As we draw closer to Holy Week, we hear Jesus talk about His approaching death. Today, Jesus uses the image of a grain of wheat. He says, “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” Jesus’ message to His disciples is not so much about His death as it is about eternal life. As Christians, we know that as difficult as death is, our true focus—our true hope—is eternal life, trusting that our Lord is our source of eternal salvation. During this final week before Holy Week, let us keep in mind that just as our Lenten journey will not end with Good Friday, but with Easter, so too does our own life’s journey end not in death but in new life.
The next 2 Wednesdays, March 20th. Confessions will be heard in ever church from 5:00 P.M. - 6:30 P.M. Wednesday, March 27th. Confessions will be heard at St. Peter Church from 4:30 P.M. - 6:30 P.M.
If you can donate palm fronds for our Passion Sunday liturgy, please bring them to the rectory by March 21. If you have some to donate, but can’t bring them, call 536-2887.
The most famous quote of Sacred Scripture is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.” It is the most important belief in the Christian message. The Holy Spirit draws us here each week to allow us to express our love for God in the way that we worship God and the way that we treat each other. As we enter the Fourth Week of Lent, we are reminded of God’s unparalleled love, mercy, and ultimate purpose for each of us.
The Lent food drive for the St. John Ministry of Care kicks off on March 1st and continues through Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, March 24. The idea is to donate, during Lent ~ non-perishable food items. Items of need include: Fruit in the can or boxed containers, canned beans, meat, soup, spaghetti sauce, cereal, pasta, cake, pancake mix, muffin mix, pancake syrup & sugar. This can be placed in the food box that is located in the church day chapel. Please keep up the good work of ALMSGIVING during this time of anticipation of Christ’s death and resurrection. Your service and sacrifice help replenish St. John Ministry of Care food pantry that serves the community of St. John the Baptist parish. SJMOC is located 2807 Hwy 51, LaPlace, LA 70068
On this Third Sunday of Lent, we hear God deliver the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Chosen People. The commandments provide a way for them to live up to their part of the covenant. We face the same challenge today. Lent is a wonderful opportunity to examine our consciences and recall times when we have failed to follow one of God’s commands and determine which one of the commandments we find difficult to obey consistently.
As we continue our Lenten journey, we hear stories of two significant journeys in the history of our faith. First, Abraham travels to a distant land with his son, Isaac, where his devotion and obedience to God will be put to their greatest test. Secondly, Jesus leads His closest disciples up a high mountain where He will be transfigured in glory. As we continue our journey this Lent, may fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, transform us into more loving and devoted disciples of Jesus.
Ashes and rainbows make a strange combination. Ashes are dirty, messy, and ugly. Rainbows, on the other hand, are beautiful and inspiring. We encounter both ashes and rainbows at the beginning of Lent this year. On Ash Wednesday, ashes were put on our foreheads as a sign of our mortality and sinfulness. Today, we hear that God set a rainbow in the sky as a sign of the covenant with us. As we begin this season of Lent, let us recognize both truths: we are always in need of repentance, but God stands ever waiting to forgive us. As ashes reminds us to repent of our sins, may rainbows remind us of God’s eternal forgiveness.
The Altar Society is open for membership to men and women. Members help to maintain the sanctuary and some other areas of the interior of the church. Monies raised through dues ($10/yr.) help to provide income to continue to fund projects like purchasing flowers for special occasions, altar, and cleaning supplies. If you’d like to help, please call Peggy Bienvenu @ 504- 487-8769. Members can put dues in the collection or drop off at the rectory. Thank you!
We’ve had a very short Mardi Gras season this year. That meant we had less time to eat King Cakes. This is the last weekend before the big day on Tuesday. Let’s pray for everyone’s safety during the last few days of the Carnival season. For the rest of the nation, it will be a typical Monday and Tuesday, but for us it’s Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras. The church and cemetery offices will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, February 12 th & 13 th .
As we conclude Catholic Schools Week, the annual St. Peter School Alumni and Friends Reunion will be on Saturday, February 3, 2024. The celebration will begin with all alumni and friends of St. Peter School attending the 5:00 P.M. Vigil Mass, where the Distinguished Graduate will be introduced.
Catholic archdioceses and dioceses throughout the United States, are celebrating Catholic Schools Week. The theme this year is “Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community.” Catholic schools have an important role in the Church’s evangelizing mission, building on the central goal of Catholic schools to form saints. Catholic schools teach and embrace the whole person, body, mind, and spirit. We have been very fortunate that our own St. Peter School has been providing quality Catholic education to the students of the River Parish area for over 94 years.
The Knights of Columbus CYLA Scholarship is open to all Catholic graduating High School Seniors. Local winners will receive a scholarship and compete at the State level for up to a $5,000 1 st place prize. Application deadline is January 25th, 2024. The application is located on the Louisiana KC website, http://louisianakc.org/programs/ cyla. The application is electronic and will automatically submit to Council 2436 when completed. Contact Robert Beadle or Joel Ocmand for additional details.
Today, we celebrate Sunday of the Word of God. Several years ago, Pope Francis designated the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time as Word of God Sunday. The annual observance is aimed at helping all of us grow in a deeper appreciation of the Sacred Scriptures. When we gather for Mass, God speaks His word to us through the Sacred Scriptures. Let us pray that our ears may be opened to hearing God’s Word proclaimed in Sacred Scripture.
Last Sunday, on the Feast of the Epiphany, we heard the familiar story of the Magi, who, directed by the star of Bethlehem, find the baby Jesus. Today, as we begin Ordinary Time, we hear the first disciples, who, directed by John the Baptist, encounter the adult Jesus. That initial encounter changes the entire course of their lives, for, as Andrew insists to his brother Simon, “We have found the Messiah.” May our encounter with the Lord influence the way we live our lives.
Today is the Feast of the Epiphany. The Christmas season will conclude with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Monday, January 8th. We know very little about the Magi. They come from the East and journey to Bethlehem, following an astrological sign, so we believe that they are astrologers. As the Magi journeyed from a distant country to find the Christ, so we are also called to make our own journey to the Lord. We are called to receive Jesus, the Light of the World, so that we in turn can share His Light with others. As we heard in the first reading: Then you shall be radiant…your heart shall throb and overflow. Jesus has come to give us all the love we need, all the wisdom called for, and all the virtue necessary to be a light to others.
Monday, January 1st is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, also New Year’s Day. This year since it falls on a Monday, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is not a holy day of obligation. Therefore, there will only be one (1) Mass on Monday, January 1, 2024. Mass will be at 9:00 A.M. There is NO Vigil Mass this year for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
On this last Sunday of the year and the last day of the year, we are still celebrating the Christmas season. Today, we can celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. This celebration is assigned to the Sunday within the octave of Christmas. When Jesus was born into the world, He was born into a family—a model for us all to imitate. As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, here are a few questions for our personal reflection. Do we love and respect our children as Joseph and Mary did their Son? Do we love and honor our parents as Jesus did His own? Do we nurture the bonds in our family as the Holy Family did? On this last day of 2023 let us pray to the Holy Family for guidance and support in the year ahead.
We have a very short Fourth Week of Advent this year—only twenty-four (24) hours. This Sunday we read the story of the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary about the birth of Jesus. This story is found only in Luke’s Gospel. On this fourth Sunday of Advent, the liturgy shifts our attention from John the Baptist to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Both John and Mary serve as important figures for our reflection during the season of Advent; they both played instrumental roles in preparing the way for Jesus. Last week we reflected on John the Baptist’s announcement that the Savior was among us, although not yet recognized.
This Sunday’s Gospel invites us to continue our reflection on the person and mission of John the Baptist. Today we depart from the Gospel of Mark and read a selection from the Gospel of John. The Gospel for today combines a brief passage from the prologue to John’s Gospel with a report about John the Baptist. As in Mark’s Gospel, the Gospel of John contains no birth narrative. Instead, John’s Gospel begins with a theological reflection that has come to be called the “prologue.” This prologue places the story of Jesus in its cosmological framework. It speaks of Jesus’ existence with God since the beginning of time. In John’s Gospel, Jesus is presented as the fulfillment of the Old Testament and the culmination of the Word, the light that is coming into the world’s darkness.