Jesus
said that he came 'to open the eyes of the blind'. He wasn't talking about the
physically blind only, but all those who had lost their way in life and who
could no longer find their way to the Father's house. Thus he opened the eyes
of Zacchaeus to the danger of riches. He opened the eyes of Mary Magdalen to
the wretched¬ness of her life. He opened the eyes of the dying thief to the
light of God's mercy. All of these found their way into the Kingdom of God,
while the Pharisees stumbled along in the dark.
Without
faith we are in deep night and do not know where we are going. Faith helps us
to see in the dark. The one who guides us unerringly along the dark paths of
life is Christ. We put our total trust in him who said: 'Those who follow me
will never walk in darkness but will always have the light of life'. Those who
have been enlightened by Christ can never again see themselves and their lives
in the same light as before. Everything is lit up with an inner radiance.
In
a sense we are all born blind. As we go through life our eyes are gradually
opened to the vision of truth. We need not be afraid to own our many forms of
blindness. Christ will touch our eyes with his gentle hands and gradually open
them until we are able to see as he sees. We are not alone. We are members of a
community on which Christ has shed his light. We must support one another. We
are also called to act as guides to others who have not yet seen the light of
Christ.
I
would like to thank the members of the Marriage Preparation Team for their work
and dedication to our young couples preparing for marriage. My thanks go out to
Brett and Claudia Langille, Johnny and Liz Rodrigues and our new couple this
year, Stephanie and Ryan Mailing. I know that our couples really appreciated
your time, expertise and guidance. I must thank too, the ladies who prepared
lunch and helped in the kitchen on both weekends: Pat Hyland, Ellen Kolwich,
Jeannette Dugay, Fatima Amaral and her grand-daughter, Madeleine Santos. The
food was well done and delicious! Thanks to all!!
Please
remember the additional Mass and Stations of the cross every Friday during Lent
beginning with Mass at 7 pm.
Friday
March 11, Sean Bator and the Folk Choir will combine Taize music with the
Stations of the Cross.
Lenten
Day of Confessions – Tuesday March 8th.
10
am–12 noon, 2 pm – 4 pm and after the 7 pm Mass until 9 pm.
I
wish you a good week!
Fr. Phil
