Viewing entries tagged
forgiveness
Dear Parishioners,
This weekend’s Gospel we hear about how salvation came to the woman at the well. She was living in sin and she was likely considered an outcast since she was coming to the well in the middle of the day. As we heard, Jesus knew about her situation in life. Yet, he did not waiver in his approach to her, and she appeared to be open to his presence. These two points are helpful to us who are also sinners.
In Lent, we are being called to look at where we need to be reconciled to God and each other. Yet, fear often becomes one our biggest obstacles. We harden our hearts and sometimes choose to stay away from God and his bride, the Church. We sometimes think, “There’s no way God could forgive me of my sin. It is too great.” Our sin can also cause more sin, and we begin to grumble like the Israelites. Do not be afraid!
Listen carefully to God speaking to you. Spend time in prayer listening to his loving voice. Remember, what God has to say is much more valuable than what we have to say. Listen to his voice, and harden not your heart. He wants to forgive you. He does not want to berate you or mock you. Then receive him in the Eucharist and let him lead you.
We will have a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Christ’s forgiveness in our annual Lenten Reconciliation Service next week on Tues., March 24th at 7 PM. We will have many priests who will kindly listen to your confession and offer you the gift of Christ’s absolution. Come and encounter the healing salvation of Christ in the forgiveness of your sins.
Blessings,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor
Dear Parishioners,
Lent is the season to refocus our attention on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Last time I wrote, I described how we might consider the idea of fasting and feasting… fasting from those problematic issues we have in our lives while feasting on areas where we can to do more. Today, I would like to offer a more explicit fast from sin and a feast of forgiveness. We all have sinned. We all have areas where we are tempted and have given in to evil. Jesus came to heal us from this reality. One way to battle our sin is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Let us feast on God’s forgiveness through this Sacrament. In my homily of last weekend, I reflected on the uncertainty we all have about our last day on earth and how we all encounter tragedies. None of us know when it will be or what tragedy will befall us. Yet, we should all be ready for these events with hope. Hope comes from an encounter and knowledge of God’s amazing grace and mercy. Again, the Sacrament of Reconciliation offers us those gifts so that we can boldly live our lives bearing the Good News of Jesus’ mercy.
This coming Thursday at St. Anne, we will offer our lenten Communal Reconciliation Service with the help of nine priests from around our Vicariate. It will be held at 7 PM and lead by our very own, Fr. Arjie. Please mark your calendar and don’t let anything get in the way of this important Sacrament. For those of you in the area of Cave Junction we will be hosting our lenten Reconciliation Service on Monday at 7 PM. If evenings are an issue for you and you cannot drive to church in the dark or your schedule simply won’t allow that evening, we have a daytime opportunity where Fr. Arjie and myself will be available in the confessionals of the church at St. Anne on Tuesday from 3 PM to 5 PM. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a most powerful way to feast on God’s mercy and be given hope amidst the tragedies in our lives.
May God bless you all!
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor
Dear Friends,
Happy Easter! I hope you and your family are together enjoying a wonderful day celebrating our Lord’s resurrection. As Catholic Christians, Easter is actually a season. Even more so, Easter is our point of reference for our entire life, for we believe that since Jesus died and rose again, we too, can overcome our deaths in our life and ultimately rise with him. Christ’s resurrection has opened the gates of heaven for those who believe.
Easter is also a time when we recognize that we can be forgiven for our sins. It is a time when we also recognize that we have sinned against other people and need to seek out forgiveness. As a church, we wish to express our heartfelt sorrow for any wrongdoing we may have done. As the pastor, I too, wish to ask for forgiveness if I have hurt you in any way. The Catholic Church is your home. It is here that you should be able to find healing through Christ.
If you’ve been away for some time, please consider returning back home to your family of faith. Each year at this time, we begin a process called “Welcome Home Catholics.” It’s a process, whereby people who have been away for awhile are reintroduced to the church, her sacraments, and most especially, can have answered any questions they have without criticism or judgment. We simply want to welcome you home for Easter.
So, may the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ bring you deep and everlasting joy!
Blessings,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor