Dear Family of God,

This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Lent which we also call Laetare Sunday. “Laetare” is the Latin word for ‘’rejoice,” which is the first word in the Entrance Antiphon. We can rejoice because we are midway thru our Lenten journey towards Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. The Gospel for this weekend is the Parable of the Prodigal son.

Dear Family of God,

Jesus’ message this third Sunday of Lent is that we acknowledge our need of repentance and do it. We may ask, what is repentance?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil actions we have committed.

St. Thomas Aquinas said that friends share three things: time, possessions, and secrets. For example, how do I know if you’re my friend? Well, let’s say we’ve been to Mexico together, you’ve tried my shaky attempts at pasta carbonara, and you know what ridiculous costume I wore in a music video I filmed in my early twenties. We, dear reader, are definitely friends. We’ve shared time, possessions, and secrets.

One of the most fascinating moments in American history is when George Washington could have become the king of the newly liberated United States and didn’t. At the height of his power and fame, on Dec. 23, 1783, he resigned his commission as Commander-in-Chief, and went home. The astonished King of England remarked that in doing so, Washington was “the greatest man in the world.” Greatness is often defined by what we could do but don’t. Greatness is measured by the temptations we overcome.

Dear Christians of Our Lady of Joy Catholic Parish,

Greetings to you all. Many of you have been asking about me. I am Fr. John Paul Aisu of Soroti Catholic Diocese in Uganda. I was ordained on July 31, 2010. I come from a family of 7 siblings, four girls and 3 boys. Unfortunately, one girl passed on at the age of 12.