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God’s Mercy is Limitless

Lent is a time where all Christians prepare themselves to celebrate the greatest feast of the Church: Easter. With this wonderful and sacred time, each one of us is preparing ourselves to live with faith and enthusiasm, the redemption given by Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is precisely what the readings in the liturgy are introducing to us. For instance, the gospel according to John (John 4:5-42) tells us how Jesus has an encounter with the Samaritan woman. Even though Jesus asks her for water, Jesus finally is giving her the living water. This living water is Jesus Himself who is calming our thirst for God.

The experience of the Samaritan woman should motivate us to say, “Sir, give me this water.” How many times have we said this to the Lord? This is a question that this Lenten season is asking us. Do I come to the Mass to receive the living water who is Jesus Himself present in the Eucharist? Or do I just come to the Mass because it is Sunday, and I must go? Let us review how we are celebrating this wonderful encounter with Christ.

Saint Luke (Lk. 13,1-9), talks about the different fruits that we are producing. The Lord does not want us to sin any- more; therefore, instead of punishment, we receive all His love. Pope Francis constantly is reminding us that God is merciful. He is always ready to forgive us, just as the gospel of the “Merciful Father” or the “Prodigal Son” tells us. Pope Francis, in the Apostolic Letter Misericordia et Miseria, says, “Mercy gives rise to joy, because our hearts are opened to the hope of a new life. The joy of forgiveness is inexpressible, yet it radiates all around us whenever we experience forgiveness. Its source is in the love with which God comes to meet us, breaking through walls of selfishness that surround us, in order to make us in turn instruments of mercy (MM #3).”

God wants us to turn our faces to Him. He wants that we do not sin anymore but change our lives and get eternal life (Cf. Ez. 18:23). God always is ready to receive each one of us with open arms because He loves us always regardless of our situation or whatever we did. He loves us for who we are, not for what we did. So, are we ready to receive His forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation? Let us remember that the priest acts in persona Christi Capitis (in the head of the person of Christ). That means, that everything that the priest does is not in his own name, but in the name of Jesus Christ who acts through him. Why are we waiting to go to His encounter and ask for forgiveness for all things that we did that offended Him? Once we had gone to Confession, we should remember the words that the Lord says to the woman caught in adultery, “Go and from now on do not sin anymore” (John 8:11).

Lent time should take us to a personal and close encounter with the Lord who is always ready to forgive us regardless of what we did, because He is the living image of the Merciful Father. May all of us, in this Lenten season, be closer to God, and then all of us can go out into the world and give a true testimony of the Risen Lord, who redeems all our sins.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

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

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Extending Christ’s Mission

Every year, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester presents the Catholic Ministries Appeal, CMA, which is the annual campaign that through generosity of all faithful, the Diocese can help many, many people who are most in need. As you know, this year’s slogan is Extending Christ’s Mission through the Catholic Ministries Appeal. St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 11:27) says that we are the mystical body of Christ. Our work and generosity are proofs of God’s love.

This year, the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, has a goal of $192,000 dollars. I am very pleased and excited to share with all of you that we achieved this goal. We have given 100%. Your donations are expressions of the many thoughtful ways in which you care for people in need throughout the entire Diocese.

I have shared with you that the parish is not only the pastor or the staff. All of you are also very important members of this wonderful family, Holy Trinity. Thank you very much for being present in our parish family, working hard for our Parish, our Diocese, and for the Kingdom of God. Let us continue to work even harder so all our wonderful Holy Trinity Family can feel God’s love through each one of our actions.

I thank God every day for the time that I have been able to share with all of you. It is my privilege to be your pastor. And, with God’s help, I look forward to many more years of sharing my ministry with you. Thank you again for your most generous donation to the CMA. Holy Trinity Church is very appreciative of your generosity. Remember, you are always in my prayers.

Remember, The Parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

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

Fr. Jorge Ramírez

Lent 2025

This past Wednesday, March 5th, the Universal Church celebrated Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent. Ash is used as a reminder that we are just dust in comparison with the existence of God. Hence, one of the formulas that you heard on Ash Wednesday was “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” This phrase recalls the book of Genesis at the moment of the creation of a human being, “The Lord God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). God made us in His image (Cf. Gen. 1:26-27). However, we cannot forget that we depend totally on God. We need His presence and love in our lives to live. We need His breath of life, that is the Holy Spirit, to walk in this world and work for the Kingdom of God and gain salvation and eternal life.

To attain salvation, it is necessary to turn our faces and repent from our sins. This is the second formula that we could hear this Ash Wednesday, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” This is what Jesus proclaimed when He started His public life (cf. Mk. 1:14-15). The Lord Jesus is constantly inviting us to ask God for forgiveness. He is teaching us that God is the merciful Father who is waiting for us with open arms to bring us His love, mercy, and forgiveness (Cf. Lk. 15:11-32). For that reason, the Roman Catholic Church is always highlighting and promoting prayer, fasting, almsgiving as Lenten observances which help us to ask God for forgiveness. Besides, the Sacrament of Penance (known as well as Confession or Reconciliation) plays an important role in this wonderful season. Let us go to this sacrament of forgiveness and practice the Lenten observances with love, believing that through them, we can obtain the mercy of God, salvation and eternal life.

There will be different spiritual activities for Lent at Holy Trinity Church, such as the Stations of the Cross, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and opportunities for confession. Please check the Lenten program which was distributed as an insert in last week bulletin. If you have questions or concerns, please let us know.

Let us pray:

Grant, almighty God,
through the yearly observances of holy Lent,
that we may grow in understanding
of the riches hidden in Christ
and by worthy conduct pursue their effects.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

(From the collect prayer first Sunday of Lent)

Remember, The Parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

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

Fr. Jorge Ramírez

The Pope

“I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” (Mt. 16:18). These are the words that Jesus said to Peter when he made his profession of faith, recognizing the Lord Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah. In other words, when Jesus said these words, He chose Peter to be the head of the Church. That means that Peter was the First Pope in the Church’s history. From Peter to Francis, the Roman Catholic Church has had 266 Popes. Each Pope has apported wonderful elements for the teachings of the Church, such as councils, documents, synods, encyclicals, visits, homilies, and so on.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, from Argentina, was elected as the 266th Pope on March 13, 2013, taking Francis as his name. Pope Francis has shown wonderful values such as simplicity, humility, joy, and a deep love for the Lord and the Church during his pontificate. It is not a secret to anybody that our Holy Father, Pope Francis, is having health problems. We know that he is in a critical situation at the hospital. The whole world has been praying for the health of the supreme pontiff who is 88 years old. Children have sent letters wishing good health and a quick recovery to Pope Francis. Pope Francis said, “I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children. Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!”

We, as Catholics, also need to pray for the health of Pope Francis. God is wonderful and always is ready to listen to each one of our prayers.

Let us pray,
Prayer for Pope Francis

O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful,
look favorably on your servant Francis,
whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd;

Grant, we pray, that by word and example
he may be of service to those over whom he presides so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care, he may come to everlasting life.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

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

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Jubilee Year 2025, Pilgrims of Hope.

Since last December, the Roman Catholic Church has been celebrating the Jubilee Year 2025, Pilgrims of Hope. This is a year-long celebration of living in fraternity and helping those in need. Remember, “Jubilees ordinarily take place every twenty-five years. A Jubilee is a special time encouraging renewed holiness through acts of forgiveness, reconciliation, mercy, and pilgrimage. This year’s Jubilee theme is ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. The faithful can obtain the Jubilee indulgence.

Many of us have heard about indulgences. But, what is an indulgence? “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints” (CCC 1471). In other words, an indulgence is a gift from God. This gift helps us in our spiritual life to be closer to God. Although, we go to the sacrament of reconciliation to confess our sins and God gives us His love and mercy, when we die, we will need to be for a “period of time” (I write this in quotes, because we do not understand the measure of time after death), in purgatory. God is, through the Church, giving to us this wonderful gift that aids us to go to heaven faster. It is necessary to be completely clean before going to heaven. Purgatory will help us to be pure before seeing God face to face.

Pope Francis says that the Jubilee should transform us, so our hearts get bigger and more generous to help other people who are hungry for the love of God. This Jubilee is a great opportunity to be closer to God.

Let us pray,

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your Son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever. Amen.

~Pope Francis

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

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

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Pancakes

Let me share with you this story I found on the Internet.

“Six year old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor. He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor, which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten. Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad. He didn’t know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove, (and he didn’t know how the stove worked)! Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas dirty. And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon’s eyes. All he wanted to do was something good, but he’d made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a smacking. But his father just watched him. Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas dirty in the process. That’s how God deals with us. We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a friend or we can’t stand our job or our health goes sour. Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can’t think of anything else to do. That’s when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets all over Him. But just because we might mess up, we can’t stop trying to ‘make pancakes,’ for God or for others. Sooner or later we’ll get it right, and then they’ll be glad we tried.”

Pope Francis reminds us that it is not easy to trust in God’s mercy because our sins do not allow us to go to His Prescence and enjoy His love and mercy. The Pope said during his homily on March 17, 2013,

“It is not easy to entrust oneself to God’s mercy, because it is an abyss beyond our comprehension. But we must! … ‘Oh, I am a great sinner!’ ‘All the better! Go to Jesus: He likes you to tell him these things!’ He forgets, He has a very special capacity for forgetting. He forgets, He kisses you, He embraces you and He simply says to you: ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more’ (Jn 8:11).”

Let us not be afraid to go to the sacrament of reconciliation and to experience the wonderful mercy of God. Our parish offers this wonderful sacrament on Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 3:00 p.m.

God is our Father who is always ready to forgive us regardless of what we did. The only condition to receive God’s forgiveness is to want it. Let us make a good examination of conscience and go to this marvelous sacrament.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

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

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Lectio Divina

Dear brothers and sisters,

I am very sure that many of us (perhaps all of us) have a Bible at home. How many times do we open the Bible and read it? Do we really understand the message that God has for us? I know that some parishioners go to Bible study, which is every other week on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the parish (if you want to join this study, check the bulletin, or call the parish office for information). The Bible is the Word of God. For this reason, I would like to introduce you to Lectio Divina (Divine Reading). Lectio Divina is a Christian practice of reading the Bible, meditating, and praying. It is a traditional monastic practice that dates back to the early centuries of Christianity. These are the steps to listen to God’s Word through this wonderful practice.

Prayer: Invoke the presence of the Holy Spirit to understand better the Word of God. “Before I open my Bible and heart to the Word of God, I first open my mouth in prayer.”

Lectio or reading: Read the text two, three or more times. What does the text say? Look at what the characters are doing, places, actions, settings, and so on. Try to understand what the text is saying.

Meditatio or meditation: What does the text say to me? Think about what the phrase that stood out to you meant to the original audience, and what the author might have been thinking when he wrote it. Picture yourself in the setting and context of the passage. Play out the scenario in your head. Think about the specific part of the pas- sage that spoke directly to you. Focus intently on why the Holy Spirit might have chosen these words to speak to you today. Reflect on how it might apply to your life. Is it relevant to something that you are going through? Does it bring to mind a struggle that you have been dealing with? Do certain people come to mind that God may want you to reach out to or reconcile a relationship with? Is there a strong sense of a movement or change that needs to happen? When you are thinking about a passage in God’s presence, ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate that passage so that you can grasp the message in terms of your own life.

Oratio or prayer: What do I want to say to God about the text? Take all the thoughts, feelings, actions, fears, convictions, and questions you have meditated on and offer them to the Lord in prayer. Talk to God and tell him what you are feeling, just like you would with a good friend or family member. It is so important to ask God to help us in the areas in which we need improvement.

Contemplatio or contemplation: What difference will this text make in my life? Sit in the presence of God and feel His tender love and embrace. We are to continue to resist worrying about our cell phones, work, friends, illnesses, and whatever else holds us back from God and sit in the love that is shared between us and Jesus. Commit yourself, with the help of God, to “do” the truth that he has implanted in your heart. It is our submitting to God’s Word, our living it out, that God is calling us to. Living out our faith is a following of Jesus that happens naturally as we know Christ and become like him.

Let us practice Lectio Divina and let us allow God’s message to come to us, discovering the wonderful plan that He has for each one of us.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

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

Father Jorge Ramirez

CMA

Hello, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

As you know, Holy Trinity Church, along with the other 85 parishes in the Diocese of Rochester, is participating in the Catholic Ministry Appeal (CMA). Let us remember that CMA is “the annual appeal inviting Catholics in the Diocese of Rochester to join in a partnership to advance the mission of the Church through Stewardship. Each of us has received gifts from God – namely, our time, talent, and treasure. We are called to discern our gifts, to nurture them, and to share our gifts for the good of others and our Church” (Taken from CMA – Diocese of Rochester).

A quick reminder of what CMA does:

Support ministries that reach out with the hands and heart of Christ to the aged, the sick, and the imprisoned.
Ensure we can help struggling families find their way through economic crisis and back to stability.
Help fund the crucial work of Catholic Charities, which serves more than 250,000 people annually.
Fund ministries that nurture children and teenagers in the Catholic faith and teaches values they’ll carry into adulthood.
Help pay for the education of our seminarians on the road to priestly ordination.
Prepare engaged couples for God-centered marriages rooted in the Catholic Church.
Educate and prepare those who wish to become Catholic for the fullness of life in the Church through OCIA.
Enable us to promote Catholic values about the sanctity of all life and make our voice heard in society.
Fund programs that give young adults on college campuses a connection to the Church.
Provide important services to your parish that it would find difficult to afford on its own.

As you know, our CMA goal is $192,000. We have donated $175,218.22 which is 91.26% of our goal (information based on 1/28/25). This is great, but we still need to give 8.74%, which is $16,781.78. I ask those who have not donated yet to CMA to please contribute now, and those who already donated to consider contributing more so that we can achieve our CMA 2024-2025 goal. Let us all participate in this campaign. If we do not achieve our CMA goal through donations, the parish pays the remaining amount out of our operating account. It is important that Holy Trinity succeed in this goal so we can help many people who are most in need.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

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

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Catholic Schools Week

This coming Friday, January 31st, the Church celebrates the memorial of St. John Bosco, who was a priest and worked in education in the 19th century. He is one of the saint patrons of education, besides St. John Baptiste of LaSalle. St. John Bosco followed the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales and was ardently devoted to our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. He founded the community of the Salesians of Don Bosco. This religious community works on education around the world. Because of this wonderful love that Don Bosco had for educating our children, the Church in the United States celebrates this Catholic Schools week.

Pope St. John XXIII, on May 15th, 1961, says, Mater et Magistra Ecclesia est., which means, The Church is Mother and Teacher. Teaching is a very fundamental element of our Church because Jesus Himself was a teacher. Our Lord, Jesus Christ came to teach us what the Kingdom of Heaven is and how you and I can reach this Kingdom. Jesus at the moment of His ascension into Heaven commanded His disciples and us, Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt. 28:19-20). Since that moment, the Church has been teaching to all people not only the good news of Jesus, but also many elements about the world, science, and other subjects. The Church has been creating schools, colleges, universities, seminaries, and other different institutions where many people around the world are learning.

For this reason, the Church not only recognizes the importance of Catholic Schools, but also prays for all people involved in education: principals, deans, teachers, and of course, students. Let us pray for all of them so that they can learn about the wonders of this world, having very strong Christian values.

Let us pray:

God of all growth. We ask you to bless all students in Catholic Schools. May they remain constantly curious in their pursuit of knowledge and truth. May they use their gifts and talents to spread your light and love throughout the Earth. And may all their learning ultimately draw them closer to Your Son, Christ the Teacher. We make this prayer in Your Holy Name, Amen.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

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

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

Are we prepared to listen to God’s message?

When we read the Bible, we find the history of a nation called Israel. This is an amazing story where God was always helping the people of Israel through different characters, such as the patriarchs, kings, prophets, and so on. God talked to them and not to people of Israel directly. Why? Well, because at that time, all these people were not prepared to listen, see, and feel the real presence of God. For instance, Moses usually had a conversation with God on Mount Sinai. Even though God wanted to show Himself to the people of Israel so that they would have faith in Him, these people were always scared of the different signs such as thunder, clouds, lightning, and so on, that demonstrated the real presence of the Lord on Earth. The book of Exodus says: “On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain” (Exodus 19:16-17). Moses wanted Israel to know God, but it was not the right moment. God manifests Himself step by step. God’s pedagogy consisted of showing Himself according to human evolution. For example, you cannot teach difficult mathematical problems to a child. You need to teach them first to add and subtract. This is a process that takes time in the life of a per- son. It is the same thing with human beings. God teaches little by little; hence, God sent Jesus Christ to teach us His real message of Love and Hope to all mankind.

Jesus, the Son of God, was using the same methodology. He was always teaching the truth with clear words to His disciples; however, He did not do the same with the rest of the people; He used parables with them. Why? This was the same question that His disciples asked Him. Jesus answered with a simple phrase: “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted” (Matthew 13:11). That means that like in Moses’ time, Israel’s people still were not prepared to know everything about the Good News that is the Gospel. However, Jesus also explained that He speaks in parables because Israel’s people “look but do not see but also do not listen or understand” (Matthew 13:13). Therefore, people need to be prepared in order to have a real meeting with God.

Today, we can better understand God’s message by the power of the Holy Spirit. You and I have the wonderful experience of listening to God’s voice through the readings in the Eucharist. We are also able to have a better comprehension of the Word of the Lord through priests’ explanations during the homily in the Eucharist. Moreover, we have the possibility to see God in His real presence in the bread and wine that the priest consecrates in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. I ask you, have you thought about this? Are you prepared to listen to God’s voice and see Him? Are you able to see and feel the presence of God in the Eucharist? If you answered, “Yes”, let me congratulate you. If your answer was “No”, probably you need to take time to think about the real meaning of the Eucharist. Anyway, we are more privileged than Israel’s people in Moses’ time.

Jesus loves us, and He wants the best for us. Listen to His voice! Receive His Body and Blood! Jesus is here! Do not miss Mass. Jesus is always waiting for us.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

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

Fr. Jorge Ramirez