Page 1 MARCH 21, 2021
Page 2 Prince of Peace Catholic Church 4300 Walnut Lake Rd. West Bloomfield, MI 48323 Phone 248-681-9424 ~ Fax 248-681-5543 Website: www.princeofpeacecatholic.church Office Hours: Monday-Wednesday 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Thursday and Friday Closed Father Ron Jozwiak pastor@princeofpeacecatholic.church Weekend Liturgies: Saturday: 4:00 p.m. Sundays: 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. Weekday Liturgies: Tuesday and Wednesday at 8:30 am. Reconciliation/Penance By appointment for parishioners. Parish Office: 248-681-9424 Amanda Brewer Email bulletin articles to: parishsecretary@princeofpeacecatholic.church Bookkeeper: 248-681-9424 Deb Peltier bookkeeper@princeofpeacecatholic.church Education Office: 248-681-5070 dre@princeofpeacecatholic.church Adult Education/RCIA Office: 248-681-9424 Coordinator: Jeanne Martin adulted@princeofpeacecatholic.church Worship Office: 248-681-9424 Minister: Linda Plotkowski worship@princeofpeacecatholic.church Baptisms, Weddings, Funeral/Memorial Services Youth Ministry: 248-681-9424 youthminister@princeofpeacecatholic.church Musicians/Choir: 248-681-9424 Pastoral Musician: David Hansen Readings for the week of March 21, 2021 Sunday: Jer 31:3134/Ps 51:34, 1213, 1415/Heb 5:79/Jn 12:2033 Monday: Dn 13:19, 1517, 1930, 3362/ Ps 23:13a, 3b4, 5, 6/Jn 8:111 Tuesday: Nm 21:49/Ps 102:23, 1618, 1921 Jn 8:2130 Wednesday: Dn 3:1420, 9192, 95/Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56/Jn 8:3142 Thursday: Is 7:1014; 8:10/Ps 40:78, 89, 10, 11/Heb 10:410/Lk 1:2638 Friday: Jer 20:1013/Ps 18:23a, 3bc4, 56, 7/Jn 10:3142 Saturday: Ez 37:2128/Jer 31:10, 1112, 13/ Jn 11:4556 Next Sunday: Mk 11:110/Is 50:47/Ps 22:89, 1718, 1920, 2324/Phil 2:611/ Mk 14:115:47 Stations of the Cross Stations of the Cross will be prayed on Fridays during Lent at 6:00 pm. Please note this is a new time for Stations to be prayed at Prince of Peace! 2021 Easter Flower Offering Special printed envelopes are in the envelope packet mailed to all registered parishioners. Please, carefully PRINT the name or names you would like to offer the flowers for. These names will be published in our bulletin. MISSION STATEMENT: Growing in Grace, Gratitude and Giving All requests must be received in the parish office no later than March 28th, to be included in the April 4, Easter Bulletin.
Page 3 5th Sunday of Lent Some may want signs and wonders but what God offers us is much more valuable. Some want signs and wonders so that others may come to believe. Signs and wonders, however, only serve a shortterm goal but often do not change hearts from unbelief to true belief. In fact, signs and wonders in our day and age would probably not quench the thirst but insist on more and more theater. What God offers us is much more valuable and may the words given to Jeremiah come true and soon! Here in Jeremiah 31 the people are offered a "new covenant" from God. This new covenant will not be just like it was during the time of the Exodus from Egypt, but will be more profound and lifegiving. The Lord is going to give them a new heart and way of life by placing His law "within them and write it upon their hearts." Such is in the intimate relationship that God wants with His people that we have been given His promise and it will always prove true. The prophet continues to speak God's word and in one of the most profound statements reveals that God's law and God love will become a natural part of our existence to the point "No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the Lord. All from the least to greatest, shall know me, says the Lord, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more." Wouldn't that be a wonderful reality when we accept his Word? That our God and his word would bond us together in a bond that could never be undone by time or any human effort. God will be in us, with us, guiding us and it would be natural for us to love one another, serve one another and forgive one another because it would just be the natural movement of heart and mind. But we are not there yet. The covenant relationship in which God's word and law would simply be natural to our existence as much as breathing is, has to be accepted by both parties. It is true that God is always true to his Word and his Word is true, but we are fickle people who sometimes go from one thing to the next, forgetting what we already have been taught and look for the next big thing on the horizon. In our invaluable worth to God we make light of His gift and try, like little children, to act as if we are in charge. We can live in the land of makebelieve only so long before reality sets us straight. And we ask for God's mercy once again to get us back on track. He will do so, he will always do so. Even with the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, we turn away from becoming one with God and like some we look for Jesus to perform a sign or wonder in order that we might be amused. But the only sign we have from Jesus is the cross. And we have yet to fathom the eternity of truth contained in this act of great love. Only when we start with the cross of Christ do we enter into the real life of God. It is through the cross that life in all its splendor is revealed, the cost of discipleship made real and the paradox of life made whole. For those who have whole heartedly meditated and learned the way of the Cross, we call them saints in the making. For they are the ones who have the Word of Lord within them and cannot but live it out in service, courage, honor, compassion, with suffering besides. The saints before us remind us that God's word does want to be a natural part of our lives. The saints call out to us to accept his gracious gift and choose to live by it. They are the seed that has died to self and become one with God and his Spirit to produce much good in the world. Jeremiah proclamation of God's great love comes to us today as a reminder of God's great love for us. It needs to be remembered and sought after. For where our heart is, so will be our life. Father Ron
Page 4 LIVE THE LITURGY How do we convince people that God s law is written upon their hearts? God is wedded to God s people. This is a simple and fundamental fact of life. Yet, many ignore this truth and carry on as if they, or humanity as a whole, are the center of the universe. As a grain of wheat has to fall to the ground and die in order to become what it really is, we too must die to our secular images and ideas of ourselves so that we can become who God really made us to be. If all of us kept our focus on God s deep bonded love with human beings, indeed with our very self, then there would be no need to teach others this fundamental life lesson. They would simply know this truth, as Jeremiah tells us. Somehow, perhaps through original and personal sin, we have lost sight of this reality. We have lost our way and our axis. It is time to find our way back, to learn the virtue of obedience, to pay attention to what God is saying and become aware of the Divine Love that is the reason for all creation. Then, even in our darkest hour when all may seem to be lost, we can say as did Jesus, the model of obedience, Father, glorify your name, By this perseverance, people can come to know the Lord and what God has done. LPi EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP When Our Own Hour Comes We parents know that it s tricky, tackling the topic of fear with our kids. We want them to know that it s okay to be scared, that it s something we all feel from time to time. We want them to understand that bravery isn t the absence of fear, but the choices we make in persevering despite that feeling. Most of all, we want to model the right kind of behavior for our kids. Whatever our scary situation is illness, a job loss, life changes we want them to see us make a choice to face that fear headon. Jesus seems to be the parent who is gently broaching the topic of fear with his children. A great sense of foreboding hangs over these readings. Jesus knew what was coming. He knew it was going to be hard, both for him and for his followers, who did not have his courage. Even he admits to being troubled and he speaks of the time of judgment. There is the dramatic raising of Lazarus, the talk of how a grain of wheat must die in order to bear fruit, the depiction of Christ as an obedient student of his own suffering. Yet what should I say? he asks them. Father, save me from this hour? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. This week, Christ gives us a very parental gift: He shows us his fear, and he shows us how to conquer it. He challenges us to embrace the purpose for which we came to this hour whatever that hour may hold. Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS LPi Holy Week and Easter Schedule Sunday, March 28, 2021 Palm Sunday Saturday 4:00pm Sunday 8:00am and 10:00am Palms will be Blessed during Mass and distributed after Mass. Thursday, April 1, 2021 Holy Thursday 6:00pm Mass of the Lord s Supper Due to COVID Adoration will be 1 hour after Mass 78:00pm Friday, April 2, 2021 Good Friday 1:00pm Good Friday Service Saturday, April 3, 2021 Holy Saturday 11:00am Blessing of Food 8:00 pm Easter Vigil Mass Sunday, April 4, 2021 Easter Sunday Mass at 8am & 10am
Page 5 GOSPEL MEDITATION March 21, 2021 5 th Sunday of Lent Any good teacher or parent will tell you that once a lesson is really learned it doesn t need to be taught again. When we internalize things we have learned, they become a part of who we are and influence how we perceive and interact with our world. The same is true for the law God has written upon our hearts. Once humanity learns this lesson, we will simply know it to be true and act accordingly. Sometimes, it is hard to get people to learn the lessons they need to learn. They are often distracted, disinterested, conflicted, misdirected, or just too stubborn and unable or unwilling to see what is right before their eyes. Understanding that God is in a loving and committed relationship with those fashioned and formed in God s own image, seems like such a simple lesson to learn. But history and experience has proven that it is not. We struggle with faith, especially when that faith asks us to learn something very particular about ourselves. We must, like a grain of wheat, fall to the ground and die. Because God s DNA is at the very core of who we are, there are specific pearls of wisdom that must be acquired before we can live a full life. One very powerful lesson is that it is not the task of the world to tell us who we are and what has meaning, but God. For many, death is not an opportunity for greater life but a permanent ending to the life they have known. Jesus knew every dimension to what it means to be fully human because he was! He knows the joys, limitations, sorrows, frustrations, wonders, suffering, opportunities, and joys of the human experience. Jesus can teach us a wealth of knowledge and life s lessons from his example, especially obedience. When we accept the law God has placed in our hearts and gain wisdom from it, then when we suffer we learn to listen more attentively to the Voice behind that law. We naturally flee to our Creator for inspiration, consolation, hope, direction, and comfort as we navigate through this time of darkness. We will not need to run from it, subdue it, fight it, or be overcome by it because we will know, having internalized this profound lesson before, that God will bring new life. God s law is love and love never fails. Even in the moments of Jesus deepest despair, he glorified the name of his Father. What he learned allowed him to put everything in perspective and be obedient to the tender, loving Voice that echoed within. As Lent quickly winds down, may we learn the same! Then, may we gain the fortitude and wisdom to help others see what is right before their eyes. LPi Youth Group Join Us Tuesday, March 23rd 7-8:30 pm in the Youth Room Thank you for your generous support of The Catholic Relief Services Collection and for helping Jesus in disguise. Your contributions make a difference for the poor and marginalized around the world. For more information visit www.usccb.org/ nationalcollections.
Page 6 Saturday, March 20 4:00 p.m. Gary Graustein Carl & Pearl Weeg Cris Nazareno Sunday, March 21 8:00 a.m. Families of Prince of Peace 10:00 a.m. Dawood Dalaly Mariam Dalaly Fawaz Dalaly Tuesday, March 23 8:30 a.m. Families of Prince of Peace Wednesday, March 24 8:30 a.m. Families of Prince of Peace Pray for... Lisa Caplin Anderson John Gernacy Gracious Lord, Remember in your mercy those who suffer today. Give strength and encouragement to those who minister to their needs. Remember your promise not to let them be tested beyond what they are able to bear. Above all, give them the reassurance that you are with them as they walk through this valley of the shadow of death. And in your good time send healing of body and spirit. Michigan Catholic Conference: focus A BLUEPRINT FOR THE COMMON GOOD 2021 2022 ADVOCACY PRINCIPLES Week 6 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WHOEVER DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR RELA- TIVES AND ESPECIALLY FAMILY MEMBERS HAS DENIED THE FAITH 1 TIMOTHY 5:8, NAB Family is the critical societal structure. It is where an individual s values and character are first formed, where children learn about love and happiness, where memories and traditions begin and continue into future generations. It is also where individuals learn to resolve differences, to express their emotions in a healthy way, to recognize unhealthy behavior, to respect others, and to apply virtues. Recognizing the role a committed husband and wife in marriage play in the lives of their family and the community as a whole, MCC supports: Promoting the traditional definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Policies that protect and promote the stability of marriage and the institution of the family. Policies that strengthen the longstanding relationship between the State of Michigan and nonprofit agencies in the provision of child placement services. Amending Michigan s nofault divorce laws. Policies that combat human trafficking, domestic violence, and abuse of vulnerable persons. In Jesus name Amen
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