Happy Second Sunday of Lent!

As a Michigan man, I praise God for the gift of the seasons, which makes me especially grateful for the arrival of the month of March. I am now officially allowed to bid adieu to my fond feelings for snow and winter and forge a new alliance with the promise of springtime. I’m certainly not alone among us who have hazy, distant memories of what sunshine looks like. We’ve seen it in photos before; our forefathers have told us of dazzling rays which once cast strong shadows upon the earth. Having now hibernated through months of cloud cover, we await a new creation when the illustrious Vitamin D decides to re-enter the chat.

Our journey through the Lenten season draws us closer to the solemn feast of Easter, which is not only the celebration of our Lord’s rising in victory over death, but also the celebration of new birth in our Catholic family. I was talking with my parents and siblings recently, and my mom found this commentary on the Diocese of Lansing website that I thought was wonderful to share. For your edification: this year across the diocese, there will be 940 men, women, and children who will be brought fully into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. Of those, 380 are Catechumens (unbaptized, who will be baptized and will receive First Holy Communion and Confirmation) and 560 are Candidates (already baptized, who will receive First Holy Communion and Confirmation). This represents the highest number of Easter converts—including the highest number of adult baptisms—in 20 years within our Diocese.

That’s an encouraging reminder of how the Spirit of God continues to move in our world, in spite of all the worry and tragedy that can run across the news headlines and through our social media feeds. At St. Robert, we are praying for three Catechumens and nine Candidates. Good Shepherd is welcoming an additional two Catechumens and four Candidates. Please remember to pray for these dear brothers and sisters of ours! They have been studying and preparing in earnest since last fall.

A brief change of gears:  The annual Diocesan Services Appeal begins next weekend.  This year I hope we can respond generously again for the good of the Church’s wider mission across the ten counties of our diocese.  Our designated parish goal for 2026 is $16,638.00.  We will join all parishes March 7th/8th, for DSA Commitment Weekend, with envelopes in the pews that we will fill out together and collect at homily time, as usual. I’ll speak more at Mass about it.

Offer up a few prayers this week for the spring thaw to arrive soon! Blessings upon your Lenten penances—stay strong, stay close to the Lord.

Fr. Brian

Entry Seven:

Thank you, Lord for REST!

I am always so grateful to you, O Lord. You have blessed me immensely here in Flushing, and sometimes I wonder why. Why, Lord, do you treat your servant so well? For I am undeserving of it. I continuously turn away from you in sin, and yet you extend your hand of mercy to me whenever I ask. When I am too tired to continue to work, you give me the strength to persevere. When the enemy continues to tempt me, I call upon your name, and you answer me. Lord, there is so much to be grateful for, and again this past week you continued to bless me while I was on vacation.

To be with my brother priests for a few days allowed for much-needed relaxation. It also allowed for a good amount of time to reminisce about seminary days and to laugh about how little we knew about what we were about to get ourselves into. It was incredible to think back and see how much we have grown in just a few years. This time together also gave us an opportunity to share how you, O Lord, have been working in our lives — all the times that you have blessed us and all the times that you have loved your people through us. We were all in agreement that there is absolutely nothing else we would rather be doing than serving your Church as your priests. A couple of us had careers prior to seminary, and there is absolutely nothing that compares to the fulfillment you give to us, Lord, when we allow you to do whatever you ask of us.

This time of vacation with the brothers allowed for downtime, relaxation, and some hiking! I did not realize how much rest I needed and how much you truly exert yourself when you are in the regular routine of life. This vacation was a time for rejuvenation — a time to be recreated. When you created the universe, Lord, you rested on the seventh day to show us the need for relationships and communion. For you are all-powerful, and you created the universe with a snap of your fingers, yet you rested to show us the need for recollection, staying still, and being in one another’s presence. You showed us that we, as finite beings, must have rest to reorient ourselves to you — to show us why we are working in the first place and to help us understand the goal of why we work and why certain things happened the way that they did. The time to unplug from technology and be with my brothers allowed for stillness and silence, which my soul longed for. Hiking on the trails in Gatlinburg provided me with energy because I forgot how enjoyable it is to be away from everything and be in the wilderness. Thank you, Lord, for supplying me with exactly what I needed, even though I had no idea how much I needed this rest. You continue to pour out your love in ways that I did not know were necessary for my growth and development. Remain always with me, Lord. Make your presence known to me so that I can always trust and rely upon you in whatever you ask of me. Help me to use my time more wisely so that I can be more available in serving you and your people.

Men of the parish are invited to come and enjoy growing in their spiritual walk with others. We will meet in the Knights of Columbus Hall from 6:30—7:30 on Wednesday, February 11 for our next Cor Meeting. We always have snacks and refreshments! Invite a friend or family member. We look forward to seeing you!

See what men are saying about it in the film below:

The mission of the Cor is to refocus Catholic men on Jesus Christ and to form and strengthen them in faith and virtue through a brotherhood committed to prayer, formation and fraternity.  The goal of each Cor gathering is to provide the opportunity for men to encounter Christ, to pray together, to be formed in their faith, and to strengthen their bonds of brotherhood, preparing them for courageous leadership and the mission of Evangelization for their families and communities.

You can help save lives when you give blood. A blood drive will be held 12:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, February 25 at Good Shepherd Church in the Knights of Columbus Hall.

The event is co-sponsored by the Good Shepherd Knights of Columbus Council 8669. For more information or appointment, visit redcrossblood.org (sponsor code: Montrose) or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).  Give the perfect gift.  Give Blood.

Streamline your donation experience and save up to 15 minutes by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass to complete your pre-donation reading and health history questions on the day of your appointment.

Give Something that Means Something