RISUS PASCHALIS

The above Latin phrase means "Easter laughter." With the somberness of Lent left behind, priests beginning in the Middle Ages inserted jokes and funny stories into their Easter sermons. Pope Clement X in the 17th century barred the custom as unseemly. To curb an inclination to use the following in upcoming sermons I leave you with these that the Bohan's gave me:

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Three boys are in the school yard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, "My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him $50." The second boy says, "That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him $100." The third boy says, "I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!"
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An elderly woman died last month. Having never married, she requested no male pallbearers. In her handwritten instructions for her memorial service, she wrote, "They wouldn't take me out while I was alive, I don't want them to take me out when I'm dead."
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A Sunday School teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them to Jerusalem A small child replied, "They couldn't get a baby-sitter."
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A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "Honor thy father and thy mother," she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?" Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, "Thou shall not kill."
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CAN'T COLLAR THE CLERGY

I seldom agree completely with views expressed in letters to the editor but a recent one under the above headline in the Star Tribune received my full assent. It was sent by the appropriately named R.C. Bible from Apple Valley.

"How preposterous to assume I am responsible for all the things my pastor says! If I do not agree with everything he expounds from the pulpit I am to leave the church? I don't think so -- all the pews in all the places of worship would be empty."

I am sure many of our parishioners heartily agree. I do not even agree with some of the things that I have said!

JON HASSLER - UNCANNY

The Minnesota novelist and teacher, Jon Hassler died at age 74 on Holy Thursday. As do many of you, I love his novels. I met him once and found him to be a most gentle man. A friend pointed out that in his online obituary, "there was a link to an earlier article about him in which he said that he realized when he was 37 that half his life was over so he'd better start writing. He was exactly right about the years!" With my 60th birthday approaching, I think that I should now begin my novel. 

Happy Easter!

With the rest of the staff, I hope that this Easter will be an occasion of great joy and happiness for all the members of our parish community and those who join us this weekend. We pray that the tremendous meaning of the Easter celebration will give new meaning and purpose to our lives.

We extend a very special welcome to those who have been received into our community and welcomed to the Lord's table this Easter!

Having celebrated Lent and Holy Week as well, a special word of thanks must go out to all who have made this a special time. This includes all who generously give their time and talent to make our liturgies especially graceful and grace-filled. Many help to prepare the church and assist in ministry. Thanks to those who help with environments, our worship committee, the choir and other musicians, ushers, greeters, lectors, Eucharistic Ministers and RCIA team. And thanks to the maintenance staff who keep the church looking good.

This weekend, we gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We sing wonderful music that speaks of our praise, adoration and joy! But in reality, every Sunday in the Christian Church is an Easter Sunday, because we remember Christ's resurrection each week. I thank you for your generous stewardship. You make it possible to share the Easter message every day. Thank you for all the outreach through such wonderful programs as Families Moving Forward (FMF), VEAP, Bridging, and our Sister Parishes. These are also signs of new life.


ST. ED'S 40TH

This year beginning last September we are celebrating our parish's 40th Anniversary. We started off with a wonderfully produced 40th Anniversary edition pictorial directory (copies available at your asking). We have also begun the 40th Anniversary Fund which has pledges so far of over $700,000. Our first major use of the fund will soon commence with the restoration and enhancement of our church organ. We just received final approval from the Archdiocese and so will soon begin the project this Spring.

As part of the Anniversary commemoration, and in the spirit of our tithing, we will give 10% of our Fund Proceeds to our Sister Parish projects. We have already made an early thanksgiving gift to our sister parish, Our Lady of the Angels, in Jinotega, Nicaragua. We have so much to thank God for and we are fortunate in being able to share our blessings. And we are also celebrating the 20th Anniversary of our relationship with our sister parish. Your stewardship makes this all possible. Thank you and Easter Blessings to you all.

Have A Holy Week

As we gather this weekend for Palm Sunday services, we begin the special time known as Holy Week. There has been much preparation that goes into the Holy Week celebrations, so much to do for our liturgical ministers and musicians. Please take advantage of this special time of prayer and join us for as many of the services as you can during the Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter.

And let me give you a special heads up. On Easter Sunday, the 9:30 and 11:00 am Masses tend to be crowded. If you plan to attend these services please come early to get a seat. You might also want to consider the less crowded 8:00 am Easter Sunday Mass or even the special Easter Vigil Service starting at 8:30 pm on Saturday night.

VEAP (Volunteers Enlisted to Serve People)

I just received a thank you letter from Susan Freeman who heads our local emergency services program, VEAP. She is very grateful to you for the generous support given by our parish community. She lists 38 parishioners who serve as active volunteers. In addition, this past year over 11,000 pounds of food was donated by parishioners and parish tithing provided over $19,000. Individual parishioners donated additional funds. What generosity. Thank you for sharing the love and compassion of the Risen Christ.

Communal Penance Petitions Delivered

Last Monday, Lonne Murphy, Heidi Busse and I delivered your 1500 petition forms asking for dialogue on continuing communal penance services with general absolution. Archbishop Flynn came to meet us but refused to accept them, saying, "You can take them right back. We don't do things this
way." We then asked the receptionist to give them to Coadjutor Nienstedt. She seemed genuinely impressed by your 1500+ submissions.

The Vatican II Constitution on the Church is very clear about the rights of the laity within the Church to be heard by their leaders:

§ 37. (a) The laity have the right, as do all Christians, to receive in abundance from their spiritual shepherds the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the assistance of the word of God and of the sacraments.

(b) The laity should openly reveal to their pastors their needs and desires with that freedom and confidence which is fitting for children of God and brothers [and sisters] in Christ.

(c) The laity are, by reason of the knowledge, competence or outstanding ability which they may enjoy, permitted and sometimes even obliged to express their opinion on those things which concern the good of the Church.

"EARLY EASTER MORN"

The above phrase is found in the gospels concerning the women who came to the tomb of Jesus. This year I have received some chain emails stating it is also literally true as our celebration of Easter, on March 23, comes unusually early. Is this true?

There is an interesting website http://www.snopes.com/ which is a great resource in checking out the truth of assertions made in chain emails, urban legends and rumors. Like Detective Joe Friday on Dragnet they are interested in just the facts. They verify that indeed this is a very early Easter:

Claim:   Easter Sunday occurs unusually early in 2008.
Status:   True.
Example:   [Collected via e-mail, February 2008]

Do you realize how early Easter is this year? As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Found out a couple of things you might be interested in! Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.

Here 's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here's the facts:

1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).

2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Origins:   How to determine the date of Easter, the annual Christian celebration of Christ's resurrection, is something of a mystery to the average person. Unlike most other significant dates on the western calendar, which fall either on fixed dates (e.g., Halloween is always October 31st) or on easily-reckoned relative calendar days (e.g., Thanksgiving in the U.S. is the fourth Thursday in November), Easter moves around from year to year in order to preserve its relationship to the astronomical phenomena (i.e., the season of the year and the phase of the moon) that would have occurred at the time of the resurrection (traditionally reckoned as having taken place in 30 A.D.).

In the modern era, Easter Sunday generally falls on the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon (i.e., the first full moon of Spring in the northern hemisphere, or the first full moon occurring after the date of the vernal equinox). However, since astronomical observations are variable (e.g., the date of the full moon can vary depending upon the location of the observer), the date of Easter is typically calculated from tables. We'll dispense with an explanation of how to perform these calculations in favor of addressing the main points of the example quoted above.

The earliest calendar date on which Easter can fall is March 22, and the latest date is April 25. Easter therefore takes place unusually early this year, as its 2008 date of occurrence is March 23. The last time Easter fell on so early a date was 1913, and the next time it will do so will be in the year 2160 (not 2228, as claimed in the example cited above - although Easter will also fall on March 23 that year, it will not be the next such occurrence).

Seeing Easter fall on the earliest possible date, March 22, is an experience that has not been, and (barring some remarkable breakthroughs in longevity) will not be, witnessed by anyone alive today: It last occurred in the year 1818, and it will not happen again until 2285.

The odds are considerably better for witnessing a late Easter. Many people are still around from the last time Easter fell on April 25, an event which took place in 1943, and a good many people here today will likely still be around when Easter next falls on April 25, which will occur in 2038.

UNFORGIVEN PART II

Last week's bulletin included my article on communal penance service. Last Monday we celebrated this beautiful sacrament during two services with a total of about 1800. Lonne Murphy put together a wonderful liturgy, Heidi Busse gave an excellent homily, and the readers and choirs performed very well as usual. I have received so many positive comments for these uplifting celebrations. Well over 1000 signed petitions asking our bishops to continue this type of celebration and many included very moving reflections and appreciations. We will be taking the petitions over to the Archbishop this Monday. The voice of the Faithful must be heard.

UNFORGIVEN

When I became pastor here in 1998 (it seems like yesterday, this is such a great parish) the 7 parishes of our Deanery (3 parishes in Bloomington, 3 in Richfield and 1 in Eden Prairie) all celebrated the communal form of Reconciliation with general absolution which is known as Form 3. This week on Monday we again celebrate communal reconciliation. But this Spring our parish will be the only deanery parish using Form 3.

Some thirty years ago when I was in the Seminary, the Church, following the wishes of the bishops of Vatican II Council, updated the celebration of the Sacrament of Confession. The name was refocused by the word "reconciliation." Because the sacrament can be celebrated in various contexts, 3 forms were permitted. Form 1 was an individual confessing to a priest. Form 2 was a communal celebration which included individual confession to a priest with a smaller number of participants such as a 1st Reconciliation class or a retreat group. Form 3 was the celebration with a larger parish gathering where general absolution was given without individual confession to a priest. Form 3 especially underlined the communal nature of the sacraments. Our faith is personal but it is not private. We as a community stand in need of sharing forgiveness.

Form 3 tended to be used in Advent and Lent as our Catholic communities prepare for the great celebrations of Christmas and Easter. This has been very well received by people here and elsewhere. I have celebrated Form 3 with parishes in England and Germany. Archbishop John Roach who ordained me accepted using Form 3 as a pastor's decision. Certainly in our large parishes it was very appropriate. Archbishop Flynn who came from the more conservative East coast expressed his own preference for not using Form 3 but he did not absolutely prohibit its use.

In May, Archbishop Nienstedt will become our new bishop. He too comes to us from another place. He has given a very clear "no," or can I say, "nein," to the continued use of Form 3. This is very sad. We of course have continued to celebrate Form 1 on 51 Saturdays of the year and additionally by request at anytime. We have occasional uses of Form 2 such as with our 1st Reconciliation class. Our celebrations of Form 3 have been very well planned and include participation of our choirs and specially prepared liturgies and homilies. It is an uplifting celebration of the sacrament and it is valid.

The most basic purpose of a Catholic parish is to celebrate the sacraments of Jesus Christ. To function properly, a parish must be able to provide for the sacramental needs of the local community. With the full and active participation of the people, in the words of Vatican II, we celebrate these sacramental rites. It would be most inappropriate to use Form 2 for our large community celebrations. This Form was not meant for such occasions. We gather with 1200 to 1600 in our combined midday and evening celebrations. I would have to round up 40 or so priests if we were to keep the services under a few hours in length. And even then people would be limited in what they could share with the individual priests. The cost for the priests would be in the thousands of dollars for each service. I could not justify this expense.

In the future with the new episcopal regime we will have changes. We could continue to have communal penance services without the words of absolution but trusting in the words of the Lord that his merciful presence is there when we gather in his name. At this time I would also like to send in a petition along with any of your own personal comments to our bishops. To serve is to listen. I have heard the voice of the faithful and believe that our bishops should also listen. The petitions and response forms will be available at the communal reconciliation services tomorrow.