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Seventh Sunday of Easter

5/26/2022

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Beloved in Christ,
 
                                                                     Come, Lord Jesus!
 
Don’t you sometimes wish for Jesus’ second coming to be NOW, sooner than later? From time to time comes those moments, periods of social and moral upheaval, when it appears that humanity has lost its moral compass and gone caput. In those tumultuous moments, something deep in your soul desires an end to life as we know it and the advent of  Jesus, “the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end, the root and offspring of David, the bright morning star” (Rev. 22: 13, 16 ). It is in those moments you hope for paradise. Such time is this time (and other times in the past). But unfortunately, we have seen an increase in evil in our world in recent years. Sin makes its presence felt in many ways, from pandemics to gun violence. We just witnessed another senseless killing of the innocents in Texas; a trigger happy man pumped bullets into children in an elementary school. We are horrified and angry at the same time. And one of those perennial questions is raised again: where was God when this horror was happening?
 
One answer or response to the question is that God is present in all that. As weird as that might sound, it is true that God is always present amid our crises. He does not impose Himself on us. God makes Himself available. He reveals himself, but we don’t do an excellent job of recognizing or seeking Him out. In our darkness, His light is ever present. We may not have a clear understanding of the tragedy, but He is ever present to see us through it. Jesus has prepared us well ahead for the troubles and tribulations we will experience (Jn 16:33). Our best answer is to be one with the Divine Logos, Jesus Christ, as Fr. Josh Cavender called Him during our Forty Hours Eucharistic Devotion service this past week. Getting to know who Jesus is, how He matters, and why we should care about Him is a productive way to approach all the calamities in our world. If we pay more careful attention to these essential life questions, as Fr. Cavender told us, we will be better positioned to confront the evil we see in our world. We must come to experience Jesus and allow Him a total hold on our intellect, will, soul and heart. We should all seek the “4 pm moment,” as Fr. Cavender called it, a time of intimate experience of Jesus. Jesus knows about the difficulties we face in all their ramifications, macro and micro, and He is present to keep us united in Him as we live through the vagaries of life.
 
With John, in the penultimate verse of the Bible, we can invite Jesus into our life and world. It may not be for Jesus to end all things, but for him to step into our lives and make us capable of living victoriously through life’s frequent upheavals. The most suitable place to make that invitation and encounter him intimately is at Mass. So let’s gaze on Jesus with eyes of faith and profess with our hearts and lips, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Jn 22:20). He will come.
 
In Christ,
 Fr. Bernard
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SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER 5/22/2022

5/19/2022

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Beloved in Christ,
 
                  Gather as a Community before the Blessed Sacrament
 
The Forty Hours Eucharistic Devotion holds a special place in the spiritual life of the Diocese of Harrisburg and is an opportunity to gather as a community before the Blessed Sacrament and to pray before the Lord in solemn adoration. It gives us time to deepen our appreciation of the importance of the mystery of the Eucharist in our lives.
 
Sacred Origins
​
The exact origin of the Forty Hours Devotion is not completely known. The first clear attestation for its celebration comes from Milan in 1527. In its inception it was celebrated as reparation for the sins of the community and was motivated to offer prayers to God for protection during the crisis of war. The practice of celebrating Forty Hours Devotion spread rapidly from this point. “Forty: is a significant number. Noah was on the ark for forty days. The Israelites spent forty years in the desert. Jesus fasted for forty days, and it could be said that Jesus lay in the tomb for approximately forty hours from Good Friday to Easter Sunday.
 
In Rome, this period of forty hours of Solemn Exposition of the Eucharist was scheduled so that the forty hours devotion in each church formed a continuous time of adoration from church to church. Saint John Neumann was profoundly influenced by this devotion while growing up in Bavaria and strongly promoted it in the United States (culled from the Diocese of Harrisburg website).
 
At St. Peter parish, we are excited to have the Solemn Exposition of the Eucharist for three days in our parish. Forty Hours Adoration will sacramentally fulfill the promise Jesus made to his disciples in our Church; Jesus will come and make his dwelling among us. His presence will invite and trigger worship and devotion. It will be a time of peace. For us, it will be a “coming down out of heaven from God” event (Rev 21:10). Heaven will be present in our midst in these days of Adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist. What a gift!
 
Please make sure you attend the evening service and benediction this Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, beginning at 7 PM each day. Fr. Josh Cavender, a son of the parish, will inspire us to a more profound love for Jesus in his reflections based on John’s Gospel. Do not miss out on this opportunity to grow in your love for Jesus. Come to be nourished in grace to live a virtuous life.
 
In the Eucharistic Christ,
 
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

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5th Sunday of Easter 5/15/2022

5/12/2022

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Beloved in Christ,
 
                                                               The Women I Love
 
Jesus, just before he departed from this world, gave a new commandment to his followers: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you should love one another” (Jn 13:34). The mandate given by Jesus to all Christians is to love. Through the manifestation of love, Christians will reveal that they are indeed followers of Jesus’ way. I have made many efforts to love people God brought my way so far in my lifetime. I have also received love from many people in my life. I am thankful to God. I am also grateful to those who have shared the love of Christ with me. I am not only appreciative but also want to confess my love for a particular group of lovers: the women of our parish. I love these women.
 
The Women I love is the title of a novel by Francesco Pacifico (I am not doing a commercial or recommending the novel-this is not an Oniwe Book Club). He writes of different categories of women he loves, showing in the process their equality with him and so forth. I just wanted to borrow the title to describe the women of our parish, the women I love. They are faithful, compassionate, passionate about the parish's growth, loving, caring, giving, encouraging, supportive, sacrificing, and smiling. I love these women. So, I decided to chat with the women of our parish last Saturday morning regarding our struggles and aspirations- as I saw it. What an encouraging attendance and input from these amazing women!!!! There were many things said and suggested to keep our parish alive and thrive despite all odds. The following are some ideas they raised in their own words:  “it is good that we come here to get to know each other, enjoy each other’s company,” “covid was a problem for our parish gathering. We must pray and find people to bring back to church;” “the social hall must serve as a place for gathering;” “let’s have programs for kids and young adults because some of our people leave for LCBC for this reason;” “Put up an organization/ministry fair every year;” “let’s have regular coffee and snacks in the social hall on Sundays;” “meet people where they are, no judgment, be open to everybody, and reach out to all, be welcoming to visitors;” “let us let people know that we miss them and want them back to church;” “send cards and make personal phone calls to people;” “get involved in the CCW”; “single girls wanna have fun within the parish;” “let’s have a mass for children once a month;” encourage children to participate in Eucharistic Adoration during Forty Hours;” etc..
 
Like the Blessed Virgin Mary, the woman I love so much, the women of our parish are women I love too. I hope we can put some of the ideas they raised into action. Let’s make it happen. We set up a committee of three to channel all the lofty ideas presented on Saturday into action within the parish life. I am thankful to our women; they are the kind of women I love. Let us spread the love of Christ. As Christ has loved us, let us extend that love to others, beginning with members of our parish next to you. Tell someone and show someone today that you love them just like the women I love have done.
 
In His Love,
 
Fr. Bernard, O.P.
 
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Mother's Day 5/08/2022 4th Sunday of Easter

5/5/2022

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Beloved in Christ,
 
                                                        The Voice of Christ
 
Today, more than ever, we must pay attention to the voice of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. Unfortunately, other voices are filtering into our ears. There are voices of distraction, disillusion, disappointment, destruction, and deviation from the path of truth. We face trials-in private and public life on account of our faith in the Risen Christ, yet we must continue to be guided by the voice of Christ. Like Paul and Barnabas, we must remain resolute and “faithful to the grace of God” we have received from Christ (see Acts 13). Paul and Barnas spoke boldly that the works of God needed to be communicated to all. Though they faced rejection by Jewish leaders who, filled with jealousy, turned their back on the living word of God, the source of eternal life, the followers of the way never stopped speaking the words of Jesus, gathering people “to hear the word of the Lord.”
 
Though persecuted and expelled, the early Christians, filled with joy and the Holy Spirit, never ceased to be available to be used as instruments of salvation to the nations. The words spread like wildfire abroad through their witness, and many came to faith. They trusted in Jesus the Good Shepherd, who tends his flock (Ps. 100). The lamb will shepherd his people on earth if they listen to his encouraging and empowering words. Like the sheep who knows and listens to the shepherd's voice, we must listen attentively and be guided by the Good Shepherd’s voice (Jn 10: 27-30). The sheep know Shepherd’s voice and follow him so that they never perish. Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Ps. 23 and Ez. 34 about the Lord and the King of Isreal. Jesus and the Father and one. We can trust and follow the voice of Jesus because He is one with the Father. We will face persecution and trial in the course of living our faith, but if we listen to the voice of the Shepherd, he will guide us through them, not around them. Jesus' voice still guides us through our Pope and bishops. Jesus and the Holy Spirit have appointed them to channel the words of Jesus to us. Let us listen and live by those words of truth and life as we walk through the valley of tears.
 
The Church has designated this Good Shepherd Sunday as “World Day of Prayer for Vocation.” Let us continue to pray that many from our Church hear the voice of Jesus calling them to be priests, deacons, and religious. Please encourage your child to consider vocations to the priesthood and religious life. The world needs more voices to speak in the name of Jesus to her spiritual needs.
 
We also celebrate in our country today Mother’s Day. We are thankful to our mothers for their sacrificial love for their families. Thanks to all our women for their life nurturing deeds. We love our mothers and pray that their spouses and children show gratitude for their love.
 
Your humble shepherd,
 
Fr. Bernard, OP

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Mailing Address:  
1840 Marshall Drive
Elizabethtown, PA 17
022

GPS Address:
904 Mill Road
Elizabethtown, PA 17022

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Phone: 717-367-1255
Fax: 717-367-1270

Email: bulletininfo@stpeteretown.org



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  • Home
  • From The Pastor
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