Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church
Hot Springs Village, Arkansas
I write this pastor's column BEFORE our Lenten Reconciliation Service on March 20.  You are reading this pastor's column AFTER the Reconciliation Service has happened.  Sadly, you may be among those who did not, for whatever reason, receive the healing sacrament of Reconciliation before Holy Week.  Fortunately, you have the opportunity to be touched by the reconciling Hand of God and the Church before Easter Sunday.  Firstly, Our Lady of Fatima Church in Benton has their Lenten Reconciliation Service (with individual confessions) this Tuesday, March 26, at 6:00 p.m.  At our church on Good Friday, I will make myself available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. and from 1:00 to 2:45 p.m.  Last year I was kept busy on Good Friday celebrating God's mercy and forgiveness with quite a few humble sinners.  I hope this will be the case this year as well.  If these times don't work, I will offer one final chance for the Sacrament on Holy Saturday morning from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.  What a beautiful way to come to the feast of new Life (Easter) by being cleansed and renewed in the Life of The Lord.  Please come!
I must say that I have gone back and forth as I contemplate what time to have our Good Friday Liturgy of the Word, Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion on March 29.  There are good reasons to have it at 3:00 p.m. (the hour that the Scriptures tell us Jesus died) and at 6:30 p.m. (the same time as our Holy Thursday Mass).  I appreciate those who expressed their preference when we took a poll before the Masses last weekend.  My hope is that everyone who raised a hand is committed to participate not only in the Good Friday liturgy, but in all that takes place in Church from Thursday evening (including the parish meal) to Easter Sunday evening (with evening prayer).  I pray that we will back off from most of our secular activities on these days and give this time to The Lord to grow in appreciation and thanks for what Jesus did for us through His passion, death and Resurrection.  The blessings that flow from such a commitment of time and effort will continue well beyond the Easter Triduum and Easter Season to the rest of our lives.  (By the way, our Good Friday Liturgy will be at 6:30 p.m. this year).
It's been awhile since we, as Catholics, have been asked to participate in a country-wide postcard campaign to encourage our elected officials to stand up and vote for legislation that promotes the values and beliefs that we Catholics (and others) hold dear.  Next weekend we will give you a chance to let your voice be heard in the areas of Life and Liberty by filling out three postcards before Mass and either mailing them yourself or letting us mail them for you. These cards will go to our United States Senators and our representatives in the House of Representatives.  It asks our elected officials to "support and strengthen laws that (1) prevent federal funding and promotion of abortion and (2) protect the rights of conscience in health-care."

Lent is not only a great season to grow in our faith, but also a time to profess what we believe at Church and in the world.  For those who will let us handle the mailing, we ask a donation of $1.00 to help pay for the postage for three postcards (which are $.33 a piece).