Dear brothers and sisters,
Last Sunday, we started our Lenten bible study on the Eucharist, called “Presence.” It is a short series of five sessions, which you can find on the FORMED platform (www.formed.org) of the Augustin Institute. All parishioners at St. E’s have free access to this platform through the Cathedral Basilica. You just need to log in with an email of your own and say that you belong to the Cathedral.
The first session was quite fruitful. Something that caught my attention is that God reveals himself to Moses in the Old Testament, saying, “I AM who I am (Ex 3:14).” But he also says, “I AM with you (Ex 3:12).” God is not just “being,” but “being present to you.” In other words, the Lord delights in being with us. He delights so much in it that he wants to stay with us in the Eucharist until the end of time. Please join us this Sunday for the second session!
We are making some upgrades on the first floor of the friary. A few weeks ago, we replaced the fridge, which showed signs of rust. We are also replacing thermostats throughout the building. This will enable us to save quite a bit on our energy bill.
We have also started to pray the Stations of the Cross after Mass on Wednesdays and Fridays. We will continue this practice throughout Lent.
Finally, last Thursday, we had another Women’s Night for college students. About 20 female students attended the event. The topic for the night was “Relationships.” Dany Aguirre talked about relationships with God and friends. Afterward, they watched a talk by Emily Wilson on “Dating and Waiting.”
May our Lady of Guadalupe show us in prayer the comforting transfigured face of her Son.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Richard, MC