Reflection

Easter 2015

Christian witness, From the Pastor, Prayer, St. Valentine /

Dear Parishioners and Friends, Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

‘When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large. On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been Raised from the dead’ — Mark 16:1-7

In St Paul’s first letter to the Christian congregation of Corinth (56 or 57 A.D) we have the oldest summary of Christian belief. St Paul refers to his former preaching in Corinth in 51 A.D and declares that he received the Gospel as witnessed by the Apostles and disciples: I Paul handed on to you first of all what I myself received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried and, in accordance with the Scriptures, rose on the third day; that he was seen by Cephas, then by the Twelve. This is what we preach and this is what you believed — 1 Corinthians 15:3-5.

Please trust the Lord and pray daily. Church and St Valentine Parish is our home where we meet as Christian Family with our Lord Jesus Christ to celebrate His Resurrection, to be forgiven, and to receive Jesus’s Body and Blood in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Please come and join us as a community of faith for Sunday Holy Mass every week! Feel always welcomed and at home in our Church! We are all called to follow Jesus, to be his disciples, to pray, to work together and to support our Parish!

Easter Blessing!

Through the Resurrection of his Son God has redeemed you and made you his children. May He bless you with joy. Amen
The Redeemer has given you lasting freedom. May you inherit his everlasting life. Amen
By faith you rose with him in baptism. May your lives be holy, so that you will be united with him forever. Amen
May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R. Amen

St Valentine PNCC Parish and Fr Andrew Bilinski

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Preparing for the Greatest Day

From the Pastor /

It is my prayer that our Parish and each of us will grow in our spiritual life during this season of Lent
May God bless us in our preparation to celebrate The Resurrection of the Lord

Easter is not just a day (Easter Sunday); no, in the Church Year, Easter is a season (commonly referred to as Eastertide), lasting 50 days, where the Church’s celebration focuses on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the words of the most recent edition of the Covenant Book of Worship, Eastertide is “the most festive of all seasons because Jesus is alive and death has been conquered. This is critical because the Christian hope of eternal life is contingent upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

One of the ways we Christians who follow the Church Year have gotten a bit off track is by how Advent / Christmas has supplanted the Easter season as the most important season in the year. I suspect this has as much to do with being barraged by our consumerist culture and overwhelmed by the amount and expectations that accrue to our family traditions, festivities, and the like, as it has to do with our theology. However, it is easier to make more palatable and appealing a miracle baby in a manger than it is an emaciated innocent martyr on a cross.

New Testament scholar and churchman N.T. Wright states “… Christmas itself has now far outstripped Easter in popular culture as the real celebratory center of the Christian year – a move that completely reverse the New Testament’s emphasis. We sometimes try, in hymns, prayers, and sermons, to build a whole theology on Christmas, but it can’t in fact sustain such a thing. We then keep Lent, Holy Week, and Good Friday so thoroughly that we have hardly any energy left for Easter except the first night and day. Easter, however, should be the center. Take that away and there is, almost literally, nothing left.” (from Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright, p. 23, 2008).

I agree. When N.T. Wright says without Easter there is nothing left, he means that without the bodily resurrection of Jesus, we have no hope. Wright is echoing Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:14, where the Apostle states that “… if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” Useless… without value… kaput!

BUT, because Jesus has been raised, gloriously resurrected, we should embrace and, dare I say, bask in the joy of the Easter season! Our worship should be particularly joyous. Our lives filled with wonder, awe and gratitude at the marvel of God’s salvation that Christ’s resurrection secures. Easter joy should permeate all the other seasons of the Church Year (therefore, the entirety of our lives) and give them their definition. And that’s true even of Lent.

For even Lent, the most penitential and reflective season of self-examination and self denial is 40 week days. Lent, technically, does not include the Sundays that occur during its season. Why? Because every Sunday in the year is the day we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. Resurrection joy always trumps even the deepest sorrow and sadness of sin.

So, don’t shortchange yourself this Easter season. Enter fully into all the joy and wonder and redeeming power and grace of Christ’s resurrection. Let that reality inform and shape the entirety of not only this year, but all your days!

Have a blessed and Happy Easter. Yours in the Love of Christ,

Fr. Krzysztof M. Mendelewski – Pastor of St. Valentine’s PNCC

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In Thanksgiving for 100 Years of Faithful Service

From the Pastor /

Tyle lat my Ci o Panie,
służbę wierną wypełniali,
szli ku słońcu w świt zaranie,
łańcuch niewoli targali,
łańcuch niewoli targali.

O bodajem wierni byli,
o bodajem ten sztandar święty
aż do zgonu naszej chwili
w duszy w sercu był rozpięty,
w duszy w sercu był rozpięty.

Philadelphia, PA, September 26, 2010

Dear Sisters and Brothers!

As we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of St. Valentine’s Parish, we offer our prayers of thanksgiving to Almighty God for the many blessings our Parish has received. We are grateful for the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, as it has been taught and preserved in the Polish National Catholic Church, for our founder, Bishop Francis Hodur, for our parents and grandparents who followed him in seeking a more abundant spiritual life and organized our Parish, and for the dedication of many priests, parish organizations, and parishioners who have constantly labored for God’s glory and for the good of people through our Church.

With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the priests, and the faithful of St. Valentine’s Parish have been strengthened to live the Christian life, follow the will of God, and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Polish Heritage to others for 100 years. Today, our Savior continues to bless us and call us to give witness of his love to those who are mostly in need. Our Patron St. Valentine’s, patron of Love is praying for us and teaching us true unconditional Love without selfishness. The Love who is God Himself.

On this solemn occasion, I extend words of gratitude for yours and your ancestors dedication, untiring work, generosity, and loyalty to St. Valentine’s Parish, and the whole Church. May this 100th Jubilee be a moment for renewal of our faith and devotion! May the deeds of our predecessors prompt us to sustain faithfully our rich Christian and Polish Heritage! May the Holy Spirit, who filled Blessed Virgin Mary and She conceived the Son of God our Lord Jesus Christ, enlighten all of us that we keep fulfilling His will in our lives!

May God continue to bless us in our endeavors!

With every good wishes and prayers, I remain,

Father Krzysztof M. Mendelewski, Pastor

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