PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION – April 2, 2023

By Fr. Bona on April 11, 2023 in Bulletins 0

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

TODAY’S MASS INTENTION: István Szappanos, by Zsuzsa Szappanos

MASS SCHEDULE & INTENTIONS FOR THE COMING WEEK:

April	3	Monday	9:00 AM	Deceased Members of the Strada Family, by the Family
April	4	Tuesday	9:00 AM	Parishioners of St. Emeric & St. Elizabeth
April	5	Wednesday	9:00 AM	Dr. Gergely Kondray, by Alex & Hajnal Kézdi
April	6	Thursday		Mass at St. Elizabeth of Hungary at 6PM
April	7	Friday		Stations & Good Friday Liturgy
April	8	Saturday	8:45 PM	István & Zsófia Matavovszky, by Éva Dömötörffy
April	9	Sunday	11:15 AM	Parishioners of St. Emeric

FROM THE DESK OF FR. BONA: (1) With the Palm Sunday we begin a special week in the life of the Church. It is called the Holy Week because during these days the Church celebrates the greatest mysteries –– mysteries of salvation accomplished by Christ in the last days of his life on earth, beginning with his messianic entrance into Jerusalem.

As you look at the schedule, you may notice that on Holy Thursday we have an extended time of adoration here in the church. The Church encourages us to spend some time in silence and adoration before the Eucharist that day. The reasons are: a) It was on the Holy Thursday that the Sacrament of the Eucharist was established and thus it is only proper to honor It and thank God for this greatest of gifts; b) on Holy Thursday evening Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane for our salvation. Imagine at this moment Jesus knowing not only his upcoming suffering and death, but also seeing all the sins of the world for which he will undergo the passion. He asked his disciples to stay with him to pray with Him in this difficult moment, but they fell asleep. Now, Jesus is asking us to stay with Him in prayer, to show solidarity with His concerns for our and the world’s salvation. Out of the sense of reparation, let us spend some time with the Eucharistic Jesus (see also the announcement on the Station Church pilgrimage in this bulletin).

(2) Below, I conclude the series on the essential elements of a solid spiritual plan.

A YEARLY SPIRITUAL PLAN:

Days of recollection, retreat: It is advisable to spend few days in silence on a retreat, speaking to God only. Same way as the body requires a vacation, our souls needs some refreshing rest and recalibration. It is time for a yearly conversion (the conversion never really stops in life: we are called to convert to the Lord with ever deepening faith).

STATION CHURCH PILGRIMAGE ON HOLY THURSDAY: There is an ancient Catholic tradition in the city of Rome to visit seven churches after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday and to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in each of those seven churches. In the spirit of this Roman tradition, the diocese has designated twenty-one churches to keep their doors open until 11pm on Holy Thursday (St. Emeric is one of these churches). The list is available at: https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/events/2023/04/06/station-church-pilgrimage-on-holy-thursday

TRIDUUM / A HÚSVÉTI SZENT HÁROMNAP	SAINT EMERIC *(in Hungarian)*	SAINT ELIZABETH *(in Hungarian-English)*
*Holy Thursday /* *Nagycsütörtök*	X	6PM
*Eucharistic Adoration on Holy Thursday/* *Szentségimádás nagycsütörtökön*	8PM – 11PM	X
*Good Friday Stations of the Cross /* *Nagypénteki keresztút*	5PM	2PM
*Good Friday Liturgy /* *Nagypénteki liturgia*	6PM	3PM
*Holy Saturday /* *Nagyszombat*	8:45PM	X
*Easter Sunday /* *Húsvétvasárnap*	11:15AM	9:15AM
*Blessing of Easter Baskets /* *Húsvéti* *ételszentelés*	After Masses on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday	After Mass on Easter Sunday
*CONFESSIONS (at St. Emeric)*	Monday, April 3, 6-7PM

PALM BRANCHES FROM LAST YEAR: The palms that we receive on Palm Sunday are blessed. If we no longer wish them to have displayed or kept in our homes, they should be properly disposed of by either burning or burying in the ground. At the beginning of the Easter vigil we will have a fire in which we will burn these branches (from them we have ashes for Ash Wednesday). If you would like to dispose of the old palm branches, please bring them to the church by April 5.

NEXT WEEK’S GOOD FRIDAY COLLECTION is taken up for the Christians in the Holy Land. The collection supports the church minister in parishes, provides Catholic schools, and offers religious education, and helps preserve the sacred shrines. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

GOOD FRIDAY FASTING and ABSTINENCE: Good Friday is a day of abstinence from meat and also a day of fast, that is, only one full meal is allowed. Two other meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to one’s needs, but together they should not equal another full meal. The laws on abstinence and fast bind under the pain of mortal sin.

LAST WEEKEND’S COLLECTION: (3/26) – Sunday collection: $1,226; special donation: $100. May God reward your generosity in supporting the church. Thank you for sending in your donations by mail or using our website https://stemeric.com/donations/.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SICK, especially for Bev Kimar, Rose Dudevszky, Teréz Kalász, Lajos Boday, Julius Skerlan, Márta Takács, Zsuzsanna Hunyadi, Albert Kovács, Viola Kocskár and Mária Hokky.

THIS SUNDAY the 11:15 AM Mass from St. Emeric church will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/saintemeric/ and https://stemeric.com/

LET US PRAY THREE HAIL MARYS FOR OUR PARISH EVERY DAY!

This post is also available in: Hungarian