What joyous news for us as we celebrate the ultimate victory of God’s Love as sin and death are deprived of their sting and given hope by Christ’s own Death and Resurrection. Before Holy Week started, I found myself reflecting on Christ’s stalwart Will going into Jerusalem. He knew what was coming and still He went willingly, boldly, lovingly. Love sent Him to Jerusalem to die and Love motivated and emboldened Him during the events of the past week as He prays, is betrayed, suffers, dies, and finally rises from the grave!

Hello St. Mary Magdalene,

Isn’t it amazing how fickle we can be sometimes? Turning to Palm Sunday and Holy Week I can’t help but find some deep resonance with the fickle nature of the crowd gathered in Jerusalem. Today they (and each of us) sing “Hosanna to the Son of David” and celebrate Jesus with loud acclaim and admiration. Yet, five days later, these same individuals (and we too in the liturgy) will then shout “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.”

Hello St. Mary Magdalene,

I wanted to reflect on two ideas in today’s article. First, you may have noticed that we’ve introduced a new Mass setting for some of our liturgical chants. These are taken from the Missa Orbis Factor, a beautiful Mass setting with a penitential character fitting for the season of Lent. We’re adding a new tool to our liturgical toolbox that’s supposed to be different so that it gets our attention.

Lent starts with Ash Wednesday this week. What will you be doing to enter into the desert with Jesus this year? The tenets of Lent are Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Rather than just doing it as an obligation, commit to doing something in each of those areas for the next 40 days with the goal of growing closer to Christ through the process. Here’s some ideas:

This week we rolled out our annual Charity and Development Appeal (CDA) which supports ministries and apostolates throughout the diocese. Of these, the one I am the most grateful for is that CDA supports the education and formation of our seminarians. This year, the Diocese of Phoenix reached 50 seminarians! Of these 50, one is from our parish (Dcn. Jacob Chavez) and will be ordained a priest this June. Jacob will be the third priest this parish has gifted to the diocese in our 23-year history along with Fr. Ian Wintering, and Fr. Gabriel Terrill!

Hello St. Mary Magdalene,

On the 11th of February we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. For me, this feast holds a special significance as it was through this apparition and studying it during my seminary formation that would lead me into a deeper Marian devotion. I’ve not yet been to Lourdes (but I will get there someday) but the story and background behind this apparition is amazing. Set in the backdrop of the French Revolution and a highly rationalistic environment where, if reason and/or science can’t explain something it’s not true, Mary appears to 14 year old Bernadette Soubirous, in 1858 under the name “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

Hello St. Mary Magdalene,

Today we celebrate the Presentation of the Lord. This celebration is steeped in salvation history as the firstborn son was offered to God in the temple; harkening back to the firstborn son being offered in Egypt as the price of deliverance from slavery. Thus, the firstborn is “redeemed” ritually by this offering and that’s what brings Mary, Joseph, and Christ to the temple today. They are fulfilling the obligations of the religious ritual law (even though Mary and Christ have no sins, they still faithfully observe ritual law) as they bring the forty day old Jesus.

Hello St. Mary Magdalene, Merry Christmas!

Today is the feast of the Epiphany and a wonderful feast where we see God manifesting Himself. A Greek word meaning “manifestation from above,” the feast of the Epiphany celebrates Christ as the Son of God via the magi who come and offer precious gifts to Jesus that both testify to Him as King and what He will do 33 years later. Yet, we’re also told about the wise men’s visit that they paid homage to Christ indicating that their greatest gift to Christ was them!

Hello St. Mary Magdalene,

The name for today’s feast actually comes from the introit of this Sunday’s Mass, “Gaudete in Domino semper, iterum dico, Gaudete” which comes from Philippians 4:4 (“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, ‘Rejoice’”). What’s fascinating about this verse is that “Gaudete” is an imperative (command) form of the verb to be joyful. Put another way, the Church is commanding us to be joyful! Hence we see some new symbols in our liturgy including the rose colored candle and vestments worn by the priest.

Hello St. Mary Magdalene,

It is with great joy that we resume a format of the bulletin that enables us to include regular articles and catechetical/evangelical materials for your reference. To kick this off I want to reflect on the season of Advent.

Advent is too often overlooked, it’s sometimes viewed as a “mini Lent” a time of penance in preparation for Christmas. Yet, that’s not actually what Advent is about; it’s about hope, joy, and expectation at the coming of Christ.