From Our Pastor

04-02-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Aruldoss, Pastor

Dear People of God,

First of all, I appreciate all the ladies of our Immaculate conception PCCW for providing Soup supper for the past five Tuesdays continuously. Then, I thank sincerely all those who worked for the Spring Fundraiser for our St. Boniface school. Marketing committee member, volunteers, Parents, Teachers, and Students worked a lot with dedication, zeal and more enthusiasm. I appreciate you all. I also thank heartily all those who supported this fundraiser by sacrificing your time, lot of stuffs for auction and cash donations. May God bless you all with His choicest blessings!

Today is Palm Sunday. On this day, the Church celebrates the triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem in order to accomplish his Paschal Mystery. Today we are not simply reenacting an historical event that happened long ago. Instead, we welcome Jesus Christ HERE and NOW—after all, He is more ALIVE than any of us. What do the crowds tell us today?

First, there is the crowd that travels with Him to the gates of Jerusalem. They sing “HOSANNA” which means “SAVE US NOW! and line the road before Jesus with garments and palms. We NEED a Savior, but we must ask ourselves: do we WELCOME the Savior? Are we willing to throw onto the ground before Him the pride, the resentment, the greed, the lust that we hold so closely to ourselves?

Then there are the citizens within the city of Jerusalem. When St. Matthew tells us: “when [Jesus] entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?” He uses here the same Greek word to describe the earthquake following the Resurrection—the whole people are “shaken” as from an earthquake. In His humility, in His going to the Cross, God shakes us to our very foundations. Let us not be afraid or ashamed—God shakes us in order to FREE us from what enslaves us. This is true humility—not to think of how “bad” we are, but to acknowledge who we are BEFORE Almighty God.

Brothers and sisters, let us welcome Jesus into our hearts and let us ENTER into this Holy Week with true humility and trust. Let us enter into the New Jerusalem with Christ our King. Have a Blessed Holy Week!

Yours In Jesus Christ,

Fr. Doss