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Weekly writings of Fr. Donnelly

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This weeks letter from Fr. Donnelly

Listening to the Lord

 

After Jesus appeared on Mt. Tabor, transfigured (radiant in glory), God the Father’s voice was heard: “This is my Beloved Son. Listen to Him”. How do we listen to the Lord? By paying attention to what He is trying to tell us. How do we pay attention to God? (We can't see Him, nor do we hear anything as we might hear another person.)


The first condition for listening to God is silence. We must quiet down. Without interior silence, it will be difficult to hear what the Lord is trying to tell us. Silence leads to prayer. (Mother Teresa would add

that silence also leads to peace, love, service….)


He speaks to us through prayer. Anyone who has excelled in the service of God is a person of prayer. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that everyone who does things for the Church is necessarily prayerful (some people just like to be busy). Prayer opens people to God. A prayerful person is in touch with God, in a way that a non-prayerful person is not. God is present to the person. I'm not merely present to God. He's present to me.


Do we pray each day? How long? What form of prayer? The recent letter from our bishop urges everyone to pray at least 15 minutes each day. If you do so, faithfully, you will hear God: not with your ears, but in your heart. Hearing God does not necessarily come during the prayer time (although it could). Often, it comes outside of prayer-time when a person reflects on his life.


God speaks to us through His word. St. Paul says that faith comes through hearing. This is true enough. Hearing means receiving the word of God into the heart and letting it become part of us. The season of Lent is a good opportunity to start preparing for Mass by reading the Scripture passages. Then, at Mass, you will hear them proclaimed. They will not sound unfamiliar or strange to a person who has prepared to listen. As a result, when we hear the readings at Mass, they will more likely "sink in". The Lord speaks to people through the texts of the Mass and through homilies. St. Charles Borromeo even had a speech impediment, but people listened to him when he gave homilies and profited much.


Pray every day. If you have not been, please start. Give this time to the Lord. Pay Him undivided attention. Over time, you will notice a difference in your life. You will be more “connected” with the Lord. You will receive new inspirations and be strengthened in your faith. May you have a blessed Lent.

Lent is here


Beginning this evening, Fr. Ian Kelly will be leading us in a three-day Lenten mission, entitled “Made for More”. The “more” he refers to is our journey to heaven. This journey begins on earth and is connected with our desire to become saints. Someone might say (erroneously), “I am not cut out to be a saint”. The problem with this opinion is that the only people in heaven are saints. The only real

tragedy in life is failing to become a saint. Wanting to be one is necessary, lest we fall short of the mark.


What does wanting to be a saint have to do with life on earth? It means, living a holy life while on earth. We need saints here, on earth. That is, we need holy people. Holy people are not “born” holy, they are formed, often over

many years, and grow in holiness. Yes, there are people who convert at the “eleventh hour” (better late than never), but the earlier we start on our quest to become saints, the better. I am always reminded, in this respect, of St. Therese. She started young in her quest to follow Jesus. It’s a good thing she did. She only lived to be 24 years of age. Notwithstanding her short life on earth, she has been called “the greatest saint in modern times”. It is amazing what the grace of God can do for people, if they allow the Lord to shepherd them, accordingly.


If you can, come to each night of the mission. If you cannot come to each of the three nights, come to one or two. I am sure that much good will come from this. The mission is one of a number of opportunities offered by the parish for this Lent. Other opportunities are available on our parish’s website. The website includes the daily Mass readings, a daily prayer podcast, the daily church schedule, and a daily reflection. Be sure to check out our website.


Do not forget our Mass schedule. If you can come to an additional Mass during the week, this is appropriate for the holy season. Masses are at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Masses are at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. You can visit the exposed Blessed Sacrament from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. You can participate in the Stations of the Cross on Fridays, either after the 8:30 a.m. Mass, or at 7:00 p.m. Jesus came to save us from our sins. With that in mind, Lent is an appropriate time to renew our commitment to regular confession. Confessions will be heard each Sunday morning after 9:00 a.m., and after Fr. Kelly’s Sunday nightmission, from 8:00 to 8:30. This is in addition to the usual times for confessions on Saturdays at 3:00 and 7:30 p.m.


In a nutshell, Lent is a time to renew our commitment to the Lord by praying, doing penance, and giving to charity. It is a special season of grace that will allow us to renew our baptismal promises on Easter Sunday: to reject sin, Satan, and profess our faith. In short, it is a time to renew our commitment to become the saints we were called to be, from the day of our baptism.


Have a holy Lent and live a holy life.

Lent


As we enter the sacred season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5th with Mass at 8:30 am and 6:45 pm the Church invites us into a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Lent is a 40-day journey of spiritual renewal, echoing


Christ’s time of fasting and prayer in the desert. It is a season for deep reflection, repentance, and preparation for the glorious celebration of Easter.


Our Lent Calendar is a helpful guide, offering opportunities throughout the season to grow in faith, Times for Masses, Confessions, Adoration, Rosary, Stations of the Cross, and prayer.


This calendar helps us stay focused on our Lenten commitments. Be sure to take advantage of these spiritual moments as we journey together.


For those looking for daily reflections to enrich their Lenten experience, I encourage you to visit the church website at www.iccmadison.com. There will be a page for each of the 40 days, which includes, daily Mass readings, prayer podcasts, church schedule, and daily reflections. 


This resource will help you stay spiritually centered throughout Lent.

I also invite you to join us for a special Three-Day Lenten Mission, March 9, 10 and 11th, 7:00pm to 8:30pm, led by Fr. Ian Kelly, priest at St. John Vianney, Mentor. Themed "Made for more, Our Journey to Sainthood," this mission will inspire us to deepen our relationship with Christ and

embrace the call to holiness in our daily lives. Please invite someone!


Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of obligation, but anyone over 14 must abstain from meat on this day and all Fridays of Lent. Ages 18-59 must Fast on these days also, meaning only one full meal and two smaller meals with nothing between meals.


I will have Wednesday adoration in the church (not the chapel) during Lent.


The Next Jubilee Mass will be Friday, March 7th at 8:30am.


Be assured of my prayers, Fr. Donnelly

Be Merciful


 “Love your enemies…. Do good to those who hate you.” Not until Jesus came had anyone ever said to pray for those who abuse us and to do good to those who hate us. This is a specifically Christian application. Jesus practiced it Himself. He died praying for His enemies. What does it mean? 


The history of the Church is replete with people who have taken Jesus seriously on this point. 


St. Maria Goretti forgave her assailant who stabbed her fourteen times. This forgiveness changed his life. He had a vision of her in prison giving him flowers. The first thing he did after many years of imprisonment, was to see Maria’s mother. She forgave him, too. He was present at Maria’s beatification. (We have a relic of St. Maria in our main altar.) 


Titus Brandsma was a Dutch Carmelite priest who was tortured and put to death by the Nazis because he spoke out against the persecution of the Jews. He reached out to the nurse who was helping to torture him by giving her his rosary. Apparently, she started using it and had some kind of conversion because she provided testimony for his beatification in 1985. 


And Pope John Paul forgave his own would –be murderer by meeting with him, in the jail where his would-be assassin was imprisoned. I recall the famous photograph of the two, facing each other, in the jail cell. 


Most of us have not endured such hostility or abuse. But, with this in mind, Jesus includes comparatively minor offenses by using the image of being slapped. How do we handle slights or insults (real or perceived)? Even here, we need to forgive. Otherwise, we may carry the injury to the grave. Living with bitterness or resentment is no way to live. (Jesus said that He came that we might have life; He meant not only heaven, but a life here, free of bitterness, worry, anxiety, etc.) 


One priest has this testimony: When first ordained, he believed that 50% of all health, marital, family, and financial problems were due to unforgiveness. After ten years he revised his estimate to 75 to 80%. After 20 years, he believes that over 90% of these problems have some connection with unforgiveness. 


Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to get sick. Unforgiveness is an impediment to living the life of freedom that the Lord wants us to live. Unforgiveness is a form of enslavement. Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. 


What to do? Lead a spiritual life. Pray the Lord’s Prayer regularly. Go to confession regularly. Stay close to the Lord.

From the Pastor Jesus’s Sermon on the Plain


Jesus lists the characteristics of blessed people. He lists the attitudes that can be found among the saints, which He and His mother perfectly fulfilled. They are called the “beatitudes”. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke list beatitudes. Luke’s list is shorter. It is the gospel for this Sunday. The first on the list is “Blessed are the poor in spirit”. There is nothing wrong with making money or winning money, but many people are preoccupied with acquisition. Instead of making money to live, they live to make money. Jesus said to avoid greed in all of its forms. Being poor does not make one holy per se. But those who are holy are detached from what they have. They are poor in spirit. There are people who take vows of voluntary poverty to remind the rest of us of the necessity to maintain a spirit of poverty. These are the “religious” (monks and nuns): no personal bank accounts, salaries, automobiles, credit cards, etc. “Blessed are you who hunger now and woe to you who are full.” Beware of gluttony (a capital sin, and a common one). Gluttony does not mean liking or appreciating food. Jesus himself attended many a dinner and was unjustly called a “glutton”. Gluttony is an inordinate desire to eat and drink. Eating and drinking are necessary for life, but we do not live to eat and drink. There is a place for fasting. This will work to counteract gluttony. Many of our people do not know what this is, outside of Lent. “Blessed are those who weep v. woe to you who laugh.” Why would a person who weeps be considered blessed? It depends on why they are weeping. Jesus wept over Jerusalem for its failure to accept salvation. St. John Vianney wept in the confessional because the penitent was not weeping. St. Francis wept because he saw that too many people did not love God. “Blessed are you when men hate you because of me v. when all speak well of you.” If anyone ever persecutes you for being a Catholic, it is a good sign that you are living the faith. Jesus remains a sign of contradiction in the world. Beware of desiring to be well thought of by worldly opinion. The sufferings and privations of the world remind us that Jesus came that we might share in His happiness, a happiness (“beatitude”) that the world cannot give, and which will be fulfilled perfectly in heaven. 


The Resurrection

This Sunday’s second reading is a classic passage from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. In the passage, Paul reiterates the truth and significance of the death and resurrection of Christ. Everyone should understand this. Without the saving death of Christ, we would still be in our sins. Without the resurrection, we would have no hope beyond this world. Jesus’s death and resurrection, together, allow us to be victorious over sin and death. This should be good news for everyone.


St. Paul asserts the truth of these beliefs. They are not based on wishful thinking. The Church’s understanding of the significance of Christ is a result of Jesus’s own ministry. No one made these things up. To underscore this point, St. Paul states that Jesus was buried (i.e., His death was real), and that, subsequently, the risen Christ was seen by St. Peter, the other apostles, to “500 brothers at once”, and, lastly by Paul himself. (See 1 Cor. 15.) Dead people do not come back to life, after three days in a tomb, but Jesus did. Jesus’s resurrected appearance was not as a ghost, either. He had a glorified body (complete with the salvific wounds which He retained). The resurrection constitutes the confirmation of all Christ’s works and teachings.


Without the resurrection, our faith is in vain. This is what St. Paul says in 1 Cor. 15. In other words, without resurrection, the Catholic faith becomes something like an empty package. There is no substance to it. How can we be sure that the resurrection happened? The Church’s very existence is premised upon the reality of the resurrection. Our faith is not a matter of religious opinions. It is a response to the truth. We must be thankful that there is a Church, or we wouldn’t know Jesus. We wouldn’t know anything about the resurrection, and we would have no hope. Why would we have no hope? Because the resurrection of Jesus is the principle and source of the resurrection of the faithful Christian. We begin the resurrected life at baptism. Along with faith (and perseverance in the faith), we live a new life which death cannot overcome.


The day the Church sets aside for celebrating the resurrection is every Sunday. Every Mass puts us in touch with the resurrected Christ because His risen body is made present in the Eucharist. And Jesus said, “if you eat my body and drink my blood you have eternal life, and I will raise you up on the last day” (John 6.54). This is why the Church urges people to live as active Catholics. We need Jesus. We are all going to die. We need His grace to overcome sin and death. Thank God for the gift of Jesus.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:


Immaculate Conception Church is one of the sacred sites in the Diocese of Cleveland for the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025. 

As a Jubilee Parish, you can obtain a plenary indulgence by participating at Mass, Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, or by spending time in Eucharistic Adoration and praying an Our Father, the Profession of Faith, and invoking Mary the Mother of God. 


The Church, in her loving kindness, offers a great gift during the Jubilee Year: the opportunity to receive indulgences. a grace that allows us to experience the fullness of God’s mercy. An indulgence remits the temporal punishment due to sin, which we may still carry even after our sins are forgiven in confession. 


The path to receiving an indulgence through a Jubilee pilgrimage is straightforward but requires sincerity, prayer, and faith. To obtain the plenary indulgence when visiting a Jubilee site or area church, the following conditions must be met: 


  • Go to Confession: First, you must be in a state of grace. This means you should go to Confession and receive absolution. The Sacrament of Reconciliation restores our relationship with God, and it is through this sacrament that we are spiritually prepared to receive the indulgence. 


  • Receive the Eucharist: Participate in the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, and through receiving Christ’s body and blood, we are united with Him in a special way. 


  • Pray for the Pope’s Intentions: The Church asks us to pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, the Pope. This is an expression of our unity with the universal Church and a sign of our communion with the entire Body of Christ. 


  • Perform the Pilgrimage Act: Visit the designated pilgrimage site, whether it’s a basilica, shrine, or area church, and offer prayers of reflection, repentance, and hope. The pilgrimage itself becomes a prayer—a journey of the heart and spirit toward God. 


  • Live in Detachment from Sin: The faithful must be detached from all sin, even venial sin, as part of the spiritual preparation. This is not about human perfection but about a sincere longing to be free from all that separates us from God. 


This is an amazing opportunity before us this year, and I encourage you to take time to come to ICC or another parish established as a Jubilee site this year to further your spiritual growth in Christ! There are 8 parishes and 3 shrines. 


We will have a special cross on display in the sanctuary for the Jubilee Year, and we will celebrate special Jubilee Masses throughout the year. 


We have a welcome center set up in the Gathering Space which has a welcome guestbook for visitors and information regarding the jubilee. You may obtain a passport and go on a pilgrimage around the diocese visiting the different sacred sites. 


Those unable to participate in these visits to our Jubilee parishes can obtain a plenary indulgence by uniting themselves in spirit with those taking part in person and reciting the Our Father, Profession of Faith, and other prayers while offering up their sufferings or hardships of their lives. The Jubilee of Hope means that God is inviting us to renew our commitment to Him and to each other. This is a moment to reconcile with those we have wronged, to care for the marginalized, and to deepen our relationship with God through prayer, service, and community. For more information see our website at iccmadison.com 


As we journey through 2025, let us open our hearts to the transformative grace of this year, seeking to be instruments of hope, healing, and reconciliation. May we live out the spirit of the Jubilee by embracing God’s mercy and offering that mercy to others. Let us pray for a fruitful Jubilee Year and for all who seek peace, justice, and the embrace of God’s love. Amen. 


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