SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - ourladygc.org · 2/23/2020 · Visitation – Marti Hurd, 614-875-3322 Our Lady’s Moms – Mary Smith, 614-302-8519 Parish Women’s Association

OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP • 3730 Broadway, Grove City, Ohio 43123 • 614-875-33221

SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

THE WEEK AHEADMONDAY, FEBRUARY 24 9:30 a.m. Adult Faith Formation Bible Study - Basement 7:00 p.m. Boy Scout Troop 820 – Basement 7:00 p.m. Adult Faith Formation Bible Study - Life Center

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25 6:00 p.m. PWA - Life Center 6:30 p.m. Catechesis with Callahan (w/ RCIA) - Basement 6:30 p.m. Consoling the Heart of Jesus - Basement 7:00 p.m. Respect Life Meeting - Shepherd’s Room

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26 - Ash Wednesday 9:00 a.m. OLPH Novena - Nave 6:00 p.m. Life Teen Leadership Meeting - Life Teen Room 6:30 p.m. Walking With Purpose II - Basement

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 6:00 p.m. Finance Board Meeting - Shepherd’s Room

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 6:30 p.m. Girl Scout Troop 1622 – Basement

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29 6:30 a.m. Men’s Faith Formation – Life Center 8:00 a.m. Diocesan Joy-Filled Marriage Progra - Life Center 10:00 a.m. Saintly Stitchers - Shepherd’s Room

SUNDAY, MARCH 1 9:00 a.m. Blood Pressure & Glucose Screening - Life Center 11:00 a.m. Health & Wellness Ministry - Shepherd’s Room 6:00 p.m. Life Teen - Life Center, Nave, Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, Life Teen Room

MASS INTENTIONSSUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23rdSeventh Sunday in Ordinary TimeLev. 19:1 - 2, 17 - 18; 1 Cor. 3:16 - 23; Mt. 5:38 - 48 8:00 a.m. Art & Phyllis McGill by Beth McGill 9:30 a.m.. Irene Metheny by Terri & Bill Merriman 12:00 p.m. Mass for the People of our Parish 5:00 p.m. Tom Vipperman by The Wagner Family

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24thJas. 3:13 - 18; Mk. 9:14 - 29 8:30 a.m. Georgeann Jennings by Debbie Alexeff

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25thJas. 4:1 - 10; Mk. 9:30 - 37 8:30 a.m. Troy Lannutti by The Lannutti Family

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26thAsh WednesdayJoel 2:12 - 18; 2 Cor. 5:20 - 6:2; Mt. 6:1 - 6, 16 - 18 8:30 a.m. Robert Kaiser by Dorothy Kaiser 7:00 p.m. John Dost by The Harrison Family

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27thDeut. 30:15 - 20; Lk. 9:22 - 25 8:30 a.m. Maureen Travis by Rob & Cindy McCarty

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28thIs. 58:1 - 9a; Mt. 9:14 - 15 8:30 a.m. Richard Butts by Pete & Marian Bowman

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29thFirst Sunday of LentGen. 2:7 - 9, 3:1 - 7; Rom. 5:12 - 19; Mt. 4:1 - 11 5:00 p.m. Marsha Coukart by John & Bonnie Ruth

SUNDAY, MARCH 1stFirst Sunday of LentGen. 2:7 - 9, 3:1 - 7; Rom. 5:12 - 19; Mt. 4:1 - 11 8:00 a.m. Mass for the People of our Parish 9:30 a.m.. Irene Metheny by Terri & June Albanese 12:00 p.m. OLPH Staff by Mike & Pat Flavin 5:00 p.m. June & John Seagle by The Casparro & Seagle Families

Would you like to have a Mass celebrated for yourself or a loved one? Contact the Parish Office for more information.

Quote Corner

“To love someone means to see him as God intended him.”

~ Fyodor Dostoevsky

www.OurLadyofPerpetualHelp.net • To Form and Send Intentional, Missionary Disciples of Jesus Christ 2

FEBRUARY 23, 2020

PARISH OFFICE STAFF • 614-875-3322

Fr. Daniel J. Millisor, [email protected]

Fr. James Colopy, Pastoral [email protected]

Deacon Michael [email protected]

Mrs. Theresa Bayes, Finance [email protected]. Emily Gale, Finance [email protected]

Ms. Julia Shappert, Finance Associate & Tuition [email protected]

Mrs. Judy Eagen, Admin [email protected]

Mrs. Sue Taylor, [email protected]

Mr. John Moloci, Office [email protected]

Mr. Kevin Radwanski, Facilities [email protected]

Mr. Joe Montgomery, Technology [email protected]

Mr. Mitchell Montgomery, Maint/Tech [email protected]

Mrs. Melissa Zuk, Marketing & Communications [email protected]

BULLETIN: DEADLINE MONDAY MORNINGBulletin items should be short and concise. Submit your articles to [email protected] by 8:00 a.m. on the Monday before the weekend you wish to have your item appear in the bulletin. All items are subject to the pastor’s approval.

PASTORAL STAFFEVANGELIZATION & PASTORAL MINISTRIES • 614-871-5224Mrs. Karen Cook, [email protected]

PASTORAL CARE • 614-875-3322Mrs. Marti Hurd, Pastoral [email protected]

YOUTH MINISTRY • 614-305-7986Mr. Casey McAndrew, [email protected]. Madison Maholm, Edge Coordinator & Life Teen [email protected]

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL614-875-3322, ext. 311Neil Doppes, [email protected]

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION • 614-875-9345Mrs. Joy Janczak, Religious Education Coordinator and Pastoral Staff Administrative [email protected]

CATECHESIS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD (CGS) • 614-875-3322 ext. 216Mrs. Julie Dilley, [email protected]

OUR LADY SCHOOL 3752 Broadway, 614-875-6779, Fax 614-539-5719School Nurse 614-875-2983Mrs. Julie Freeman, [email protected]. Tina Lee, Director of Student [email protected]. Carol Ardrey, Admin [email protected]. Heather Green, Receptionist/Admin [email protected]. Brad Allen, Enrollment, Marketing & Outreach [email protected]. Julia Shappert, Tuition [email protected]

OUR LADY PRESCHOOL AND BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT (BASE) PROGRAM • 614-875-7079Mrs. Amanda Athey, [email protected]

ALPHA • 614-507-6212Kristin Jarvis, Coordinator

MUSIC MINISTRYDirector of Music Ministry – Scott [email protected] Choir – Jody Porreca614-875-8387Children’s Choir – Kim Nocero614-563-2705

BAPTISMFor information, call Joy Janzcak in the Parish Office.

MARRIAGE Please contact the Parish Office (614-875-3322) at least six months in advance. Wedding guidelines are available at the Parish Office. To schedule a required Pre-Cana class, please contact the Diocese of Columbus Marriage and Family Life Office at 614-241-2560.

MINISTRY TO THE SICK & HOMEBOUNDIf you or someone you know is admitted to the hospital, assisted-living facility, or nursing home, or has become homebound, please call Joy Janczak in the Parish Office with the information. We can then make arrangements for reception of Holy Communion and the Sacrament of Healing.

PRAYER CHAIN • 614-394-2393Jodi Stage, [email protected]



PARISH MINISTRIESAdoration/Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament – First Fridays

Nelly & Peter Guter, 614-594-2849 (Daytime hours)Alpha - Kristin Jarvis (614-507-6212)

Asia’s Hope International Mission – Deb Sheridan, 614-371-8575

Athletics Advisory Board – Joe Dimel, 614-519-7684

Boy Scout Troop 820 – Hank Pyles, 614-313-4694

Cancer Support Group – Jodi Stage, 614-394-2393

Cleaning Crew – Karen Rohr, 614-539-3610

Creation Care Council – Sr. Nancy Miller, OSF, 614-277-9988

Cub Scout Pack 820 – Amy Bluckner, www.olphpack82.org

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion – Parish Office, 614-875-3322

Festival Committee: Jim Sullivan, 614-753-6160 Tony Lee, 614-507-3863 Diane Walker, (Silent Auction)

Finance Board – Amy Woloshan, 614-871-2177

Flowers & Church Decorating – Ann Voit, 614-745-7622

Health & Wellness Ministry – Teresa Harris, 614-216-1820

Hospitality Ministers – Sue Taylor, Parish Office, 614-875-3322

Knights of Columbus, Council 4603 – Ken Walker, 614-989-3724

Landscape Committee – Jeff Lutz, 614-705-9774

Lectors – Karen Cook, Parish Office, 614-875-3322

Men’s Faith Formation – Andy Johns, 614-949-3041

Ministry of Hope: Bereavement – Jerri Garich, 614-530-7077 Communion to the Sick – Sherry Bockus, 614-875-1469 Visitation – Marti Hurd, 614-875-3322

Our Lady’s Moms – Mary Smith, 614-302-8519

Parish Women’s Association – Andrea Adler, 614-305-1108

PTO – Josh Pierre, 614-554-5971

Respect Life – James & Angela Allan, 614-403-7831

Saintly Stitchers – Contact the Parish Office, 614-875-3322

Saints Night Out (SNO) – Candice Hixson, 614-277-0267

School Board – Shannon Regan, Chairperson, 614-871-7500

Altar Servers – Parish Office, 614-875-3322

Silver Streaks – Amy Brubaker, 614-361-7907

SPICE – Jodi Vermaaten, (614) 539-1737

Ushers – John Moloci, Parish Office, 614-875-3322

Walking with Purpose – Kimberly Kremer, 614-558-4298

Widows & Widowers Group – Jody Porreca, 614-875-8387

Giving Update2/8 to 2/14/2020

Envelopes $16,486.00Loose Cash $892.10Online Giving $4,548.00TOTAL OFFERTORY $21,926.10

Thank you for your support of Our Lady!

Congratulations to Couples Celebrating Anniversaries in February!

Gene and Susan Reeves- 50 years.

If you would like to have a special anniversary recognized in the bulletin, please send the couples’ names and how many years married to bulletin@

OurLadyOfPerpetual Help.net

SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL!

Scan your receipt on the Box Tops app for a chance to win 5,000 Bonus Box Tops for our school and a $50 Visa gift card for you!It’s easy to download the app and scan your weekly receipts! It’s even quicker than clipping box tops!

Please help us earn money and maybe you’ll win a $50 gift card! Promotion ends on February 28, 2020. Next submission deadline for clipped Box Tops is March 1, 2020. Please continue sending those in & check expiration dates! Thank you for all of your support!Our Lady PTO


FEBRUARY 23, 2020

DEAR PARISH FAMILY,

Thank you for your outpouring of love and support to Father Dan, our staff, and myself in regards to our announcement last weekend. It really does make a huge difference to know of your prayers for all of us in this difficult time.

If you would like to send letters of support, cards, or messages to Father Dan, you can drop them off in the Parish Office. There will also be a basket placed in the Gathering Space near the Lector’s stand. We will collect them each week and make sure they get to him.

I want to thank you again for how gracefully you all received this sad news. While it has rocked our community and there is certainly much hurt and anger experienced by many of our parishioners, your grace and mercy are truly astounding and a reflection of the amazing community we are here at Our Lady. Please continue to pray for Father Dan’s recovery and for the healing of our parishioners, school community, and staff.

May God bless you all, Father Jim

PARISH WOMEN’S FEBRUARY MEETING

TOPIC: SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND ACTIVE SHOOTER RESPONSE TRAINING

Our meeting this month will take place on Tuesday, February 25. As our custom, we will begin with the rosary at 6:15 in the parish life center. A short business meeting and refreshments will be followed by a very important presentation by Officer Tom Durflinger from the Grove City Police Department. This training is designed to give us important information that we can use in our everyday activities and in the event we find ourselves in an active shooter situation. Situational awareness is becoming more aware of your surroundings in order to remain safe in all circumstances. Active shooter response training gives you options to consider in case you find yourself in that situation. All are welcome and encouraged to come and bring a friend....May God keep us safe always.

For those of you that missed the announcement regarding Father Dan in Mass a couple of weeks ago, here is the full statement from the Diocese, with contact information for the Chancery Office if you have questions.

Dear Parish Family,

I have been asked to convey this message from the Diocese of Columbus. Our pastor, Father Dan Millisor, has been granted leave from the parish by Bishop Brennan to receive treatment for a gambling addiction. Today, Father was sent to a facility that specializes in addictions to get him the help he needs. We ask that you pray for Father Dan during this difficult time.

Father Michael Lumpe has been appointed to serve as Administrator pro tem of the parish. Father Mike serves as the Vicar for Priests of the Diocese and is also Vice-Rector of the College of Liberal Arts at the Josephinum seminary. Father Mike has celebrated Mass many times in your parish so he is a familiar face to you.

In light of these events, and to ensure appropriate stewardship of parish funds, the Diocese will be conducting an investigation and audit of parish finances. This process will give a more complete picture of any areas of concern and determine if financial improprieties have occurred.

As work goes forward to complete this process, we ask for your patience and support; additional information about this matter will be released as it becomes available. We ask that parishioners with particular questions or concerns reach out to Father Lumpe or the Diocese’s Chancery Office at [email protected] or 614-228-2457.

In Christ, Father Jim

This message was also sent out via email to all registered parishioners who have provided us with an email address. If you did not receive this message via email, please contact the parish office at 614.875.3322 to register as a parishioner or confirm your contact information. You may also logon to Realm to update your information yourself if you have an account set up there.

The audit mentioned in the above message will begin this Monday, February 24. The audit is being conducted by a third party, Schneider Downs, to ensure a completely unbiased report. We will publish a report of the findings as it becomes available. Again, if you have any questions please contact the Chancery Office at the infomation listed above. We greatly appreciate your prayers for all involved in this matter as we work to move forward together.



ASH WEDNESDAY MASSESWednesday, February 268:30 am | 7 pm

STATIONS OF THE CROSSEvery Friday in Lent, February 28 – April 107 pm

FISH FRY Every Friday in Lent, February 28 – April 3.5 – 7 pm

PARISH MISSIONMarch 16, 17, & 18 in Church | 6:30 pmwith Fr. Louis Mersone. More information to come!

FATHER MICHAEL GAITLEY returns to Our Lady for one evening only. He will speak following the 6:30 pm Stations on Friday, March 20. His talk is titled “The Greater Glory Tour: Finding the Father in the Gospel of John.” Fr. Gaitley was here at Our Lady last August and drew a crowd of over 500.

Easter TriduumHOLY THURSDAY, APRIL 9Mass of the Lord’s Supper | 7 pm

GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 10Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion | 3 pm

Stations of the Cross | 7 pm

HOLY SATURDAY, APRIL 11Morning Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours) | 9 am

Easter MassesEASTER VIGILSaturday, April 11, 8 pm

EASTER SUNDAY8 am, 10 am, 12 pmNo 5 pm Mass

STATIONS OF THE CROSSFriday, Feb. 28, 7 pm, led by Chris & Bev Killian

Friday, March 6, 7 pm, led by Kaila Cwiekalo

Friday, March 13, 7 pm, OPEN

Friday, March 20, 6:30 pm, led by Cynthia Karrasch & the folks participating in Fr. Michael Gaitley’s, Consoling the Heart of Jesus.

Friday, March 27, 7 pm, led by Fr. Jim

Friday, April 3, 7 pm, Sr. Nancy, Kim Nocero, David Frea, Julia Shappert

Good Friday, April 10, 7 pm, OPEN

If you are willing to lead on either of the open dates, please contact Karen Cook at 614.871.5224 or [email protected].

FISH FRYEvery Friday during Lent, February 28 – April 3

5 to 7 pm in the School Cafeteria.

Sponsored by Perpetual Help Council 4603

Prices for a single servingAdults $10 Children (under 10) $5

Best Value – All you can eat!Adults $13Seniors (60+) $9

Want a change from fish?Tomato soup and grilled cheese meal for $4 (Includes one side, drink, dessert)

Pop or water $1Additional sides $1

Present this coupon at time of purchase to receive $1 off a Meal purchase. Valid only at the 2020 Fish Fry sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Council 4603.

Lent Events at Our Lady


FEBRUARY 23, 2020

FEED THE POOR

Each year at this time, Our Lady is asked to collect food to restock the shelves of the Grove City Food Pantry. Because this time coincides with the Lenten season, we have made this a Lenten project, designated as “Feed the Poor.” Grocery bags with the list of needed items will be available in the Gathering Space beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 26. The food collection will end on Palm Sunday, April 5. We are asking parishioners to fill their brown paper bags with the following items which are most needed by the pantry at this time:

4 Boxes Tuna Helper (No Hamburger Helper, please!)

2 Cans Tuna Fish (in water)

1 Can Mixed Fruit (15 oz.)

1 Can Mandarin Oranges (15 oz.)

Applesauce

2 Cans Chili (15 oz.)

1 Box Scalloped Potatoes

1 Box Mashed Potatoes

3 Boxes Spaghetti (16 oz.)

2 Boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

Shopping Tips: Be sure to watch the grocery ads as many of the items on our list are quite often on sale. You may fill as many bags as you wish during the Lenten season, or you may purchase only a portion of the items on the list. The Food Pantry is very grateful for all donations.

Once your bags are filled, you may return them to the Parish Life Center. Each week the school’s students will sort the food. If you would rather make a monetary donation to the pantry, you may make a check payable to Grove City Food Pantry/ Emergency Fund, place it in an envelope marked “Grove City Food Pantry,” and put it in the offertory basket, or you may bring it to the Parish Office. We hope that parish families will make this a Lenten project. We ask that you pray for those who will receive your donations.

Franklin County is the most populous county in Ohio with a diverse population of 1.3 million residents. Today the county’s poverty rate (as defined by 2018 federal poverty level income numbers) is 16.7%, and it’s 29.9% for African Americans, and 25% for children. Additionally, research routinely demonstrates that the percentage of residents struggling financially is nearly twice the official poverty rate and that, despite a low official unemployment rate, the number of people in poverty has grown overall since 1970.1

The food pantry management team advises that volunteers are needed at the pantry. To learn more about these volunteer opportunities, please contact: [email protected].

1 https://commissioners.franklincountyohio.gov/COMM-website/media/Documents/FRANK-Report-1-10-Web-Ready-(Large)_1.pdf

“Lift up and stretch out your hands, not to heaven, but to the poor; for if you stretch forth your hands to the poor, you have reached the summit of heaven, but if you lift up your hands in prayer without sharing with the poor, it is worth nothing.”

– Saint John Chrysostom


FEBRUARY 23, 2020

SIGN UP FOR THE CATHOLIC TIMES

Thank you to all new and returning readers of The Catholic Times. Contact the parish office if you missed the special collection and learn how to sign up for the upcoming year for a minimum donation of only $17 (less than 39 cents per issue). Bishop Brennan encourages all Catholic households in the diocese to receive and read our diocesan newspaper,The Catholic Times. You need The Catholic Times to keep up on all of the news throughout the diocese and the

Catholic world.

PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION OPEN

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Preschool is a Christ centered, play-based and 5-star Step up to Quality rated Preschool. Many of our teaching staff are trained catechists for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and our students participate in CGS weekly. We implement the Creative Curriculum, which is aligned with the Ohio Department of Education preschool standards. We strive to provide a quality program that invites each child to learn through play. Contact Amanda Athey, [email protected], to schedule a tour or for registration information or visit our website for online registration ourladyofperpetualhelp.net/school/preschool.

BASE SUMMER PROGRAM

Our Summer BASE sign ups have begun! Our staff members are trained in CPR, First Aid, Medication Administration, Approaches to Quality and much more! We have themed activities daily and we attend Mass, visit the Library, swim at the Big Splash and take a bus to a central Ohio location weekly. This year the activity fee will be collected earlier than previous years so we can offer an Early Bird discount. The activity fee will be $200 until May 15th and then it will be $225 per child. See the form on the next page for more details. Contact Amanda Athey with any questions [email protected].

LOOKING FOR A LENTEN SACRIFICE?

Have you ever thought about helping to feed the poor? Our parish St. Vincent de Paul conference needs volunteers to help pick up donated baked goods from the Kroger Store on Georgesville Road on Monday and Tuesday mornings. The donated baked goods are delivered to St. Lawrence Haven in downtown Columbus. St. Lawrence Haven provides bag lunches during the work week to between 300 and 500 people. The process takes about two hours of time from 9 to 11 am.

If you can HELP or have any questions, please contact Neil Doppes at telephone number 614.871.4786.

Cancer Support Ministry

The Cancer Support Ministry invites you to reach out to us if you are in need of ANY kind of support for yourself, a family member, or if you are a caregiver. We can provide spiritual and emotional support as well as transportation, meals, light housekeeping, laundry, and errand assistance. Remember, no one fights alone!

Contact Jodi Stage (614-394-2393) or Kathy McMillan (614-871-0460) for more information.


FEBRUARY 23, 2020



HEALTH AND WELLNESS SURVEYThe Health and Wellness Ministry would like to offer

information and possibly interactive educational sessions to the OLPH Parish Family on illnesses/diseases that are of interest to parishioners. Please look over the survey below,

circle or check which illness/disease that would be of interest to you (you can select more than one) and place the completed form in the box at the Welcome Desk. If there is enough interest, the Health and Wellness Ministry will plan

some interactive educational sessions in the Fall.

Thanks to OSU nurse and Parishioner Margaret Jones, we will begin with educational information on Congestive Heart Failure in February. Look for our table in the Gathering Space.Please place surveys in box by the weekend of February 29/

March 1._____Hypertension (high Blood Pressure)

_____Hyperlipidemia (High Cholesterol)

_____Diabetes

_____Obstructive Sleep Apnea

_____Coronary Artery Disease

_____ Depression/Anxiety

_____Pulmonary Hypertension

_____Congestive Heart Failure

_____(other)____________________________

cut or tear here

THANK YOU FROM MATTHEW TUREK

Saint Paul’s Outreach student missionary and son of the parish, Matthew Turek, recently had the great blessing of coming and speaking about what the Lord has been doing on Ohio State’s campus through the missionary work in which he has chosen to partake. He would like to thank the people of the parish for their immense generosity and openness to co-partnering with him in the mission that the Lord has given him. The Lord constantly brings newness in our lives and our missions as individuals and as a community; know of Matthew’s continued prayers for and with you that you might know that the Lord is never done working anew within your life. If you would still like to donate and were unable previously, you may visit www.spo.org/donate and enter Matthew Turek as the intended missionary recipient, or you contact Matthew at [email protected] to hear more about what the Lord is doing or discuss alternative ways to get involved with this essential college ministry.

Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.

-Responsorial Psalm for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.




FEBRUARY 23, 2020

Even the darkest moments of the liturgy are filled with joy and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten fast, is a day of happiness, the Christian feast. It cannot be otherwise, as it forms part of the great Easter cycle.

The Paschal Mystery is above all the mystery of life in which the Church, by celebrating the death and resurrection of Christ, enters into the Kingdom of Life which He has established once and for all by His definitive victory over sin and death. We must remember the original meaning of Lent as the ver sacrum, the church’s “holy spring” in which the catechumens were

prepared for their baptism, and public penitents were made ready by penance for their restoration to the sacramental life in a communion with the rest of the Church.

Lent is, then, not a season of punishment so much as one of healing. There is joy in the salutary fasting and abstinence of the Christian who eats and drinks less in order that his mind may be more clear and receptive to receive the sacred

nourishment of God’s word, which the whole Church announces and meditates upon in each day’s liturgy throughout Lent. The whole life and teaching of Christ pass before us, and Lent is a season of special reflection and prayer, a forty-day retreat in which each Christian, to the extent that he is able, tries to follow Christ into the desert by prayer and fasting.

Some, monks and ascetics, will give themselves especially to fasting and vigils, silence and solitude in these days, and they will meditate more deeply on the word of God. But all the faithful should listen to the word as it is announced in the liturgy or in Bible services and respond to it according to their ability. In this way, for the whole church, Lent will not be merely a season simply of a few formalized penitential practices, half understood and undertaken without interest, the time of metanoia, the turning of all minds and hearts to God in preparation for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery in which some will for the first time receive the light of Christ, others will be restored to the communion of the faithful, and all will renew their baptismal consecration of their lives to God, in Christ.

The cross of ashes, traced upon the forehead of each Christian, is not only a reminder of death but inevitably (though tacitly) a pledge of resurrection. The ashes of the Christian are no longer mere ashes. The body of the Christian is a temple of the Holy Ghost, and though it is fated to see death, it will return again to life in glory. The cross, with which the ashes are traced upon us, is the sign of Christ’s victory over death. The words “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” are not to be taken as the quasi-form of a kind of “sacrament of death” (as if such a thing where possible). It might be good stoicism to receive a mere reminder of our condemnation to die, but is not Christianity. The declaration that the body must fall temporarily into dust is a challenge to spiritual combat, that our burial may be “in Christ” and that we may rise with Him to “live unto God.”

The ashes of this Wednesday are not merely a sign of death, but a promise of life to those who do penance. And yet the ashes are clearly a summons to penance, fasting and compunction.

Hence the seemingly paradoxical character of the Ash Wednesday liturgy. The Gospel charges us to avoid outward signs of grief and, when we fast, to anoint our heads and to wash our faces. Yet we receive a smear of ashes on our heads. There must be grief in this day of joy. It is a day, we shall see, in which joy and grief go together hand in hand: for that is the meaning of compunction – a sorrow which pierces, which liberates, which gives hope and therefore joy. Compunction is a baptism of sorrow, in which the tears of the penitent are psychological but also deeply religious purification, preparing a disposing him for the sacramental waters of baptism or for the sacrament of penance. Such sorrow brings joy because it is at once a mature acknowledgement of guilt and the acceptance of its full consequences: hence it implies a religious and moral adjustment to reality, the acceptance of one’s actual condition, and the acceptance of reality is always a liberation from the burden of illusion which we strive to justify by our errors in our sins. Compunction is a necessary sorrow, but it is followed by joy and relief because it wins for us one of the greatest blessings: the light of truth of the grace of humility. The tears of the Christian penitent are real tears, but they bring joy.

Only the inner rending, the tearing of the heart, brings this joy. It lets out our sins, and lets in the clean air of God’s spring, the sunlight of the days that advance toward Easter. Rending of the garments lets in nothing but the cold. The rending of the heart which is spoken of in the lesson from Joel is that “tearing away” from ourselves and our vestusas – the “oldness” of the old man, wearied with the boredom and drudgery of an indifferent existence, it we may turn to God and taste His mercy, and the liberty of His sons.

When we turn to Him, what do we find? That “He is gracious and merciful, patient and rich of mercy.” He even speaks to us in his own words, saying: “Behold I will send you corn and wine and oil and you shall be filled with them: and I will know more make you a reproach among the nations.” This at the beginning of a 40 days’ fast!

ASH WEDNESDAYBY FR. THOMAS MERTON, OCSO


FEBRUARY 23, 2020

It is necessary that at the beginning of this fast the Lord should show Himself to us in His mercy. The purpose of Lent is not only expiation, to satisfy the divine justice, but above all a preparation to rejoice in His love. And this preparation consists in receiving the gift of His mercy – a gift which we receive insofar as we open our hearts to it, passing out what cannot remain in the same room with mercy.

Now one of the things we must cast out first of all is fear. Fear narrows the little entrance of our heart. It shrinks up our capacity to love. It freezes up our power to give ourselves. If we were terrified of God as an inexorable judge, we would not confidently await His mercy, or approach Him trustfully in prayer. Our peace, our joy in Lent are a guarantee of grace.

In laying upon us the light cross of ashes, the Church desires to take off our shoulders all other heavy burdens – the crushing load of worry and obsessive guilt, the dead weight of our own self-love. We should not take upon ourselves a “burden” of penance and stagger into Lent as if we were Atlas, carrying the whole world on his shoulders.

Perhaps there is a small likelihood of our doing so. But in any case, penance is conceived by the Church less as a burden than as a liberation. It is only a burden to those who take it up unwillingly. Love makes it light and happy. And that is another reason why Ash Wednesday is filled with the lightness of love.

To say there is joy in Ash Wednesday is not to empty the procession of its sorrows and anguish. “Save me, O God,” we cry the very beginning, “for the waters have come up to my neck” (RSV translation). This is not a song of joy. If we present ourselves before God to receive ashes from the hand of the priest it is because we are convinced of our sinfulness.

Nevertheless, the liturgy of Ash Wednesday is not focused on the sinfulness of the penitents but on the mercy of God. The question of sinfulness is raised precisely because this is a day of mercy.

Nowhere will we find more tender expressions of the divine mercy that on this day. His mercy is kind. He looks upon us “according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies.” In the introit we sing: “You are merciful to all (Misereris omnium), O Lord, and despise nothing that You have made. You overlook people’s sins, to bring them to repentance, and You spare them, for You are the Lord our God” (current Roman Missal).

How good are these words of Wisdom in a time when on all sides the Lord is thought by men to be a God who hates. Those who deny Him say they do so because evil in the world could be the work only of a God that hated the world.

But even those who profess to love Him regard Him too often as a furious Father, who seeks only to punish and to revenge Himself for the evil that is done “against Him” – One who cannot abide the slightest contradiction but will immediately mark it down for retribution, and will not let a farthing of the debt go unpaid.

This is not the God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself “hides” our sins (dissimulans peccata) and gets them

out of sight, like a mother making quick and efficient repairs on the soiled face of the child just before entering a house where he ought to appear clean. The blessings of the ashes know Him only as the “God who desires not the death of the sinner,” “who is moved by humiliation and appeased by satisfaction.” He is everywhere shown to us as “abundant in mercy” – multum misericors.

And from the infinite treasure of His mercies He draws forth a gift of compunction. This is a sorrow without servile fear, which is all the more deep and tender as it receives pardon from the tranquil, calm love of the merciful Lord: a love which the Latin liturgy calls, and to untranslatable words, serenissima pietas. The God of Ash Wednesday is like a calm sea of mercy. In him there is no anger.

The “hiding” of God’s severity is not a subterfuge. It is a revelation of His true nature. He’s not severe, and it is not theologically accurate to say that He becomes angry, that He is moved to hurt and to punish.

He is love. Love becomes severe only to those who make Him severe for themselves. Love is hard only to those who refuse Him. It is not, and cannot be, Love’s will to be refused. Therefore it is not and cannot be Love’s will to be severe and to punish.

But it is of the very nature of Love that His absence is sorrow and death and punishment. His severity flows not from His own nature but from the fact of our refusal. Those who refuse Him are severe to themselves, and immolate themselves to the bloodthirsty god of their own self-love.

It is from this idol that Love would deliver us. To such bitter servitude, Love would never condemn us.

This brings us to the meaning of the Lenten fast. It is not that food is evil, or that natural satisfactions are something God grudgingly allows us, preferring to deprive us of them when He can.

Fasting is a good thing because food itself as a good thing. But the good things of this world have this about them, that they are good in their season and not out of it. Food is good, but to be constantly eating is a bad thing and in fact is not even pleasant. The man who gorges himself with food and drink enjoys his surfeiting much less than the fasting person enjoys his frugal collation.

Even the fast itself, in moderation and according to God’s will, is a pleasant thing. There are healthy natural joys in self-restraint: joys of the spirit which shares its lightness even with the flesh. Happy is the man whose flesh does not burden his spirit but rests only lightly upon its arm, like a graceful companion.

That is why there is wisdom in fasting. The clear head and the light step of the one who is not overfed enable him to see his way into travel through life with a wiser joy. There’s even a profound natural rightness in this fast at the spring of the year.

These reasons are true as far as they go, but they are not in themselves a sufficient explanation of the Lenten fast. Fasting is not merely a natural and ethical discipline for the Christian. It is true that Saint Paul evokes the classic comparison of the athlete


FEBRUARY 23, 2020

in training, but the purpose of the Christian fast is not simply to tone up the system, to take off useless fat, and get the body as well as the soul in trim for Easter. The religious meaning of the Lenten fast is deeper than that. Our fasting is to be seen in the context of life and death, and Saint Paul made clear that he brought his body into its subjection not merely for the good of the soul, but that the whole man might not be “cast away.” In other words the Christian fast is something essentially different from a philosophical and ethical discipline for the good of the mind. It has a part in the work of salvation, and therefore in the Paschal mystery. The Christian must deny himself, whether by fasting or in some other way, in order to make clear his participation, and therefore in the Paschal mystery. The mystery of our burial with Christ in order to rise with Him to a new life. This cannot be merely a matter of “interior acts” and “good intentions.” It is not supposed to be something purely “mental” and subjective. That is why fasting is proposed to the Christian by long tradition and by the Bible itself as a concrete way of expressing one’s self-denial in imitation of Christ in participation with His mysteries.

It is true that the present discipline of the Church, for serious reasons, has alleviated the obligation of fasting and in some areas has done away with it altogether. But certainly the Christian should desire, if he is able, to participate in this ancient Lenten observance which is so necessary for a genuine understanding of the meaning of the Paschal Mystery.

Finally, the ashes themselves are spiritual medicine, like all the sacramentals. The fruits of these apparently sterile ashes are wonderfully rich! Great is the secret power imparted to them by the influence of the risen body of Christ, who by His victory has become “life-giving Spirit.”

The riches of this sacramental are clear from the prayers of the blessing. Blessed and sanctified by the signed the cross, the ashes become a remedium salubre, a health-giving medicine, and they bring sanitas (wholeness, cleanness) to the body as well as protection to the soul, both of those availing for the remission of sins. They bring the grace of that humility which they signify, they bring also the pardon which we implore by the fact of receiving them.

They bring at the same time a realization of the horror of sin, and confidence of forgiveness. They bring with them all the aids necessary for the holy war of Lent, and they impart a special efficacy to our Lenten penances and prayers.

In a word, the ashes sign our whole being with the merciful blessing of God.

Excerpted from Merton’s book “Seasons of Celebration”

Father Thomas Merton was a monk at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky.

For more information about Father Thomas Merton or to support the monks at the Abbey please visit their web page at www.monks.org.

REFLECTING ON THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS:A PRAYER FOR THE SEASON OF LENT

BY FR. THOMAS MERTON, OCSO

Justify my soul, O God, but also from Your fountains fill my will with fire. Shine in my mind, although perhaps this means “be darkness to my experience,” but occupy my heart with Your tremendous Life.

Let my eyes see nothing in the world but Your glory, and let my hands touch nothing that is not for Your service.

Let my tongue taste no bread that does not strengthen me to praise Your great mercy.

I will hear Your voice and I will hear all harmonies You have created, singing Your hymns.

Sheep’s wool and cotton from the field shall warm me enough that I may live in Your service; I will give the rest to Your poor.

Let me use all things for one sole reason: to find my joy in giving You glory.

Therefore keep me, above all things, from sin.

Keep me from the death of deadly sin which puts hell in my soul.

Keep me from the murder of lust that blinds and poisons my heart.

Keep me from the sins that eat a man’s flesh with irresistible fire until he is devoured.

Keep me from loving money in which is hatred, from avarice and ambition that suffocate my life.

Keep me from the dead works of vanity and the thankless labor in which artists destroy themselves for pride and money and reputation, and saints are smothered under the avalanche of their own importunate zeal.

Stanch in me the rank wound of covetousness and the hungers that exhaust my nature with their bleeding. Stamp out the serpent envy that stings love with poison and kills all joy.

Untie my hands and deliver my heart from sloth. Set me free from the laziness that goes about disguised as activity when activity is not required of me, and from the cowardice that does what is not demanded, in order to escape sacrifice.

But give me the strength that waits upon You in silence and peace. Give me humility in which alone is rest, and deliver me from pride which is the heaviest of burdens. And possess my whole heart and soul with the simplicity of love.

Occupy my whole life with the one thought and the one desire of love, that I may love not for the sake of merit, not for the sake of perfection, not for the sake of virtue, not for the sake of sanctity, but for You alone.

For there is only one thing that can satisfy love and reward it, and that is You alone.

[Excerpted from Merton’s book New Seeds of Contemplation]





AROUND THE DIOCESE

CATHOLIC ENGAGED ENCOUNTERNeeding some time away from the busyness, your responsibilities, job, and wedding planning to foster an intimacy that transcends your heart’s desires and heightens the passion of God’s plan for a sacramental marriage? Join us for a weekend, giving each other the gift to have time with limited distractions to listen to our presenting couples share real life stories with you about their own marriages that will inspire you and your fiancé during one-on-one writing and discussions. Spending this time together will help to solidify your values centered in faith, deepen your love, and bring a new understanding to your newfound unity. The Catholic Engaged Encounter community is a worldwide group of passionate volunteers on the subject of marriage. Join us in Columbus and satisfy the Catholic Church’s Pre-Cana requirements. To find out more information and to register, please go to www.engaged.org or email [email protected]. Weekends are available in February, June and October this year!

A wedding is a day, a marriage is a lifetime!

ST. MARY MAGDALENE BOOK AND MEDIA SALE AND K OF C PANCAKE BREAKFAST

Please join the parishioners of St. Mary Magdalene for our annual Book and Media Sale the weekend of February 29 th and March 1. Thousands of hard and soft cover children’s, adult, and young adult books will be available for purchase at extremely reasonable prices. Also for sale are DVD movies, music CDs, vinyl records, board games and jigsaw puzzles and lots of miscellaneous merchandise.

The Media Sale will take place on Saturday, February 29 th from 5:00 to 7:00 PM and on Sunday, March 1 from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, with Sunday Pancake and Egg breakfast, sponsored by Knights of Columbus Council 13581, offered from 10:00 to 12:30. The sale and breakfast are both in the Church Hall at 473 S. Roys Ave. in Columbus.

BETHESDA (POST ABORTION) HEALING MINISTRY

If you or someone you know have been struggling with depression, anxiety, substance dependency, or intimacy issues due to a past abortion experience, you are not alone. Bethesda Healing Ministry offers a community of hope and healing to those who have been wounded by an abortion. We are a community of men and women who have been there, we count on each other for support and we welcome you with open arms. Please call 614-309-0157 to speak confidentially with a caring and loving advocate or visit our website at bethesdahealing.org

JOB OPENING AT BISHOP READYTechnology director opening, full-time, 12-month position at Bishop Ready High School. Requirements: Bachelor’s degree plus a minimum of 3 years experience in leadership position directing technology initiatives; strong, extensive knowledge of computers, iPads, and related technology as applied to K-12 education. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, managing computer networks, plus development, implementation, operation, monitoring, and evaluation of technology program for the school. Send resume and cover letter by March 13 to Celene A. Seamen, President, Bishop Ready High School, 707 Salisbury Road, Columbus, OH 43204 or email [email protected].

OHIO DOMINICAN TO HOST PREVIEW DAY ON SATURDAY, MARCH 21

All high school students are invited to attend Ohio Dominican University’s Preview Day from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 21. The free event will take place on ODU’s campus at 1216 Sunbury Road, Columbus, 43219. Students will have an opportunity to tour campus, explore majors, and learn about ODU’s Honors and Early Admission programs. Register today at ohiodominican.edu/PreviewDay.

SPRING CLEAN UPSt. Joseph, Resurrection, Holy Cross and Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemeteries will begin removing wintertime decorations beginning March 2nd, weather permitting. Families are advised to remove any personal keepsakes they wish to retain as soon as possible.

FEBRUARY 23, 2020

MINISTRY TO THE POOR

This month we are collecting travel-size men’s and women’s deodorant and toothpaste for our hygiene kits for Holy Family and the Open Shelter. Please place all items in the compartment located near the Scrip desk in the Gathering Space.

Did You Lose It? Perhaps We Found It!

Check the Lost & Found area in the Gathering Space to see if something you are missing has turned up there! Certain items are also kept in the parish office, waiting for their rightful owners. Please stop in to check.