April 1, 2020 (Fifth Wednesday of Lent)
Parish Update
One of the most notorious death camps ever constructed by the Nazis for the purpose of exterminating millions of human beings was built in a little town called Auschwitz located in the heart of Poland and not far from the city of Krakow. A number of years ago when on pilgrimage with 45 university students attending World Youth Day in Poland we set off to see the infamous place where millions of innocent men, women and children were sent to their death. Entering the camp one passes under an iron arch with words inscribed Arbeit Macht Frei. The words mean “work makes you free”. The words ought to shock us to the very core of our very being. Because they are not true. Just as everything the Nazis believed or ever said was not true. The words were a cynical attempt by the Nazis to take the words of Jesus, we hear in the gospel today, when he says, “truth that sets us free” that they twist and turn to their advantage into a diabolical game of death. They knew what they were doing and they knew what they were saying. They were deliberately using his words to mock those forced to their deaths for having any hope or belief in God. They were mocking the Jewish faith. They were mocking the Christian faith. They were mocking any person who believed in the truth. A truth that sets us free.
The Nazi mindset denies any truth exists. The only truth that exists is their truth. It is a mindset that can be found in almost all times and places in history. It is not something new. For Jesus the truth is the heart of faith. It is the heart of love. Without truth we are never free. Without truth we become slaves to false Gods. When we no longer accept any absolute truth we can easily fall into the great lie and become deceived. Truth never deceives. Jesus is showing us the way to the truth. He is the truth. Without his truth the great deception begins. We begin to believe in our own truth, someone else’s truth, or think the only truth is our work, our money, our physical strength, our health, our luxuries, or our pleasures. These can become false Gods. Today the first reading at Mass is about a King, similar in Nazi mindset, who sends three youth into a fiery furnace for not accepting what the king tells them is true. The three youth know the King is telling them a diabolical lie and they refuse to worship the lie. They prefer death. When they are thrown into the fiery furnace for not obeying the King the flames do not harm them. Not a hair on their head is burned. The King is amazed by what he sees. He sees the truth. A lie will kill but the truth is what sets us free. All that the Nazi’s stood for is a lie. The lie has burned into their souls. Those forced under that infamous arch to their fiery death and who no doubt saw and read the inscription, “work makes you free” knew it was a lie. They knew the truth. No work sets one free. Only the truth sets us free. The fiery flames of hate did not touch their souls. They knew the truth. The truth is love. The truth to love one another, to love life, to love our families, our children, to love all God has created. To love God forever.
Parish Messages:
Be united in prayer with others saying the Rosary in our homes at exactly 4 PM Daily. Pray for the sick and afflicted and for our nurses and doctors of our parish and the world.
Blessed Sacrament available for Adoration can be seen through the Office Window from your car or walking by.
The Mass intention offered today is for the repose of the souls of Helen Obsteen and Joyce Trudeau
Thanks to all willing to be available to help CARE FOR NEIGHBOUR TEAM.
Thanks for dropping food items for the food pantry for those in need. Put items in GREY BIN OUTSIDE parish office doors. I will check each day. Place any prayer requests, offerings, messages, in Rectory House Mailbox.
The Palm Sunday Mass will be streamed live @ 9 AM. Palms will be placed outside the parish office doors in the parking lot for those choose to pick up.
Viewing Sunday Mass
We are using the Zoom platform to stream the 9am Sunday morning mass.
Instructions about how to download the Zoom application and connect to the live stream of the mass will be posted on the parish website (https://holyrosaryguelph.ca) under the “Masses” header on the home page of the website and in the “Latest News” section of the website.
A link to the recorded version of the mass will also be provided in these same locations.
Fr. Vernon P. Boyd S.J.
Pastor
Holy Rosary Parish, 175 Emma Street, Guelph, ON, N1E 1V6
519-822-4701 x 22 www.holyrosaryguelph.ca
