Father Richard J. Rego, Chaplain
Fr. Isaac Fynn, Weekend Associate
PO Box 14257 Tucson, AZ 85732-4257
Office Hours 10:00-12:00 Mon-Fri
Phone: (520) 205-4096 * Fax: (520) 205-4097
Email: frrichardrego@comcast.net
Website:  www.saintgianna.net

“Put on then, as God’s holy and beloved people, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience.  Forgive one another; and if one has a complaint against another, as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also forgive.  And above all these things put on charity, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.  And always be thankful - - - And whatever you do in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3: 12-15,17).




Saints of the Week
Mon, Mar 26 - - - Annunciation B.V.M.
Tues, Mar 27 - - - Passion Week
Wed, Mar 28 - - - - Same
Thurs, Mar 29 - - - Same
 Fri, Mar 30 - - - - - Same
 Sat, Mar 31 - - - - Saturday of Passion Week

    
Gospel Words of Jesus Christ Our Divine Savior
21 For from within out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile a man. (Mark 7: 21-23)

From the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Romans
 6 For the wisdom of the flesh is death; but the wisdom of the spirit is life and peace. 7 Because the wisdom of the flesh is an enemy to God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither can it be. 8 And they who are in the flesh, cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body indeed is dead, because of sin; but the spirit liveth, because of justification. (Rom 8: 6-10)’

Spiritual Thought Of The Week
From the Introduction to the Devout Life, by Saint Francis De Sales Part Two, CHAPTER I: 1. PRAYER opens the understanding to the brightness of Divine Light, and the will to the warmth of Heavenly Love—nothing can so effectually purify the mind from its great ignorance, or the will from its perverse affections. It is as a healing water which causes the roots of our good desires to send forth fresh shoots, which washes away the soul’s imperfections, and allays the thirst of passion.  2. But especially I commend earnest mental prayer to you, more particularly such as bears upon the Life and Passion of our Lord. If you contemplate Him frequently in meditation, your whole soul will be filled with Him, you will grow in His Likeness, and your actions will be molded on His.

From The Imitation Of Christ By Thomas A Kempis
Book Three The Thirty-First Chapter: There is great difference between the wisdom of an enlightened and devout man and the learning of a well-read and brilliant scholar, for the knowledge which flows down from divine sources is much nobler than that laboriously acquired by human industry.  

From The Teachings Of The Second Vatican Council  Dei Verbum (On the Word of God): #17
The word God, which is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe (see Rom. 1:16), is set forth and shows its power in a most excellent way in the writings of the New Testament.  For when the fullness of time arrived (see Gal. 4:4), the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us in His fullness of graces and truth (see John 1:14). Christ established the kingdom of God on earth, manifested His Father and Himself by deeds and words, and completed His work by His death, resurrection and glorious Ascension and by the sending of the Holy Spirit. Having been lifted up from the earth, He draws all men to Himself (see John 12:32, Greek text), He who alone has the words of eternal life (see John 6:68). This mystery had not been manifested to other generations as it was now revealed to His holy Apostles and prophets in the Holy Spirit (see Eph. 3:4-6, Greek text), so that they might preach the Gospel, stir up faith in Jesus, Christ and Lord, and gather together the Church. Now the writings of the New Testament stand as a perpetual and divine witness to these realities.

From The Code Of Canon Law
Canon 277 §1. Clerics are obliged to observe perfect and perpetual continence for the sake of the kingdom of heaven and therefore are bound to celibacy, which is a special gift of God by which sacred ministers can adhere more easily to Christ with an undivided heart and are able to dedicate themselves more freely to the service of God and humanity.  §2. Clerics are to behave with due prudence towards persons whose company can endanger their obligation to observe continence or give rise to scandal among the faithful.  §3. The diocesan bishop is competent to establish more specific norms concerning this matter and to pass judgment in particular cases concerning the observance of this obligation.

Catechism Of The Catholic Church
2324 Intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator.

SPECIAL NOTICE
Please be advised that donations to Saint Gianna’s can be made through our website: www.saintgianna.net.  By so doing, one can contribute using their credit card.  We appreciate your financial support and also ask your prayers for our continued success.  Also, please note that we are now set up with PayPal so that our parishioners and friends can automatically contribute a designated amount each month toward your support of Saint Gianna’s.  Check our website for details: www.saintgianna.net.

Classes
We will be conducting classes on the Documents of Vatican II at the Desert Springs Academy, 3833 E 2nd St., Tucson.  The phone number is 321-1709.  The next class is Wednesday, April 4th at 3:00 PM.

INDEPENDENT CHAPELS
It is vitally for us to understand this fundamental principle of Church discipline:  There is no such thing as an independent priest in the Catholic Church.  Every priest must have faculties from the Bishop of his diocese in order to offer licit Masses.   In the Catholic Church, there is no such thing as an independent chapel.  Chapels must come under the jurisdiction of the local Bishop.  Our Mother of Sorrows Chapel in Phoenix does not function with the permission of the Bishop Olmstead of Phoenix.  All Masses offered there are illicit.  Carefully note that such Masses do not fulfill one’s Sunday obligation.  Do not be deceived by those who attempt to twist the response of the Ecclesia Dei Commission in Rome concerning attending illicit Masses!

Pope Benedict XVI Prayer Intention For March
General - - - - That the Word of God be more and more listened to, contemplated and lived.
Mission - - - - That the concern of those young Churches who train catechists, organizers and lay people at the service of the Gospel be constant.


    In the ancient liturgy, Palm Sunday was preceded by Passion Sunday. Today’s Mass fills our minds with thoughts of our Lord’s impending Passion and Death.  Yet, the ancient Church did not refer to our Lord’s sufferings and death as His horrid Passion or such terms.  Rather it always referred to His Blessed Passion.   This was so because the Church rejoiced in His Redemptive act on Calvary.  It was only through His Passion Death and Resurrection that we are saved.
    Yet, from Passion Sunday until Holy Thursday, in Masses of the Season, the Judica me is omitted at the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar.  Also, the Gloria Patri at the close of the Introit and the Lavabo are omitted.  The somber tone of the liturgy takes hold.
    We read in the Vatican II document on the Word of God that: “God, the inspirer and author of both Testaments, wisely arranged that the New Testament be hidden in the Old and the Old be made manifest in the New.  For, though Christ established the New Covenant in His blood, still the books of the Old Testament with all their parts, caught up into the proclamation of the Gospel, acquire and show forth their full meaning in the New Testament and in turn shed light on it and explain it.”
    So we read in today’s Epistle reading from Saint Paul that the sacrifice of the Old Testament foreshadowed of the Sacrifice of the New Testament.  No longer do we offer up bulls and lambs in atonement for sin.  Jesus Christ, is the Lamb of God who is offered up on the Altar of the Cross.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God Who became man, is both the Priest who offers up the Victim and He is the Victim.
    Yet, despite the boundless love of the Messiah for everyone, the Jews not only rejected Him, but they also accused Him of being possessed by a devil. They should have recognized Jesus as the Son of God, the long awaited Messiah.  But they refused.  They wanted a kingdom of this world not the one that Jesus proclaimed.  It was for this reason that Jesus always hid Himself from them when they would make Him king.
    Two thousand years later, we, His followers must avoid the same pitfall.  Our highly secularized world would have us follow a sanitized form of discipleship, one that would selectively pick and choose that which we choose to believe.  The world seeks a set of moral values, which assuages the conscience of modern man.
    Yet, we are of Christ.  We follow Him and the teaching of His holy Church.  There is no other path.  It is only through Calvary that Our Savior came to His glorious Resurrection.  May we cooperate with Our Savior’s graces to follow Him in Spirit and in Truth!


                        Father Richard J. Rego, S.T.L.