Reflections on Sunday Gospels

FLANDERS  During the season of Lent, parishioners of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton here have been getting opportunities to deepen their faith not only through insights about the Sunday Gospel readings in the homilies of the priests, who celebrate Mass, but also from some of their own. Each week, a parishioner and pastoral leader has been offering his or her own spiritual reflection, which gets posted on St. Elizabeth’s website — a part of the rural Morris County parish’s ambitious Ignite Program.

Since the beginning of Lent, the St. Elizabeth’s website, www.stelizabethchurch.org, has been posting reflections under the tab “Lent/Easter” on its home page. Each week, one of these men or women offers insights into each Gospel by exploring its stories, history and lessons — sometimes mixed with connections to modern life, current events or their own life experiences. Hosting this Lenten/Easter Online Reflection Series — which will continue into the Easter season — has been one of Ignite’s four components — or “pillars”: faith sharing. This pillar strives to “help each student and family to grow in knowledge of our Catholic faith,” with the goal “that our children will take the Good News of Jesus Christ and share it with others.”

During its 30th anniversary in 2015, St. Elizabeth’s formulated Ignite, charging it with doing what the name implies: firing up parishioners about deepening their faith, getting involved in the parish, evangelizing the Gospel and inviting people into Church. An Ignite team has been working to put together a series of programs and activities that will give this 1,600-family faith community its spiritual makeover.

“The reflections are a good way for parishioners to share their experiences and their faith with others,” said Father Stanley Barron, St. Elizabeth’s pastor and also diocesan vicar for education and Ignite’s leader. “Ignite has helped renew some parishioners’ participation in the parish and its ministries.”

St. Elizabeth’s website has featured a reflection by a parishioner each week, except for last week, Palm Sunday, when several parishioners contributed a reflection on one of the 14 Stations of the Cross. For the 14th Station, Jesus is laid in the Tomb, Candace Niblett writes that the Savior’s death emotionally crushes Mary and his disciples and fills them with worry that it might be the end of his existence.

“Our beloved Jesus teaches us to not be afraid. Regardless of where you are, Jesus is there with you. When we are on top of the mountain, happily praising Jesus, and we are walking in the warmth of his love, Jesus is with us. When we are walking in great sadness, through the valley of shadows, Jesus is still with us. When we are in that valley, something has stolen our joy or our peace. The valley can be the death of a loved one. The valley can be the unknown future of a frightening diagnosis. We know that we are never alone, that Jesus is always with us,” Niblett writes. “We, as faithful followers of our beloved Jesus, know that his death was not the end. We know that He rose again to give us eternal life with him. We know that Jesus conquered death forever, for all of us,” she writes.

For the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Eric Roberson reflects on the scene in John’s Gospel, when Jesus hints at his own death by telling people, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” He explains the importance of his forthcoming Death and Resurrection, saying, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” He continues, “Whoever serves me must follow me and where I am, there also will my servants be.”

“There was an athletic director in Parkland High School, Florida [Chris Hixon], who put his own life at risk to protect children a month ago and he died [during the shootings Feb. 14 that left 17 people dead]. I imagine that, in those moments, he made the same decision as Jesus, against all ability and instinct for self-preservation … What will I do when God asks for me to be strong? … to accept danger? … to experience loss? … to sacrifice my wants and needs for another person? In these moments of life, I hope that I’ll be strong and satisfy God’s will,” Roberson writes.

Commenting on the Lent and Easter reflections on the website, Michael Pucilowski, a member of Ignite’s steering committee and the prayer and worship pillar, first noted, “We are taught in our society that we shouldn’t talk about religion [in public].”

“But when our parishioners read the reflections, they might see them as a way for God to talk to them. Then, they can talk to someone else about them,” said Pucilowski.

“As we continue to write our story, we invite every parishioner to participate in the effort to revitalize his or her personal faith in Jesus Christ,” the Ignite Team writes on its page on St. Elizabeth’s website. “We invite every parishioner to remember that each of us promised to ‘Go out to all nations,’ whether those nations are neighbors, friends, co-workers, children, or grand-children. We invite each parishioner to make visible the youthful joy of love of God and unselfish love for every neighbor,” the team states.