Repent and believe in the Gospel

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

Once in a Blue Moon, a natural occurrence nearly every three years, the Gospel of Matthew flows seamlessly from Ordinary Time into Ash Wednesday. Since the Christmas season the church has been proclaiming our weekly Gospel from the Sermon on the Mount from the fifth chapter of Matthew. We are in Cycle A of our threeyear rotation with the Gospels of Mathew, Mark and Luke. This year the timing was picture-perfect to go from chapter 5 into the traditional Ash Wednesday Gospel taken from St. Matthew’s sixth Chapter on prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Recall that the Sermon on the Mount encompasses Chapters 5-6-7 in Matthew’s Gospel, the first book of the New Testament. The well-known words “repent and believe in the Gospel” or “remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return” as each person is marked with the ashes are the bridge to the Lenten season of conversion and new life in Jesus Christ. This is heaven-sent because the Sermon on the Mount is at the essence of the Lord’s standard for holiness of life, and an exceptional examination of conscience for our 40-day spiritual journey. Each chapter is brimming with God’s wisdom and by allowing Jesus’ words to find a home in our hearts and minds, and our actions will keep us firmly fixed on the road to life from on high .

Immediately following the Ash Wednesday Gospel on prayer, fasting and almsgiving is one of the Lord’s summary statements on storing up treasures in heaven. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth, rust and thieves are powerless.”

Why? “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (6:19-21)

As disciples of the Lord, the first foot forward is not about receiving pennies from heaven, as it is storing up treasures in heaven. “But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

We are in the world and for sure, want to live a full life, but we are not of the world. “I have given them your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that you

The Diocese of Jackson has launched a third-party reporting system that will enable all diocesan employees, volunteers and parishioners to anonymously (or named if preferred) make reports. Examples of this activity include fraud, misconduct, safety violations, harassment or substance abuse occurring at a Catholic parish, Catholic school or at the diocesan level. The system is operated by Lighthouse Services. Based in Deerfield, Illinois, Lighthouse Services maintains ethics, safety and fraud hotlines for over 4,100 organizations between the U.S. and abroad.

To make a report visit www.lighthouse-services.com/ jacksondiocese or call 888-830-0004 (English) or 800-2161288 (Spanish).

The Association of Priests of the Dioceses of Jackson and Biloxi provide a small pension to our retired priests. As you consider your estate plans, please remember these faithful servants by making a donation or leaving a bequest to the Association of Priests. Our parish priests dedicate their lives to caring for us, their flocks. Let us now care for them in their retirement. Donations can be made payable to the Association of Priests and can be mailed to:

Diocese of Jackson, P.O. Box 22723, Jackson, MS 39225-2723

Volume 69 Number 6 (ISSN 1529-1693)

P.O. Box 2130 Jackson, MS 39225-2130 Phone: 601-969-3581 E-mail: editor@jacksondiocese.org

Publisher Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

Communications Director

Joanna Puddister King

Production Manager Tereza Ma

Contributors ......................................................................................................... Berta Mexidor

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC is an official publication of the Diocese of Jackson, 601-969-1880, 237 E. Amite St., Jackson, MS 39201. Published digitally twice per month January - April and September - December; once per month June, July and August. Subscription rate: $20 a year in Mississippi, $21 out-of-state. Mississippi Catholic mails 14 editions per year – twice per month in December and January; and once per month February – November. For address changes, corrections or to join the email list for the digital edition, email: editor@jacksondiocese.org.

Website: www.mississippicatholic.com w www.jacksondiocese.org should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one.” (John 17:11, 14-15.)

The treasures we are storing up in heaven are rooted in prayer, fasting and almsgiving, or generosity of life, walking on the path Jesus trod, in the desert overcoming temptation, and as a treasure trove of blessing in daily life.

The Ash Wednesday demand to repent and believe in the Gospel is the foundation of the Lord’s call in each of our lives. St. Mark’s Gospel, without the Infancy Narratives of Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels, and the Prologue of John’s Gospel wastes no time over who Jesus is and what are the demands of his mission. “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1) Immediately after his identity is established Jesus sets out on his public ministry. “After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God saying, The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe in the Gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15)

Jesus invites us to place our faith in him as the Son of God and to repent, embracing a life-long journey of conversion of mind and heart, of mindset and attitude. We have been buried with Christ in baptism so that we can die to self and rise with him each day. This is not a once in a Blue Moon display of ashes, but a way of living with a storehouse of treasures.

40 Years Of Priesthood

Father

Bill Cullen

Thank you for answering the call!

BISHOP’S SCHEDULE

Saturday, Feb. 25, 11 a.m. – Rite of Election – Northern Area of the Diocese, Christ the King, Southaven

Sunday, Feb. 26, 2 p.m. – Rite of Election – Jackson Area of Diocese, St. Francis of Assisi, Madison

Tuesday, Feb. 28, 7:30 a.m. – Mass, Carmelite Monastery, Jackson

Saturday, March 4, 11 a.m. – Bishop Chanche Awards, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Sunday, March 5, 7 p.m. – Mass, Millsaps College Student Center, Jackson

Sunday, March 19, 9:30 a.m. – Mass for Feast of St. Joseph, St. Joseph, Greenville

Tuesday, March 21, 7:30 a.m. – Mass, Carmelite Monastery, Jackson

Monday, March 27, 1 p.m. – Bruin Classic Golf Tournament, Annandale Golf Course, Madison

All events are subject to change. Check with parishes and schools for further details.

VOCATIONS

FEBRUARY

Called By Name

God doesn’t call the qualified – He qualifies the called. In my four and half years as a priest I have learned to do countless things that I once thought had “nothing to do” with ministering to God’s people, but which I now realize are mandatory if I am going to be an effective parish priest. I have learned to create agendas and run meetings – not exactly the height of spiritual union with the Lord, but very important if you want your staff, finance council, pastoral council and other committees to be in a good mood. I have learned how to fundraise and create budgets and produce purchase orders and expense reports – not what I immediately thought about when I began to consider the priesthood, but very important when it comes to day-to-day stewardship of the goods that the People of God entrust priests within the church.

I have learned to do all kinds of things that at one stage or another I thought had “nothing to do” with ministering to God’s people, but now I realize that as a priest, especially a diocesan priest, everything that I do can be caught up in the mystery of God’s call to be a priest. When we entrust our lives to the Lord by following his will for us, we allow him to take our lives in whatever direction he sees fit. This is what we prepare men studying for the priesthood to do. They need to be generally prepared to be good leaders, good organizers and good business managers, but they won’t know exactly what will be asked of them until they are out with their flock. Getting ready to be a priest is probably something like getting ready to practice medicine – you get lots and lots of training in med school and then when you put the white coat on, you begin to be challenged by things you never expected.

All this is to say: our seminarians may not take a ‘class’ for every possible situation they’ll be faced with, but they are trained to expect the unexpected and do their best, because God doesn’t call the qualified – he qualifies the called. This means that the most important thing that a man learns in seminary is how to pray and how to remain in relationship with the Lord who has called him to this task and this identity. If a man is deeply rooted in a life of prayer and a joy-filled relationship with the Lord, then he will be up to the task even when the task at hand is something he had never prepared for.

In the past week at my parish, I’ve done a wide scale edit of the website (didn’t learn how to do that in seminary), revamped our social media presence (didn’t learn how to do that either), issued purchase orders for seminarian education (same) and filed expense reports (same). It can be easy to see these tasks as “added burdens,” but that is not the message that the seminary sends to our men. For the diocesan priest, all of these administrative tasks are a part of a loving response to God’s call to the priesthood. These things are important to the life of the church and the life of our people, and so we are trained over 6-9 years to expect the unexpected, and to see every part of our day as an opportunity to minister to the People of God.

Father Nick Adam

Lenten meals, Stations and Penance services across the diocese

CANTON Sacred Heart, Stations every Friday at 5:30 p.m. followed by a soup supper in the parish center (no charge). All are welcome!

COLUMBUS Annunciation, Fish Fry in the Activity Center, after Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m. in the chapel.

FLOWOOD St. Paul, Knights of Columbus Fish dinner every Friday after Stations at 6 p.m. Donations accepted. All are welcome.

GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, Lenten dinner/Fish Fry on March 3 and 31. Stations every Friday at 6 p.m.

GREENWOOD Immaculate Heart of Mary, Knights of Columbus Fish Fry, every Friday during Lent from 5-7 p.m. Cost is $12 per plate. Dine in or carry out.

HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Soup Supper after Stations on Fridays at 6:30 p.m.

Holy Spirit, Men’s Association fish fry on March 31 beginning at 4 p.m. – eat in or takeout.

JACKSON St. Peter Cathedral, Stations at 5:15 every Friday in Lent, followed by simple, meat-free meal in the parish center. Spanish stations at 7 p.m.

JACKSON St. Richard, Stations at 5:30 p.m on Fridays during Lent with Knights of Colubus Fish Fry in Foley Hall following. Dine-in or carry out. Cost: $12 adults; $6 children; $40 Families of 5+ members.

MADISON St. Francis, Rosary 6 p.m., Stations 6:30 p.m. and Lenten meal 7 p.m. every Friday during Lent.

NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Knights of Columbus Fish Fry, every Friday of Lent, beginning Feb. 24 from 5-7 p.m. in the Family Life Center. Cost: Catfish $12; Shrimp $12; Combo $14. Dinners include fries, hush puppies and coleslaw. For grilled fish, call 30 minutes ahead. Details: Darren (601) 597-2890.

OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Soup Suppers at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 24, March 3, 10, 24 and 31; Knights of Columbus Fish Fry fundraiser on Friday, March 17.

PEARL St. Jude, Fish Fry following Stations every Friday at 6 p.m. Reservations required. Dinner includes catfish, fries, huspuppies, coleslaw and tea. Dine-in only. No cost, donations encouraged. Details: church office (601) 939-3181.

STARKVILLE St. Joseph, Knights of Columbus catfish dinner after Stations in the Church at 5:30 p.m. every Friday during Lent.

SOUTHAVEN Christ the King, Fish Fry at 5:30 p.m. and Stations at 7 p.m. on March 3, 17 and 31. Lenten meal served on March 10 and 24.

TUPELO St. James, Lenten Lunch, Thursday, March 2.

PENANCE/RECONCILIATION SERVICES

CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, Reconciliation with serveral priests available, Wednesday, March 22 from 4-6:30 p.m.

HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Penance Service, Wednesday, March 1 at 7 p.m.

MAGEE St. Stephen, Penance Service, Saturday, April 1 at 4 p.m.

OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Penance Service, Wednesday, March 8 at 7 p.m.

SOUTHAVEN Christ the King, Penance Service, Wednesday, March 22 at 7 p.m.

STARKVILLE St. Joseph, Penance Service, Tuesday, March 28 at 6 p.m.

TUPELO St. James, Reconciliation Service, Thursday, March 30 from 5-7 p.m. in the Church.

VICKSBURG St. Michael, Reconciliation Service,

Tuesday, March 21 at 7 p.m.

STATIONS ONLY

BATESVILLE St. Mary, Stations, 30 minutes before all weekend Masses and on Fridays before 11 a.m. Mass.

CHOCTAW St. Therese, Stations on Fridays during Lent at 6 p.m.

CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m.

CLINTON Holy Savior, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m. followed by Mass.

GREENWOOD Immaculate Heart of Mary, Stations at 12 p.m. on Fridays.

NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Stations every Friday during Lent beginning March 3 at 5:15 p.m.

Assumption, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m.

OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Stations every Friday during Lent at 7 p.m.

PHILADELPHIA Holy Rosary, Stations on Fridays during Lent at 6 p.m.

PONTOTOC St. Christopher, Stations at 6 p.m. each Friday during Lent.

SHAW St. Francis, Stations every Friday after 6 p.m. Mass.

TUPELO St. James, Stations on Fridays following 12:10 p.m. Mass (English) and at 6 p.m. (English). Spanish stations following 6:30 p.m. Spanish Mass.

VICKSBURG St. Mary, Stations every Friday during Lent at 6 p.m.

VICKSBURG St. Michael, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m.