Censings

LENT will soon be upon us. It begins with Ash Wednesday on March 06, because this year, we have a “late” Easter, which will be April 21. Lent is 40 days over 6 weeks. Sundays in Lent are not part of Lent. Sundays are celebrations of the death and resurrection of Jesus, thus automatically days of joy, and by definition, cannot be considered days of fasting. The English word Lent is a shortened form of the Old English word  lencten, meaning "Spring season." The first day of Spring, March 21, always occurs during Lent, no matter what day Easter is. As Christians, every year we celebrate the dying and rising of Jesus.  From March 21 onward, known as the “vernal equinox,” the hours of daylight start exceeding the hours of darkness. It is a time when, in many climates, plants and animals begin awakening from their winter hibernation, in the same pattern as the dying and rising of Jesus. This natural cycle reminds us of our immortality: if we die, we ar...

Feast of the Holy Family - Year C Saint Cecilia Catholic Community December 30, 2018 – 10:30 AM I Samuel 1:20-22;24-28 | Psalm 84:2-3;5-6;9-10 Colossians 3:12-17 | Luke 2:41-52             + In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN. A missing family member is a source of great anxiety, whether we’re talking about a child, a spouse, and of course, the canine and feline members of our families as well.  When someone to whom we are emotionally attached goes missing, we often fear the worst, just like Mary and Joseph did when they couldn’t find Jesus after they left Jerusalem to go home. The psychological profession might refer to that state of affairs as “separation anxiety.” I’ve experienced that myself. Before we got our Tesla, which is equipped with a GPS tracking system, I would really stress out when I didn’t know where Deacon Sharon was and could not reach her on her cell phone. Now I can simply o...