Dear St. Raphael Parishioners,
The Grain of Wheat: Some of the most dramatic words of Jesus, often read at funerals, are in the gospel for this Sunday. “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” This image Jesus uses is both an image of the Eucharist and a promise of eternal life.
We can understand these words of Jesus both on a human and divine level. Parents who see their children grown to adulthood understand the human side of it. The parents gave years of their own lives, and hopefully see the fruit of their sacrifices in the lives of their adult children. It may be easy to see this if their children have grown up well and accomplished things that made their parents proud. The Wisdom books of the Old Testament often speak of this; an upstanding child brings honor to his or her parents.
However, we know there are families where the parents did their best, but their children turned out less than ideal. There are families also that were touched by tragedy. Perhaps a child died young, or has a life-affecting illness. What do the words of Jesus mean in cases like these? This brings forth the supernatural side of Christ’s words. Jesus had no biological children, but his spiritual children number in the billions. Jesus did not earn wealth or fame in his own lifetime, but after two thousand years His name is honored above all others. (Jesus may have been known in Judea during his life, but Judea was only one small province in the ancient Roman world.)
Jesus himself can be thought of as the grain of wheat he speaks of. It takes many grains of wheat to make the bread used in the Eucharist. Just as the bread used at Mass comes from many individual grains of wheat, so the Body of Christ is made up of many individuals who each give of themselves. Whether we can see it or not, the sacrifices we make add something to the Body of Christ, i.e., God’s people.
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion: Palms will be given out and blessed at Sunday Masses next weekend. We have ordered a bigger supply this year, but please take only what you can use.
Extra Confession times: As we approach Holy Week, the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available at additional times. The next two Saturdays, I will try to start hearing at 2:45 instead of the usual 3 pm. Other times are Thursday, March 21 (noon to 1 pm), and the Monday evening after Palm Sunday, 6 to 8 pm. The morning of Good Friday at 9:30 will be the last opportunity before Easter. Please note Holy Saturday has a special schedule with no confessions or 4 pm Mass. The full schedule is on page 5.
God bless,
Fr. Matthew
Dear Friends,
As the Church enters into Holy Week, I encourage your participation as we celebrate the mysteries that are the core of our Catholic faith: the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The schedule for confession and the liturgies of Holy Week are listed below. Please plan on joining us at St. Raphael as we give thanks to God for the victory of Christ over sin and death.
We have plenty of room to welcome your extended family and guests to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday together here at St. Raphael. Please join us in prayer during this Holy Week.
A Blessed Lent and Holy Week,
Father Matthew Kowalski Pastor
What does the Catholic Church teach about marriage & divorce? Are you feeling broken? Is your divorce making you feel stigmatized? Are you seeking healing?
What about your children? How can you heal from your divorce?
How can you use forgiveness to move on? How can God help you find new life? How does a Catholic annulment work?
Come join Deacon John Haderlein, Attorney at Law, for this Lenten series.
Saint Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church
40000 N. U.S. Hwy. 45, Old Mill Creek, Illinois 60046
& by Zoom/FaceTime
To register, call: 847-395-3474 or email: rectory@straphaelcatholic.org
(This series is limited to divorcing & divorced Catholic men and women only.)
Last weekend, the 4th Sunday of Lent, we celebrated Laetare Sunday. You may have noticed the music being slightly more festive, including a postlude, and other instrumental music. Being that the 4th Sunday is a reprieve from the usual Lenten rigors, the rubrics of the Mass allow for this change in music. Normally, the (instrumental) music during Lent should only go so far as to “support the singing”, which basically means: nothing fancy!
As we move to the 5th Sunday of Lent (historically known as Passion Sunday, now combined with Palm Sunday), we will start to get a taste of what is to come during Holy Week. A greater amount of music will be A Capella (with no instrumental accompaniment). This helps us prepare for the time between the Glorias, during the Triduum, when any instruments go silent.
Alex Fries, Director of Music
Alex's Full Introit Article
Introit Playlist
The National Eucharistic Revival is a three-year initiative by the U.S. bishops that aims to inspire, educate, and unite the faithful in a more intimate relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist.
In a society where the Lord is often forgotten and even a majority of Catholics do not believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the revival is meant to rededicate the entire nation to the eucharistic Jesus.
The U.S. bishops hope to change the lives of Catholics and non-Catholics alike through a series of Eucharist-centric events including Eucharistic pilgrimages across the nation and a National Eucharistic Congress in 2024.
Where Can I Get More Information on this?Click on the Button Below which will take you to special Eucharist Revival Page for St. Raphael Parish Community, Including the National Eucharistic Revival Blog, Special Videos and Upcoming St. Raphael Events.