Batman's Column

My Deer Parishionerz o St. Padre Pio,



It iz me, Batman, da rectory doggo! Not 2 getz 2 heavy, but doggoz do not livz 4ever and we don't livz as long as hoomanz. It iz da way o tingz. BUT ... If u had da chance 2 haz ur doggo (o catz, o special pet o ur choice) live 4ever, but in order 2 do so, u had 2 giv up somebody dat u luved would u do it? I imagine it would b a hard question 2 answer 4 many o us, but da reality iz dat iz EXACTLY wut God haz done 4 us. In order 4 us 2 liv 4ever, He gave up His Son 4 our sake. Da AMAZIN' ting iz dat in dat sacrifice, Jesus conquerz sin and death 4ever wit da hope dat none o us will ever b lost! We see and hear dat promise o de resurrection in 2day's readingz. Da Lord thru da prophet Ezekiel promisez dat He will raise us from death 2 lif and hav His spirit in us so dat we may live! And as we know, da Lord never forgetz His promisez!!! In John's Gospel, we see and hear da foreshadowing o Jesus' own resurrection.  Lazarus, Jesus' buddy, iz very sicko and close 2 death. Jesus sayz 2 da disciplez and 2 us dat, “[t]his illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Jesus doez da seemingly impossible by raising Lazarus from da dead. But da reality iz dat one day Lazarus would die again. It iz only thru Jesus' victory on da cross dat not just Lazarus' lif, but ALL o our livez will not end in death, but in life. Dat iz why Jesus sayz 2 Martha da He iz "the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." Martha, Mary and Lazarus believed and were saved. But do we?  Do we believe dat Jesus iz da Resurrection and da Life? Do we show it in da way dat we livz, how we prayz and how we luvz Him and one another? Becauz da grave iz no more and da victory iz won 4 all who believe! As our Lenten journey comez 2 an end, may dese special dayz strengthen our faith and our belief in da One who offerz us Eternal Life!  God Bless (and don't worriez, I haz at least anudder 10 good yearz left in mez)!

Batman, da rectory doggo