Fourth Sunday of Lent March 10, 2024

 
        
       Our Lady of Peace Parish
Also Serving Our Lady of the Smile Parish, Waterhen Lake and
St. Jude’s Parish, Green Lake

​Office Hours: Closed Monday
Tuesday - Friday 1-4:00 pm
Office Phone:  306-236-5122 
Cell Phone: 306-304-7271
Parish Email: [email protected] Pastor Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Catholic Church Meadow Lake
Website: https://www.meadowlakecatholicchurch.com/
Address: 504-3rd Ave. East, Meadow Lake, SK S9X 1H5  
 
  
  Let my tongue cling to my mouth if I do not remember you!
Psalm 137 Refrain
 
 
March 10, 2024
 
4th Sunday of Lent
 
Our Vision:
A Community of Disciples
Our Mission
We commit to form disciples
who joyfully and faithfully
live out the mission of
Jesus Christ
by enriching our relationship
with God and neighbour
through the intercession of
Our Lady of Peace.
Pastor: 
Fr. Uche Umechikelu, MSP
Parish Secretary:
Pat Bencharski
 


Masses
Intentions

When there is a funeral, the daily mass will normally be cancelled.  Check Facebook for the most up-to-date information.  On Tuesday to Friday and on Sunday, Our Lady of Peace masses will be livestreamed on Facebook.

Mon., Mar.11 – No mass
 

Tues., Mar. 12 – 10:00 am  Liturgy with Communion at the Lodge
 

Tues., Mar. 12 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook)
Anonymous

Wed., Mar. 13 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook)
Anonymous

Thurs., Mar. 14 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook)
Thurs., Mar. 14 – 6:00 pm Adoration/Holy Hour Retreat Day 1
Anonymous

Fri., Mar. 15 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook)
Fri., Mar 15 - 10:00 – 11:00 am Adoration/Holy Hour Retreat Day 2
Fri., Mar 15 – 6:30 – Stations of the Cross
Anonymous

Sat., Mar. 16 – 5:00 pm (St. Jude’s Green Lake)
People of God

Sun., Mar. 17 – 10:00 am – (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook)
People of God

THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH

1. Adult Faith Study Tuesday, March 12 at 1:00 pm in the Church.
2. Wednesday, March 13 mass is changed to morning at 9:30 am as Fr. Uche is going to Goodsoil in the evening for Reconciliation service there.
3. Lent/Easter Retreat this Thursday and Friday evening – Thursday starts at 6:00 pm and Friday starts at 6:30 pm. Regular morning masses on both days are also part of the retreat.

Sunday Collection – Mar. 3:  Meadow Lake $1065.00   Green Lake $320.80    Children’s Collection $7.00
                                               
The Pope’s Prayer Intention for March – for the new martyrs – We pray that those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world inflame the Church with their courage and missionary enthusiasm.
 
40 Cans for Lent – The Meadow Lake Knights of Columbus are sponsoring 40 Cans for Lent for food to be donated to the Door of Hope.  The Knights of Columbus are asking the members of the parish to once again support this project. Each day of Lent, one can will be placed in the cross. We are asking families to bring nonperishable food each week of Lent. Thank you.
 
Pictorial Directories – The pictorial directories have arrived! If you had your picture taken for the directory please pick up your free copy at the back of the church or at the office during office hours.
 
The Way of the Cross – Please join us on Friday evenings for the Way of the Cross. We will gather at 6:30 pm in the Church to pray with Jesus as he makes his way to Calvary.
 
Lent/Easter Retreat – The dates are Thursday and Friday,  March 14 and 15. Morning masses both days are also part of the retreat. Then Thursday evening will start with Adoration/Holy Hour starting at 6:00 pm followed by Scriptural Rosary and Retreat Reflection and ending with sharing of experiences and Final Blessing at 8:30 pm. Friday evening will begin with Stations of the Cross at 6:30 pm followed by Retreat Reflection and sharing of experiences and Final Blessing at 8:30 pm.
 
Easter Reconciliation – There will be opportunity for confession on Thursday, March 21 at 6:30 (Penitential Service) with additional priests available. Fr. Uche will also be available March 22 from 5:30 – 6:30 pm. He is also available to anyone by appointment.
 
Scripture Insights – Fourth Sunday of Lent
Taken from Source Book for Sundays, Seasons and Weekdays 2024:  The Almanac for Pastoral Liturgy, LTP Liturgy Training Publications Copyright 2023, 3949 South Racine Avenue, Chicago, IL 60609, pg. 122.
 
 Three things are presented in the first reading. The conclusion of the Second Book of Chronicles contains a condensed account of the fall of Jerusalem, Israel’s exile in Babylon, and the possibility of Israel’s return to Judah. The Persian defeat of the Babylonians under King Cyrus brought an end to the exile and ushered in the period often referred to as “the restoration.”
            Psalm 137 provides insight into the exilic experience that was glossed over in the first reading. As the psalmist tells us, the Judeans were taunted by the Babylonians, who asked the exiles to sing songs from their homeland. Ther exiles refused to sing for their captors and instead held fast to their fond memories of Jerusalem as expressed in today’s refrain: “Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!” This psalm is a lament, a song of longing for the world that the exiles had known prior to their defeat by the Babylonians.
            Today’s New Testament readings broaden our understanding of what it means to believe in Jesus, the Christ. Ephesians reminds us that God’s mercy and grace are freely given to all who believe in Jesus and that our faith is a gift of God. While we know from the very first chapter of Genesis that we are made in the image and likeness of God, in Ephesians we hear that, in addition to being God’s “handiwork”, we are created “in Christ Jesus” for good works. Meanwhile, the Gospel reminds us that the life we have in Jesus is eternal. If eternal life is desired, we must choose to walk in the light of God.
                    
·         We often understand Scripture that expounds upon the “temple” to also mean for us an invitation to think of our body as a temple, a holy place. What are the things that pollute the sacred spaces and our bodies? How do we contribute to our own destruction?
·         Both the first and second readings remind us that even as we are sinful, even though we make mistakes and fall short, God loves us. Even as the world burns down around us, sometimes by our own doing, God still lifts us on high and sees us as being more than we are just on our worst days. How can we help each other know this fundamental truth: that we are fundamentally good, are fully capable of doing better, and are ultimately found worthy of God’s love?
·         Today’s Gospel includes one of the most commonly known verses in all of Scripture: John 3:16. We hear it so often, sometimes  we take for granted the depth of its sentiment: that we, in all of our human mess, have been loved so deeply that God was willing to become human with us, suffer with us, die for us, and ultimately show us how to live with the divine integrity we were created with. Are we showing recognition and gratitude for this truth? Are we behaving in ways that reflect this level of gift?