During the time that our church is closed due to COVID restrictions, the bulletin will be posted weekly as a post on our website.

From The Pastor’s Desk

As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, he was blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.

On the Fourth Sunday of Lent we listen to the account of the man who was born blind. This biblical passage tells us that there is no direct connection between a disease, disability, suffering, or catastrophe and a personal sin. In spite of all adversities the last word belongs to the Lord.
As we face this difficult situation when we cannot come together to celebrate the Sunday Eucharist in our church, today’s Gospel account takes on a special meaning for us, emphasizing the need for trusting the Lord. Let us be united in prayer, especially at the time of our Sunday Mass! At 11 o’clock I will celebrate Mass, as I usually do on Sunday, praying for all the parishioners entrusted to my pastoral care. Although we cannot be together at this time, please, be united in spirit with your pastor and each other.
This Wednesday, March 25th, we observe the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. With the Universal Church we celebrate the day when the Blessed Virgin agreed to bear the Son of God. Her perfect faithfulness to the Father’s will and trust in His goodness can help us to overcome all adversities. This feast is traditionally a day of a special prayer for the unborn children and mothers expecting birth. Once again, we are reminded of the respect for life from conception to natural death. Sacredness of life is established by the Creator. It is also a special feast for our diocese because Mary, under Her title, Our Lady of the Annunciation was declared a Patroness of the Diocese of Hamilton by its first bishop John Farrell.

Our Lady of the Annunciation – pray for us!

God bless,

Fr. Peter

Today’s Readings:
1) 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
2) Ephesians 5:8-14
3) John 9:1-41

FOCUS: The Lord of all gives sight to the blind.
Jesus’ power and claims divide those who encounter him. He is the long-awaited one, and he heals all wounds, even giving sight to the blind. We can trust that Jesus can heal all the wounds of our lives, giving us sight to see and a light to follow in the darkness of sin.

In the first reading, the Lord sends Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem because the Lord has chosen the new king from among Jesse’s sons. Samuel goes, and anoints David in the presence of his brothers. In Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, he exhorts them to live as children of light. In the Gospel, Jesus encounters a man blind from birth. After Jesus gives the man sight, the Pharisees become divided over the account. The man defends Jesus, explaining that he must be from God.

Prayer intentions for today

For God’s protection for all of God’s children, for the health and safety of everyone during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, we pray to the Lord.

For continuous coordinated efforts among individuals, nations and societies as we all work together to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, we pray to the Lord.

For healthcare workers and all who are on the front-lines, especially those in positions of vulnerability as they work to serve their neighbors, we pray to the Lord.

For those are sick and suffering, especially for those who are isolated and without help, for their healing, we pray to the Lord.

For those who have died, for eternal rest for their souls, and for peace and comfort for those they left behind, we pray to the Lord.

For all the parishioners of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish, we pray to the Lord.

In the Parish

The church continues to be closed due to COVID 19 however the office is still operating and can be contacted by email stlawrencehamilton@hamiltondiocese.com or by phone.

If you need to speak with the pastor in case of an emergency you can call the emergency number 365-888-1275.

There are a number of restrictions regarding visits to hospitals, communion and celebration of sacraments. For further clarification please read this article: http://stlawrencehamilton.ca/2020/03/covid-19-update/

Obituaries

Because of the restrictions due to COVID 19, we are sadly unable to celebrate funeral Masses. Please keep the families of the deceased of our parish in your prayers. Especially we pray for the family of Jose Diogo of our Parish.

https://www.friscolanti.com/obituary/jose-diogo

Wednesday Senior’s Bingo is cancelled until at least April 15th.

Our Casavant organ is getting some much needed tuning and care today…

There are at least three types of “pipes” in this organ. The first type are the silver (and the gold/white) coloured pipes you see in the picture – these are “flute” pipes. You can also in these pictures see square wooden pipes – these are associated with the foot pedals on the organ and provide the low bass notes. Finally in the other bank of pipes, the reed pipes are built like a reed instrument (think saxaphone) but instead of a wooden reed it is metal. The reed pipes sound ranges from a bit like a trumpet or french horn to more of a sax sound.
If you are sitting at the keyboard, the gold and white pipes on the right side are real working pipes, the ones in the left bank are decorative.

The keyboard touches and stops are all translated to the pipes via the literally hundreds of tiny grey tubes you see at the back of the keyboard mechanism. A push on a key or push/pull on a stop lever creates pressure in the tube that moves a mechanism in the pipes. There must be thousands of feet of these tubes in our organ. Mechanically it is quite extraordinary and

Our organ is possibly the oldest Casavant in Hamilton.

This year, the St. Lawrence School Community’s annual canned food drive was a real success. It took several students and teachers and 3 or 4 trips back and forth to the church to transport the collected dry and canned foods. Several hundred pounds of food were received into the church hall. The food has been sorted and is in the process of being distributed to three local food banks.

Today we celebrate the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time. This is the last Sunday before the season of Lent, which begins from Ash Wednesday. During Lent we are encouraged to observe the main Lenten works such as prayer, penance, self-denial, fasting and alms giving. Ash Wednesday is a universal day of fasting and abstinence from meat. According to Canon Law (#1252), by abstinence are bound those who have completed their 14th year and the law of fasting binds the faithful who are between 18 and 60 years old (the obligation ceases with the beginning of the 60th year). On the day of fasting we can have only one meal and two small amounts of food. Fasting is not a kind of diet to keep our bodies healthy, but it has a profound spiritual meaning: we deprive ourselves of food in order to be more open to prayer, to share more in the suffering of those who are striving and to save money to give to the poor. Fasting is a penitential act intended to open our hearts to God and our neighbours, means of purification and spiritual liberation and a witness of the depth of our faith. Abstinence, like fasting, is avoidance of something that is good in favour of something that is better. It is not a matter of vegetarianism or veganism. Fasting and abstinence are forms of penance in honour the sacrifice that Christ made for our sake on the Cross.

The imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday is a visible sign of our call and willingness to repent and do penance during the season of Lent. Lent has a twofold meaning: it prepares catechumens to celebrate the Paschal Mystery by the various stages of Christian Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist) and also it makes ready the faithful for Easter as they recall their Baptism and do penance in preparation for the greatest Feast of the year. We observe some external signs that express the spirit of the season of Lent. Therefore, during Lent we do not sing Glory to God in the highest (except on feast and solemnities) and we refrain from singing Alleluia. We as well do not decorate with flowers the altar and the area around it except for the Laetare Sunday (4th Sunday of Lent), solemnities and feasts. Memorials of Saints are celebrated only as Optional Memorials. Purple is the proper colour of the Lenten liturgy.

On Fridays we are encouraged to be united with Jesus in His passion and death by participation in the Stations of the Cross, which are to be celebrated in our church alternately in the morning and in the evening.

The Catholic Church calling the faithful to penance and repentance reminds them of the Sacrament of Penance, which is usually offered up widely in this season.

During Lent in our church the Grade 2 students from St. Lawrence School will celebrate their First Reconciliation.

God bless,
Father Peter