More Lenten gifts from God are offered to us this Sunday! This time the Lord offers us the gift of profound belief that death is not the end for us.
We read in the Gospel, "Jesus said to [Martha], 'Your brother [Lazarus] will rise... Do you believe this?' She said to him, 'Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God.'"
Revelation teaches us that death wasn't part of the original plan of God. And thus you and I have difficulty accepting it, and regularly grieve at the temporary separations we experience with loved ones. Jesus himself grieved at the tomb of his dear friend Lazarus! He certainly understands from the inside just how difficult death is for us. We read that his entrails are moved with compassion at the experience and he is "perturbed" in spirit. Death will certainly be difficult for him too, and especially for his mother who must watch him die.
But death never has the last word! Life does. Jesus reminds us of this over and over. He is Life Itself! We are invited to receive this truth as a profound gift this Lent. Death is but a passageway to eternal life. Our task is simply to surrender ourselves and our loved ones to his Mercy, allowing ourselves to be filled with his Life, with his Spirit.
All this is summarized nicely in our second reading this Sunday: "The one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit dwelling in you." Yes!!
Click on the Bulletin to read it!
The Knights are Smokin'!
The Wea Knights are now taking orders for our 2023 Easter Smoking for our Seminarians. And here is the menu:
Turkey Breast (7 LB) $40
Ham (@ 6 Lb) $30
Ham (@ 8 Lb) $40
Brisket (large @ 7 Lb) $75
Brisket (small @ 5 Lb) $55
Pork Roast (@ 7.5 Lb) $25
Ribs (Baby back slab) $25
Deadline to order is Sunday April 2nd.
Please pick up the meat between 5 and 5:30 PM on Friday, April 7th.
Turkey, Brisket and Pork Roast will need additional cooking time. Ribs and hams will be fully cooked so all you will need to do is heat and eat at a time of your choosing.
To place your order, please click and go online at:https://20407.sites.ecatholic.com/smoking-for-our-seminarians
LAT CHANCE!!
We will be offering our last 2023 fish fry dinner this coming Friday. There will be fried breaded "Catfish," baked "Basa" fish, and broiled shrimp. Cole slaw, baked or fried potatoes, rolls, and pizza are also available. And, please don't forget about our wonderful homemade Wea desserts!
Dinner served from 5:30 to 7:00.
After your fabulous fish dinner, join us on church for The Stations of the Cross at 7:00 pm.
It's a wonderful Lenten tradition for you and your family to help prepare for the celebration of Easter.
SAVE THE DATE
for our
14th Annual
Half Marathon & 5K
May 13, 2023
Register or donate at cow.run
Volunteer opportunities coming soon!
Have you ever had the chance to REALLY change your life and the lives of others?
I am offering you the opportunity! Join Kathy and me this June on a Mission Trip to Mexico where we build houses for those who are simply seeking a better life for their family.
This will be my 13th trip and I have been forever changed. We started going with my previous parish in Missouri and would like to extend our "Esperanza Family" to Wea. We work with an amazing organization - Esperanza International - which has been hosting groups for 30 years. We work side by side with the families who will be living in the homes we build. They become our friends.
It's really hard to put into words what this work does for the families, and how grateful they are to have a home that is smaller than may of our garages. My favorite quote was from a pregnant mother of two - "Thank you for giving us a dignified home". My second favorite is from my 19 year old granddaughter - "This is the best thing I have ever done".
We've had volunteers from age 11 to 75. Entire families, friends, youth groups, all are welcome.
Our trip this year will be from June 3-10. Feel free to ask me ANY questions. Below are a couple of links, one for Esperanza International, which gives more details about what we do and where we stay. The other leads to a video of our group from several years ago.
Love to hear from you - Deacon Tom
A bit of humor.....
