MESSAGE TO PARISHIONERS

Dear Friends in Christ,

         Our gospel today tells us of what happened on the night of the first Easter. It is a beautiful story, almost like the story of someone coming home. All of a sudden Jesus is there. Of course the apostles were startled. Of course they were afraid. They knew He had died on the Cross and now He is right here before them. What was His first word to them? Would He be angry with them for running away when He was arrested? Would He accuse them of denying Him, abandoning Him, forsaking Him, as indeed they did? No, there was none of that. His first words to them were words that carried deep meaning, “Peace be with you.” Shalom, peace, that traditional Hebrew greeting still used today. “Peace be with you,” but what He was saying was far more than a nice greeting. He was offering them true peace, the peace that came about from His sacrifice on the cross the peace He won for us by His glorious resurrection. He was offering them and us peace of heart, peace of soul, peace of life. He was offering them the peace that comes when we are right with God. He was offering them and He offers us that peace which will be fulfilled in the Kingdom of heaven. “Peace be with you.”

But there is something more for us to think about in this gospel and it comes from the opening lines. The passage begins, “The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way.” That is referring to that beautiful scene which had happened earlier on Easter evening. I am sure you know it. Two disciples were walking on the road to the village of Emmaus. Their eyes are downcast because of Jesus’ death. They were hoping He was the Messiah, the Christ who would set His people free. And suddenly, unexpectedly someone is walking next to them, speaks with them, assures them that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. They still do not recognize Him. It is only when He sits down at the table with them, blesses and breaks bread as He did at the Last Supper and as He does at every Mass. Only then are their eyes opened and they recognize that it is the Risen Jesus right there with them. They run to tell the apostles and, almost as soon as they arrived, Jesus appeared to them all with His blessed words, “Peace be with you.” And those two disciples who had met Jesus on the road must have said to the others after Jesus left, “Yes, we know the peace He is talking about, the peace that filled our hearts as He walked with us on the road, the peace that filled us when He gave His very self to us at the table of the Holy Eucharist.”

Twelve years ago when our Archbishop, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, became Archbishop of New York, he spoke about this gospel scene that we hear today. He said that at times we are like those two disciples on the road to Emmaus. To use his words, “They were so absorbed in their woes…that they failed to recognize Jesus as He walked right alongside of them.”

Cardinal Dolan then applied this to us, “I say to you, my sister and brother disciples on the road to Emmaus, let us not turn inward to ourselves, our worries, our burdens, our fears, but rather to Him who is ‘the way, the truth and the life,’ the One who told us over and over again, ‘do not be afraid,’ who assured us that He ‘would be with us all days, even to the end of the world.’ The Cardinal then told a beautiful story of the time he visited the Holy Land. He asked a Franciscan priest to show him the road that Jesus and the two disciples walked on, the road to Emmaus. And the priest said to him, “That we cannot do. You see, no one knows where the village of Emmaus actually was, so there is no more road to Emmaus.” And then the wise priest added, “Maybe that is part of God’s providence because we can now make every journey that we undertake a walk down the road to Emmaus.

What a beautiful reminder to us from Cardinal Dolan. We are like those two disciples, all of us. We walk along the road to our life, facing the difficulties we must all face, especially the difficulties that we face at this pandemic time. But we must have faith enough to see the Lord Jesus walking by our side, whispering to our souls, “Peace be with you.” Cardinal Dolan invited all of us to join him in our walk to Emmaus today on what he called an “adventure in fidelity.” He concluded his homily by saying these beautiful words, “We must dare to believe that, from Staten Island to Sullivan County, from the Bowery to The Bronx, from White Plains to Poughkeepsie, the Risen Jesus is walking alongside of us. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good for His mercy endures forever.”                                        God bless you!
                                                                   Father Thomas B. Derivan
                                                                                                                  

 
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,
Come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if you were already there
And unite myself wholly to you. 
Never permit me to be separated from you.
Amen.

St. Theresa's Catholic Church
2855 St. Theresa Avenue
Bronx, NY 10461

CONFESSIONS IN OUR CHURCH
The Cardinal has allowed the resumption of confessions in church.  Both St. Theresa Church and Our Lady of the Assumption Church will be having confessions on Saturdays at 4:00PM, beginning on June 6^th.
The following procedures will be followed in our church:
1. All persons must wear protective masks.
2. You will see two confession stations in the church, one by hallway near the sacristy and the other  in the front of church. We will not be using the confessionals for safety reasons.
3. When you come to confession, you may either stand or kneel.
4. Those who are waiting for confession should stand at a respectful distance to preserve confidentiality.  Also while you are waiting, please observe the proper social distancing as marked by the blue tape in the aisles.
5. Please speak loudly enough for the priest to hear, but not too loudly  so that others may hear you.
6. After your confession, you may remain in the church for private prayer. Please sit or kneel only in places  marked with the blue tape.
 

BIBLE STUDY/SHARING: 

CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Every Wednesday night at 7:30 PM in the Rectory Dining Room a group gathers seeking to grow closer to Christ by meditating on the Holy Scripture. Please come and be nourished by the Word of God. Everyone is invited to attend.