St. Mary's Catholic Church of Tomahawk, WI

---------------------------------------------HOLY WEEK MESSAGE------------------------------------------

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

We are in the sixth week of Lent, entering into Holy Week, beginning with this Palm Sunday. During these days of Lent we heard about God’s salvific plan for us including Abraham, Moses and David. The call to repent, reconcile and return to God was our focus during this Lent. Jesus’ final entrance into Jerusalem as king and savior, humbly riding on a donkey, culminated in the apocalyptic day of the Lord. Let us be fully present and participate in all the liturgies during this Holy Week, without missing any.

The first reading is about the suffering Servant of God. In this Holy Week we hear suffering servant songs from Isaiah which were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The early Christian hymn popular among Philippians tells us that our Lord humbled himself becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. This is the humility, obedience and love that Jesus manifested. How do we try to learn from our Lord to obtain these virtues and live?

The Gospels on Palm Sunday and Good Friday are the Passion narratives of our Lord. Let us keenly listen, carefully reflect and closely follow our Lord in every small or big way possible during this Holy Week. Let every liturgical event we remember, recall and celebrate during this Passion Week draw us closer to our Lord who suffered and died for us. Let us not take it for granted or participate habitually, but profoundly experience more of a internal and personal relationship with the Lord. Let us express our love and gratitude for the Holy Sacrifice and Eternal Salvation of our Savior, Lord and God. Have a prayerful, blessed and fruitful Holy Week.

Fr. Aloysius Royan Anthony

----------------------------------------------EASTER MESSAGE-----------------------------------------------

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

We are on Easter Sunday. The Easter Vigil has seven readings from the OT. The first is the creation story, second is Abraham asked to sacrifice his son Isaac where his faith is being tested, third is the crossing of the Red sea, fourth is about the assurance of enduring love and mercy of God to His people, fifth is renewing the everlasting covenant, sixth is to hear, learn and obey the commandments of life, and seventh is about the transformation of life being purified and obtaining a new heart and a new spirit.

The eighth reading is from the epistle in the NT. It explains and encourages the hope of the baptized in the present age, obviously focusing on Christian behavior. It also draws our attention to the newness of life which Christ accomplished and stands as a model for us living for God. Our baptism into Christ Jesus is into death and burial, resulting in newness of life. Hence, sin no longer has power over the believer. How marvelous is this gift!

The gospel tells us of the ultimate accomplishment and victory of the Risen Christ through His resurrection, “He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said”. Alleluia. After the forty days of Lent, what is our experience? How do we encounter the Risen Christ? Are our lives transformed in some way or not? If the Risen Jesus is not part of our real daily life, what else are we looking for? How do we consider this newness of life which our Risen Lord offers us? May the light, life, glory, and grace of the Risen Christ illuminate our life. HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER TO YOU ALL. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

  Fr. Aloysius Royan Anthony