MEET OUR EXTENDED FAMILY
Bl. Diego Luis de San Vitores and St. Pedro Calungsod (Feast Day April 2)
1627 – 1672, 1654 – 1672
Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores was a Jesuit missionary who was granted permission to serve in the Philippines. As he was making his way there, the ship carrying him stopped in Guam and Fr. Diego Luis vowed to return there. He arrived in Guam in 1668 along with Pedro Calungsod and a group of Jesuit missionaries and lay assistants from the Philippines. Fr. Diego Luis believed that young men, strong in their faith like Calungsod, would be helpful in influencing the youth. The Jesuit missionaries only chose those catechists and assistants who were outstanding models of Christian life to accompany them on their missions. Calungsod, a native of the Philippines, was in his late teens when he came to Guam. In 1669, Fr. Diego Luis established the first Catholic church in Guam.
After the death of a friendly local chief who had supported the missionaries, members of the Chamorro (an indigenous tribe) rose against the missionaries. Fr. Diego Luis and Pedro Calungsod were both martyred on April 2, 1672. After the murders, the Christian Faith spread quickly throughout Guam. Blessed Diego Luis was beatified in 1985 by Pope John Paul II, and St. Pedro Calungsod was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
TAKE TIME TO CHAT
· What strikes you when you hear the story of the Lord’s Passion?
· The soldiers beat Jesus and made fun of him. How do you think that made Jesus feel?
· What would it have been like to be Simon of Cyrene?
· In what way do the saints who have died for their faith imitate Christ?
FAMILY FUN
Visit a Cemetery
In the long-form of today’s Gospel, Jesus is laid in a tomb. Visit a local cemetery to pay respect for the faithfully departed. Visit someone you know personally or someone else for whom you can offer prayers. Clean up the gravesite and offer this prayer for them: Eternal rest grant to him/her, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon him/her. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Stuffed Red Peppers
As you prepare this meal, reflect on how the veil of the sanctuary was torn from top to bottom.
4 large red peppers
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 chopped Vidalia onion
2 cups cooked rice
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 8oz. can tomato paste
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella
Heat oven to 350 F. Cut peppers in half from the top to the bottom, removing the stem and seeds. Rinse. Put them in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove and dry. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the onion and garlic in vegetable oil for 3 minutes. Then, add beef, parsley, garlic salt and pepper and brown. Drain any fat. Stir in the cooked rice, tomatoes and paste. Cook for 2 minutes. Lay the peppers down in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Stuff the mixture into each half. Put the remaining mixture around the peppers. Cover with foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Uncover. Cover the top with mozzarella and bake for 15 minutes without foil on. Enjoy!
FAMILY PRAYER
Prayer before a Crucifix
Listen and reflect on the African Spiritual, Were You There. You should be able to find the song on YouTube or wherever you stream music. When you are done, pray this prayer in front of a crucifix in your home:
Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus,
While before your face I humbly kneel
And with burning soul, pray and beseech you,
To fix deep in my heart,
Lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity,
True contrition for my sins
And a firm purpose of amendment.
While I contemplate with great love and tender pity,
Your five most precious wounds,
Pondering over them within me,
And calling to mind the words that David, your prophet, said of you, my Jesus,
"They have pierced My hands and feet, They have numbered all my bones."
Amen.
LITURGY LINK
Red is the liturgical color for Palm Sunday. Where do you see red at Mass today?
FAMILY CHALLENGE
Pray the Stations of the Cross as a family or attend the Liturgy of the Lord's Passion at your parish.
FUN FACTS
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowd spreads cloaks on the road before him. To spread cloaks on the road was an ancient gesture of homage before a newly crowned king.