So let it go and turn it over to the One who chose to give His life for you.
Leave it to Me… I’ll lead you home.
written by Michael W. Smith
At a family gathering recently, my sister Cathy was wearing a scarf that looked very familiar to me. It was one that our mom wore, and it made me smile. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around it, but next month will mark the 10th anniversary of my mother’s passing. I remember those days vividly- the pain of the loss, but also the comfort that she was free from any pain and soon she would be again with my dad, and her mother and father and all those she loved who had passed, at peace in Jesus Christ. Like everyone else, I grieved, but the rites of the faith that we love gave me courage and confidence. The funeral Mass was filled with as much laughter as
tears, as many smiles as sorrow, as much hope as pain. The final song was the Battle Hymn of the Republic, an anthem that reflected her courage and resilience.
Untie him… and let him go. One of the hardest realities in life we all must face is the death of a loved one. The process of grief is different for us all, but our faith gives us something wonderful, the promise of eternal life. The Gospel of Lazarus’ coming out of the tomb, and Jesus’ words to untie him and let him go mean many
things to us- first of all, it points us to the resurrection, the victory over the cross that we will share in two short weeks.
I often think of the words of Pope Benedict XVI, “The world offer you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” The world wants us to believe this is everything, that there is nothing but this earth. But there is so much more- the fullness of joy, and peace, and mercy, and the fulfillment of
eternal life that the world can’t give us and keeps trying to distract us from. We will feel pain and loss and grief in this world, in this life- Jesus felt it, but the call comes in finding Him in the middle of it- and rising through it with new hope- and that will lead us to our true home- not in this world- in the Kingdom of Heaven. That’s
the promise that keeps us focused until that gloriously happy day when we are together again!
I miss my mother- but I hear her voice in my sisters, and now in my nieces and great nieces, and I am comforted. It makes me so sad to see so many people who can’t seem to find the faith to let go of their loved ones- it doesn’t mean we forget them- no, quite the opposite- it means we love them enough to live joyfully in the confident hope that we will see them again. Easter is just around the corner- victory awaits. Leave it to Him, He’ll lead us, and our loved ones, home.
NOTES FROM FR. JOHN
I am so grateful to Michelle Sylvia, Eleanor Hurley, and Margo Morin, as well as John Volpe and Tim Leahy, and
so many who came over the three days of our Collaborative Lenten Mission! I’m already thinking about next Lent
Please join us on Thursday, March 30th at 6:30 pm for a Reconciliation Service at St. Mary’s Church as we turn
the corner in the Lenten season and look up and ahead to Holy Week and Easter!
On Holy Saturday morning, April 8 at 9:30 am please join us at St. Mary’s Church and St. Francis de Sales
churches! Both parishes will be decorated and spruced up for Easter! Many hands will make light work as we’ll prepare to celebrate Easter and the season that it brings!
June 4th will be a very special day for the Charlestown Catholic Community as I am installed as pastor of St. Francis de Sales and St. Mary- St. Catherine Parishes by his classmate and friend, Bishop Mark O’Connell, Vicar General of the Archdiocese, at the 11 am Mass at St. Mary’s Church. A collation will follow at Bishop Lawton Hall, in the basement of St. Francis Church. Please share the good news and put this on your calendar- all are welcome! More info to come!
It’s so important that in our churches, we understand the importance of safety, so let’s keep in mind that no child should ever go alone anywhere in any of our buildings- if your child needs to use the restroom, an adult must accompany them. Thank you for your cooperation!