4th Sunday of Easter
Recently I was with my little dog Libby at a retreat center in the Arizona desert. I sat in a chair near a ravine filled with shrubs. Unbeknownst to me, Libby wandered down there and disappeared. Suddenly an animal’s wild shriek erupted from the area. Without thinking, I bolted down into the ravine fully expecting to see coyotes, javelinas, or rattlesnakes. I didn’t care. I desperately wanted to get Libby out of there, without any self-regard. Before I could face whatever danger lay hidden, my dog blissfully trotted out from an entirely different area, utterly unaware that I had (quite heroically) just placed my life on the line. When the adrenaline wore off, I thought to myself: how far would I have been willing to go to save her? I don’t know. But I do know, if I had literally died, my friends and family would have certainly thought me insane for dying for a dog. No offense, Libby. How passionately Jesus wants us to know Him and His willingness to die for us! This week He says, “I know my own and my own know me,” and “I lay down my life for the sheep.” Here we encounter an insanely excessive love for us. Christianity is a relationship and not simply a religion or ethical code. In Jesus, God rescues and saves us. He laid down His life for you and me — and He has taken it up again. So often we are like Libby — blissfully ignorant of the reality of both our spiritual danger and His saving love. This Easter season, the risen Jesus calls us to be more conscious than ever before about His love. He never ceases to lay down His life for us. — Father John Muir
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
My Aunt Pat was diagnosed with leukemia several months ago and the doctors were not optimistic about her chances of beating it. My Uncle Joe and her have lost hope. My Uncle Joe is my mom’s younger brother, and I was talking to my mom about the situation. She too is down about it and feeling lost. I reminded her of a plant that I have in the rectory. The plant, when given to me some years ago, was huge; it had many leaves and even some flowers. Now, people including my mom look at it and tell me to get rid of it for it is dead. But it is not dead, yes it was down to one leaf and only one leaf. I looked at that one leaf and I saw life; I saw hope that it could make a comeback and as long as there is that one leaf, I would not lose hope. I continued to nurture the plant, watering it, and yes talking to it! Now that one leaf has three new branches forming. My faith has been rewarded. I look at my aunt the same way, yes, she is going through a rough time and the odds are not in her favor, but she is alive! As long as she is alive, I will continue to hold onto hope, I will continue to have faith that my prayers for her recovery can be answered. I will also place my trust in God, knowing He knows what is for the best and will help each of us deal with whatever happens as long as we allow Him to do so. My brothers and sisters, always remember that as long as we have faith and trust in God, there will always be one leaf…which represents Hope!
God Bless you and have a wonderful week, Fr. Michael
This Saturday, April 27th there will be First Penance & First Holy Communion practice beginning at 10 am in Church.
Also, the Confirmation class will be attending their Retreat at the Archdiocesan Retreat Center in Kearny. They must be there for check-in by 10 am.
2024 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal
We have reached our goal for the 2024 Annual Appeal!! Thank you for your prayers and support.
SCRIPTURAL REFLECTIONS ON STEWARDSHIP
“I am the good shepherd…and I lay down my life for the sheep…and they will heed my voice.”
When you pray, do you only ask Jesus for the things that you want? Do you ever ask Jesus what He wants from you? How do you listen for His response? Many times Jesus responds in “quiet whispers” that are not so obvious. So, take time every day, in silence, to actively listen for His voice.
PRAYER REQUESTS
That God will relieve their suffering and restore them to health. Please pray for Please pray for: Kellie Salata, Kelly Chinchar, Jessica, Daniel Breslin, Stanley, Helen Traina, Joseph Marrone, Bill Marshall, Anthony, Michael, Joseph, Jessica Esopo, William, Steve, Audra, Bernadette, James Weiss, Baby Ford, Rosemary Malangone, Elizabeth Malangone, Sue West, Danny, Colleen Emery, Richard, Joan Russo, Christina Martin, Mornia Evans, Valerie Valverde, Diana McGuckin, Pat Peterson, Manny Scarangella.
Please consider sponsoring our Bread & Wine, Altar Flowers, and the oil for the Sanctuary Lamp.
The gift of Bread & Wine for the month of April has been given in memory of Kyle P. Jashembowski by Linda J. Sylvestri.
The Sanctuary Lamp for the first two weeks of April has been given in memory of Lucia DiNardo & Giuseppe Manieri. The second two weeks have been given in memory of Michael, Pietro & Elena Manieri by Maria & Nicola Totaro.
Easter and Holy Week at our parish this year was a tremendous celebration because of the efforts of so many people. The lectors, Eucharistic ministers and ministers of hospitality did a great job to make the liturgy much more meaningful. All those who helped did a fine job decorating and preparing our church for our Easter celebration. So, a big THANK YOU from all of us at Immaculate Conception for what you do to make our celebrations so spiritually significant.
We appreciate and are very thankful to all our parishioners and friends who continuously support our church. God bless us all.
To all our Lectors and Catechists or Religious Education Teachers, thank you very much. God bless you all!
Thanks to Rose and Lenny Sunga for the orchids and to the Sanzari Family for the altar flowers and to all who help and support our church.
Opportunities for Parish Support
There are several ways you can help support our parish and honor loved ones at the same time. As you may have noticed on the first Sunday of every month in our bulletin, we thank the donors of our Altar Gifts. You can donate the Bread & Wine, Altar Flowers, or the Sanctuary Lamp in a two-week block for $50 in someone’s memory. We have blocks open for this year. We also need to purchase a new Easter candle each year (the tall candle on the altar) for $300-$400 which can also be donated in someone’s memory. You do not have to fund the entire amount, anything you wish to donate towards the purchase of our Easter candle is appreciated. We also have masses available for your intentions. If you wish to honor someone in any of these ways, please call the rectory.
Prayer for our Nation
God our Father, giver of life, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care. You are the rock on which this nation was founded. You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Reclaim this land for your glory and dwell among your people. Send your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nation’s leaders. Open their minds to the great worth of human life and the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Remind your people that true happiness is rooted in seeking and doing your will. Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, patroness of our land, grant us the courage to reject the “culture of death.” Lead us into a new millennium of life. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Praying the ROSARY
The Rosary is a meditation, a time to recall and think about the life of Jesus as seen and experienced by Mary. As the model of faith, Mary’s life sets a pattern that we strive to follow: saying ‘yes’ to God’s will in our lives and sharing His love and message with others. The Mysteries of the Rosary form a mini lesson of faith, using the highlights and significant moments of the life of Jesus. Like paging through a family scrapbook, we see in brief the events of salvation history that are the core of our belief and the hope of our eternal life.
OUR ADVERTISERS OF THE WEEK
WE NEED BULLETIN ADVERTISERS!!
We would like to thank all the advertisers who have supported us throughout the past year. Our parish benefits greatly from the ads you see in the bulletin. The revenue pays for the printing which is an important means of communication for the parish. If we do not have enough advertisers, the cost of our bulletin goes up. We thank the local businesses that advertise with us especially in these tough economic times. We have some spaces on the back of our bulletin that need filling so if you would like to advertise your business as well as benefit your church, please contact John Patrick Publishing at 1-800-333-3166.
Please support our advertisers at the back cover of bulletin.
***CALENDAR IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE***