• For taking photos: Mr. Brian Tran, Fr. Claude Williams
• For providing a Parent Lunch: Mr. and Mrs. Hai Pham, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Rivero, Mr. and
Mrs. Bruce Schardt, Mr. and Mrs. Brian Tran, and Mr. and Mrs. Tin Vu.Congratulations to Nick Hanson who received the rank of Eagle Scout at his Court of Honor on March 20, 2010 !
Announcements
• This week’s photo gallery includes Nicholas Hanson's Eagle Court of Honor, American ballad singer “Big Mike” Hills, and March's Parent Lunch.
• Third Quarter Oral Exams begin March 30. No student may sit for his semester or quarter exams without all of his financial obligations being current. Parent Student Handbook, Chapter 6, section 10.
• Easter Holidays begin after after the Good Friday Liturgy. Please
calculate student departure from St. Michael’s to be approximately 4:35 p.m. There will be a shuttle departing from St. Michael’s to the train station at approximately 4:40 p.m.Volunteer Opportunities
• Join in sponsoring a Parent Lunch or Event Reception
• Take photos
• Help before-during-after an athletic event
• Host weekenders
Baseball This Week
Tuesday, March 23rd vs Eastside Christian @ Ameritage Park; 3:15 pm
Thursday, March 25th vs CVC @ San Juan Sports Park; 3:15 pm
Movie: The Passion of the Christ
Before the solemn liturgy on Good Friday, St. Michael’s is planning to show to the students the film “The Passion of the Christ.” Since showing R rated films is not our usual practice, we ask each parent to email their authorization to Fr. Chrysostom, the dean of students. cbaeropraem@juno.com Any student who has not received parental permission will not watch the film.
Weekly Homily by Fr. Justin Ramos, O.Praem.Among other things, Fr. Justin helps lead the abbey expansion project.
“The man believed what Jesus said to him and left” words of this morning’s gospel…
There was a tightrope walker, who did incredible aerial feats. All over Paris, he would do tightrope acts at tremendously scary heights. Then he had succeeding acts; he would do it blindfolded, then he would go across the tightrope, blindfolded, pushing a wheelbarrow. An American promoter read about this in the papers and wrote a letter to the tightrope walker, saying, "Tightrope, I don't believe you can do it, but I'm willing to make you an offer. For a very substantial sum of money, besides all your transportation fees, I would like to challenge you to do your act over Niagara Falls." Now, Tightrope wrote back, "Sir, although I've never been to America and seen the Falls, I'd love to come." Well, after a lot of promotion and setting the whole thing up, many people came to see the event. Tightrope was to start on the Canadian side and come to the American side. Drums roll, and he comes across the rope which is suspended over the treacherous part of the falls -- blindfolded!! And he makes it across easily. The crowds go wild, and he comes to the promoter and says, "Well, Mr. Promoter, now do you believe I can do it?" "Well of course I do. I mean, I just saw you do it." "No," said Tightrope, "do you really believe I can do it?" "Well of course I do, you just did it." "No, no, no," said Tightrope, "do you believe I can do it?" "Yes," said Mr. Promoter, "I believe you can do it." "Good," said Tightrope, "then you get in the wheel barrow."
The word believe, in Greek means "to live by". The story of the tightrope makes you ask, how often do we say that we believe in Christ and all the teaching in his church but refuse to get in the wheelbarrow?
The royal official had very little faith in Christ. He asked that Christ come to his home to heal his son; he didn’t think Christ could heal his son unless he was physically present. He wanted to see the miracle with his own eyes. That is why our Lord tells him “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
Faith is a supernatural virtue; it is a super human power! We all get it at baptism. It gives us the capacity of assenting with our mind to everything that God has revealed in Sacred Scripture and in Sacred Tradition.
This superhuman power allows us to accept, assent with our minds to everything that God has revealed. But, we accept everything God reveals not because we comprehend, but because God who can neither deceive nor be deceived reveals it. In other words, we believe because Christ has told us it is true.
We get a glimpse of what this faith entails with the story of the Tightrope and with this following illustration:
One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, were flames, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters."
Our Catholic faith enables us to face life or meet death, not because we can see, but with the certainty that we are seen; not that we know all the answers, but that we are known and loved by God.
As we continue in our Lenten journey, let us ask our Heavenly Father to give us the faith of his holy mother Mary as she stood on Calvary and saw her son bleeding to death. She believed he was God who as man was dying out of love for us. May she obtain for us from her Son greater faith in him so that believing in Him here on earth, we may possess him and be embraced by him for all eternity. Amen.
In publishing this homily, we hope to share a portion of the spiritual treasure by which the students are enriched every day. However, this homily may not be reproduced by the parents or friends of St. Michael’s without written permission of the author.Prayer Requests• Dr. Joseph Gloudeman whose cancer has reoccurred.
• Mrs. Jane Grimard, grandmother of Patrick Grimard, who is near death.
• Mrs. Josie Holbach, mother of Luke Holbach, who is ill.
• Mrs. Michele Jacobs who is ill.
• Mrs. Amber Manly for a healthy pregnancy
• Mrs. Miriam Schardt who is recovering from foot surgery
• Two year old Cole Workman, who has been diagnosed with autism
• Six year old Iris Workman, who is experiencing complications of spina bifida
• St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them
• Those who suffer in the current economic crisis
• Those who are in the armed forces.
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