EXPLORE THE SUNDAY GOSPEL
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-top:0in;line-height:normal;"><strong><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;">The Coming of Jesus’ Hour</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-top:0in;line-height:normal;"><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031724-YearB.cfm"><strong><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;">JN 12:20-33</span></strong></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-top:0in;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;color:#333333;background:#FFFFFF;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-top:0in;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;color:#333333;background:#FFFFFF;">Some Greeks who had come to worship at the
Passover Feast</span><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;color:#333333;"><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in
Galilee,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">and asked him, "Sir, we would like to see
Jesus."</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Philip went and told Andrew;</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Jesus answered them,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be
glorified.</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Amen, amen, I say to you,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and
dies,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">it remains just a grain of wheat;</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">but if it dies, it produces much fruit.</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Whoever loves his life loses it,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">and whoever hates his life in this world</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">will preserve it for eternal life.</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Whoever serves me must follow me,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">and where I am, there also will my servant be.</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">The Father will honor whoever serves me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">"I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">'Father, save me from this hour'?</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">But it was for this purpose that I came to this
hour.</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Father, glorify your name."</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Then a voice came from heaven,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">"I have glorified it and will glorify it
again."</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">The crowd there heard it and said it was
thunder;</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">but others said, "An angel has spoken to
him."</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Jesus answered and said,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">"This voice did not come for my sake but
for yours.</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Now is the time of judgment on this world;</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">now the ruler of this world will be driven out.</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">And when I am lifted up from the earth,</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">I will draw everyone to myself."</span><br />
<span style="background:#FFFFFF;">He said this indicating the kind of death he
would die.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;color:#333333;"><span style="background:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;color:#333333;"><span style="background:#FFFFFF;"><em><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031724-YearA.cfm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Click here</a> for the Scrutiny readings.</em><strong><br />Scrutiny Discussion Questions:</strong></span></span></p>
<ul><li><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;color:#333333;"><span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were really good friends of Jesus. What would it be like to hang out with Jesus?</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;color:#333333;"><span style="background:#FFFFFF;">Imagine you were a bystander in this Gospel story, watching the events unfold before your eyes. What would your reaction be?</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:10pt;Georgia, serif;color:#333333;"><span style="background:#FFFFFF;">In what way does this story foreshadow what Jesus will accomplish through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection?<br /></span></span></li></ul>
MEET OUR EXTENDED FAMILY
Servant of God Luis de Cáncer, O.P. (Feast Day June 26)
c. 1500 – June 26, 1549
Fr. Luis de Cáncer de Barbastro, O.P., was a Dominican priest and Spanish missionary to the New World. In 1542 he went to the territory of Guatemala and successfully ministered to the Mayan people. Aware of their sensitivity for music and their mistrust of Europeans, he used song as a first means of contact. The Dominican friars translated the content of their preaching into rhythmic poetic form using the different languages of the region and employing images and musical expressions from the local cultures. Fr. Cáncer mastered the different dialects of the area and was the composer of Christian canticles in these native languages. His evangelization efforts were so successful that an area that was known for violence was renamed the “Province of True Peace.” He believed that aggression and violence were counter-productive to the spread of the Gospel and that the native peoples needed to be treated with dignity.
Following his missionary success in Guatemala, Fr. Cáncer went on a mission to Florida in 1549. His expedition set sail from Mexico and landed just north of modern-day Tampa Bay. Fr. Cáncer celebrated Mass in Florida on the Feast of Corpus Christi. At first the missionaries were welcomed by the native peoples, who knelt in prayer as Fr. Cáncer chanted litanies to God and to the saints. However, this welcome did not last long. Two of Fr. Cáncer’s companions went ashore to stay with the natives, but soon perished at the hands of their hosts. When Fr. Cáncer heard word of the killing, he resolved to continue with the mission despite the danger. On June 26, he made his way ashore where he was clubbed to death in sight of the rest who were still in the boat. Though not a canonized saint, he is nevertheless regarded by those working for the canonization of the martyrs of La Florida as the “proto-martyr” of Florida.
TAKE TIME TO CHAT
· In today’s Gospel, Jesus says that when a grain of wheat dies and falls to the ground, it produces much fruit. Share an example of how this happens in nature.
· In what way do we benefit from Jesus’ death?
· The Gospel makes it clear that those who put Jesus first gain eternal life. Is it easy or hard to put Jesus first? Explain your answer.
· Fr. Cáncer and the Dominican friars used music to evangelize native cultures. How can music be used to evangelize today? What is your favorite church hymn or Christian song?
FAMILY FUN
Hula Hoop Contest
A circle is a symbol of eternal life because it has no beginning and no end. Think about Jesus’ offer of eternal life as you do this activity.
See who can keep a hula hoop spinning the longest around their waist. Come up with other challenges: How many times can you spin it around your arm? Your neck? Your ankle?
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Baked Parmesan Chicken
In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ “hour” refers to the hour of his Passion and Death. This easy recipe bakes in just one hour.
3 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
garlic salt to taste
pepper to taste
paprika to taste
Preheat oven to 350 F. Rinse chicken thighs. Pour remaining ingredients in plastic bag. Coat each thigh by placing it in the bag and shaking it. Place chicken in one layer in a baking dish. Add 1/3 cup of water to the bottom of the dish. Dot each chicken thigh with butter or margarine. Bake for 1 hour. Enjoy!
FAMILY PRAYER
St. Joseph Prayer
The Feast of St. Joseph is on March 19th. This week call on his protection and intercession.
A Prayer to St. Joseph for Protection
St. Joseph, whose protection is so great,
so strong, so prompt before the throne of God,
I place in you all my interests and desires.
St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession
and obtain for me from your divine son
all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, our Lord;
so that having engaged here below your heavenly power,
I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers.
St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms.
I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart.
Press him in my name and kiss his fine head for me,
and ask him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.
St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for us.
Amen.
LITURGY LINK
The word “Amen” means “so be it” or “it is so.” How many times do we say “Amen” at Mass?
FAMILY CHALLENGE
As a family, pray for those who are being persecuted for their faith today. Pray for this intention all week.
FUN FACTS
The Catholic Church in the United States is in the midst of a national Eucharistic Revival. It started on the feast of Corpus Christi in 2022 and will continue through Pentecost 2025. Find out more at: https://www.eucharisticrevival.org/