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Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension, when Jesus having risen from the dead and appeared to His disciples with His gift of peace and His command to preach to all the nations, ascended to Heaven to be with Father forever. The portion of Jesus’ mission which necessitated His physical presence here on earth had ended, but the mission was far from over. The mission of Jesus was first entrusted to His disciples, then in turn to every baptized Christian. Do you consider yourself a part of the mission of Jesus?

Today, we enter the sixth week of Easter. As we continue reading from the Gospel According to Saint John, we are brought back to the Last Supper. Jesus, knowing that His disciples will need encouragement for the events that lie ahead, grants them the gift of peace and the promise of the Spirit. We also need those gifts as we strive to live the Gospel life and be faithful to Christ.

Congratulations to Mrs. Loyce Ann Vicknair. She will receive the St. Louis Medallion this afternoon from Archbishop Aymond. Loyce Ann has been in the choir for many years and has been the choir director for over twenty years. Thank you, Loyce Ann for your dedication and commitment to St. Peter Church Parish and for your love of music.

Since the beginning of Christianity, we have been told that it is not enough to simply fulfill the law. In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a new commandment. He says, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” It is not a suggestion that we love—but a commandment of the Lord. Can we be recognized by our love? Do we show the love we have for one another in what we say and do? Do we love one another as much as Jesus loves us? May the God of Love, bless us in the challenge to love each other as Jesus loves us.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all of our Moms. May your special day be filled with God’s blessings, as we, your children honor you on this day. At the end of Mass, there will be a special blessing prayed over all mothers.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place this Wednesday, May 4th. Adoration begins at 1:00 P.M. and concludes with Benediction at 6:00 P.M.

Mother's Day Bake Sale is Next Weekend under the Portico after all Masses.  You can support the Youth Religion Program by donating baked goods or purchasing some baked goods for Mother's Day.  Your support is greatly appreciated.

The Church takes a week of Sundays, seven to be exact, to celebrate the Easter mysteries. In today’s Gospel, Jesus appears to His disciples for the third time since the Resurrection. From the shore, Jesus directs the disciples how to fish, and then hosts breakfast for them. Peter denied Jesus three times in His Passion, but we hear in today’s Gospel that Peter is given three chances to reaffirm his love for Jesus. This is how Jesus deals with those friends who hurt Him? Can we do the same?

First Communion will be celebrated today at the 11:00 A.M. Mass. Congratulations to all the young boys and girls who are celebrating their big day today. Many thanks to all who have helped prepare the students for this special time in their lives.

First Communion Practice will be on Saturday, April 30th at 9:30 A.M. Then, on Sunday, May 1st First Communion will be celebrated at the 11:00 A.M. Mass. I ask that you keep our First Communion candidates in your prayers as they prepare to receive their First Holy Communion.

Today, the Church continues to celebrate the Easter message: “Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again. On this Second Sunday of Easter, we focus on God’s Divine Mercy. Today is known as Divine Mercy Sunday. Divine mercy is like the wind: invisible, but with effects that can be sensed. We may feel the lifting of a burden off our shoulders as a fresh breeze on a new day and a new chance to do good. Today on Divine Mercy Sunday we hear from the Gospel According to Saint John of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Saint John speaks of the breath of Christ bringing the Spirit upon the disciples. May we realize God’s divine mercy in the cleansing, comforting, and renewing breath of new life. As we continue to live the Easter message, may we experience God’s Divine Mercy this day and always, knowing that our God extends His Divine Mercy to everyone.

Happy Easter!! Alleluia!! This is the day that the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!! Let us live the Easter message today and every day. The following is an excerpt from the Urbi et Orbi (blessing to the city of Rome and the world) given by Pope Benedict XVI on Easter of 2008: “Dear brothers and sisters! Let us allow the light that streams forth from this solemn day to enlighten us; let us open ourselves in sincere trust to the risen Christ, so that His victory over evil and death may also triumph in each one of us, in our families, in our cities, and in our nations. Let it shine forth in ever part of the world.” May the Light of the Risen Christ shine in us today!

Today, we enter the most sacred week of the year. We begin Holy Week. On this Palm Sunday, the palm branches that are blessed and carried by us symbolize the welcome Jesus received as He entered Jerusalem. In riding upon a colt, with people spreading their cloaks on the road before Him, Jesus entered the city, as the messianic king. Though He was not the Messiah they expected, the victory He went on to win on the cross over sin and death made Him a king for all humanity—for all ages. May the palms we raise today be symbols of the praise we give our Savior as He begins the days of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

We will begin collecting your rice bowl boxes on Palm Sunday, April 10. Special receptacles will be set up that weekend for you to deposit your completed rice bowl box. The last day to deposit your rice bowl box will be at the 3:00 pm liturgy on Good Friday, April 15.

Our monthly Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be on Wednesday, April 6 th . Adoration begins at 1:00 P.M. and concludes with Benediction at 6:00 P.M.

If you can donate palm fronds for our Passion Sunday liturgy, please bring them to the rectory by April 7. If you have some to donate, but can’t bring them, call 536-2887.

Jesus reveals the heart of the Father, who is love. Although we turn away from Him, God does not choose to condemn or turn away from us. As we enter the Fifth week of Lent, today’s Gospel continues to offer lessons about God’s mercy and forgiveness. Last Sunday we heard the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Today the scribes and Pharisees test Jesus by bringing a woman who had been caught in adultery. Jesus tells them that the one without sin can cast the first stone.

We are at the mid point of our Lenten journey. As we enter the Fourth Week of Lent, today is traditionally know as Laetare Sunday. Laetare is a Latin word meaning “rejoice.” Today’s Gospel describes the reason for our joy. God’s great love for us has been revealed in Jesus. Through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, Christ has reconciled us with God and one another. The Gospel today, Luke 15: 1-3,11-32, is one of the most familiar Gospel passages in our faith tradition. It is commonly referred to as the Gospel of the Prodigal Son. It is great comfort to know that, even when we feel lost in sin, God is waiting to embrace us and forgive us when we return with repentant hearts.

Our God is a merciful God. If the rescue of the Chosen People from captivity did not make that apparent, sending the Son to suffer and die for the sins of humanity proved the unprecedented extent of that mercy. In the Responsorial Psalm we prayed, The Lord is kind and merciful. The Lord abounds in kindness and is slow to anger. May we continue to experience the mercy and kindness of our loving God.

There will be no classes on Saturday, March 26, due to local elections.