MESSAGE TO PARISHIONERS

Dear Friends in Christ,

          Welcome to Lent! That may seem like a strange welcome. But when we think about it, we should welcome Lent because this is a holy time for all of us, a time of grace, a time of renewing our faith, a time when we remember the tremendous love of the Lord Jesus who died so that we might live. Therefore we say again: Welcome to Lent!

          What will Lent be this year? Or a better question: What will I make this Lent to be this year? Let me mention several things:

          First, Lent is a time of prayer. Of course we should be praying to God every day, praising Him, thanking Him for His blessings, asking for His forgiveness, and remembering He is always there for us. That is the message of the prophet Isaiah. God asks, “Can a mother forget her child? Of course not. But even if she would forget, I will never forget you, says the Lord.”  Lent should be time of spending more time with God in prayer. Prayer is “quality time” with God who loves you. Do not pray too quickly. Resolve during Lent that you will give God more time. Give Him the time to love you more and more.

          Second, Lent is a time of sacrifice. On Ash Wednesday, the priest makes the Sign of the Cross on your forehead. I like to think that Lent goes from that Sign of the Cross on Ash Wednesday to the actual day of the Cross, Good Friday, when Jesus died for us.  During Lent, we think of how Jesus sacrificed His life for us on the Cross. We usually think that sacrifice means giving up something. That is true and you may make that a special part of Lent this year, giving up something for Jesus. But remember, when Jesus sacrificed His life on the Cross, He did not only give up His life; He gave us His life. Sacrifice means both giving up and giving. Make this Lent a giving time—giving more time to help in your family, giving your attention to someone who needs help particularly during this pandemic time which has been hard for all of us.  Make that your aim during Lent—to give more, for in giving to others, you are giving your love to Jesus. Our Holy Father says this, “We didn’t come into this work to take it easy, to make our lives a comfortable sofa to fall asleep on. No, we came for another reason: to leave a mark. It is very sad to pass through life without leaving a mark. This must not be so!” You leave your mark by helping one another. That is what Lent is all about. And that is what Christian life is all about.

            And then the third thing for Lent. Lent is a time of penance, a time of improving, a time of realizing that we must do better. We must be better family members, better friends, better neighbors, and of course most of all we must be better Christians, better followers of Jesus.  Someone has called Lent the “spring-cleaning of our souls.” It is the time to get rid of things we should get rid of, sins, failures, things we do not do that we should do. We always have so much more to do as followers of Jesus.  We can never say to ourselves, “Well, I am doing fine. I am a good Christian, a good Catholic. What more do I have to do?”  That is the question of Lent. What more do I have to do? Only you and the Lord Jesus can answer that. Lent is our time of talking that over with Him.

          We could say that Lent is even more important this year during this terrible pandemic which has affected all of us in one way or another. We need to be reminded, amid all that has gone on in our lives during these past difficult months, that we must not neglect the spiritual things that are essential to us and which no pandemic can wipe away. So let us make this Lent a busy time, a time to be busy about living our Christian lives. Pope Francis wrote this: “During Lent Christians are asked to return to God ‘with all their hearts,’ to refuse to settle for mediocrity and to grow in friendship with the Lord.” May that be our goal for Lent—not just to be mediocre Christians, but to be the best of Christians, preparing for Easter and preparing even more from eternal life.

Welcome to Lent!                                                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.