. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Fr. Charles Puthota		Fr. Charles Puthota
	April 18, 2021
Dear St. Elizabeth Parishioners,

Easter Season: Easter Experience of Dying-Rising: What does Easter mean to us? Obviously, it is not just a one-day celebration. It is a season. What is more, it is a way of looking at things. It's not a way of looking at certain things but a certain way of looking at everything. Because of Jesus' resurrection, we can live our present lives with abiding hope and a sense of freedom. Jesus' dying and rising is at work in our lives so that we can keep dying and rising. Changing our direction in life is a big part of the Easter season. The early Christians embraced the change of life. When the apostles preached who had themselves been transformed, the people who heard them were transformed. The Holy Spirit brought about changes unimaginable. We too may feel helpless about our patterns of behavior or cycles of sin, but the Risen Christ can breathe his Sprit on us and blow away our timidity and doubts, our helplessness and insecurities. The spiritual effects of Jesus' resurrection may be felt and experienced in our daily lives if we but allow the Easter grace to take hold of our lives. What about those dear departed ones from our families and circles of friends? Aren't they all well because of the Risen Christ? Don't they all luxuriate in the endless joy and peace of Easter? Easter, therefore, is profound both for the living and the dead. We cannot view the mysteries of life and death without the vantage point of the Easter mystery.

Our Parish Celebration for 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines: Our parish celebration will be on Sunday May 16 at the 11:30 a.m. Mass with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone presiding. You may recall that Pope Francis celebrated a special Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on March 14 in Rome to mark the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines and urged the Filipinos to "persevere in the work of evangelization." Joined him at the Mass were several representatives of the Filipino Church, including Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the former Archbishop of Manila who is now prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Pope Francis recalled that when the Christian message first arrived in the Philippines five centuries ago, "You received the joy of the Gospel: the good news that God so loved us that he gave his Son for us. And this joy is evident in your people. We see it in your eyes, on your faces, in your songs and in your prayers… I want to thank you for the joy you bring to the whole world and to our Christian communities." The Catholic Church in the Philippines inaugurated the year-long celebration on Easter Sunday April 04, 2021 through the end of April 2022. The theme of the jubilee celebration is "Gifted to Give."

Word of God: Luke, author of both the Acts of the Apostles and the gospel according to Luke, summarizes the life of Jesus as spoken by Peter in the first reading and in the gospel portrays the risen Jesus as dispelling the apostles' fears and showing himself as a living human person, not a ghost. In both the readings, repentance and forgiveness of sins are to be preached to all nations. Our change of heart and God's forgiving love are at the center of our human and Christian life.

Archdiocesan Annual Appeal: Our goal is to raise $40,000. The purpose is to assist the Archdiocese in its mission to preach, teach, proclaim, and to engage in various spiritual, liturgical, sacramental, social, educational ministries. So far, we have raised $31,154. Those who are still considering to give, please do think about it prayerfully. To those who have given, my heartfelt thanks. To those who have donated one percent and more, thank you for your generosity which makes it easier for us to reach the goal of $40,000.

New Sound System and New Website: These are new things in our parish to help better participation at Mass and better communication about our parish news. Hope you are enjoying these new additions to our parish life. If you have any feedback, please do let me know or leave a message at the parish office.

Change of Daily Mass Schedule June 01 Onwards: Because of the interest shown by those who attended daily Mass during the Triduum, I have decided that as a parish we could be praying the Morning Prayer every day before the Mass. Accordingly, June 01 onwards, there will be Morning Prayer everyday (the Divine Office) starting at 8:10 a.m. followed by Mass at 8:30 a.m. Those of you who would like to attend the daily Mass, please note that the Mass will be at 8:30 a.m. instead of at 8:00 a.m. For the morning prayer, "Christian Prayer" books will be provided. This is something new and exciting. Please do come join the daily prayer of the Church before the Mass---June 01 onwards.

Easter Quote: "A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act." ---Mahatma Gandhi.

Joke: One Easter Sunday the Reverend Jones announced to his congregation, "My good people, I have here in my hands three sermons...... A $100 sermon that lasts five minutes A $50 sermon that lasts fifteen minutes. And a $20 sermon that lasts a full hour. Now, we'll take the collection and see which one I'll deliver."

Your Friend and Pastor,
Fr. Charles Puthota, Ph.D.