the pandemic. The joy of Easter deepens our divine hope and confidence that Christ will grant our fervent prayer, and that soon we will begin to experience resumed social, civic, and parish related activities with our families and within our community.
SEVEN WEEK ST JOSEPH SERIES On December 8, 2020, Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter "Patris Corde - With a Father's Heart." It commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Saint Joseph as the Patron of the Universal Church. He proclaimed 2021 as the Year of Saint Joseph. The Apostolic Letter features seven fatherly qualities of St. Joseph. I have reflected on these qualities and will share one with you each week beginning with the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19th) and ending on the Feast of St. Joseph, the Worker (May 1st) They include a Message, Reflection and Prayer, which have been adapted for you to ponder in your life of faith in today's world. I invite you to prayerfully reflect on the life and messages of St. Joseph and perhaps share your thoughts with your spouse, children or friends. - Sister Ann Parker IHM WEEK 3 - Obedient Father God certainly had a unique way of communicating with me. Imagine an angel waking you up and bombarding you with a heavenly message. It sure took me by surprise, more than once. Mary had shared her "angel" news with me and it left me in a state of confusion and uncertainty. I did not know what to do. I wanted to marry Mary, but the law dictated otherwise. I needed to hear the angel's words "do not be afraid". I trusted, became obedient and was willing to cooperate with this awesome mission.
My task of obedience continued to unfold with more angel messages. Danger was on the horizon...another message from an angel. "Arise, take the child and mother...go to Egypt". I just wanted to go home, not to a foreign land, but I was obedient and went, knowing in my heart that it was God's Will for my family. When the angel appeared again and told me it was safe to return to Nazareth, I was relieved and grateful. We returned to our home and began living our hidden, ordinary life together.
Reflection & Sharing How would you describe the way God communicates with you? In what ways have you been obedient to God's Will and not your own? What does being "obedient" mean to you and your family?
Prayers: St. Joseph, teach me to be open and obedient to what God is asking of me.
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To you God entrusted his only Son; in you Mary placed her trust; with you Christ became man. Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father and guide us in the path of life. Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage, and defend us from every evil. Amen. - Pope Francis
DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY SUNDAY, APRIL 11
Beginning at 3:00 pm, we will have a holy hour dedicated to the Divine Mercy. The holy hour will include Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and an opportunity for Confession.
PRAYERS FOR THE DECEASED – Please pray for the repose of the souls of Kathleen Annarella, Michael Bradshaw, Madeleine Brown, Jeremiah Collins, Vincent DeSomma, DDS, Thomas Dimond, Agnes Donahue, William Gildea, Kathleen Kelley, Robert Keyes, Daniel Klug, Beatrice Larson, Christopher Lent, Bonnie Marosy, Deacon John McGinness, Grace Mulvihill, Jean Ostmann, Ed Padelford, Shane Potts, John Sweeney, Joan Wells, J. William Whitty.
FOR THE SICK- Please pray for the sick members of our parish and for all who are in need. Keep these and all the intentions of our parish in your prayers.
GUIDELINES FOR MASS
The Church of the Little Flower is open at reduced capacity for Sunday and weekday Masses.
The seriousness of this pandemic, however, dictates that we follow strict guidelines and important safety measures. Please carefully read the guidelines HERE.
Masks are required to be worn at all times when in church.
Dispensation from the Sunday and Holy Day obligation remains in effect. Many options are available for participating in Mass when we cannot be present at the liturgy. View the Archdiocese of Washington list of live-streamed (and recorded) Masses and Prayers.
STEWARDSHIP CORNER Easter Sunday - He is risen! Alleluia! "Now let the heavens be joyful, let earth her song begin; Let the round world keep triumph, and all that is therein! Let all things seen and unseen their notes of gladness blend, For Christ the Lord hath risen, our Joy that hath no end!" (St. John Damascene, Doctor of the Church) After 40 days of penance and prayer, we are about to celebrate the glorious 50 days of the Easter season. Just as spring is making the physical world come alive, so does Our Lord's Resurrection bring us to new life in Him.
Stewardship of our Faith and Spiritual Lives – Through our practices of prayer, spiritual exercises, Scripture study, penance and almsgiving during Lent, we pray that we have attained a higher level of commitment which we will want to sustain throughout the year. We now have a new baseline on which we can continue to build, as we respond to the universal call to holiness.
Treasure – "Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and woodworm destroy them and thieves can break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworm destroys them and thieves cannot break in and steal. Remember, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Mt 6:19-21)
Poor Box – Donations during April will be for the Little Sisters of the Poor, founded in 1839 by St. Jeanne Jugan, who now serve in 30 countries. Locally, they provide for the daily needs of the elderly poor men and women in their care -- safe-shelter, a comfortable and loving home, clothing, nutritious food, enriching activities, medical and nursing care.
Resurrection of Jesus means that the very foundations of the cosmos have been shaken." (Bishop Robert Barron)
ONLINE OFFERTORY We appreciate your financial support, especially at Easter. Our preferred method of giving is through our online provider, Faith Direct. The secure enrollment process is simple and takes less than 3 minutes to complete. Please consider enrolling in Faith Direct or increasing your level of giving. You may also make a safe and secure one-time Easter gift online. God bless and many thanks.
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