C HURCH OF S T . M ONICA
413 EAST 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10075
RECTORY: 212-288-6250
W EBSITE :
ASSOCIATES:
REV. JOE A. FRANCIS
REV. JOBY MATHEW
IN SUNDAY SERVICE:
REV. RICHARD AROLD
ORGANIST &
DIRECTOR OF MUSIC:
MR. DAVID SCHAEFER
CANTOR &
LEADER OF SONG:
MR. JOSEPH NEAL
WWW . CHURCHOFSTMONICA . ORG
PASTOR:
REV. MSGR. THOMAS A. MODUGNO
MASSES
SUNDAYS:
7:30AM, 9:00AM, 10:30AM,
12:00 NOON PRINCIPAL LITURGY
WEEKDAYS &
FIRST FRIDAYS:
7:30AM, 12:00 NOON
SATURDAYS:
9:00AM, 5:30PM VIGIL
BAPTISMS & MARRIAGES:
BY APPOINTMENT.
PLEASE CONTACT A MEMBER
OF THE PARISH STAFF
WELL IN ADVANCE.
SACRAMENT
OF RECONCILIATION:
CONFESSIONS ARE HEARD
AT 5:00PM ON SATURDAYS
AND ANYTIME BY
APPOINTMENT.
FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT: MARCH 25TH, 2012
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FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
MARCH 25TH, 2012
―Some Greeks‖ voice their desire: ―We would like to see Jesus.‖ What they hope to encounter through such an
audience is ―the joy of salvation.‖ Jesus becomes ―the source of eternal salvation‖ by his obedient suffering that makes
him ―perfect.‖ For only if the grain of wheat dies does it produce fruit; only if one ―hates his life in this world‖ does he
―preserve it for eternal life.‖ The Father will honor anyone who follows Jesus in this self-sacrificing way. He ―will
make a new covenant.‖ God’s law will be written upon our hearts. We will be his people.
TODAY’S READINGS …
First Reading
I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34) or Ezekiel 37:12-14
.Psalm
Create a clean heart in me, O God (Psalm 51) or Psalm 130.
Second Reading
Christ became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (Hebrews 5:7-9) or Romans 8:8—11
Gospel
If a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it produces much fruit (John 12:20-33) or John 11:1-45
[3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45].
READINGS FOR THE WEEK …
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
Is 7:10-14, 8:10; Heb 10:4-10;Lk 1:26-38
Nm 21:4-9; Jn 8:21-30
Dn 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; Jn 8:31-42
Gn 17:3-9; Jn 8-51-59
Jer 20:10-13; Jn 10:31-42
Ez 37:21-28; JN 11:45-56
Mk 11:1-10 or Jn 12:12-16; (procession) Is 50:4-7; Ps 22; Phil 2:6-11;Mk 14:1—15:47 [15:1-39]
SATURDAY: VIGIL
5:30
Patsy Liamero
SUNDAY: FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
7:30 Raimund Perez
9:00 Helen and John Flack and family
10:30 Patricia Keane
12:00 St. Monica Parishioners
MONDAY: ANNUNICIATION OF THE LORD
7:30 David Yago
12:00 Patrick Reynolds
WEDNESDAY: LENTEN WEEKDAY
7:30 Frankie Smith
12:00 Dan and Justin Rogan
THURSDAY: LENTEN WEEKDAY
7:30 Msgr Richard Albert (living)
12:00 Anna Disbrey (living)
FRIDAY: LENTEN WEEKDAY
7:30 Neil Ferraiolo
12:00 Liv and Dec Members of Dann Family
SATURDAY: VIGIL
9:00 Patrick McNally
TUESDAY: LENTEN WEEKDAY
7:30 Bernadette Joyce
12:00 Patrick McNally
THE NEW COVENANT…
Today’s first reading is an enormously important passage, not only in the history of the Jewish people, but also for us as
disciples of Jesus, who see in it a foreshadowing of the Christian dispensation. The prophet announces that God has
chosen to forgive the people, and that as a sign of divine forgiveness a new covenant will be established. Contrasting the
new covenant with the one made with Moses on Mount Sinai, Jeremiah says that the new covenant will be written on the
people’s hearts rather than on tablets of stone. No longer will the community’s tradition be the sole bearer of the covenant;
henceforth, God will speak directly and personally to each individual, forgiving sin and calling for a return to God in
faithfulness. No longer will mere outward compliance with the dictates of the Law suffice; henceforth, God asks for an
obedience that springs from the depths of one’s heart. Precisely that kind of obedience is highlighted in today’s second
reading, where the author of the Letter to the Hebrews describes Jesus as the mediator of the new covenant whose
obedience has made him the source of salvation for all who, in turn, obey him.
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Welcome to St. Monica's!
The music for today's Eucharist can be found
in our hymnal on the following pages:
Entrance Hymn
Parce Domine
234
Penitential Rite
112
Responsorial Psalm
515
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Gospel Acclamation
114
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ,
King of endless glory!
Whoever serves me must follow me, says the
Lord;
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
Offertory Hymn
250
O Sacred Head Surrounded (J.S.
Bach)
at noon: Jennifer Monopolis & Nelson
Roman,
soloists, with the choir
Sanctus
Memorial Acclamation
Great Amen
185
*
*
The Lord's Prayer
120
Lamb Of God
187
Communion Hymn
I Am the Bread of Life
449
at noon: O Divine Redeemer (C. Gounod)
Albert Walsh, soloist
Recessional Hymn
243
Forty Days and Forty Nights
*from the Mass For A New Era (for texts, see pew
card)
STEWARDSHIP RECEIVE AND PASS IT ON …
Should you find it hard you sleep tonight, just remember
the homeless family who has no bed to lie in. Should you
find yourself stuck in traffic, don’t be angry. There are
people in this world for whom driving is an unheard-of
privilege. Should you have a bad day at work, think of the
man who has been out of work for the last year. Should
you despair over a relationship gone wrong, thin of the
person who has never known what it’s like to love and be
loved. Should you grieve the passing of another vacation,
think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a
day, seven days a week, to feed her family. Should you run
out of gas, think of the paraplegic who would love the
opportunity to take that walk to the service station. .Should
you notice a new gray hair in the mirror, think of the
cancer patient in chemotherapy who wishes she had hair
too examine. Should you find yourself at a loss and
pondering ―What is my purpose in life?‖ be thankful.
There are those who didn’t live long enough to get that
opportunity. Should you find yourself the victim of other
people’s bitterness, ignorance, smallness, or insecurities,
remember, this also happened to Jesus. /today may there be
peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly
where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite
possibilities that are born of faith. Let this presence settle
into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing,
dance, and bask in the sun. May you use those gifts that
you have received, and pass on the love that has been
given to you. May you accept that you are a child of God.
LITURGY NOTES …
We all have pictures in our heads about what God looks
like. We get them from our religious formation as children,
from prayers, from hearing others speak about God and
from how some people live their lives. If we are not open
to ongoing revelation of God to us, we can get stuck with
one picture of God for a life time.
―God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but that the world might be saved through him.‖
This should cause us to breathe a sigh of relief. In our
lives, we are used to being judged by other people’s
standards. We are continually being put on the scales of
someone else’s model of perfection and found wanting in
their judgment. We live with the appraisals of others
echoing in our mind. We try to earn approval, sometimes
in pretty dysfunctional ways. In religion, we have
projected this chronically evaluative mindset onto God,
seeing God as judge. The old ―merit‖ theology comes out
of this same mindset. We tend to think that God will love
us If we change, but God loves us so that we CAN change.
Yet freedom is always operative – we must choose the
light of God’s love which is gracious and gratuitous.
PLEASE REMEMBER…
Both in life and in death, we belong to the Lord.
- Romans 14
Please remember St. Monica’s Church in your will.
Page Four
BIBLE CLASSES…
Bible class with Rev. Joe Francis on
Tuesday, March 27th from 7:00pm to
8:00pm in the church. All are welcome
to attend!
LENT …
“What did you go out into the desert to see?” (Matt. 1 1:7).
That is the question that Jesus asked the followers who
went to see John the Baptist. We will be asked the same
questions at the end of Lent. The desert is a place that is
foreign to most of us. We know that it is a place of
extremes, empty horizons. The desert is also a place of
spiritual paradoxes. It is these extremes and paradoxes that
make the desert a setting for great temptation and even
greater transformation. Lent is about change – profound
change. The sparse landscapes of the desert can weaken
the world’s grip on our souls and open us to a new
experience of God’s love. The desert represents the lonely
places present in every dimension of our lives, and to enter
them requires courage. It is to stand in the critical space,
remove the clutter, the mirrors that fool us into thinking we
are not alone. If you travel into the desert, you travel light.
How much can you leave behind? That is the desert
question.
TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION …
Ask senior parishioners about this fifth Sunday, and they
will share memories of this Sunday years ago, when it is
known as ―Passion Sunday.‖ In those days, the statues and
crucifixes were draped in purple cloth, and a deeply
somber atmosphere infused worship. The structure is
different today for good reason. The stunning changes in
the appearance of the church building drew attention away
from the twofold work of Lent: reconciliation and
preparing for initiation. Today, this Sunday is given to
reflection on the necessity to commit, like Jesus, to the
Father’s will. Wherever elect are present today, the ―A‖
reading reveals Jesus’ compassion in the face of human
suffering, and his desire to call us from the tombs of sin,
isolation, and even death itself. As Lent draws to a close
over the next ten days, and before the beginning of the
Easter Triduum on Holy Thursday, we enter an ideal time
for celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation. Today’s
old title of ―Passion Sunday‖ has migrated to next Sunday,
also called ―Palm Sunday.‖ In many places, people prepare
their own bundles of branches for next week’s liturgy:
pussy willow, forsythia, dogwood. If your parish schedules
a procession, you may want to prepare these branches at
home and bring them along.
VOCATIONS …
Make a difference in the world –it’s easy! Pray that young
men in Our Archdiocese will hear and answer God’s call
to the priesthood. For more information please contact Fr.
Luke Sweeney or Fr. Luis Saldana at (914) 908-1340 or
[email protected]. NY.
STEWARDSHIP APPEAL …
To date, 73 families have made their commitment to the
Stewardship Appeal effort in out parish.
It would be wonderful if we could both raise our goal
$39,055.00 and make a strong showing with the number of
families who have committed to the Appeal.
The Appeal needs all of us to play a role in order for it to
be successful.
Please be as generous as possible. Thank you.
RECONCILIATION …
On Monday, April 2nd we will have confessions from
5:00pm - 6:30pm and again at 7:00pm - 8:00pm.
OUTSIDE THE PARISH …
MODEL SEDER AT ST. THOMAS
MORE
Yorkville Christian-Jewish Council will
hold its annual Model Seder on
Wednesday evening, March 28th at 7:00
at the church of St. Thomas More at 65
East 89th Street, Manhattan.
Cantor Bruce Ruben of Hebrew Union College, Jewish
Institute of Religion, will preside. The event will feature a
taste of the traditional foods, holiday songs and customs. A
Catholic priest will talk of the roots of the Christian Last
Supper.
All are welcome, there is no charge, but reservations are
necessary. Call (212)472-1823 or fax 212-585-1987.
WAY OF THE CROSS OVER THE BROOKLYN
BRIDGE - COMMUNION AND LIBERATION
On Good Friday, April 6, 2012, Communion and
Liberation will sponsor the Way of the Cross over the
Brooklyn Bridge. Participants will congregate for the first
station at St. James Cathedral, Brooklyn, at 10:00 am.
After a station on the Brooklyn Bridge, the procession will
follow the cross to a third station at City Hall Park in
Manhattan, and a fourth station near Ground Zero. The
final station will be readings from the Passion, a
mediation, a reflection and hymns. All are invited. For
more information, please call Communion and Liberation
at (212) 337-3580 or visit its website at
www.wocbrooklynbridge.com
MARRIAGE BANNS III
Valerio Donato and Federica Catalanotti
SPECIAL DEVOTIONS
Rosary: Weekdays after the Noon Mass
and on Saturday after the 9:00am
Holy Hour: First Friday of each month after the Noon Mass
Devotions: Miraculous Medal on Mondays after each Mass
Page Five