“All from Least to Greatest…”

…”All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.” Our first reading, this Fifth Sunday of Lent, from the Prophet Jeremiah gives us the hopeful promise of God’s mercy for us. At the same time, it also gives us a great challenge for these Lenten days. If God can be so merciful and compassionate to forgive us, how can we use this week to forgive others in our own lives? The more we carry the compassion and mercy of Christ into our world, the more, the greatest and least, will know the love and compassion of God.

…As we begin to bring to a close this Season of Lent, what is the work that you still need to do to use these days to deepen your faith and love for God? Remember the recipe from Romans 12:12 – Rejoice in Hope. Endure in Suffering. Be Faithful in Prayer. This is the pattern of the Cross and the path to a new and fuller life in Christ.

…Our community is very blessed to have 19 adults and 11 children who will be coming to the Table of the Lord at the Easter Vigil. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to open their hearts more fully to the Lord and enter into the Catholic community.

…This past Tuesday evening, Father Mike McCandless, the Vocation Director for the seminary was at Saint Ambrose. We have two college-age members who are currently discerning and applying to enter the seminary for this coming school year. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to open their hearts and minds to the Lord. We also have one of our members who is currently applying for the diaconate formation program. Please keep him and his family in your prayers as well. We need to encourage vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated religious life.

…We have been very blessed this year to have Josh Cochrac at Saint Ambrose. Josh is in his third year of graduate studies at Saint Mary Seminary. This is his internship year where he is immersed in ‘trying on’ priestly life and ministry. He’s been doing a GREAT job and is a real blessing to our community. This coming Friday Josh will formally become a ‘candidate’ for priesthood. This means that both the seminary faculty and Josh feel that he is called to continue to prepare for priesthood ordination in Spring of 2020. Please pray for Josh especially this Friday. This is a significant moment in his commitment to give his life to the Lord in service to the Church.

…This coming week Josh and I are working to gather many of our young adults together to discuss how we can best serve our young adult members. We are trying to listen, learn and reflect so we can develop a path forward to more fully engage all of our young adult members more fully in our community. If you would like to learn more or get involved, please contact Josh at jcochrac@StAmbrose.us.

…Did you see in the news this past week that several of the Brunswick Police were honored for ‘saving the lives’ of people in our area who ‘overdosed’ on heroin. It’s a painful reminder that this crisis grips every neighborhood in every town. You can find good information on the crisis at: GreaterThanHeroin.com. On Monday, April 9 our parish will be hosting a First Responder lunch for all those who work so hard to protect us and stand on the front line every day. If you want to invite a ‘first responder’ to join us, please send us an email so we can get you an invitation (frbob@StAmbrose.us).

…The Summer Festival is coming soon. Please, please mark your calendars for June 21-24, 2018. We still need some people to join the planning team. We are meeting this Monday, March 19 at 7:00 pm in the Mother Teresa Room. With your help we can make this the BEST festival ever!!! Watch for your festival raffle tickets in the next few weeks. All the proceeds will be put towards updating and renovating our Chapel.

…All the proceeds from our Lent Fish Fry will also be set aside for this project. Please join us on Friday night for GREAT food….AMAZING people….and a wonderful way to spend a Friday night. Many thanks to our Fish Fry crew. They have been doing an incredible job in feeding fresh food to so many each week. God bless you!!!

…Next weekend is Palm Sunday. Over 40 percent of people say that if someone ‘invited’ them to join them for Mass they would go. Palm Sunday and Easter are both great days to extend this invitation to your family and friends. It’s a time for all of us to reconnect with the Lord. Please invite someone to join you – and wear RED – for Palm Sunday.

…Another great opportunity is to invite your family, neighbors and friends to join us next Saturday for our annual Bunny Brunch. It’s a great event for the kids and grandkids. Come for amazing food….faith-based activities in preparation for Easter….along with Pictures with the Easter Bunny. The event is FREE and open to all. Special thanks to the Knights of Columbus for their great support for this family event. Please RSVP so we can plan for enough food and crafts. See today’s bulletin for details.

…This weekend’s reading speaks powerfully of God’s mercy and forgiveness. There are two final opportunities for you to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Easter – this Friday from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm AND next Sunday from 6:30 pm until 8 pm. We have many priests available for confession. Come experience the mercy of God in your life.

…Every week YOU get thank you notes and emails. This one comes from one of our members who lost her sister, “Our faith and our Church have been a great source of comfort during this time.” Thank you for all the good you do in the name of the Lord. So many come to Saint Ambrose to find comfort, hope and peace.

…Special prayers for our Catholic Works of Mercy team as they prepare Food Baskets for those in need this Easter. The Knights of Columbus are looking for some help in collecting candy for Easter Baskets for 90 children. They forgot to ‘get the word out’. They need the candy by next Sunday afternoon. Any donations can be brought to the Parish Office this week or to the doors of the Church next weekend.

…Rejoice in Hope. Endure in Suffering. Faithful in Prayer.

Have a blessed week.