Alleluia!!! Jesus has risen! We hope you all had a veryjoyful and meaningful Easter. Many of you were at the Easter egg hunt and it was wonderful to see the spirit of sharing in you all. Great job, kids.
The month of May is filled with many special things especially for you! Some of you are getting ready to receive Jesus for the first time in the sacrament of Holy Communion. How exciting! The feeling of having Jesus with you is definitely something to cherish. Some of you are getting ready for the sacrament of Confirmation and receiving the special gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will help you safeguard the graces you received as a Christian at Baptism.
May is Mary's month and the Rosary will be prayed Sunday-Friday evenings at 7:00 pm in the Marian Garden (Saturdays at 5 pm in the church). Rosary means "garland of roses" and is Mary's favorite prayer. The spring "Fest-of-All" celebration also happens in May. This is a chance to spend time with your fellow SJV family members. So remind your parents, and come spend time at SJV during May and show your attitude of gratitude.
In today's responsorial Psalm, we are reminded to properly orient our relationship to God. We are told, "This is the day the Lord has made." And, "give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His mercy endures forever." But which day is the Psalmist referring to? We must recall that the Psalms pre-date the Resurrection and Christianity. Perhaps the psalmist is teaching us that God creates every day, and every day we should be thankful.
However, we as Christians, can have a different view of the Psalm as well. In addition to being thankful every day, we celebrate Sundays as our day of worship. On this "first day of the week" God recreated us through the Resurrection of Christ. We truly know "His mercy endures forever."
We are called to give each Sunday to God in worship, in our family life and in rest from the rigor of the secular world. What a special way to demonstrate our Attitude of Gratitude, by celebrating Easter, and every Sunday, as a truly Holy Day!
Today is Palm Sunday, we have just completed Lent and our time of preparation and repentance. Today we also hear the story of Christ's entrance into Jerusalem, followed by his trial and Passion.
Consider the actions of the apostles in today's readings.
Early they hear Jesus' instructions and do as they are told. They cheered him with the crowds as He entered the city. They promised their allegiance to Him. They grew tired and fell asleep. One betrayed Him, one defended Him, one denied Him and all but one deserted Him. These actions sound familiar because they describe each of us at some point during our faith journey.
As you enter Holy week, think about the type of disciple you are right now. You know how the story unfolds, and what Christ does for you. . . this week. Especially this week, consider how you live out your Attitude of Gratitude.
During Lent we use prayer, fasting and almsgiving as means to repent and grow closer to God.
As creatures of the flesh, we often find ourselves catering to the needs of the flesh. We focus on material needs for food, shelter and clothing. Often, we use our resources far beyond our needs. We focus on our own desires while ignoring the needs of others.
Almsgiving helps us to separate ourselves from the material world. By giving of our financial resources, we put aside our own flesh in order to focus on our spiritual life.
In today’s Psalm, we hear “With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.” By almsgiving, we show God’s mercy to those in need by helping to meet their financial needs. We also show God that we are seeking our own redemption by demonstrating our Attitude of Gratitude.
Beginning today, the Stewardship Corner for the first week of each month will be dedicated to the children. As adults, we have an obligation to help the children grow as Stewards of God's gifts. So parents, please continue to read the column and discuss how stewardship is a part of the lives of you and your child.
Children, whenever you are getting ready for church or RE, say to yourself, “I am going to see my best friend, Jesus". Church is always a chance to spend time with your best friend, Jesus. Jesus is always at the Church, waiting to see you. Church is a very special place for us to come and talk to Jesus in prayer and worship.
As part of our Love for Jesus, we always try to help other people. We do this because Jesus needs us to do His work. When you put some money in the gift basket, you are sharing what you have with others. The Church uses this money to help other people. You are being a good Steward and thanking Jesus for everything He has done for you. When you put your money in the basket, remember to say "Thank you Jesus". This will help you grow your Attitude of Gratitude.