Very soon, a wonderful season in the Church will begin again: Lent. I say “again” because year after year the Roman Catholic Church insists on repentance, conversion, to see God faceto face, and to ask Him to forgive our sins. But, why does the Church say this again and again, year after year? Why does the Church always invite us to prayer, fasting, almsgiving, penance, sacrifice, conversion? How many times have we heard about this in the sanctuary through the preaching of many priests? Once? Twice? Three times? Thirty times? Fifty times? Eighty times? One hundred times?… In my case, I have heard about this fortythree times, because that is how old I am.

The answer to these questions is very simple, and sometimes we do not pay enough attention. The Church is inviting us year after year to think about all of these because she is thinking about our salvation. If you and I belong to the

Roman Catholic Church, go to the Eucharist, practice the sacraments, it is not because we do not have anything else to do, but because we want to go to the Kingdom of God, that means to gain eternal life.

We need to think about our salvation; hence, all the elements that the Church is introducing us, such as fasting, penance, almsgiving, sacrifice, service, etc., are tools that help us to think how we can be closer to God, surrender to Him, and reach eternal life. If we do not think about our salvation and eternal life, our faith does not make sense. I do not go to Church because I have nothing interesting to do or because my mom, dad, child, or friends are there, but because I want to have a closer encounter with Christ.

Thus, not only during this Lenten season, but all the days of our lives that we should pray and celebrate the sacraments, such as the sacraments of Eucharist and Penance (confession or reconciliation). Let us serve one another and let us allow our love for Christ to be reflected in our service to our neighbors. Through this love and service, we gain salvation and eternal life.

May this Lenten season lead us to have a special encounter with Christ to get to the house of our Heavenly Father.

So, when we go to Church this coming Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of this great season, let us think about the words that our priest or lay people say at the moment we receive ashes on our forehead: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel,” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Both sentences should, once again, make us to think about our salvation. Why will we go to receive ashes this coming Wednesday? Will I receive because of tradition, or because I really want to change my life? May this Ash Wednesday help us to think about our spiritual life, change many aspects in our lives, and prepare ourselves to go to the house of our heavenly Father.

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Ash Wednesday is one of the most popular and important holy days in the liturgical calendar. Ash Wednesday opens Lent, a season of fasting and prayer. Ash Wednesday takes place 40 days before Easter Tridium, and is chiefly observed by Catholics, although many other Christians observe it too. Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head. The ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us. As the priest or one of the ministers of the parish applies the ashes to a person’s forehead, they speak the words: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Alternatively, they may speak the words, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

The hours for Ash Wednesday are:

6:30 am	Morning Prayer and reception of Ashes
9:00 am	Mass and reception of Ashes
11:05 am	Mass and reception of Ashes at Maplewood
12:15 pm	Prayer service and reception of Ashes
5:30 pm	Mass and reception of Ashes

If you have relatives or friends who are sick and cannot come to the Church and want to receive the Ashes, Confession, Holy Communion, or Anointing of the sick, please let me know. For more information, please contact the parish office at (585) 265-1616.

St. Valentine’s Day is coming soon. Renew the love that you have for your spouse, family, relative, or friend at Mass. On February 10th and 11th, during the Mass, there will be a special blessing for matrimonies and couples who are engaged, or dating. Those who are single, don’t worry. We’ll also have a special blessing for you because we appreciate your friendship and support for our parish. St. Valentine’s Day is also the friendship day. Please, come and receive this wonderful blessing by God.

Important information for Holy Trinity Church

I would like to share with you that I am leaving for vacation from January 22nd to February 9th. I will go home, to my wonderful country, Colombia. I have not been in Colombia since July 2022. I am very excited to go back after all this time. I will be visiting my family and friends in Medellin, my hometown, and probably, I will visit other cities as well. This will be a good time to relax, share with my family and friends, speak Spanish, and of course, to eat delicious Colombian food. I will preside some Eucharists with my family and friends during this time. Also, it will be a good time to renew my faith and vocation, and to be ready to come back to this wonderful family of Holy Trinity Church to work for God’s Kingdom.

Meanwhile, wonderful priests and a deacon will be with you during these weeks.

Let us start with Deacon Gary Terrana. You know him. He has been serving in our parish since I started my ministry as the Pastor. The parish will not have daily Masses during my time in Colombia; however, Deacon Gary will preside at Communion services. Please, go to these services, pray, and receive Jesus present in the Eucharist.

Fr. John Mulligan will be presiding the Eucharists during weekends and helping to listen to people in confession on February 3rd. You are always in good hands in the company of Fr. John.

Fr. Bill Michatek will be presiding at the Eucharists as well with Fr. John. He will listen to people in confessions as well on January 27th. Fr. Michatek has kindly offered to celebrate daily Mass at Holy Trinity on January 24th, February 2nd and February 6th. You know very well Fr. Michatek, so give him a warm welcoming during these days.

In addition, confessions on Tuesdays are canceled. If you need a priest for pastoral emergencies, anointing of the sick, or confession, please contact St. Paul Church, St. Rita Church, Holy Spirit Church, or St. Joseph Church.

Even though I will not be here, we have a wonderful parish staff, who can help you in case you need it. Please, pray for me during my vacation. I will pray for you from Colombia.

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Christmas is over… for a while, we won’t have the Christmas tree at home, or eat Christmas cookies, or exchange presents. No more Christmas carols or expecting for the coming of Santa. However, although Christmas is over, the joy of having the Lord with us should remain in our hearts. This is precisely the meaning of Ordinary Time. Some people believe that Ordinary Time means “boring time;” however, its meaning is very different. “Ordinary Time is called “ordinary” not because it is common but simply because the weeks of Ordinary Time are numbered. The Latin word ordinalis, which refers to numbers in a series, stems from the Latin word ordo, from which we get the English word order. Thus, the numbered weeks of Ordinary Time, in fact, represent the ordered life of the Church–the period in which we live our lives neither in feasting (as in the Christmas and Easter seasons) or in more severe penance (as in Advent and Lent), but in watchfulness and expectation of the Second Coming of Christ” (learnreligions.com). Moreover, “Ordinary Time is a time for growth and maturation, a time in which the mystery of Christ is called to penetrate ever more deeply into history until all things are finally caught up in Christ” (usccb.org).

Christ is among us. He is “The Emmanuel” who is always showing us the merciful Father. We need to be closer to Him, allowing us during the different seasons of the liturgical year to experience the love of God. If we have a special connection with God through the sacraments, different prayers, and our service to our brothers and sisters, we are really letting Jesus touch our hearts and so we have an ordinary life; that means, to have a life according to the natural order created by God.

My brothers and sisters, let us celebrate always that the Lord Jesus is with us, regardless of the liturgical season. God is with us 365 days a year, so let us rejoice because the Emmanuel is here always to lead each one of us to the house of Our Heavenly Father.

Fr. George

Some people believe that Christmas is over. Perhaps, they think that Christmas is only celebrated on December 25; therefore, probably they have already taken down all Christmas decorations. No more Christmas tree, ornaments, lights, and so on. However, we, Catholics, understand that Christmas is not only a day, but a joyful season which we celebrate the mystery of the nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, let us continue celebrating this wonderful season with the celebration of the Epiphany. This celebration is better known as the feast day of the three kings. They are also known as the three wise men or the three magi. They appear in the gospel of Matthew 2:1-12. This is the story of how 3 magi go to worship the new baby king. They recognize that Jesus is the King of kings; hence, they gave Him three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold was a gift for a king, frankincense was a gift for God, and myrrh was an oil that was used for burials. With these three gifts, the magi recognize Jesus as a king and God, and they tell us with the myrrh the destiny of Jesus: to die on the Cross for us. This is a beautiful story to read at home, especially with our kids.

There is a short novel by Henry Van Dyke called “The other wise man,” and published in 1895. Almost a century later, in 1985, Michael Ray Rhodes filmed a television movie called “The fourth wise man,” based on the story of Van Dyke. This story tells us the life of Artaban, one of the Medes from Persia. Like Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, Artaban saw the star which would lead him to see the king of kings. However, he had difficulties and could not go to see the newborn king. All his life, he tried to see Jesus, and the only time he was able to see Him was during the crucifixion. However, Jesus appeared to Artaban when he was dying and said that every time he helped people, he saw Jesus’ face. This is another story that we can share with our family.

The story of the fourth wise man is a fictional story. It does not appear in the Bible. However, it brings us a great message: we are that fourth magi who always see Jesus each time that we do charitable works. Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar worshipped the baby of Bethlehem. Artaban tried to see and worship the newborn king, but you and I are always able to see Him in the Eucharist, in the sacraments, and in the face of our brothers and sisters, who we interact with every day.

Let us worship the King of kings always with our prayers, our actions, and our lives.

Let us pray:
O God, who by the guidance of a star did on this day manifest Your onlybegotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we who know You by faith may also attain the vision of Your glorious majesty. Through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.

God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you!

Fr. Jorge Ramírez