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Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ April 23, 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

 

Last weekend I presided at a wedding Mass for friends in Fredericksburg. You may have heard me mention it in a homily. The bride and groom met as altar servers when we celebrated the dedication of the new altar at Saint Mary in Fredericksburg. I was a proud Father for participating in their getting to know each other 12+ years ago. It was a beautiful wedding.

There have been a lot of wedding questions lately, and I thought I would use this opportunity today to make sure everyone knows Church teaching and what we can do to help you if you find yourself in a difficult situation. Here are a few guidelines to start.

Valid weddings: 2 Catholics married in the Catholic Church; a Catholic and non-Catholic (Christian or unbaptized) married in a Catholic Church with the proper dispensation (permission) from the bishop; 2 non-Catholics married in any church or even civil marriage. Canon Law only applies to Catholics. If other churches recognize civil marriage, that marriage is valid.

Invalid weddings:  Any marriage of a Catholic outside of the Catholic Church unless the bishop gives a proper dispensation.

Catholics who are not married in the Church (“Lack of Form”) are not admitted to receive any sacraments (confession, Eucharist, confirmation) until the sacrament of marriage is celebrated according to the canonical form of the Church (called a “convalidation”). Contact us, and we can start the process.

What happens if my spouse or I was validly married before? The Church provides a process called a Formal Declaration of Nullity (annulment) which investigates the prior bond of marriage and determines if it was validly celebrated. It is not a divorce ending something that was, and it is a declaration that what was thought to be a valid marriage is actually null. This can happen for many reasons. People make honest mistakes or do not always have the right intentions, and this is the way to move forward.

The process takes about a year and a half and is free. There is considerable testimony requested, and former spouses are given the opportunity to speak and receive testimony, as is their right. The Declaration of Nullity only has to do with the sacrament of Marriage. Civil marriage and divorce is not affected, so any children from the marriage are most certainly legitimate.

There are also many misunderstandings about divorce. Anyone in a valid, sacramental marriage who is divorced is still considered married in the eyes of the Church until the Declaration of Nullity is complete. They are still fully Catholic and can celebrate the sacraments unless they remarry outside the Church.

I hope this helps. I would be happy to help you if you find yourself in any of these circumstances. Let’s set things right.

 

The Lord be with you,

Streaming Masses and Announcements Sunday, April 23, 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Third Sunday of Easter

 

fleur cross logo Phase II of our parish Capital Campaign, "Behold, I Make All Things New," begins THIS WEEKEND! We have a packet for every active family in the parish in the vestibule after Masses this weekend. Please go to the bins, which are arranged alphabetically by last name. Please don't leave without picking up your packet! As you know, we hope to complete this $3M pledge process by the end of May, so we ask you to prayerfully consider what you can do for our new Parish Life Center. Our community life is in your hands!

fleur cross logo Join us for Taizé Prayer Monday, April 24, at 8 pm. Come pray for Christian unity in our community and in the world. All Christians are warmly invited; invite your friends!

fleur cross logo Monday, April 24, is our next Women's group Dinner with Friends at 5 pm at Saratoga Pizzeria, 8050 Rolling Road. We meet for this casual meal on the 4th Monday of every month. No need to RSVP; just come and enjoy the wonderful food and warm fellowship. For more information, please email us at women@stbernpar.org.

fleur cross logo Saint Bernadette will host "Mary Went in Haste," a Marian Symposium on Saturday, April 29, at 9 am featuring the Most Rev. Timothy P. Broglio, Archbishop for Military Services, USA, and president of the USCCB. This event is part of the preparation for Year II of the Diocesan Golden Jubilee. The theme of Year II is "Rejoice." Visit the Diocesan website for more information and to register for this free event. We are also looking for volunteers to help serve as ushers, greeters, etc. Please contact to parish office if you'd like to help.

fleur cross logo The Summer Theatre Program is back for its 28th exciting summer. Announcing auditions for the Wizard of Oz! Auditions are on Monday and Tuesday, May 15 & 16, at 7 pm in the gym. Join Dorothy and her friends on their exciting journey with witches, munchkins, good friends, lions, tigers, and bears (Oh my!) in this summer's production of The Wizard of Oz. Auditions are open to all current 6th-12th grade students. Students who cannot attend in-person auditions can submit a video audition on or before Wednesday, May 17. No experience is required. Please consider joining this great community of young people throughout our parish and the region. For more information about the program, auditions, and the summer ahead, please visit our website at www.summertheatreprogram.org or email info@summertheatreprogram.org. Wizard of Oz is produced through a special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.

 

Streaming Masses and Announcements Sunday, April 16, 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for Divine Mercy Sunday

 

fleur cross logo  Please join us in praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 pm in the church on Sunday, April 16.

fleur cross logo Monday, April 17, we will celebrate our parish feast day of Saint Bernadette with a Mass at 7:00 pm. Please join us!

fleur cross logo All 6th-8th graders are invited to Diocesan BASH on Saturday, April 22nd. St. Bernadette will be taking a group to join hundreds of other middle schoolers from across the diocese for entertainment, inflatable games, pizza, ice cream, and more. The cost is $15, and the registration deadline is Monday, April 17th. Please get in touch with our Youth Minister, Grace Rihl, for how to register. grihl@stbernpar.org

fleur cross logo All Middle Schoolers are invited to join us for youth night in the Gym this Wednesday evening, April 19th, at 6:45 pm.

fleur cross logo High Schoolers are invited to dinner and fellowship next Sunday, April 23rd, in the Bradican room after the 5 pm Mass. Please see the bulletin for more details. We hope to see you there!

fleur cross logo Our teens attending Workcamp this summer are raffling off two pairs of handmade pine Adirondack chairs after all weekend Masses! Stop by after Mass to test out the chairs and purchase tickets.

fleur cross logo Concerts at Saint Bernadette presents the Capital Wind Symphony in a free concert Friday, April 21 at 7:30 pm. The program will present classics, including Morton Gould’s American Salute, Southern Harmony by Donald Grantham, and Irish Tune and Shepherd’s Hey by Australian composer Percy Grainger. The program will also feature two marches by John Philip Sousa, Fairest of the Fair, and Mystics of the Noble Shrine. These are somewhat lesser-known but nevertheless outstanding examples of Sousa’s mastery of the march and his ability to work creatively within the formal strictures of the march genre. The concert is free and open to all. A free-will offering will be accepted. A dessert reception will follow the performance. For more information, contact David Mathers at dmathers@stbernpar.org or 703-451-8576 x112, or visit www.capitalwindsymphony.org.

fleur cross logo Saint Bernadette will host "Mary Went in Haste," a Marian Symposium on Saturday, April 29, featuring the Most Rev. Timothy P. Broglio, Archbishop for Military Services, USA, and president of the USCCB. This event is part of the preparation for Year II of the Diocesan Golden Jubilee. The theme of Year II is “Rejoice.” Visit the Diocesan website for more information and to register for this free event. 

 

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ April 16, 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

Happy Easter to you! Such amazing liturgies. I feel we all did our very best to observe the beauty and solemnity of such a central Mystery of our faith and truth in its lasting presence in our hearts.

At many points in the liturgies of the Sacred Triduum, I found moments of profound realism. Maybe part of what made it possible is that we are comfortable and happy to be together again. We have to continue to grow back together after the struggles we have all had, as the effects of the pandemic encouraged behavior that isolated us from each other.

During this Holy Week, I discovered a particularly profound intimacy as we celebrated the sacred Mysteries of Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection together. Washing feet, laying on hands, a sign of peace, and even connecting with a smile at Communion awakened in me this sense of encountering Jesus. Of course, the encounter with Jesus is profound and intimate, so perfect is his love for us that he wants to share with us his very life, even to lose it so we can have it. Finding Christ in the center of all these celebrations was startling this year.

I find myself wondering why it has to take so many years to get here? I don’t know, but I think it had to do with the combination of several factors that have come together in a confluence of grace. One of them is joy, another is the way so many people’s hearts are opening beautifully to God, and another is the absolute beauty of our liturgy. Few parishes have liturgies that are as beautiful as ours. I think, too, a large catalyst to this unity that is happening is our realization that the world around us is not going in the right direction in so many ways. We need to build a community here that provides an alternative for our families and us. Our gatherings had such goodness, kindness, and strength this Easter. Everything good flows from Jesus.

So it is with thanks that we mention our ministers and volunteers who helped make all of this possible. Hours of preparation by choirs and cantors with music for nearly constant liturgies, and lectors sitting with the Word of God to be able to proclaim it to us. Hands who welcomed and served as ushers and decorators who transformed our worship space ultimately into a garden of resurrection.

Thanks to our leaders who worked so hard in preparation: Rick Caporali for logistics; David Mathers and Sylvia and Bob Malinowski leading the music ministry; Paul Wakim, Lynn Jones, and Deacon Orlando for directing formation in our RCIA/RICA program; and Cedric D’Cruze organizing the ministry of hospitality.

Our prayer is that, once known, this joy will endure into the coming year and remind us always that there is so much to the story than we can obtain from appearances. The holiest and most transformative events in our life are humble and silent. He is risen! Alleluia!

The Lord be with you,

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ April 9, 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

Happy Easter to you! He is risen, and death no longer makes sense. I hope that, as a community, we continue to discover this new world which Jesus brought into being by these saving Mysteries we have encountered this week.

This week's bulletin is also your liturgy sheet (pages 7-14) for Easter Sunday Masses. You are welcome to take one as you arrive and take it home with you. Take a bulletin after the Easter Vigil, but there is a separate liturgy sheet for that Mass.

The Sacred Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter, which concludes today, was officially restored to the Church by Vatican II in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. Because of the law for fasting from midnight to receiving Holy Communion, which was in place for centuries, the use of evening and Saturday anticipated Vigil Masses was discontinued and the Triduum lost its shape. A truncated version of the Easter Vigil was celebrated early on Holy Saturday morning.

The individual liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil are not seen simply as marking isolated events, but really they are seen together as one saving mystery. For this reason, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday does not end with a final blessing. Rather, that blessing is given at the conclusion of the Easter Vigil. In his beautiful encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, our beloved late Pope John Paul II wrote, “By the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Church was born and set out upon the pathways of the world, yet a decisive moment in her taking shape was certainly the institution of the Eucharist in the Upper room. Her foundation and wellspring are the whole Triduum paschal, but this is as it was gathered up, foreshadowed, and ‘concentrated’ forever in the gift of the Eucharist. In this gift, Jesus Christ entrusted to his church the perennial making-present of the Pascal mystery. With it, he brought about a mysterious ‘oneness in time’ between the Triduum and the passage of the centuries” (5).

You could think of these three liturgies as a triptych painting. Each canvas is unique to itself but only makes sense in the context of being experienced with both other canvases, one work of art. We celebrate the Triduum as one saving event allowing us to live in the always-present reality of our Lord’s last supper, passion, death, and resurrection.

A happy note: On page 16, you’ll find your amazing response to the Oblate Sisters of Saint Francis de Sales’ mission appeal two weeks ago! I have never seen such an immediate outpouring of help in any community in response to such a need, and I am proud I am your pastor. Your generosity is still coming in, already exceeding $46,000. Your powerful response will make so many things possible for the missions. The list of what is planned includes solar installations for two schools as well as fresh fruits and vegetables for the children. I’m hoping we will develop a regular partnership with the Sisters in the future to accomplish projects that are currently dreams.

The Lord be with you,

Streaming Masses and Announcements Sunday, April 9, 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper

Worship Aid for the Passion and Vernation of the Cross on Good Friday

Worship Aid for Easter Sunday available in this week's bulletin

 

fleur cross logo The Parish office is closed Monday, April 10. It will reopen on Tuesday, April 11. 

fleur cross logo There will be NO 7 am Mass the week of April 10-14.

fleur cross logo Please return your Rice Bowls. We would appreciate you changing the coins and bills into a check, but we will accept cash/coins.

fleur cross logo Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 12, at 7:00 pm in the Bradican Room. It’s a twofer! First, Mary Pierce will inspire us with beautiful garden ideas and practical gardening tips. She has a degree in ornamental horticulture from NOVA Community College and worked for Arlington County Parks department. Mary is particularly interested in Northern Virginia native plants and enjoys identifying and solving plant problems. Then it’s game night! We’ll enjoy that classic game: Bingo! For more information, please email us at women@stbernpar.org.

fleur cross logo Eucharistic Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is back in the church on Fridays from 7-8 pm.

fleur cross logo The great ECHO Yard Sale returns to the school gym THIS SATURDAY, April 15, beginning at 8 am.

fleur cross logo Divine Mercy Sunday is April 16. Please join us in praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 pm in the church. 

fleur cross logo Next Monday, April 17, we will celebrate our parish feast day of Saint Bernadette with an additional Mass at 7:00 pm. Please join us!

fleur cross logo All 6th-8th graders are invited to Diocesan BASH on Saturday, April 22nd. St. Bernadette will be taking a group to join hundreds of other middle schoolers from across the diocese for entertainment, inflatable games, pizza, ice cream, and more. The cost is $15, and the registration deadline is Monday, April 17th. Please get in touch with our Youth Minister, Grace Rihl, for how to register. grihl@stbernpar.org 

fleur cross logo Concerts at Saint Bernadette presents the Capital Wind Symphony in a free concert Friday, April 21 at 7:30 pm. The program will present classics, including Morton Gould’s American Salute, Southern Harmony by Donald Grantham, and Irish Tune and Shepherd’s Hey by Australian composer Percy Grainger. The program will also feature two marches by John Philip Sousa, Fairest of the Fair, and Mystics of the Noble Shrine. These are somewhat lesser-known but nevertheless outstanding examples of Sousa’s mastery of the march and his ability to work creatively within the formal strictures of the march genre. The concert is free and open to all. A free-will offering will be accepted. A dessert reception will follow the performance. For more information, contact David Mathers at dmathers@stbernpar.org or 703-451-8576 x112, or visit www.capitalwindsymphony.org.

fleur cross logo The Seven Sisters Apostolate is a new ministry coming to Saint Bernadette. It is a call to strengthen the Church by ensuring that a Holy Hour is prayed each day of the week for the sole intention of a specific priest. Contact Trish Pirowski at 603-833-5540 or 1986sailboat@gmail.com for more information. 

fleur cross logo Saint Bernadette will host "Mary Went in Haste," a Marian Symposium on Saturday, April 29, featuring the Most Rev. Timothy P. Broglio, Archbishop for Military Services, USA, and president of the USCCB. This event is part of the preparation for Year II of the Diocesan Golden Jubilee. The theme of Year II is “Rejoice.” Visit the Diocesan website for more information and to register for this free event. 

 

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 2 April 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

Holy Week is a time of deep searching, entering into the Mystery of our salvation in Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. I have reprinted a lovely reflection by Bishop Hying on pages 8-9 of today’s bulletin for your meditation.

The week is twice-featured with the accounts of Jesus’ saving Passion in the Gospels of Matthew and John. With great solemnity, we remember not only how we enter into the suffering of Jesus, but also our part in causing it. As in past years here at St Bernadette, for Palm Sunday and Good Friday, during the reading of the Passion, you are asked to NOT read the words of the crowd but to allow them to be read by one of the lectors.

Aside from the fact that this is a recent custom not found anywhere in the Instruction for the Mass, this will help you to receive the Gospel text as a proclamation rather than as a re-enactment. A significant number of our faithful prefer to not say those words, for a variety of reasons, and since the rubrics do not require it, we should eliminate any feeling of coercion they might feel. Also, having the assembly read the words of the crowd can create confusion about the identity of the Jewish people and the Church, as well as about the supposed responsibility of the Jewish people for the death of Christ. This is particularly relevant this year when we read the Matthew passion on Palm Sunday. Much persecution and inhumanity have been tragically justified by Christians against the Jewish people over the centuries, using these texts to scapegoat them rather than take responsibility for the sins of all humanity.

The crucifix is central in our minds this week, and we use today a new processional cross which I commissioned by our friend, Martin Marklin of Marklin Candle Company. He is also the artist who designed and made our 12 dedication candles, our bronze votive candle holders on the walls, and our Paschal candles. We formally blessed the new processional cross on Tuesday morning, and I was struck by this prayer, which I think you will want to incorporate into your prayers this week:

Blessed are you, Lord God, Father all-holy, for your boundless love.
The tree, once the source of shame and death for humankind,
has become the cross of our redemption and life.

When his hour had come to return to you in glory, the Lord Jesus,
our King, our Priest, and our Teacher, freely mounted the scaffold of the cross and made it his royal throne, his altar of sacrifice, his pulpit of truth.

On the cross, lifted above the earth, he triumphed over our age-old enemy. Cloaked in his own blood, he drew all things to himself.

On the cross, he opened out his arms and offered you his life:
the sacrifice of the New Law that gives the sacraments their saving power.

On the cross, he proved what he had prophesied:
the grain of wheat must die to bring forth and abundant harvest.

Father, we honor this cross as the sign of our redemption.
May we reap the harvest of salvation planted in pain by Christ Jesus.
May our sins be nailed to his cross, the power of life released pride conquered, and weakness turned to strength.

May the cross be our comfort in trouble, our refuge in the face of danger,
our safeguard on life’s journey, until you welcome us to our heavenly home. Grant this through Christ, our Lord.

The Lord be with you,

Streaming Masses and Announcements 2 April 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Palm Sunday 

HOLY WEEK AT SAINT BERNADETTE

PALM SUNDAY, April 2

  • Saturday Vigil at 5 pm, Sunday at 7 am, 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm in Spanish, & 5 pm. Palms will be distributed at all Masses.

HOLY THURSDAY, April 6

  • No morning Masses
  • 8 am – Office of Readings and Morning Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours)
  • 7:30 pm – Mass of the Lord’s Supper
    • The concelebrated Mass of the Lord’s Supper commemorates the institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood by Jesus at the Last Supper. The Mandatum, or foot washing, symbolizes the commandment of love, where Jesus teaches, “As I have done, so must you also do.” Parishioners are encouraged to join in the ancient Procession of the Blessed Sacrament to its place of repose in the gym, where adoration will continue until midnight as we accompany Jesus in his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane
  • 11:45 pm – Night Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours). Night Prayer will conclude Eucharistic Adoration in the gym.

GOOD FRIDAY, April 7

  • Fasting (one regular meal, one small meal) and Abstinence from meat today.
  • No morning Masses
  • 8 am – Office of Readings and Morning Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours)
  • 12-3 pm –“Tre Ore” -the Seven Last Words of Jesus in meditation and song 3 pm – Stations of the Cross in English
  • 4 pm – Stations of the Cross in Spanish
  • 5 pm – The Passion and Veneration of the Cross in Spanish
  • 7:30 pm – The Passion and Veneration of the Cross in English
    • We assemble in observance of Christ’s saving death by reading the narrative of his Passion, praying for the Universal Church, venerating his Cross in this ancient Rite, and receiving Holy Communion consecrated on the previous evening at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

HOLY SATURDAY, April 8

  • 8 am – Office of Readings and Morning Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours)
  • 10 am – Easter Foods Blessing
  • 8:30 pm – The Vigil of the Resurrection of the Lord (Bilingual)
    • What Sunday is to the week, Easter Sunday is to the year. This holiest of nights, we celebrate the victory over death and the promise of eternal life given to us by Jesus Christ in his resurrection from the dead. The Liturgy includes the Service of Light, the Vigil of Readings and Psalms, the Celebration of the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation for those who have prepared all year for initiation in the Catholic Church, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

EASTER SUNDAY, April 9

  • 7 am, 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm in Spanish. There is NO 5 pm Mass.

Streaming Masses and Announcements 26 March 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the 5th Sunday of Lent

fleur cross logo Lenten Observances

  • Fasting: Food equivalent to one regular meal, one small meal - Ash Wednesday and Good Friday
  • Abstinence:  No meat - Ash Wednesday and ALL Fridays during Lent

fleur cross logo Lenten Soup Suppers: Fridays at 6 pm in the School Cafeteria.

fleur cross logo Stations of the Cross: Fridays at 7 pm in English, 8 pm in Spanish

fleur cross logo Parish Penance Service:  Wednesday, March 29, 6:30 pm

fleur cross logo Lent ConfessionsWednesdays 6:30-8 pm and Saturdays 3:30-4:30 pm (as usual), Please plan to come early in the season to save time.

fleur cross logo Eucharistic Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament:  Join us every Wednesday during Lent in the Chapel from 7-8 pm.

fleur cross logo Monday, March 27, is the next Catholic Women's Group Dinner at 5 pm at Saratoga Pizzeria, 8050 Rolling Road.  We meet for this casual meal on the 4th Monday of every month.  No need to RSVP; just come and enjoy the delicious food and sparkling fellowship.  For more information, please email us at women@stbernpar.org.

fleur cross logo The Seven Sisters Apostolate is a new ministry coming to Saint Bernadette. It is a call to strengthen the Church by ensuring that a Holy Hour is prayed each day of the week for the sole intention of a specific priest. Join us on Tuesday, March 28, at 7 pm in the Bradican Room to learn more. Contact Trish Pirowski at 603-833-5540 or 1986sailboat@gmail.com.

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 26 March 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

Have you ever heard of “Easter Duty?” Basically, it is a law that says to be Catholic you must at least attend Mass and receive Eucharist once each year between Ash Wednesday and Pentecost Sunday. It doesn’t actually say that you must also go to confession, but it is presumed that if you are missing Mass during the year you would have to be reconciled before coming to the altar, as with any grave, or mortal, sin.

But what a minimalist view of faith this is! The least possible obligation – as a friend of mine would say, compliance but not commitment. The whole Easter Duty idea hearkens back to a time in the Church (for many centuries) when people simply didn’t receive Holy Communion. Either their lives were not in harmony with Church teaching or they felt, as many generations did, that we would never be worthy enough to come forward. In colonial times people did not receive Eucharist because they feared the judgment of everyone else. “Who does he think he is?...”

Unfortunately even that confession, even after getting together all the courage it may require to get there, can be so transactional. I’m sorry, just give me a penance. We’ve had some extra confessions this season and I have been thinking more about it. Part of the compliance v. commitment might have to do with the possibility of remaining completely anonymous. I had someone arguing with me recently that anonymous confession might as well be virtual, online. Of course, it isn’t allowed, but it was a good argument. I think about all the children’s confessions we’ve celebrated these weeks with children in school and Religious Education. The face-to-face ones, for me, seem much more real, much more powerful. There is a real encounter that takes place. All of the sacraments are powerful encounters with Christ, right? And meeting him in all the sacraments is immediate, whether it feels like it or not. But what if we could make that reconciliation encounter feel more personal?

When I was first ordained a priest, I believed I was God’s special gift to the sacrament. I always had to insert some pearl of wisdom or advice to encourage change. Over the years I’ve learned that if that is what people want, they will ask. Most often they really don’t. But, unfortunately, it can become a scripted: say this, do that, in-and-out, especially when the line is long. It can be reduced to an oil change.

Ninety-five percent of the sacrament happens to you before you get to the confessional. It is the wrestling we do with who we are and how we don’t live that dignity every day. It is hard for some people to admit sins. It’s okay. I also think guilt has a bad reputation. It is the one thing that keeps us from doing the same wrong things over and over without conscience.

One more idea: maybe we should focus not so much on how bad sins make us feel, or hurt us or others but, rather, focus on how light and joyful a simple, blameless life feels. We only feel ourselves as we truly are when we break through the darkness of moments of our lives and have the moment that the sun comes out from behind the clouds. So, encounter Mercy and Goodness itself, and be your good selves.

The Lord be with you,