Pastor's Message
Fourth Sunday of Easter, 20-21 April 2024
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HS
JMJ
My Dear Fellow Saints-in-the-Making,
Greetings in Christ our Risen Savior!
Alleluia! Jesus Christ is risen!
What joy we share in the One Body of Christ to celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday on this Fourth Sunday of Easter!
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says to His disciples, “I am the Good Shepherd.” While each word from the Word Incarnate matters, there is one word in what He says that reveals Who He is to His disciples and that word is “the.” “I am THE Good Shepherd” means that He is the primary Shepherd from Whom goodness flows, because He is not only THE Shepherd but Goodness Himself. Every shepherd following after Him endeavors to be “A” good shepherd, but Christ Jesus is “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 22:13).
And why is He THE Good Shepherd? Because as He insistently repeats in today’s Gospel, He will be the first to lay down His life for His sheep and so the One to model for all shepherds how to sacrifice out of love for the sheep they care for and how to lay down their lives for the salvation of the souls under their spiritual care. Just as Jesus the Good Shepherd lays down His life willingly for His flock to have eternal life, so every shepherd of souls must lay down his life willingly, too.
We hear of the life-giving fruits from the good shepherding of Jesus in the Penitential Rite, where the Deacon says, “Lord Jesus, You are the Good Shepherd leading us into everlasting life. Lord, have mercy.” And because of His Divine Mercy, you and I have every hope of safely pasturing beside our Good Shepherd in the ever-green fields of Heaven.
Please pray daily for us Bishops, Priests, and Deacons who have the great privilege and dignity of shepherding souls, especially as we will have the grateful joy of celebrating our parish’s shepherd-Deacons next weekend for Diaconate Sunday.
Please pray daily, too, for our church expansion with the following prayer:
God our Father, You have planted the seed of Your Spirit deep within our hearts and by Your loving favor, our parish family is growing by the Light of Your Son Jesus Christ in such a way that we need to extend and expand our church.
May our love for You extend our arms and expand our hearts to respond to Your generosity with our own as You direct the fulfillment of our holy desire to bring our church expansion to its beautiful completion.
May You remain at the Center of this endeavor, and may the only debt we owe be an eternal debt of gratitude to You. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
St. Jude, glorious Apostle and emissary of hope in the Living God, pray for us that we be united in extending our arms and expanding our hearts to welcome with joy those many who are joining us seeking our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us remember, fellow Saints-in-the-Making, “With God, all things are possible”. (Matthew 19:26). Amen and Alleluia!
God love you! I do.
Fr. Lewis
Some Frequently Asked Questions and answers about our church expansion:
How will DelDOT’s intended re-design of our section of Coastal Highway affect our expansion?
We have been in active dialogue with DelDOT for a couple of years. Their re-design will have no impact on our ability to expand as we intend. Because we have actively engaged DelDOT in taking into serious consideration our parish’s needs, convenience, and safety in their plans, we have secured that they will include a turning lane for northbound traffic to safely enter onto Tulip Drive and that they will also include a new and sufficiently wide enter AND exit at the east end of our parking lot. This will enhance our ability to bring parishioners and visitors safely onto our parish campus and ease congestion while leaving the parking after Masses.
There are currently nine new stained glass windows in the Adoration Chapel. Weren’t several more acquired?
The stained glass windows from St. Joseph’s Church in Lewiston, Maine included a series of windows on the Sacraments. The windows on the Eucharist and Extreme Unction flank the Tabernacle in the Adoration Chapel, since Holy Communion is a part of both Sacraments. The remaining five Sacrament windows will be placed in the transepts (Holy Matrimony and Holy Orders on the parking lot side and Baptism and Confirmation in the “Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord” side) and Reconciliation at the Reconciliation Rooms.
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Jesus must increase; I must decrease. John 3:30