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April 2, 2021

Pastor’s Corner

Dear Friends,
Darkness gives way to light. Death leads to life. This is the Easter message. And what a glorious message it is! It reminds us that we are not stuck there. The light of the power of God illuminates, leads us out of darkness into the light of His grace. It doesn't end in death. The Easter message, that of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, reminds us that our God is THE God of mercy.

It can happen in our lives that we can become numb to the sacrifices and gifts that others bring to our world, into our lives. We can lose a sense of gratefulness for that which we have - the blessings for which we take for granted. The Season of Lent prepares us for gratitude. The 40 days of Lent are not meant to be punishment. These days are not meant to remind us about how terrible we are and that we are just sinners who need to do penance because we made God mad by our words, thoughts and deeds. Rather, Lent, which leads to Easter, is a reminder of the power of God's mercy. His brutal torture and death shows us the ugliness of sin. Yet, the Resurrection shows His power over it. In the Resurrection, Jesus, our Savior, flexes His divine muscles and in a very real way says to us - Your sins are no match for My mercy! Easter, thus, reminds us to be grateful for this gift of God's mercy in our lives.

What is one way we can express our gratitude for God's mercy? In what concrete way can we show Him that we have not taken His mercy for granted? Yes, prayer - adoration, Mass, the rosary - these are indeed wonderful ways to say "thank you". I would add to that: confession. If you have not made it to confession yet, do so now. For it is in the Sacrament of Penance where we unveil our hearts to God, make room for Him to dwell, receive and are grateful for the gift of His mercy in our lives. It is in confession where the Easter message of mercy becomes all the more real to us. With that, I invite you to participate in the Divine Mercy celebration at Blessed Sacrament in Greenfield next weekend - Sunday April 11 at 2pm for confession and praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I hope to see you there!
- FJ

Highlight Our Faith

Video:
Praying like Jesus prays to the Father

Parish News

Divine Mercy Celebration April 11th at Blessed Sacrament in Greenfield. We will begin with confessions at 2pm and pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 3pm.
Bishop Byrne will preside at a special Holy Hour for Vocations on April 8th from 7pm-8pm at the Newman Catholic Center at UMass, Amherst. Q&A will follow the Holy Hour. Everyone has a vocation ... come, pray and discern.
Religious Education classes resume Sunday April 11th. Grades 1-6 meet from 9:30am-10:15am. Grades 7-10 from 6-7:30pm.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Wednesdays 12pm, concluding with Benediction at 6pm.
Confessions are held on Wednesdays at 5pm; Saturdays at 3pm and by appointment.
New episode of Coffee with FJ this week! See link below.

Triduum
Schedule
:

HolyName
  • Saturday April 3: Blessing of Easter Food, 11am; Confessions, 11:30am; Easter Vigil Mass, 8pm
  • Sunday April 4: Masses at 8am and 10:30am

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