February 24, 2016 // Uncategorized

24 Hours for the Lord planned for March 4-5

Todays Catholic

Visit www.MyYearOfMercy.org for all the details.

Click here for an interactive map of participating parishes

Could you not wait one hour with me?

Faithful invited to
24 Hours for the Lord

One of the major events to celebrate the Jubilee Year of Mercy will take place this Friday and Saturday, March 4 and 5, — 24 Hours for the Lord. Twelve parishes across the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend will join the universal Church in this unique celebration. The faithful are encouraged to visit one or more of these parishes and to invite a friend to come along and pray.

Participating parishes in the diocese include the following:

• Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Fort Wayne

• Christ the King, South Bend

• Holy Family, South Bend

• St. Francis Xavier, Pierceton

• St. John the Baptist, Fort Wayne

• St. John the Evangelist, Goshen

• St. Joseph, South Bend

• St. Jude, Fort Wayne

• St. Mary of the Annunciation, Bristol

• St. Therese, Little Flower, South Bend

• St. Thomas, Elkhart

• St. Vincent de Paul, Fort Wayne

The emphasis of 24 Hours for the Lord will be on the sacrament of Reconciliation, but parishes will also include Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, Stations of the Cross, the rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, other prayers, quiet prayer, and some have talks scheduled throughout the 24 hours. A full schedule from the individual parishes was published in the Feb. 28 issue of Today’s Catholic. The parish rosters can also be found at www.myyearofmercy.org.

Along with Eucharistic Adoration, Confession and other events, participants are encouraged to bring a rosary as many parishes have scheduled times for recitation of the rosary as well as the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Stephanie Patka, Secretary of Communications for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, said of the blessing of Eucharistic Adoration, “A simple reason why every Catholic should attend a Holy Hour is because we believe that Jesus is truly present in the exposed Blessed Sacrament located on the altar. Spending time in Adoration during a Holy Hour is a chance to spend time with the Creator of the Universe, our Lord and Savior who has humbled Himself to be present in the form of bread in order to make Himself closer to us.”

She noted Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen writes: “(A) reason I keep up the Holy Hour is to grow more and more into His likeness. As Paul puts it: ‘We are transfigured into His likeness, from splendor to splendor.’ We become like that which we gaze upon. Looking into a sunset, the face takes on a golden glow. Looking at the Eucharistic Lord for an hour transforms the heart in a mysterious way as the face of Moses was transformed after his companionship with God on the mountain.”

Another important component of 24 Hours for the Lord that Catholics may participate in is the sacrament of Confession.

“Jesus entered this world to forgive sins, that is, the things we choose to do that separate us from God and our neighbor,” Patka said. “He preached about forgiveness of sins, taught us how to pray for forgiveness and suffered, died and rose to free us from sin and death.”

She added on the second Sunday of Easter, the Gospel accounts when Jesus said to His Apostles, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men’s sins, they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.” (Jn 20:21-23). In this way, He instituted the sacrament of Confession, which we are called to attend at least once a year.

“The 24 Hours for the Lord is a perfect time for Confession, especially if you haven’t been in quite some time,” Patka noted.

She said, “24 Hours for the Lord is an opportunity to experience Christ’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament and His Divine Mercy through the sacrament of Confession. The event is also a chance to extend that love and forgiveness to our family, friends and neighbors.”

“Make it a point to invite someone to go with you to an event during 24 Hours for the Lord,” suggested Patka. “The best way is simply to say that you are already going and would love to have them come with you to simply spend some time with Jesus. Variations of the invitation might depend on the person, but don’t be too concerned with the response. Simply pray for the strength and openness to be a witness to Christ’s love and mercy by your attendance and example. An invitation is enough, let the Holy Spirit do the rest.”

Follow the conversation about 24 Hours for the Lord on Facebook — www.facebook.com/diocesefwsb.