Dear Parishioners, 

A year ago, the Scalabrinians moved in to St Ann’s Parish, and a journey with a Religious Order and as a community of faith began! We were welcomed and joyfully accepted. Pedagogically and fraternally we were guided and taught. Prayerfully we allowed God to indicate to us a direction, a path to walk by. 

Therefore, on this occasion, a Biblical verse comes to mind: What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord (PS 116:12-13). Yes, words of worship, gratitude, thanksgiving and commitment need to be expressed. 

God has blessed us in many ways. Beautiful celebrations and liturgical events took place during this year. It was with a common effort that today allows us to say: “we made it”! Let us keep on working together in announcing Jesus’ living Gospel and witnessing our faith! 

When changes occurred, I am aware, we get anxious, question or doubt. Hopefully fears vanished, as we walked along. I value the fact that you gave us a chance by trusting and supporting us! 

From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely thank you all for your generosity, your friendship, your patience and understanding! Thanks for accepting us, despite our limitations and mistakes! 

New projects and renovations are on the list. Life continues… or as our Blessed Founder used to say: “The world moves on and we cannot remain behind.” Let us put our hands into action and keep on building Church, on being Church! 

May God bless us! 

Sincerely, 

Fr. Eduardo 

Dear Parishioners

Fr. Eduardo

Dear Parishioners

“The Lord is risen, Alleluia!” is a joyful announcement given to us in Liturgy. Jesus, our Lord and Savior, conquered the power of sin and death to victoriously live and reign. The empty tomb loudly speaks of God’s power, love and mercy, of fulfilled promises, of Life Eternal. The appearances of our Risen Lord eloquently proclaim a real event, which goes beyond dream or imagination. The women are depicted as credible witnesses on the Lord’s resurrection. The disciples “saw and believed” (Jn 20:8) to boldly announce the encounter with the Person of Jesus Christ who radically changed their lives.

Jesus’ resurrection was in deed a transforming experience in people’s lives. He set an example of discipleship, obedience and communion. From fear, doubt and isolation, the disciples received the Holy Spirit and began their mission. They talked about the miracle of life, the beauty of God’s creation, the gift of each other, the healing power of Christ. In other words, they called, in Jesus’ name, to excellency of life, to redirect our lives toward God, or, in Biblical words, “to make disciples from all nations” (Mt 28:19).

We are Jesus’ disciples today; we are His missionaries. Bear witness to the joy of the Gospel. It is our way of life, devotion and deeds of charity that reflect the depth of our convictions. The Lord’s resurrection sheds light on Jesus’ wounds, by which we are healed. The dimension of suffering is not erased from Jesus’ resurrected body; they are instead illuminated. Human suffering gains brightness through the light of faith!

The Lord is with us at our Easter Eucharist. Alleluia! Let us welcome Him in our midst. Let us celebrate and rejoice! The power of the Sacraments reminds us that we come to Church to worship and go out to announce what we have celebrated in community and devotion. May our small steps of change begin a chain reaction of love as one big family of believers!

God bless you all! Go in peace to build community, to preach the Gospel and to reflect Jesus’ resurrection by the way we live!

Fr. Eduardo

By Bishop Robert Barron

Friends, today’s Gospel asks us to do three things: pray, fast, and give alms. Let’s focus today on prayer.

What is prayer, and how should we pray? Prayer is intimate communion and conversation with God. Judging from Jesus’ own life, prayer is something that we ought to do often, especially at key moments of our lives.

Well, how should we pray? What does it look like? You have to pray with faith, and according to Jesus’ model, you have to pray with forgiveness. The efficacy of prayer seems to depend on the reconciliation of differences.

You also have to pray with persistence. One reason that we don’t receive what we want through prayer is that we give up too easily.  Augustine said that God sometimes delays in giving us what we want because he wants our hearts to expand.

Finally, we have to pray in Jesus’ name. In doing so we are relying on his influence with the Father, trusting that the Father will listen to him.

Reflect: How is the Lord’s Prayer a good model of what our prayer should contain in terms of praise, forgiveness, and petition?

***

A Different Approach to Fasting: Fasts have a tendency to be oriented toward things like giving up food or television. But there are many other creative ways we can welcome Jesus’ healing touch.

Here are suggestions you may want to consider:

Fast from anger and hatred. Give your family an extra dose of love each day.
Fast from judging others. Before making any judgments, recall how Jesus overlooks our faults.
Fast from discouragement. Hold on to Jesus’ promise that He has a perfect plan for your life.
Fast from complaining. When you find yourself about to complain, close your eyes and recall some of the little moments of joy Jesus has given you.
Fast from resentment or bitterness. Work on forgiving those who may have hurt you.
Fast from spending too much money. Try to reduce your spending by ten percent and give those savings to the poor.