Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I've noticed something about the secular world in which we Catholics live today. That is, more and more, people who are hostile about faith believe that people who go to church or express their faith in any sort of substantial way are dangerous zealots. We are "dangerous zealots"?!?! The temptation is to be afraid of being labeled zealots. As a result of this fear, we may overreact and fall into the sin of spiritual sloth. We are constantly tempted to NOT allow ourselves to be excited about our faith, most especially if people are watching.

How often have you been told that religion is a taboo subject and not polite dinner conversation? Nonsense! It is nothing but a tactic to shut us down from the authentic joy that we have as followers of our Jesus.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Last Sunday, the second Sunday of Easter, is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. Most of us have at least heard of the story of Divine Mercy brought to us by St. Faustina, a Polish nun of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, who had mystical experiences that focused on God's Divine Mercy. Part of the charism of her community includes the unique task of "cooperating with the Mercy of God in the work of rescuing souls."

Pope Francis blessed the Church and world by announcing at St. Peter Basilica an extraordinary Holy Year of Divine Mercy. The Holy Year will begin on Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, which this year will mark the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. It will end on Nov. 20, 2016, on the feast of Christ the King.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Pope Francis has declared a Year of Mercy. He recently said, "I have thought about how the Church can make clear its mission of being a witness of mercy… It's a journey that starts with a spiritual conversion. For this reason I have decided to declare an Extraordinary Jubilee that has the mercy of God at its center."

On Divine Mercy Sunday, the focus is on the healing power of Our Lord's Mercy. Through Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, confessions, praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the celebration of the Eucharistic Liturgy, we will draw special attention to God's Divine Mercy. Along with the regular Mass schedule, we will have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the main church and Confessions beginning at 2:00 pm. In honor of Divine Mercy there will be the recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. We will conclude the octave day of Easter with Mass at 3:00pm in which we will ask for Our Lord's Divine Mercy to heal our hearts, our minds, and our bodies.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On Wednesday February 18th, many of us came to church. We came to celebrate our common faith at one of our four Ash Wednesday Masses. On that Ash Wednesday, Catholics came to receive ashes and to take to heart those haunting words: "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return." And after Mass, many of these Catholics disappeared from church back to their lives. Most were on their way to work or school, having begun the important task of every Catholic: preparing themselves for the coming of Easter six weeks later.

And now we have begun the season of Easter! Lent, like winter, is becoming a distant memory. The purples of Lent have disappeared from our church. The symbols of Jesus' journey in the desert, and His passion and death on the cross have been transformed into signs of His risen life--Easter lilies, spring flowers, the new Paschal Candle, and the abundance of water flowing from our baptismal fonts grace our church!