Dear Parishioners:
R.I.P. ARCHBSIHOP ALEXANDER J. BRUNETT
Thank you for your 13 years of Ministry in our Archdiocese of Seattle.
- Happy Presidents Day – Monday February 17… This long weekend helps us to celebrate and remember the birthdays and the lives of our first President, George Washington and others like President Abraham Lincoln, … … and the blessing of our country that come with such unique time in history.
- The Sermon on the Mount (the Beatitudes) is the place in the New Testament where one sees the power over the law clearly affirmed and decisively exercised by Jesus. As we hear a long Gospel passage today which may seem to be complex and filled with prohibitions (5:17-37). It is far too easy to “tune out” of such a Gospel text, rather than trying to understand its rich meaning. The passage begins with a word of reassurance: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill”.
The law remains and will always remain because it comes from our unchanging God. Jesus intends to state the ideals of the new kingdom on earth that is ushered in by his appearance. Jesus’ whole intention is to bring people beyond legalism and a literal interpretation of rules, and into the spirit of the law.
Jesus’ language of fulfilment must always be understood in relation to the Covenant with the Jewish people and in relation to the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. Jesus knows the Law perfectly and observes it with devotion. Jesus goes so far as to declare himself the new lawgiver, with an authority equal to that of God.
Jesus also presents himself as a fulfilment of the Wisdom literature in the Old Testament that the people of God is governed on one side by the Law, which indicates the way, and on the other side, by the Prophets, who correct the people, the kings, and even the priests when they go astray.
- The Lenten Season will be here in 10 days; while we are mindful of this special Season soon, let’s pray for the following three groups of people making an extra journey.
Please, keep the Catechumens and Candidates for Full Communion (RCIA) in our prayer as they are preparing for the Rite of Election with our Archbishop on Saturday, February 28 at St. Cecilia in Bainbridge Island with other parishes in our Olympic Deanery.
Please, keep our high-school Candidates for Confirmation in your prayer as they’re preparing for being “Fully Initiated in the Catholic Church” through the Sacrament of Confirmation on Wednesday, May 6 at 7:00 PM at St. Gabriel Parish.
Last, but not least, please keep our second-graders are also preparing for their First Holy Communion during Easter Season.
Christ’s Peace,
Fr. Phuong Hoang