Dear parishioners,

I have been writing in these reflections about who and what we are as Franciscans, and on this most central and pivotal of weekends in our liturgical year, I wish to speak about the history of my brother Franciscans in the Holy Land, the area where the events central to our faith took place.

You may be surprised to learn the holy sites that people travel from all around the globe to see in Jerusalem are run by friars, specifically the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Land, or the Custody of the Holy Land. These brothers were given the obligation of maintaining and ministering at these holy sites in 1342, by a papal decree, known as a “bull,” from Clement VI.

St. Francis of Assisi went to the Middle East at the beginning of the 13th century to visit and touch the places that offered an irreplaceable testimony of God’s revelations and love for the human person. During Francis’ journey, and despite the ongoing crusades, Francis encountered and dialogued with the Egyptian sultan Malik Al-Kamil, who was governing the Holy Land at that time. It was a peaceful encounter, which started the beginning of the Franciscans’ presence in the Holy Land and influenced the way in which the order has been present to this day.

The friars act as “guardians” of the important Christian sites in the region, preserving the value and experiences of these historical places, which ultimately aides pilgrims seeking to connect with that history.

The friars consistently tell of the miracles, manifestations, and footprints of the passage of God in this world. They echo the words of the Lord, who spoke to them through the prophets and apostles and became “flesh,” a man like us, living in our midst. This is what is meant when popes say that the friars’ mission is to work so that the biblical places become centers of spirituality, each as a sanctuary, preserving and handing on the evangelical message while nurturing the piety of the faithful.

The friars continue to fulfill their mandate of caring for the sacred shrines today. The following is a partial list of the shrines for which the Franciscans serve as caretakers:

• • The Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth
  • The Basilica of the Nativity, Bethlehem
  • Capernaum, Jesus’ hometown
  • The Church of the First Miracle, Cana
  • The Basilica of the Transfiguration, Mt. Tabor
  • The Church of St. Lazarus, Bethany
  • The Basilica of the Agony, Gethsemane
  • The Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem

The group of friars who have dedicated their life to serving and preserving these sacred places so important to our faith is known as The Custody of the Holy Land (Custodia Terræ
Sanctæ). The Custody is symbolized by the Cross of the Holy Land, a red, Greek cross on a white background that features four smaller crosses, also known as the Jerusalem Cross. The Custody can be traced back to the year 1217, when the first general chapter of the Friars Minor was celebrated at St. Mary of the Angels, near Assisi. In an act of inspiration, Francis decided to send his friars to all nations.

Francis and the order divided their numbers into “provinces,” and left from Assisi out to the four corners of the world. The Holy Land was listed as the most important province for this new mission. The province was entrusted to the care of brother Elias of Cortona, who, while not a cleric and never a priest, was a lay brother with significant organizational skills, which would have been advantageous in establishing a presence in the region amid the ongoing crusades.

As we celebrated Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, we began a journey into Holy Week, culminating with our Easter celebrations. The journey embodies the walk on the sands and rocky paths that Jesus had walked, fallen, and traveled to Calvary. I am humbled to know that my brothers, past and present, work so hard to protect and preserve these sites in which our faith is centered.

May these past few days of our Lenten journey bring us a new respect for the people who are oppressed by war, the poor, alienated, lost and unwanted. May we have a true appreciation for one another as God’s created gifts. I end with a translated portion of Mary’s canticle;

May our souls proclaim the greatness of the Lord, may our spirits rejoice in God our Savior…for He has looked with favor upon us. He is RISEN, He is Risen, Alleluia, He is Risen.

Peace and all good,
Friar Henry

Dear parishioners,

Palm/Passion Sunday: the beginning of Holy Week. Passion Sunday signifies both suffering and love, royalty and triumph. By freely going to Jerusalem, Jesus demonstrates his humility and love for us.

Two Gospels will be proclaimed at this weekend’s Masses. The first, proclaimed before the procession with palms, tells of Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. Riding on a borrowed colt, Jesus was hailed by the crowds as they shouted blessings and praise to God. This is reported in each of the four Gospels, but Luke’s Gospel is the only one to report the exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees as Jesus enters Jerusalem. Jesus’ response shows that this event, and those yet to come, are part of a divine plan.

In this gospel, it almost seems as if Jesus does not want to end his last meal with the disciples. His words on service are significant in this context. Jesus has given the Eucharist to his closest companions and will soon die in service to others. In considering the Eucharist, Francis of Assisi stood in awe at the “humility of God.” This same God gives himself to us in every Eucharist. Jesus models what we are called to be: people of service to others, at home, at work, in our neighborhoods, and in our parish community.

The awareness of others is a valuable Holy Week lesson. Jesus taught us that true power lies in sacrifice and service and that humility is one of the most important virtues we need for our service and mission. Jesus came to forgive, to include, and to welcome and he is repaid in rejection, dishonesty, and hatred. He shows us the absolute depth of his love by sacrificing everything for us and in doing so, has saved us. A journey through suffering love, service of others, true and inspiring leadership.

During his triumphant entry, Christ rode on a colt, symbolizing humility. In his suffering, Christ abandoned himself to his enemies without resistance or striking back. Through it all, there is Jesus. His enemies humiliate him, strike him, scourge him. Soldiers make a crown with thorns, a crown for the “King of the Jews.” Herod mocks him. Pilate, Roman trained, makes a half-hearted attempt at justice but fear for his career prevails.

Jesus, for his part, does not strike back, he does not scold, he does not accuse or blame. He begs his Father to forgive those who “do not know what they are doing.” Jesus seems to be the victim but all through he is, in fact, the master. He is master of the situation because he is master of himself.

So, as we go through this day and week, let us look very carefully at Jesus our Savior. We watch, not just to admire, but also to learn His attitudes and values so that we, in the very different circumstances of our own lives, may walk in his footsteps.

As his disciples, he invites us to walk his way, to share his sufferings, to imitate his attitudes, to “empty” ourselves, to live in service of others – in short, to love others as he loves us. This is not at all a call to a life of pain and misery. Quite the contrary, it is an invitation to a life of deep freedom. A life of peace and of love. If it were anything else, it would not be worth considering.

Peace and all good
Fr. Zack

Dear parishioners,

This weekend we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Lent, and the theme for our reflection centers upon love and forgiveness, as presented to us in the gospel of Luke.

The parable of the Prodigal Son is a story about God’s unconditional love and forgiveness for all of us. It is a story of mercy, compassion, and unwavering love, despite our faults, failings, and weaknesses.

It is a story of a man who left his home, his father, and his family, taking all his inheritance in search of happiness and fulfillment in life. The only problem was that he thought he could find happiness in what the parable calls a “life of debauchery.” As we learned from this parable, the Prodigal Son tried to find happiness by satisfying his every desire, whether moral or immoral. This eventually led him to living as a farmhand, feeding pigs and being treated poorly by others. Coming to his senses, we are told that he returned home, asking his father for forgiveness, to which his father embraces him and welcomes him back with open arms.

However, we also see the reaction of the older brother, who finding out that his younger brother has returned home asking forgiveness from his father for living an immoral life, is enthusiastically welcomed by his father, who celebrates his return with a banquet.

Being always obedient to his father, the older son becomes angry because he believed he has been treated unfairly. The father reminds his older son that all he has belongs to him, but his brother, who was dead to sin, has now come “back to life.”

You could argue the younger of the two sons mirrors the struggle today within society, and the emphasis we place upon success, money, power, and prestige. We live in a materialistic world, where the belief that money is all we need to be happy and successful in life – much like what the Prodigal Son believed. The reality is that in many ways we are facing a spiritual famine in our country and world at this time. Because of this spiritual famine, in some ways, we have ended up like the younger son, who eventually found himself caring for pigs. We see this in our day-to-day living, witnessing drug and
alcohol abuse, all kinds of fraud, theft, violence, murder, human trafficking, marital infidelity, priestly infidelity, the lust for power and control of others, and wars, like we’re seeing in Ukraine.

This passage from St. Luke’s gospel about the Prodigal Son on this fourth Sunday of Lent gives us all cause to stop and reflect upon the tender love, compassion, and mercy of our Heavenly Father. It also gives us the opportunity to reflect upon our own state in life and offers to us some very poignant questions for our meditation as we approach the midway point during this holy season.

We must ask ourselves: “Am I compassionate towards others?” “Do I allow God and the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts, words, and actions?” “Do I offer forgiveness to those who intentionally hurt me? “Do I repay evil with evil, or do I offer love in return?” We all live in a very volatile, hostile, and angry world. We live in a world where violence has become commonplace, and all too often at the expense of the innocent and the most vulnerable of society.

I offer this reflection to you as we draw ever closer to the joyous feast of Easter. I invite all of you to join me in prayer, asking our Heavenly Father to bring peace to our troubled world, to help us to offer compassion and charity to those around us, and show all of us how to live in mutual respect and love towards all people.

There is an old saying “the grass always looks greener on the other side.” There  are many temptations in life, and many false voices that tempt us by saying “follow me” or “follow your desires and you will find happiness.” The best offer of happiness comes from God: “all I have is yours.” God, our Heavenly Father, is there waiting for us to come to him, waiting to embrace us and welcome us into His Heavenly banquet. Therefore I invite you for the remainder of Lent to make an effort to answer his invitation, and come home to the Lord. Let us in faith go into God’s house and enjoy His Heavenly banquet, for God is love, and whoever lives in love, lives in God and God in them.

Peace and all good
Fr. Ron