Holy Cross Mission Bulletin March 21, 2010

Glory be to Jesus Christ!

Just a few things:

1. Great Vespers are at St. Ivan Suchavsky U.O.C.C, (939 Main St.), 5:00 p.m.

2. Divine Liturgy: Hearing of confessions and reading of the Hours at 9:30 p.m.

3. Passia Service: St. Ivan Suchavsky, 6:00 p.m.

4. Perogy sales: 512 dozen sold – $2066.50 raised. Thank you to everyone that helped out, placed orders, made deliveries, donated potatoes, flour or in my case, stayed far away from the pinching process.

5. Something about this Sunday’s Gospel lesson caught my eye. 35. In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went to a deserted place and prayed there. 36. Simon and his companions searched diligently for him. 37. When they found him, they told him, “Everyone’s looking for you.” Mark 10:35-37

The disciples go looking for Jesus and when they find Him, they say, “Everyone’s looking for you.” A lot of times, when we are faced with trouble, adversity, pain, we will ask “Where is God?” That somehow, God is hiding from us, that He is playing the best game of hide and seek.

The truth is, God does not hide. God is ever present. The best example of this is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Second Person of the Holy Trinity, God incarnate. Present, real, tangible. God “out in the open.”

This lenten journey is a journey of discovery. We hopefully take the time to stop being distracted by everything around us and look for Christ. Through prayer, through confession, through fasting, giving of alms, we will find Christ at the heart of every one of those spiritual actions.

If someone asks you, “Where is Christ?” tell them He is not hiding. He is there in your prayers. He is there in your fasting, in your confessions, in everything that we do, Christ is there. The challenge is to open our eyes, to ignore the distractions around us. That is what Great Lent and the spiritual life of the Church is all about. Every prayer, confession, time of fasting, church service, the writings of the Church Fathers, the lives of the saints, all these things are meant to be “eye-opening” moments. All these things should leave us wide-eyed and amazed.

Answer to last week’s question:
True or false? In Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John, Jesus is depicted as the water of life.
False. Jesus is depicted as the bread of life.

This week’s question:
Who did Jesus say would be remembered whenever the gospel was preached throughout the world?

See you in church!

The Way of the Cross – March 21, 2010
In Christ,

Fr. Evan