The First Apostle’s declaration of Pentecost faith and call to conversion was echoed over and over again throughout the known world and was spread like wildfire in a movement like the world had never seen before. Pentecost is often described as the “Birthday of the Church” because the preaching, witnessing, conversions and baptisms would build the early Church and its characteristics of community, sharing, mutual support and prayers. This is the foundational model of earliest Christianity that all subsequent ages inherited and developed.
Pentecost reminds us that the Church is ever being energized and given new direction by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Each generation of Christians has its own set of challenges to deal with but we know that we are never alone. The Paraclete and Advocate that Jesus left us as a gift is constantly present with us. The Holy Spirit’s influence is one of courage, wisdom and imagination. The impetus to think out side of the box and to take necessary risks for the Gospel and its proclamation comes from the Holy Spirit. It is a prolongation of Pentecost to every age and generation. In our Church’s life and in our personal lives we need to discern, listen and follow wherever the Holy Spirit guides us. Prayer with true humility and docility opens the door for the Holy Spirit and brings us guidance and courage.
Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again! Come Holy Spirit, Come!
-Msgr. Michael D. McGraw
The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, commemorates our belief in the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. The Scripture readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension feature the mission of Jesus’ disciples. At the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, Luke tells us that the disciples ask the risen Jesus about when the fulfillment of the kingdom of God will take place. Jesus had spoken about the in-breaking of the reign of God in his earthly ministry, and he had made that kingdom present in his words and actions. He had also promised the establishment of the fullness of this reign of God at the end of time. So the disciples understandably wonder when this will take place. But in his answer the risen Christ instructs his followers not to focus on speculations about the end of time. Rather, they are to commit themselves to the work of furthering Jesus’ mission in the present, in the here and now: “… you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The gift of the Holy Spirit will empower and guide them in this work of proclaiming the good news of the crucified and risen Jesus.
The feast of the Ascension does not memorialize the absence of Christ. Nor does it suggest that Christ has been taken away from us. Rather, Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension make it possible for him to be present to us in an entirely new way. He is so much a part of our lives, and we are so much a part of him, that Saint Paul can speak of believers as forming the body of Christ in the world. The closeness of Christ in our lives means that he finds ways to work through us to touch the lives of other people. It may happen through the words we speak about him, or it may take place without words in the compassion we show to others. We need to trust that we play an essential role in continuing the mission of Christ in the world today and that his Spirit is alive and active in us and through us. What a tremendous vocation to be a witness to the resurrected and ascended Son of God!
-Msgr. Michael D. McGraw
At Saint Joan of Arc School, we try to educate the whole student in a an integrated manner. We teach all of the necessary subjects of a traditional elementary education. We engage our students in religious learning, volunteerism and spirituality. We offer many opportunities to develop the aesthetic dimension of student life especially in our Harrigan Family Foundation’s Arts Conservatory in Mercy Center. We have, finally, many extra-curricular activities that help our students to develop themselves physically by engaging in physical education and in organized sports. Athletic development helps to round out an education and teaches the valuable lessons of dealing with winning and losing but especially the value of fair competition.
Our seventh and eighth grade Sports Banquet, which was held last Thursday, May 16, 2019 helped us to encourage and to recognize excellence in athletic activities. I would like to thank all of the volunteer coaches whose guidance was so invaluable and so generous. I also want to thank the Dad’s Club for taking on this project and adding another important event to our school year.
Congratulations to all of our outstanding young athletes.
Our Parish Ministry with Girls and Boys in Scouting
Saint Joan of Arc has a long tradition of sponsoring Scouting Troops that further the social, spiritual and patriotic development of our parish girls and boys. I believe strongly in the formative effects of scouting for girls and for boys and particularly support the Religious Awards that scouting challenges youth to achieve. We are blessed to have the level of involvement in scouting at Saint Joan of Arc and especially for the generous volunteers that make our programs possible.
This Saturday, May 18, in Mercy Center, there will be a BSA Troop 323 banquet. This Sunday, May 19, at the 12:15 Mass, we will recognize our Girl and Boy Scouts. Congratulations to all of our parish scouts.
-Msgr. Michael D. McGraw
May is filled with many reasons to give thanks to God for blessings. First of all we will celebrate the First Holy Communion of 155 children from our Religious Education program and from our School. For them, this event begins a new stage in their spiritual lives as now they will be united with Jesus in a new and miraculous way. They will be united with Our Lord in His Life, Death and Resurrection and they will begin to more consciously imitate His values and loving actions. Home, school, friendships will probably be the opportunities for their living a more intense Christian life. Family bonds of love, support, nurturance will strengthen them and give them opportunities to be more intentional in the practice of love, forgiveness, mutual concern and unselfishness. The guidance of parents and older siblings will also teach them how to express their deeper relationship with Christ through caring words and actions toward others. The period following First Communion is also a great time to practice family attendance at Mass, prayer, reading from the Bible and learning more about the beliefs of their Catholic faith.
It goes without saying that mothers and grandmothers play a special role in the faith formation of our parish children. We honor them this weekend because of the example of love and mercy that they live out. These bonds of birth and nurturance last throughout our lives and in so many ways help us to become the faithful adult children of the future. Catholic family piety has always attributed a special role to mothers and grandmothers in the teaching of the practices of faith. I remember learning the Rosary and other prayers from my mother and also, along with my brothers, accompanying her to the Annual Novena to Saint Ann. As important as the practices of our faith are, the teaching of mothers and grandmothers concerning truthfulness, forgiveness, concern for neighbor, also help us make sense out of our world within a context of Faith. Our first convictions concerning God, virtue, heaven and eternal life are in so many ways the gifts of our mothers and grandmothers. By their commitment and witness, these truths for living become real for us as children and later as adults.
-Msgr. Michael D. McGraw
During the month of May, we honor Mary, Our Mother with special prayers and devotions. It is a great time for us to pray the Rosary daily and to reflect upon the trust, courage and generosity that Mary teaches us. The different events in her life that reveal her love and concern for us are also fruitful examples for our own meditation and prayer. We will have our annual May Crowning during May as a way of demonstrating our love for Mary and our gratefulness for her powerful role as an intercessor for us. Our school will have a May Crowning ceremony on Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at the 8:15 Mass.
Mary’s message in all of her appearances is one of peace in the world and the need for us to help achieve that peace. Today with so much war and violence, it is good for us to heed her message and become active instruments of peace in our small part of the world. We need equally to “pray without ceasing” for peace throughout the world.
This weekend it is our special joy as members of Saint Joan of Arc Parish and School to honor and recognize the legacy of 60 years of ministry of the Sisters of Mercy here at our parish and school. We have all benefited from their compassion, strong faith and dedication. We especially want to honor Sister Josephine Sullivan this weekend as she retires at the end of this school year. She personifies all of the virtues of religious life and the excellence of an outstanding teacher and mentor. So many of our children have told me how they learned math from the creative and enthusiastic teaching of Sister Josephine. We will remember the Sisters of Mercy as a community of women who gave so much to our parish and school and taught us so well what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Mary Queen of Peace, pray for us.
-Msgr. Michael D. McGraw
On this Divine Mercy Sunday, we are encouraged to pay attention to the generosity of God as it is expressed in God’s mercy towards us. This virtue of boundless and generous mercy is demonstrated by God throughout the Bible. In the Hebrew scriptures, God forgives the Hebrew people over and over again even when it is unappreciated or taken for granted. The Prophets unceasingly call the Chosen People back to a faithfulness to the Covenant promises and the responsibilities they have as a sacred promise. Human nature being what it is, unfaithfulness resulted in idolatry, abuses of justice and peace and a type of reliance only on self that left no room for God. It is interesting to see how God responds to the difficult history of the Hebrew people through a combination of justice and mercy. It is clear, however, that the mercy of God far surpasses the justice and that God’s primary characteristic is mercy and forgiveness. One of my favorite passages illustrating God’s mercy is from the Prophet Isaiah “But Zion said The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me. Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you”. “Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth, break forth into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts His people and shows mercy to His afflicted”.
The National Day of Prayer is an annual day of observance held on the first Thursday of May, (this year: May 2, 2019),
designated by the United States Congress, when people are asked “to turn to God in prayer and meditation”. Each year since its inception, the president has signed a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day.
The modern law formalizing its annual observance was enacted in 1952, although earlier days of fasting and prayer had been established by the Second Continental Congress from 1775 until 1783, and by President John Adams in 1798 and 1799. Thomas Jefferson established a day of prayer and thanksgiving, but this occurred while he served as governor of Virginia.
The constitutionality of the National Day of Prayer was unsuccessfully challenged in court by the Freedom From Religion Foundation after their first attempt was unanimously dismissed by a federal appellate court in April 2011.
In the New Testament, Jesus often teaches about the mercy of God and He demonstrates it through His miracles. Over and over again, the mercy of God forgives sins, lifts up from sufferings and heals sickness and disease. God’s mercy is always present as Jesus responds to the faith of people who cry out for mercy. So many of Jesus’ parables demonstrate mercy and teach it as a way of life. One very powerful parable is of the servant whose Master forgave him a huge debt when he asked for mercy. Then a little later the same servant failed to show mercy to another servant. That servant did not learn from his experience that as he had received mercy, so he was to show mercy to others. This is perhaps the most difficult aspect of our honoring Divine Mercy. We who receive mercy are to pass it on. Our Christian community needs to shine as an example of how to forgive, welcome and bring others into the experience of Divine Mercy as we live it. This is a challenge since we are not Divine but only humans working on holiness and virtuous living. It is comforting to always remember the truth that with God’s grace, all things are possible and that through us mercy can embrace our struggling world and cover it with peace and hope.
-Msgr. Michael D. McGraw
Today we are filled with Easter joy. Our smiles and greetings of “Happy Easter” are symbols of our interior deep joyfulness. We have journeyed with Our Lord through His sufferings, sacrifices, death and Resurrection. We have tried to understand the depth of His faith and trust in His Father’s love. During Lent we have also tried to imitate His loving obedience to His Father’s will. The immensity of His sacrifice to the point of giving over His life for us is a challenge and invitation that we have struggled with as well. Finally His selfless love for His Father and for us has set the standard for our efforts to purify intentions and reach out in love toward God and neighbor. We have journeyed with the Lord, now we celebrate His victory. A perfect example of our Easter joy was our recent 60th Anniversary parish party. Over one thousand parishioners and close to two hundred volunteers really brought us an anticipation of real Easter joy!
It is important that as we have grown in faith, hope, and love during the Holy Season of Lent that we continue to do so during the Easter season and beyond. Periods of intense and careful attention to our spirituality need to be built upon. Advent and Lent are meant to give us stronger, deeper foundations for building stronger and more heroic virtue. It is up to us to share our joy, to make a difference for the good and to keep Easter Resurrection an ever present truth. We have died with Christ and have been re-born as new creations. Everything that we do as Resurrection people has the potential to brighten and dazzle our world with the faithful love of God and the inspiring vision of Jesus Christ Risen. Happy Easter! Joyful future!
-Msgr. Michael D. McGraw
Next weekend, Saint Joan of Arc will again have the rare privilege of hosting the Ordination as Deacons of fifteen seminarians from across the state of Florida. Bishop Frank Dwayne of the Diocese of Venice will be ordaining prelate and our church again will be packed with over 1,200 faithful. For all who attend, it will truly be a celebration of faith, joy and hope in a future for the Catholic Church in Florida. One of the high points is always the inspiring admonition to the newly ordained Deacons that the Bishop will deliver. The Ritual instruction emphasizes that ministry; especially the Diaconate has as its center and heart the service of the People of God. This ministry of service is not about privilege or honors but about the imitation of Jesus in His humility and compassion.
The annual Ordination is a powerful experience of God’s grace and mercy as each Deacon to be ordained
commits himself to preaching, teaching and the care of the poor. The public commitment to a life of celibacy for the Kingdom Of God gives an additional example of trust in God and a desire to serve the faithful with
single mindedness and generosity. The church-shaking applause at the introduction of the new Deacons is always a spontaneous expression of gratefulness to God for the gift of these new Deacons.
As these newly ordained Deacons begin to serve the People of God throughout Florida, please pray for the efficacy and fruitfulness of their ministry.
-Msgr. Michael D. McGraw
Please plan to attend and have your life changed!
LENTEN MISSION: Presenter: Dr. Margaret Watzek, theme: “The Universal Call to Holiness is Also Personal”
Monday, March 25, Tuesday, March 26, & Wednesday, March 27 9am to 10am in the Chapel & 7pm to 9pm in the Church.
Dr. Margaret M. Watzek (Meg to family and friends) has been talking about God with her brother Bill since they were children. She began her undergraduate career in Chemistry at Georgetown University, but changed to Theology because it was the only homework she really enjoyed. She received her MA from Loyola University of Chicago, and her Ph.D. from Emory University in Atlanta. Her studies focused on Patristic Theology and Contemporary Theological Methods.
After teaching theology for almost 20 years, Meg cared for her mother full time until her mother’s death. Her theological interest turned away from academics to becoming a lay theologian working from the pews. She has been heavily invested in doing theology with and for lay people since 2009, and has participated in formal and informal adult faith formation at the parish and diocesan levels. She has led retreats, days of reflection, parish missions and various types of workshops and classes, primarily in West Virginia, but also in New Hampshire, Kentucky and Florida.
-Msgr. Michael D. McGraw
Having just celebrated our annual Inter-Faith memorial weekend with Temple Beth El, an emphasis upon the act of remembering that so characterized the prophetic witness is also very important for us as the spiritual descendants of the Chosen People. We are the children of the New Covenant and the New Gospel of liberation and freedom. Our Baptism into Christ gives us a share in Christ’s life, His death and saving resurrection. Our baptism brings along with it our dignity and our responsibilities. Jesus’ recommendation of the Ten Commandments, His two-fold Law of Love, the Beatitudes, works of mercy and justice, these all provide us with a road map for life. The sacred remembering that we are to do, form the heritage that we celebrate and pass on to our children.
Each time we come together at Mass we remember who we are, how much God loves us and what we are to do to build God’s Kingdom. To be a strong Catholic family we have to daily remember who we are, why we are here and where we are going. To forget the truths of Covenant and Baptism is to become a People of no identity, no past, and no future. The powerful admonition of Moses to the Chosen People concerning the responsibilities of passing on the faith and the distinctive way of life of the Covenant applies to us, too. It is a challenge of Lent for us to study, internalize, live and pass on that which is most precious and defining of our identity as a “People fully alive in Christ”, our Catholic Faith.
“Take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things that your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children’s children”
DEUTERONOMY 4:9
-Msgr. Michael D. McGraw