Dear Friends in Christ,

On this Third Sunday of Lent, Christ affirms us that He alone is our one true, firm foundation.  Our families, our communities, our Church and our entire life are built on Him.  Every fiber of our being is rooted in His Divine Heart, a Heart from which flows eternally for us His incomparable love, mercies, and saving graces.   

Christ longs to save us from all those which pull us away from Him and weaken our firm hold on Him.  Christ longs to deliver us from our vices, addictions, materialism, worldly ambitions, pride, self-absorption and indifference.  Christ longs to drive away from us all our sinfulness with the cord of His saving love.  He awaits our repentant and contrite hearts to run to Him and surrender to His merciful love.  Only Christ, coming to us through the sacrament of reconciliation, has the power to rebuild the temple of our souls broken by sin.  Only Christ, Who is present among us and celebrating with us at the Altar of Eucharistic Sacrifice, can revive and heal our souls.

During this season of Lent, let us dive into the depths of our Father's love for us. He did not spare His only Son, but sent Him to save us from eternal punishment due sin.  He wants to give us eternal life and spend our eternity with Him.    Let us focus our gaze on Christ Crucified, and His ultimate sacrifice, offered for love of the Father and for love of us all.  Let us allow Christ's self-sacrificing love to lift all the burden of our sufferings and trials, as we unite them to His redeeming Cross.  Let His Divine Spirit, breathing through Christ's outstretched arms, inspire us to love and serve God above all, and make Him the one true center of our lives.  Let God's Spirit empower us to love and serve one another as He has commanded us. Only then can we be fully raised up by Christ, only then can God bring us the reward of everlasting life with Him in His Kingdom.

God's mercies and grace abide with you and your families as He keeps you all in the refuge of His Heart.  

In Christ, with Lenten blessings,

Rev. Jonathan Paala

Pastor

"Jesus answered and said to them, 
“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19)