Third Sunday of Easter

05-05-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. James Aboyi

Dear Parishioners,

Congratulations to all those who will celebrate their First Holy Communion and Confirmation this weekend. The children and teens have worked so hard throughout the year preparing for this great day. We rejoice with all of them for this big achievement and for this memorable day in their lives. I want to thank the teachers, parents and sponsors who supported them along their journey to these Sacraments. Also, many thanks to the Catechists, volunteers and the parents/guardians of these children for this wonderful year of faith and learning.

Just a quick clarification on two important Liturgical questions during the Easter Week.

1. Why did I wash the feet of only 12 parishioners this year and not have everybody wash each other's feet?

The Church's tradition of washing of feet is that it is a symbolic demonstration of 'Servant Leadership" that Jesus modeled for his apostles. When he said that "I have given you an example that you also should do" he wanted the Apostles to be ready to serve those entrusted to them as leaders of the Church. First of all, let's remember that there were certain commands that Jesus gave specifically to his 12 Apostles alone when he is with them, and other commands that he gave to all of his followers. For instance, the commands such as "Whosever sins you forgive are forgiven" (John 20:23), "Do this in memory of me" (Luke 22:19) were addressed specifically to the Apostles and their successors. This is why only Clergy can celebrate the Sacraments. Even though the washing of feet is not a Sacrament, the command was given to the Apostles within the context of the Last Supper. It is not a sin for everybody to wash each other's feet but it is good to avoid turning the Holy Thursday Mass into a performance or drama. The Churches tradition is that whoever is the leader of the parish community is the one to wash the feet of his parishioners as a symbol of his commitment to the servant leadership role.

2. Why do we ring bell at Mass?

Generally, bells are symbols of joy. That is why we do not ring bells at Mass during the season of Lent. The main reasons for ringing bells during Mass is first of all to make a joyful noise/give thanks to the Lord for the miracle taking place Altar. The second reason is to draw everyone's attention to the high points of the Mass when the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ. I look forward to our next parish discussion forum so we can discuss such Church and faith-related issues in detail.

Thank you and Remain Blessed.
Fr. James

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