Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The Easter sequence reads that “Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous: The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal... Christ my hope is arisen…Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.” And this is what we celebrate at Easter: The victory of Life over death, of light over darkness, and of grace over sin. We spent six weeks of Lent getting ready for Easter and then we will spend seven weeks of the Easter Season celebrating the mystery of the Risen Christ. It is a joyous celebration. It is a hope-filled celebration

In the first part of the catechumenal process that I wrote last week, I covered the first two stages—the periods of Precatechumenate and Catechumenate—of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). The third stage of RCIA is the period of Purification and Enlightenment. It is a period for a more profound spiritual preparation, and occupies the ultimate preparation for the Easter celebration and the sacraments. The elects take part to a spiritual recollection aiming at purifying their hearts and minds. The Church accomplishes this by means of scrutinies, penitential rite (for candidates, namely those who have already received Baptism), presentation of the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, and preparation rites. The sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist are celebrated at the end of this period during the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. After the reception of these sacraments, the newly baptized and/or confirmed are now called ‘neophytes’. They have been incorporated into the Church, and have received the adoption as sons and daughters of God.

On April 19, our elect who are going through RCIA now will receive the three Sacraments of Christian Initiation at the Easter Vigil. What exactly is RCIA? The paragraph 1229 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that: From the time of the apostles, becoming a Christian has been accomplished by a journey and initiation in several stages. This journey can be covered rapidly or slowly, but certain essential elements will always have to be present: proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing conversion, profession of faith, Baptism itself, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and admission to Eucharistic communion.

On the First Sunday of Lent, Bishop Cantú celebrated the Rite of Election of Catechumens at the Cathedral. This Rite opens the second stage of Christian initiation known as the Period of Purification and Enlightenment. It is for the Elect a period of final and intense preparation of heart and spirit before the reception of the Sacraments of Christian initiation at the Easter Vigil. This preparation is accomplished by means of various rites such as the scrutinies.

During Lent, we are asked to focus more intently on "almsgiving," which includes donating money or goods to the poor and performing other acts of charity. As one of the three pillars of Lenten practice, almsgiving is “a witness to fraternal charity” and “a work of justice pleasing to God.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2462). Any material favor done to assist the needy, and prompted by charity, is almsgiving.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the precepts of the Church are “positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities…meant to guarantee to the faithful the indispensable minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor.” (CCC, 2041) One of the precepts of the Church is to “observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.” (CCC, 2043) This precept is intended primarily to help us prepare ourselves spiritually for certain special solemnities such as Easter. It is also intended to help us grow in the virtues self-discipline, moderation, temperance, self-control, and so on, that are so important in our spiritual journey.

Prayer is one of the pillars of Lent. We are especially called to deepen our prayer life during Lent. In response to His disciples’ request “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1), Jesus teaches them the fundamental Christian prayer, the “Our Father,” also known as the Lord’s Prayer. The “Our Father” is without doubt the most popular prayer found in the Christian tradition. It is included in the celebration of most sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick). It is said daily at every Mass and in the Divine Office; it introduces each of the five decades of the rosary

Catholics throughout the world mark the beginning of the season of Lent by receiving ash on their foreheads on Ash Wednesday. This tradition has its roots in the Old Testament, where wearing ashes was a common sign of repentance for sins, and a sign of one’s humility before God. There are also writings from the Second-century Church which point out to this same truth. Since Lent is a season of penitential renewal through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, it’s appropriate that this ancient sign marks the beginning of the season.

This Sunday February 15, the Bishop will preside over the Annual Diocesan Wedding Anniversary Mass for couples who are celebrating their 1st through 5th, 25th, 40th, and 50+ years of marriage at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph. During the Mass the couples will have the opportunity to renew their marriage vows.

Before the COVID 19 pandemic, the distribution of Holy Communion under both species—Body and Blood—was the norm in our Diocese. On July 1, 2023, Bishop Cantú approved the resumption of the distribution of Holy Communion under both species at the at the discretion of the Pastor. Here at St. Cyprian, we will resume to distribution of the Precious Blood of Christ during Communion the first week of this upcoming Lenten season.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As your pastor, it is my responsibility that we all make it to Heaven. And I do not take this responsibility lightly. Early on this year, on January 1st, we began 33 days preparation to consecrate ourselves to the Eucharist by using the first ever Eucharistic consecration guide ,33 Days to Eucharistic Glory. The opening paragraph of the front cover of the book reads that: “[t]his consecration is an invitation to dedicate [ourselves] to God and make [ourselves] 100 percent available to carry out His will on this earth. It is an act of unconditional surrender to Jesus in the Eucharist, an opportunity to set aside our distractions and selfishness, dedicate ourselves abundantly, wholeheartedly, and completely to the will of God, and promise to faithfully respond to God’s grace in our life.”

From the time of the apostles, becoming a Christian has been accomplished by a journey and initiation in several stages. This journey can be covered rapidly or slowly, but certain essential elements will always have to be present: proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing conversion, profession of faith, Baptism itself, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and admission to Eucharistic communion.

John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way of the Lord. He baptized people to call them to repentance. The baptism he administered included the confession of sins. The “goal is truly to leave behind the sinful life one has led until now and to start out on the path to a new, changed life.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration, 15-16.) Already back then, immersion in the water was understood as purification, as “liberation from the filth of the past that burdens and distorts life.” It symbolized death and resurrection, and rebirth.

The Solemnity of the Epiphany commemorates the Magi’s journey to worship Jesus. It represents the coming of Jesus to all– to Gentiles and Jews alike. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a small village about seven miles south of Jerusalem. The Shepherds and the magi were first visitors to the newborn Child in the manger. In one of his homilies on the Solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Benedict XVI stressed the fact that the magi were seekers after God. The magi were men with a restless heart, men driven by a restless quest for God. They were longing for something deeper, they were not satisfied with their secure income and their respectable place in society. Deep down, they knew that there was something greater that was missing in their lives. Their journey from the East to Bethlehem was an expression of the inner pilgrimage of their hearts, a pilgrimage of faith. They were men who sought the true and living God.

On January 1, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. The doctrine of the divine Motherhood is of highest importance and is the central belief concerning Mary as all other truths flow from it or towards it. Mary’s Immaculate Conception was to prepare her to become the Mother of God. The doctrines of Mary’s perpetual Virginity and Assumption are also linked to her divine Motherhood. Although the title of Mary as the Theotokos, namely “God-bearer,” was solemnly defined at the Council of Ephesus in 431, that is not when Mary began to be the Theotokos. She was already the Mother of God before that. Mary has been honored under the title “Mother of God” from the earliest times. The title Theotokos does not explicitly appear in the New Testament, but there are implicit references to it in the Gospels. In Matthew’s Gospel Mary is referred to as Mother of the Immanuel (God with us). Mary is also called “Mother of Jesus” (Jn 2:1, 3), “Mother of the Lord.” (Acts 1:14) The solemn proclamation of Mary as the Mother of God in 431 was mostly in part in response to the heresies of Docetism, Gnosticism, and Manichaeism. Docetism denied that Jesus had a true human body. Gnostics denied that the Child born of Mary was God. Manichaeism also maintained a similar position.

Our world is plagued with human suffering. Both the just and the unjust, the rich and the poor, the great and the small are afflicted by suffering. In the face of all the world’s suffering, many have asked: Does God care about human suffering? Is God indifferent to the cries of one who suffers? The answers to these questions are evident

On December 8, 1854 Pope Pius IX defined as an article of faith that “the most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.” To become the mother of the Savior, Mary "was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 490)

On the First Sunday of Advent, we will begin a new liturgical year. It is a change that will impact the readings that will be used at the Sunday or weekdays Masses. The collection of scriptural readings from the Bible to be read during Mass is called the Lectionary. The Lectionary is divided in two major cycles, one for Sundays and one for weekdays. The Sunday cycle is divided into three years, labeled A, B, and C. The new liturgical year is Year C. Each year is linked to a specific Gospel. In Year A, the Gospel of Matthew is read; the Gospel of Mark is read in Year B; In Year C, we read the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of John is read during the Easter season in all three years, and some Sundays during the Year B. The first reading is usually taken from a book of the Old Testament; the second reading is usually taken from one of the epistles. The weekday cycle is divided into two years, Year I and Year II. Year I is read in odd-numbered years, and Year II is used in even-numbered years. The Gospels for both years are the same. For Advent, Christmas, and Lent, readings are chosen that are appropriate to the season. The Church also provides the option to choose specific readings for feasts of the saints, for Marian feasts, for weddings, funerals, etc.

The kingdom of God, in the words of our Lord and Savior, does not come for all to see; nor shall they say: Behold, here it is, or behold, there it is; but the kingdom of God is within us.

In the end times or when our time comes, God will not abandon us. He will send His angels, led by St. Michael, the great prince, guardian of God’s people to protect us against the accuser, and to lead us safely into God’s presence.