February 12, 2023

Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time

by Fr. Boniface Endorf, O.P.

Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,

Lent is quickly approaching: 2/22 is Ash Wednesday. Start thinking about what penances you would like to take on this Lent. There are many graces to the Lenten season so make sure to take advantage of them; it can be a time of great spiritual growth. Pick penances that will help give you the inner freedom and space to move closer to Christ. For instance, fasting from social media or the internet works well for people today. Also, make sure to increase your daily prayer during Lent—the point isn’t simply to empty ourselves of the things that distract us from God, but also to fill ourselves with the things of God.

On Ash Wednesday, 2/22, we’ll have masses at: 8am, 12:10pm, 5pm, and 7pm. It’s not a Holy Day of Obligation but it’s spiritually fruitful to attend Mass at the beginning of Lent.

Mass Tidbit:

After offering the bread to God, the priest next offers the wine to God. First, he prepares the chalice. He pours wine into the chalice, and then pours in a couple drops of water too. There are many symbolic resonances to mixing the water and wine. First, in the ancient world wine was always mixed with water and Christ himself would have done so at the Last Supper, so it points to the origin of the Mass in the Last Supper. Also, it refers to the water and blood that poured from Christ’s side when his side was pierced by the soldier’s lance. (John 19:31-4) It also points to Christ’s two natures: the wine of his divine nature and the water of his human nature.

When mixing the water and the wine, the priest prays silently: “By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” As Christ assumed a human nature to himself, so in partaking of his blood we share in his divine nature and are thus made like God. As St. Athanasius wrote: “God became man so that we might become God.” Jesus is God by nature, but through accepting his life into ours, done literally when we receive His body and blood, we become like God through adoption.

Finally, the priest offers the wine to God, praying: “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you: fruit of the vine and work of human hands, it will become our spiritual drink.”

God Bless,
Fr. Boniface