The Season of Lent
The season of Lent is a powerful time of grace and mercy. The Lord calls us back to the basics: to love God and neighbor through prayer, penance, and almsgiving.
We spend so much time focused on ourselves that our hearts become turned inward. The disciplines of Lent are a kind of “spiritual therapy” designed by God to turn us back toward God and neighbor. Like physical therapy, it can feel a bit painful at first as our hearts are bent back in the direction they’re supposed to be. But the end result is greater freedom and joy.
The underpinning of this great season is God’s mercy. It is only because of his great mercy that we can repent, that we can be changed, that we can recommit to loving the Lord and our neighbor as we were made to love.
Please join us this Lent as our parish family enters into this ancient time of preparation for Easter!
Daily Mass
Beginning Feb. 14
Mon., Wed., Fri. 6:30a.m.
Monday - Saturday 8:30a.m.*
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Wednesdays – 7—8a.m. and 6—8p.m (except Ash Wednesday)
Fridays — 9—10a.m. (except Good Friday)
Fridays – 4:30—6p.m. (except Good Friday)
Saturdays – 3:30—5p.m. (except Holy Saturday)
Stations of the Cross
Fridays in Lent
Feb. 16 — March 29
12p.m. and 7p.m.
Good Friday - 11a.m. Children’s Stations of the Cross
Ash Wednesday
Feb. 14
6:30a.m. Mass with Ash Distribution
8:30a.m. Mass with Ash Distribution*
11:45a.m. Prayer Service with Ash Distribution
12:30p.m. Prayer Service with Ash Distribution
5p.m. Mass with Ash Distribution
7p.m. Mass with Ash Distribution
(no evening Confessions)
Adoration, Praise & Worship
Join us for an evening of Eucharistic Adoration, song, and Gospel in the church following 7p.m. Stations of the Cross on Friday, Feb. 16 and Friday, March 15.
Eucharistic Adoration
Eucharistic Adoration is every Thursday at 9a.m. through Saturday at 8a.m.
Palm Sunday
March 24
Regular Sunday Mass Schedule
Holy Week
Holy Thursday
March 28
8:30a.m. Morning Prayer*
7p.m. Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper* in the church & Eucharistic Procession to Altar of Repose, Adoration until Midnight (in the PAC).
Good Friday
March 29
8:30a.m. Morning Prayer*
11a.m. Children’s Stations of the Cross
12p.m. Stations of the Cross
3p.m. Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion, including Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion*
7p.m. Stations of the Cross
Holy Saturday
March 30
8:30a.m. Morning Prayer*
1p.m. Blessing of Easter Food
8p.m. Easter Vigil Mass*
Easter Sunday
March 31
6:30a.m. Easter Mass
8:30a.m. Easter Mass*
8:45a.m. Easter Mass in the Parish Activities Center
10:30a.m. Easter Mass
10:45a.m. Easter Mass in the Parish Activities Center
12:30p.m. Easter Mass
*Event will be livestreamed
PRAYER
Daily Mass
“In the Eucharist is all the power that created the universe and all the love that redeemed it,” William Cardinal O’Connell. Join us for daily Mass and receive the Lord’s power and love in your life to help you meet the challenges and trials of each day. The Mass readings are specially chosen to help draw us more deeply into Lent. Please join us!
Eucharistic Adoration
At Mass the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus. We feed on this gift at Mass, but we also adore his Real Presence in Eucharistic Adoration. Adoration takes place at St. John every Thursday evening until Friday morning Mass, and after Mass continues throughout the day and night until Saturday morning Mass. Come and spend some quiet time in the presence of the Lord – it is a great time of peace, healing and spiritual refreshment.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
We all fall short in loving God and neighbor. Rather than getting used to it, or suffering through the shame or guilt, what if there was a way to start over? What if there was a way to be strengthened so that you could break out of your patterns of sin and live differently? God offers us his mercy to give us that new start.
There are many opportunities we have to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation this Lent on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Remember, no matter how long it has been the priest is ready to help you! Come and meet Christ in the Sacrament of his mercy!!
Stations of the Cross
Join us every Friday of Lent at 12noon and 7p.m. in the Church as we pray the Stations of the Cross. Early in the life of the Church it became common for pilgrims to walk in the footsteps of Jesus in Jerusalem, remembering his Passion and Death. Later, Stations of the Cross were added to local churches as an alternative. The Stations commemorate Jesus’ journey to Calvary where he died. Originally prayed outdoors, the Stations of the Cross gradually moved inside churches where they became a familiar feature. Join us for this beautiful Lenten devotion.
FASTING
Fasting is the voluntary giving up of food, drink, and other material things that expresses our desire to bring a healthy balance back to our relationship with God, ourselves and others. Poor choices in daily life can lead us to become slaves (addicted) to certain material things such as food, drink, television, etc. In fasting, we admit that we are not as free as we would like to be. In fasting, we exercise the gift of our free will (aided by God’s grace) to say ‘no’ to certain things (which are not necessarily bad in themselves) in order to allow us to say ‘yes’ to the Lord and to others.
The Benefits of Fasting
· Fasting awakens the heart to the intimate presence of God in one’s soul.
· Fasting encourages more serious reflection about the priorities in our lives.
· Fasting strengthens our sense of dependence upon God.
· Fasting sharpens our sensitivity to the spiritual dimension of life.
· Fasting strengthens our ability to say ‘yes’ to God and ‘no’ to sin.
· Fasting develops greater appreciation for the gifts of God, especially food and drink.
· Fasting purifies us, spiritually as well as physically.
Ways to Fast
The season of Lent already comes with some “built-in” fasting: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting and abstinence, while each Friday of Lent we abstain from eating meat. Remember, though, that meatless Fridays don’t mean we choose lobster instead. Meatless meals on the Fridays of Lent should be simple, sacrificial, and lead us to reach out in generosity to those who are less fortunate through some act of charity.
The classic form of fasting involves giving up of food or drink. As children we may have given up candy during Lent – this classic approach can be as valuable for adults as for children. Any time we exercise our free will in a deliberate way over and above our cravings and desires we gain control over our lives – the same control that is needed to say “yes” to God and “no” to sin.
We can also fast from an entire meal (lunch on the Fridays of Lent for example). The money normally spent on that meal could be placed in the Poor Box at church.
We can also fast from television, music, or our devices. While not always bad in themselves, these forms of entertainment can so occupy our lives that we have trouble hearing God. In place of television or the phone, we can spend time with those we love or in quiet prayer with God (reading from Scripture, looking at the Sunday Mass readings, etc.) or in service to others.
Remembering that fasting is a form of penance and self-denial, there are many other ways that we can show God our sorrow for our sins: being generous with others, visiting the sick and lonely, feeding the poor, studying Scripture, praying the Stations of the Cross or the Rosary, practicing self-control, and many others.
Lenten Norms for Fasting and Abstinence Fasting: Catholics aged 18—59 are to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting on these days means we can have only one full, meatless meal. Some food can be taken at the other regular meal times if necessary but combined they should be less than a full meal. Liquids are allowed at any time, but no solid food should be consumed between meals. Individuals who are pregnant, nursing, or ill are excused from these norms.
Abstinence from Meat:
Catholics aged 14 and older are to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all Fridays during the season of Lent.
ALMSGIVING
Almsgiving is not only an offering of money to those in need but an attitude of generosity and a willingness to share in the burdens of others. Almsgiving is closely tied to fasting; whatever we save (money or time) should be offered to the needy.
Here are some ways you can give alms this Lent:
St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
Each month, the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry (located in the Parish Center) distributes between 250 - 350 bags of groceries to our neighbors in need. Volunteers sort donations, pack bags, and assist with monthly food deliveries from the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. Check the weekly bulletin for a list of our most needed items. If you are interested in volunteering 1 - 2 hours per month, please contact Cindy Halloran at SVDP@stjohnsp.org to learn more.
Lenten Poor Box Collections
Help support those in need by contributing to our Poor Box during Lent. As the parish receives requests for assistance our St. Vincent de Paul Society is ready to help. Thank you for helping meet the needs of our brothers and sisters!
Casseroles for Our Daily Bread
Catholic Charities’ Our Daily Bread is Maryland’s largest hot meal program, serving more than 250,000 meals to the hungry of Baltimore City each year. Casserole pans and recipes can be picked up in the Gathering Space and are due back to St. John on the last Sunday of each month between 7:15-11:15a.m. Please contact Mike Walsh at 410-703-3132 for more information.
HOLY WEEK
Holy Thursday
On this evening we remember and enter into what Jesus did with his disciples the night before he died: He gave them the new commandment of love (“Love one another as I have loved you.” John 13:34), symbolized in his washing of the disciple’s feet, he instituted the Eucharist (“Do this in memory of me.” Luke 22:19) and prayed for strength in the garden of Gethsemane (“Let your will be done, not mine.” Luke 22:42). The Church celebrates these same events, washing the feet of parishioners, celebrating the Eucharist and then ending the evening in prayerful vigil before Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament.
Good Friday
Today is one of the most solemn days in the Church’s year when we recall the death of Jesus on the cross. This is the only day of the year the Church does not celebrate the Mass. Instead, the ritual is in three parts: the Liturgy of the Word (when we read the account of his passion and death), veneration of the cross, and Communion (consecrated on Holy Thursday evening). This service does not stand alone; it is a continuation of what began on Holy Thursday. The veneration of the cross is a practice unique to Good Friday. It is our opportunity to humble ourselves before the awesome saving action of Christ.
Easter Vigil
This is the holiest night of the Church’s year as we recall Christ’s Resurrection from the dead. Beginning in darkness with the light of candles, we enter into the celebration of his Resurrection singing the Gloria and Alleluia for the first time since the beginning of Lent. It is on this night that we welcome men and women into the new life of Christ and His Church by celebrating the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist for those becoming Catholic.
EASTER TRIDUUM
The Sacred Easter Triduum (Latin for “three days”) is the 72-hour period at the end of Holy Week marking the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
The three days are counted as the Hebrews counted their days, from dusk to dusk. Therefore, the three days of the Easter Triduum are from dusk on Holy Thursday to dusk on Good Friday (day one), dusk on Good Friday to dusk on Holy Saturday (day two), and dusk on Holy Saturday to dusk on Easter Sunday (day three). Each of those days celebrates and commemorates the final days of Jesus as he offered himself for our salvation.
We look at the Easter Triduum as one single celebration that lasts for three days. We cannot separate the death of Jesus from his resurrection. Please join us for these special celebrations!