Frè m ak Sè m yo,

Gen de bagay ke yon moun paka fè.  Ou pa kapab kouri yon machin avèk dlo selman nan tank gaz la. Ou pa kapab konsève yon manje nan yon frijidè san ou pa ploge li. Epi pèsonn pa kapab padone peche avek pouvwa moun li selman.  Direktè lalwa yo ki t-ap obsève Jezi e ki te tande  li deklare ke peche-w padone te toutafè gen rezon nan opinyon yo, « Kiyès ki kapab padone peche sinon Bondye sèlman » Men, yo te manke pwen-an, paske yo pat konnen kiyès Jezi te ye. Paske Jezi li-menm li se Bondye, Li egal ak Papa-l ki nan syèl la nan tout bagay, Li kapab e padone peche nan pwòp otorite-l. Li fè sa, nan yon fason imen. Jezi te kapab padone peche nèg ki te paralize-a byen fasil avèk senp volonte li.  O kontrè li gade nèg paralize-a ak anpil konpasyon epi li pale ak otorite, men ak pawòl moun : « Pitit mwen peche ou yo padone. » Nan Jezi nou wè ke fason diven pran plas fason moun nan. Jezi konfime pisans pawòl li atravè yon mirak. Paske remisyon peche yo envizib, Pat gen okenn tès pou pisans pawòl li yo, men lè li di moun paralize-a : « Leve, pran nat ou e retounen mache ankò, » tout moun te vire tounnen al wè nonm paralize-a pou yo te wè si pawòl Jezi-a te gen efè vre. Lè nonm paralize-a kanpe, se te yon siy pou tout moun ke Jezi pat sèlman geri paralize-a ak pawòl ki soti nan bouch li, men li padone peche li yo tou ak pawòl nan bouch li. Nan  Jezi Bondye te fe yon bagay nouvo.  Jamè okenn moun pa janm tande pawòl padone peche moun nan bouch pèsonn tankou sa yo tande nan bouch Jezi yo. Pawòl li yo ak pouvwa li yo toujou kontinye nan Legliz la, paske chemen Bondye  se toujou pou ranplase chemen moun. Yon Prèt pa kapab padone peche pou kont li. Li dwe branche nan Legliz la, piske, selon volonte Jezi, padon-an li vini atravè Legliz la e pou Legliz la. Se sa ki fe`, pawòl absolisyon nan sakreman penitans lan genyen priyè enpòtan sa-a : “atravè Ministè Legliz la se pou Bondye padone ou e ba ou lapè.” atrave` Legliz la, Jezi  te libreman chwazi  yon fason imen pou kontinye pote misyon diven sakreman rekonsilyasyon an. Antan ke Katolik, youn nan pi gro don ke Bondye ba nou se Sakreman Penitans lan. Nou se moun beni paske nou gen privilèj pou n tande yon vwa  imèn k-ap eksprime padon peche nou avek yon men rekonsilyan kap touche nou.  Lè nou mete ansanm eksperyans imèn sa-a avèk lafwa nou, nou dwe tou kontan anpil epi nou dwe fè louwanj e bay Bondye glwa pou yon gro favè konsa ki soti nan Bondye nou-an ki bon e ki gen ke` sansib.

Pè Yves Geffrard

My brothers and sisters,

There are some things you cannot do. You cannot drive a car with only water in the gas tank. You cannot keep food cold and fresh in a refrigerator if you don’t plug it in. And no one can forgive sins on human authority alone. The Scribes who observed Jesus as he declared that sins were forgiven were quite right in their objection, “Who can forgive sins except God alone?” But they missed the point since they did not know the identity of Jesus. Because Jesus is divine, equal to his heavenly Father in all things, he could and did forgive sins on his own authority. He did so, however, in a human way. Jesus could very easily have forgiven the sins of the paralyzed man by a simple act of his will. Instead he looked with compassion on the paralytic and spoke powerful, but human words: “My son, your sins are forgiven.” In Jesus we see that the divine way was to take the human way. Jesus confirmed the power of his words by a miracle. Because the remission of sin is invisible, there was no test to the power of his words, but when he said to the paralytic: “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk again,” everyone turned to the paralytic to see whether Jesus’ words had actually had an effect. When the man stood, it was a sign for everyone that Jesus had not only cured the man with his words, but he had equally forgiven his sins with his words. In Jesus God was doing something new. Never before had anyone heard words of forgiveness like those of Jesus. His words and his power continue in the Church, because God’s divine way is still to take the human way. A priest does not forgive sins on his own. He needs “to be plugged” into the Church since according to the will of Christ forgiveness comes in and by means of the Church. That is why the words of absolution in the sacrament of penance include this important prayer: “Through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace.” Through the Church Jesus has freely chosen to carry on in a human way his divine mission of reconciliation. As Catholics one of our greatest gifts from God is the sacrament of penance. We are blessed to be able to hear a human voice express our forgiveness and to feel the reconciling touch of a human hand. When we couple this human experience with faith we too should be awestruck and give thanks and praise to God for such a generous and wonderful favor from our great, good, and merciful God.

Fr. Yves

MASSES AND SERVICES FOR LENT AND HOLY WEEK

Ash Wednesday February 22, Masses in English 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM | Creole 7:30 PM

English Masses during the Lenten season every Tuesday and Friday at Noon.
Stations of the Cross every Friday 6:30 English | 7:30 in Creole

March 26 through March 28 Lenten retreat in Creole 7:30 PM
March 27 Lenten Penance Service 6:00 PM in English
April 3, 2012 Chrism Mass at Saint Ignatius Cathedral at 11:00 AM
April 5 Holy Thursday the Last Supper Mass in English and Creole 6:30 PM
April 6 Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord English 3:00 PM | Creole 7:30
April 7 Holy Saturday Mass in English 7:30 PM in Creole 11:00 PM
April 8 Easter Sunday Mass in English 8:30 AM in Creole 10:30 AM
April 22 Spiritual concert with English and Haitian choirs 7:00 PM

HAVE A BLESSED LENTEN SEASON AND  A HAPPY EASTER!

Frè m ak Sè m yo,

Maladi lalèp la sanse disparèt nan sosyete kontanporèn nou an, men nan epòk Jezi-a, li te youn nan maladi ki te pi redoutab nan tout maladi yo. Maladi sa-a defigire moun ki genyen-l yo, li fòse yo al viv nan dezè kote yo pa ka wè fanmi yo ak zanmi yo, e li rann yo vi papròp pou adorasyon piblik. Kòman yo te konn evalye yon moun ki te gen maladi-a ? Youn nan tach Prèt ansyen Testaman yo se te aji tankou yon dèmatològ epi deside si yon moun ak yon maladi po kapab kontamine yon lòt moun. Kèlkeswa sa maladi po a te ye, depi yo jije ke li kontajye, yo rele-l maladi lalèp. Maladi ke nou tande nan premye lekti-a jodi-a parèt tankou maladi pyas. Si yo vin deside ke yon moun gen maladi lèp, moun sa-a vin toudenkou san kay pou-l rete, san dyòb, san zanmi ak fanmi. Moun sa-a vin oblije al viv andeyò vil la, moun sa a paka chita ak paran li yo oubyen ak zanmi li yo, yo te konn avèti pèp la lè moun sa yo ap aproche nan zòn nan, kay yo sete gròt ak tonb epi moun sa yo te konn viv selman de mande yo konn mande moun k-ap vwayaje swa kap vin lavil la ou byen kap kite vil la. Se te yon santans ki tèrib pou kondane yon moun ladan. Yon lòt kote tou, si prèt la vin pran yon move desizyon, li kite moun sa-a rete nan alantou-an, li ka mete an peril santé tout kominote-a. Genyen 2 chapit nan Liv Levitik la ki bay règleman kòman pou yo trete maladi lalèp la. Premye lekti Jodi-a, se yon ti pati ki soti nan Liv Levitik la. Règleman yo te yon jan difisil, men nan tan primitiv sa-a, yo te nesesè pou kenbe kominote-a an anvi. Lekti sa-a destine pou prepare nou pou Levanjil la kote nou wè ke pouvwa ak lanmou Jezi trete maladi-a yon lòt fason. Li lonje men bay moun kite malad e izole a, li etabli an menm tan santé li ak kapasite pou li retounen nan kominote-a. Pati Evanjil Jodi-a toutafè ekstraòdinè. Jezi pa sèlman akeyi nèg la; Li lonje men ba li epi touché li.Li pa te repouse nèg sa ki te pòv e defigire. Pi plis ankò, Jezi te evoke yon otorite pi gran pase lalwa Levitik la. Tout moun ki te touché yon moun ki gen maladi lalèp, lwa Levitik la te konsidere moun sa-a pa pwòp, ki vle di ke moun sa pa prè pou vin nan sevis adorasyon. Jezi klèman rejte mòd lwa sa-a, e atravè aksyon li, li deklare ke lacharite pi wo pase tout lwa.
Pè Yves Geffrard

My brothers and sisters,

The disease of leprosy has pretty much been eradicated from contemporary society, but in Jesus’ day it was the most dreaded of all illnesses. It gravely disfigured its victims, forced them to live in the desert apart from family and friends, and rendered them unfit for public worship. How someone was evaluated to have the disease? One of the jobs of priests in the Old Testament was to act like a dermatologist and decide whether a person with a certain skin disease could be contagious. Whatever the disease was, if it was judged contagious it was called leprosy. The disease we hear about in today’s first reading appears to be something like ringworm. If it was decided a person had leprosy, the diseased person was suddenly homeless, without job or family. He or she had to live outside the city, could not associate with relatives or friends, they had to warn people when they were approaching, their home was tombs or caves and they made their living by begging from those traveling to or from the city or town. It would be a horrible sentence to have to condemn someone to. On the other hand, if the priest made the wrong and left the person stay around, he could jeopardize the health of the whole community. For two chapters the book of Leviticus lays out rules on how to deal with leprosy. Today’s first reading is a small section from this part of Leviticus. The rules were harsh, but in those primitive times they were necessary for the survival of the community. This reading is meant to prepare us for the gospel where we see that the power of Jesus and his love deals with sickness in a different way. He reaches out to the isolated and sick person and restores both their health and their ability to be reinstated in community. The episode in today’s Gospel is altogether extraordinary. Jesus not only welcomed the man; he actually reached out and touched him. He was not repulsed by this poor disfigured person. More than that, Jesus invoked an authority higher than that of the levitical law. Anyone who touched a leper was rendered levitically unclean, which meant that he was unfit for worship. Jesus implicitly rejected such legislation, and by his action he declared that charity is higher than any law.
Fr. Yves

Frè m ak Sè m yo,

Jodi-a, nan premye lekti nou-an, nou tande Jòb k-ap deplore soufrans li yo.  Depresyon-an te vrèman evidan lè Jòb di : « Mwen pap ka wè bonè ankò » dezespwa se youn nan gro koz depresyon. Ke Jòb te yon moun reyèl ou non, pèson pa ka di avèk konviksyon, men liv Jòb la eksprime yon santiman ke nou tout santi pafwa, ke lavi-a pa jis.  Nan epòk liv la te ekri-a, jan pèp Bondye-a te wè bagay yo, sè ke depi nou anfòm, tout bagay prale mache byen, epi si nou pa bon, tout malè kapab rive nou. Nou tout konnen ke lavi-a pa toujou fonksyone konsa. Liv Jòb la envestige problèm sa-a san li pa vin ak yon repons ki satisfèzan. Otè ki ekri-a te kapab konkli selman ke Bondye dwe konnen sa l-ap fè, paske nou menm nou pa konnen. Konsa, menm lè Jòb dezespere ke li pap janm jwenn kontantman ankò, men tout malè li yo te vin tounen kontrè nan fen-an epi li mouri ak anpil kontantman. Nan Evanjil la, nou tande pale de Jezi ki geri Belmè Pyè. Belmè yo kon sijè anpil blag, kèk nan yo konn fè moun ri, kek konn synik pou yon bon bout tan. Yon ekspè di konsa : « Dèyè chak moun ki reyisi nan lavi-a, nou toujou jwenn ak sipriz yon belmè kanpe dèyè-l. Si Belmè Pyè te sipri paske Jezi te chwazi Pyè kòm moun ki pral alatèt tout apot yo, sa nou pa konnen.an efè, se yon sèl fwa sèlman non l mansyone nan tout Evanjil yo, men, sel mansyon sa, li enpòtan pou  nou. Pyè, nan moman sa ke yo te toujou konnen-l sou non Simon, te pè anpil pou belmè li ki te tonbe malad ak yon fyèv. Lè Simon te pale ak Jezi de belmè-l, Jezi te kenbe men li sèlman, epi maladi fyèv la te pase. Aksyon Jezi-a pat siprann pèson. Men, nan yon ti moman, ak anpil sipriz, li te kòmanse ap sèvi Jezi ak disip li yo. Ou te k-ap panse ke li te k-ap pran yon ti moman pou l repoze li, men, se pat konsa li te reyaji.  Sen Pòl, li menm tou te ranpli ak lespri sèvis sa a tou. Pou l soulinye dedikasyon-l li-an pou preche Evanjil la ke li te aple pou-l bay li ekri : « Mwen anba yon obligasyon e mwen pat gen lòt chwa. »  Se te yon fason klè pou l te montre grandè sans responsabilite li. Li pat ezite montre jenerozite li pou raple moun Korent yo ke, « Mwen ofri nou Evanjil la gratis. » Nan konparezon ak grandè vokasyon Sen Pòl, senp sèvis ke belmè Pyè te ofri ki te sanble parèt ensinifyan. Leson an, sè ke toulède montre jenerozite ak lespri pataj sèvis Jezi-a menm,Pòl nan fason pa li epi belmè Pyè a nan fason pa li. E nou menm ki fason pa nou? Nou kapab tankou Jezi nan responsablite apel nou genyen nan lavi nou, kelkeswa sa nap fè nan lavi a.  Nou bezwen reflechi pou nou wè kouman nou jenere epi jan nou gen sans pataj nan lavi nou kòm yon gran paran, yon paran, yon mari-madanm, yon profesè, yon travayè, yon volontè, yon elèv, yon prèt, yon relijye, kèlkeswa sa ou aple pou fè a.

Pè Yves Geffrard

My brothers and sisters,

Today in our first reading we hear Job lamenting his sufferings. Depression really is evident when Job says: “I shall not see happiness again.”Hopelessness is one of the major characteristics of depression. Whether Job was a real person or not, no one can say for sure, but the Book of Job definitely expresses a feeling we’ve all felt at times, that life is unfair. At the time this book was written, the view God’s people had was that if we are good, all will go well, and if we’re not, all kinds of terrible things will happen to us. We all know life doesn’t always work that way. The Book of Job probes this problem without coming to a satisfactory answer. The author could only conclude God somehow must know what he’s doing because we do not. However, even though Job despaired of ever being happy, his misfortunes were reversed in the end and he did die happy. In the Gospel we hear about the healing of the mother-in-law of Peter by Jesus. Mothers-in-law have been the object of jokes, some humorous and some cynical, for a long time. One pundit observed, “Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law.” Whether Peter’s mother-in-law was surprised at Jesus’ selection of him to be the head of the apostles, we do not know. In fact, she is mentioned only once in all the Gospels, but that one mention is important to us. Peter, who at the time was still known as Simon, was worried about his mother-in-law. She lay ill with a fever. When Simon told Jesus about her, he took her by the hand and the fever left her. The action of Jesus is not surprising. But then, quite surprisingly, she immediately began to wait on Jesus and his disciples. You would think that she would take at least a few moments to rest, but that was not this woman’s way. Saint Paul was filled with a similar sense of service. To underscore his dedication to preaching the Gospel to which he had been called, he wrote: “I am under compulsion and have no choice.” It was an emphatic way of expressing his profound sense of duty. He did not hesitate to highlight his generosity by reminding the Corinthians, “I offer the Gospel free of charge.” In comparison with the exalted vocation of Saint Paul, the simple service offered by Peter’s mother-in-law may seem rather insignificant. The point, however, is that both of them reflected the generous and unselfish spirit of service of Jesus himself, Paul in his way and the mother-in-law in her way, and what is our way? We can be like Jesus in the duties of our calling in life, whatever they may be. We need to reflect on how generous and unselfish we are in our lives as a grand- parent, a parent, a spouse, a teacher, a worker, a volunteer, a student, a priest, a religious, whatever our calling may be.

Fr. Yves

Frè m ak Sè m yo,

Jezi te konn gen abitid ale nan Sinagòg la jou saba-a. Lè li aksepte wòl raben, nan okazyon sa yo, Li akonpli promès Moyiz ki te deklare a pèp la : « Yon profèt tankou mwen menm, ap vin Sènyè nou, Bondye nou-an, kap soti pami nou-menm, Li menm, se pou nou koute-l. Lè Jezi te kòmanse preche nan Sinagòg Kapenawòm lan, move lespri a kriye : « Ou se pitit Bondye-a. » Nan siprem ironi, moun ki gen move lespri a bay yon sèmon sou identite Jezi. Sa li te di a se te vre.  Apre sa, Jezi te vin konfime temwonyaj moun ki te gen move lespri atravè aksyon li : Li retire demon-an sou nonm ki te posede a. Sen Mak ki te ba nou istwa remakab sa-a vle ke nou konprann ke premye rezon ensidan sa-a se pat pou atire nou sou Jezi Kòm yon moun k-ap fè mirak Men se pou nou te ka anbrase identite Jezi kòm inik Pitit Bondye ki Sen an.  Sen Pòl te gen menm angajman sa-a nan lide li, le li te obzeve ke moun ki selibate se zafe Granmèt la ki plis konsene-l.  Men marye ou pa, Bondye rele nou tout pou vin remèt tèt nou ak tout kè nou bay Jezi, li men ki pròp pitit granmèt la.  Epi tou, pi devan Jezi nan ministè piblik li fè yon promès nan menm sinagòg Kapenawòm lan pou bay kò li ak san li pou manje ak pou bwè pou lavi etènèl. Ansyen zansèt nou yo ki te gen lafwa te kontinye ale nan Sinagòg la nan jou saba ; epi nan dimanch yo rankontre lakay yon moun pou la kominyon. Lè payen yo te kòmanse antre legliz la, sèvis lekti nan sinagòg la, sèmon ,  avèk priyè yo te konbine ansanm avèk lakominyon nan jou dimanch. Pawòl la ak sakreman-an,  lekti yo ak la kominyon te vin tèlman konekte yo te rive fòme yon sèl ak dadorasyon.  Chak dimanch nou jwen privilèj patisipe nan adorasyon sa ke nou rele lamès la.  Jezi toujou avè nou nan pawòl la ak nan sakreman.  Legliz la fè nou sonje ke « Se Jezi li menm ki pale avè nou nan lekti yo e ki proklame nan litiji-a.  Se vrèman Kris la ki itilize vwa lèzòm pou pale avèk nou.  Legliz la ensiste ke se kris la menm ki pote kò li ak san li sou fòm pen ak diven. La kominyon ranpli promès Jezi te fè nan sinagòg  Kapenawòm la, ke li tap ba nou kò li pou manje e san li pou bwè. Nan selebrasyon chak lamès nou jwenn opòtinite anbrase Jezi kòm Sel pitit Bondye-a ki pale avèk otorite.

My brothers and sisters,

Jesus was in the habit of going to the synagogue on the Sabbath. When he accepted the role of rabbi on those occasions, he fulfilled the promise of Moses who declared to the people: “A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall listen.” When Jesus began to teach in the synagogue of Capernaum, the unclean spirit shrieked, “You are the Holy One of God”. By a supreme irony, the unclean spirit gave a “sermon” on the identity of Jesus. What he cried out was true. Then Jesus confirmed the testimony of the unclean spirit by his action: he drove the demon out of the possessed man. Saint Mark who gave us this remarkable story wanted us to understand that the primary purpose of this incident was not to attract us to Jesus as a miracle worker but to move us to embrace him in his identity as the Holy One of God. Saint Paul had much the same commitment in mind when he observed that celibate people can and should be concerned with things of the Lord. But married or unmarried, we all are called to dedicate ourselves to Jesus, the Holy One of God. Still later in his public ministry Jesus would give a sermon in this same synagogue of Capernaum in which he would promise to give his body and his blood as food and drink for everlasting life. Our earliest ancestors in the faith continued to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath; then on Sunday they met for the Eucharist in someone’s home. When Gentiles began to enter the Church, the synagogue service of Scripture, sermon, and prayers was combined with the Eucharist on Sunday. The Word and the Sacrament, the Scriptures and the Eucharist, became so intimately connected that they formed but  a single act of worship. Every Sunday we are privileged to share in this act of worship which we call simply the Mass. Jesus is still with us in Word and Sacrament. The Church reminds us that “It is Christ himself who speaks to us when the Holy Scriptures are proclaimed in the liturgy.” It is really Christ who speaks to us in the sound of human words. The Church insists that it is Christ himself who comes to us in his body and blood under the appearances of bread and wine. Holy Communion fulfills the promise of Jesus in the synagogue of Capernaum that he would give us his flesh to eat and his blood to drink. In the celebration of every Mass we are given the opportunity to embrace Jesus as the Holy One of God who speaks with authority.

Frè m ak Sè m yo,

Liv Jonas la se tankou parabòl Jezi yo, e menm jan ak parabòl Jezi yo, li geyen yon leson ki enpòtan anpil pou anseye. Jonas reprezante moun ki mesken yo, sa ki egoyis yo, moun ki pa vle pataje anyen nan sa yo genyen, menm Bondye yo pa vle pataje ak lòt moun. Jonas se senbòl moun ki rayi prochen yo, moun ki gen anpil rankin epi ki refize rekonsilye avèk ennmi yo, menm lè ke y-ap tann Bondye padone peche yo. Jonas reprezante moun sa yo ki pa konprann Bondye. Bondye gran, men nou menm nou gen tandans pou nou minimize. Bondye renmen padone, men nou menm, nou gen tandans refize rekonsilye ak moun ki fè nou mal. Bondye jenere e nou menm nou gen tandans egoyis. Yon siy ki montre ke Bondye diferan de Jonas ak moun ki menm jan ak li yo, se lakwa-a. Nan 2èm priyè Ekaristik la, nou di « Jezi ouvè 2 bra-l sou la kwa » Li fè sa pou l anbrase tout gason ak fanm tout tan, tout kote. Tradiksyon espanyòl la rann sans li pi klè e pi kategorik : «Extendio SUS Brazos en la cruz.» Li lonje bra-l pi lwen ke li kapab sou kwa-a yon fason pou li pa ekskli okenn moun de lanmou konsilyatè Li-a.  Nou rele Legliz la Katolik paske li inivèsèl. Li la depi nan tan pase yo, depi sou tan Jezi Kri, e l-ap rete la jiskaske Li retounen nan laglwa. Li se Katolik tou paske li enkli tout kalite moun. Malgre ke Legliz la fonde nan Lavil Jerizalèm, li pa Jwif. Byen ke Legliz la gen sant kontròl li nan Lavil Ròm, li pa Italyen pou sa. Malgre Legliz la an maje pati te repann pa misyonè Eropeyen yo, li pa Eropeyèn pou sa. Legliz Katolik ki vle di inivèsèl. Tout  katolik otantik yo, pap fèmen kè yo ak lòt moun, menm jan Jonas te fè-l. Yon fason menm jan ak Jezi Kri, yo ouvri bra yo byen gran pou yo akeyi tout moun. Se poutèt sa, Bondye te voye pitit li pou-L te anseye nou epi gide nou. « Le`a rive », Li di, pendan li kòmanse ministe` piblik li. « Wayòm Bondye-a tou pre rive » Kite peche nou yo epi kwè nan Bòn Nouvèl la. Kòm nou tande nan Levanjil jodi-a, Jezi te bezwen anpil bra pou anonse Bòn Nouvèl la, pousa li te kòmanse chwazi moun ki te pou ede li.  Jezi te di : « Mwen te vini pou yo ka gen lavi e pou yo genyen lavi an kantite. » Anseyman Jezi yo se  Bòn Nouvèl la. Men, Gen de fwa, nou pa santi-l nan fason sa-a. Tankou Padone moun ki fè nou mal, padone enmi nou yo, leve nan dimanch maten, lè nou fatige. Gade kòmandman yo, bay lòt moun yon pati nan lajan travay nou. Kèkfwa, li pa yon Bòn Nouvèl.  Se poutèt sa li te di: « Kwè nan Bòn Nouvèl la, » paske nou pa toujou santi-l.