Welcome to Holy Martyrs Roman Catholic Church in Oreland, Pennsylvania – Founded 1949” . . . one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”  I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”              -Revelation 7:13-14

The Holy Martyrs of the Church of Rome – Our Patrons

pictured:  The Christian Martyrs Last Prayer  by Leon Gerome 

 

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Archbishop Nelson. J. Pérez invites the clergy and faithful of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to join in a novena in preparation for the Solemnity of the Assumption on August 15. The special intention of this novena is for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary
August 6-14, 2020

Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, we believe in your triumphant assumption into heaven where the angels and saints acclaim you as Queen of Heaven and earth. We join them in praising you and bless the Lord who raised you above all creatures. With them we honor you. We are confident that you watch over our daily lives and we ask that you intercede for us now.

[Mention your requests here, including the petition for an end of the coronavirus pandemic.]

We are comforted by our faith in the coming resurrection and we look to you for prayers and comfort. After this earthly life, show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb, O kind, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Queen assumed into Heaven, pray for us.

Amen.

If possible, pray the Rosary each day of the Novena.

 

 

 

Please maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet at all times.

 

 

 

You can click on the following image to link to Holy Martyrs Parish E-giving.

 

 

PRAYER to Saint Joseph, Protector of the Universal Church
Composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1889

Let us pray

To you, O blessed Joseph,
do we come in our tribulation,
and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse,
we confidently invoke your patronage also.

Through that charity which bound you
to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God
and through the paternal love
with which you embraced the Child Jesus,
we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance
which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood,
and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.

O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family,
defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ;
O most loving father, ward off from us
every contagion of error and corrupting influence;
O our most mighty protector, be kind to us
and from heaven assist us
in our struggle with the power of darkness.

As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril,
so now protect God’s Holy Church
from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity;
shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection,
so that, supported by your example and your aid,
we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness,
and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven.

Amen.

 

PRAYER OF RENEWAL OF OUR CONSECRATION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

 

Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church,
you are the fairest fruit of God’s redeeming love;
you sing of the Father’s mercy
and accompany us with a mother’s love.
In this time of pandemic we come to you,
our sign of sure hope and comfort.

Today we renew the act of consecration and entrustment carried out by those who have gone before us.

Archbishop Gomez: With the love of a Mother and Handmaid, embrace our nation which we entrust and consecrate once again to you, together with ourselves and our families.

A Bishop for his diocese: With the love of a Mother and Handmaid, embrace this diocese which we entrust and consecrate once again to you, together with ourselves and our families.

A Pastor for his parish: With the love of a Mother and Handmaid, embrace this parish which we entrust and consecrate once again to you, together with ourselves and our families.

Families, groups, or individuals: With the love of a Mother and Handmaid, embrace us as we renew our consecration to you, together with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

In a special way we commend to you
those particularly in need of your maternal care.

Mary, Health of the Sick,
sign of health, of healing, and of divine hope for the sick,
we entrust to you all who are infected with the coronavirus.

Mary, Mother of Consolation,
who console with a mother’s love all who turn to you,
we entrust to you all those who have lost loved ones in the pandemic.

Mary, Help of Christians,
who come to our rescue in every trial,
we entrust to your loving protection all caregivers.

Mary, Queen and Mother of Mercy,
who embrace all those who call upon your help in their distress,
we entrust to you all who are suffering in any way from the pandemic.

Mary, Seat of Wisdom,
who were so wonderfully filled with the light of truth,
we entrust to you all who are working to find a cure to this pandemic.

Mary, Mother of Good Counsel,
who gave yourself wholeheartedly to God’s plan for the renewing of all things in Christ,
we entrust to you all leaders and policymakers.

Accept with the benevolence of a Mother
the act of consecration that we make today with confidence,
and help us to be your Son’s instruments
for the healing and salvation of our country and the world.

Mary, Mother of the Church,
you are enthroned as queen at your Son’s right hand:
we ask your intercession for the needs of our country,
that every desire for good may be blessed and strengthened,
that faith may be revived and nourished,
hope sustained and enlightened,
charity awakened and animated;
guide us, we pray, along the path of holiness.

Mary our Mother, bring everyone under your protection
and entrust everyone to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

+ + + + + + +

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil,
and bring us to everlasting life.

Amen

 

Consecration of the United States to the Protection of Mary, Mother of the Church

Message from Archbishop Nelson Perez

 

This Friday, May 1st, the start of the Marian Month of Our Blessed Mother, Mary, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Archdiocese of Los Angeles and president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has announced that the U.S. bishops will join the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in renewing the consecrations of the two nations to the care of our Blessed Mother. I ask you to consider joining in virtually at 3:00 p.m. (EDT) on Friday for this historical and powerful moment in our united Church family.

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BLESSINGS ON DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY!

 

                        

 

 

The Lord is Risen!   He is Risen Indeed!   Alleluia!

 

THE SEQUENCE FOR EASTER MASS

Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen.

Alleluia.

 

 

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Click on the RADIO MARIA banner to listen to their broadcasting.   Available in our area online or through the Radio Maria App.

11AM Eastern on Fridays – AIM HIGH  hosted by Father Jason Kulczynski

 

 

Holy Martyrs Church will be open daily from 8:00-9:00am daily for Private Prayer.

The Parish Offices will remain CLOSED until further notice.

 

 

RAYMOND CARDINAL BURKE has offered the following MESSAGE FOR THE HOLIEST WEEK OF THE YEAR

Dear Friends,

From the beginning of my service as Bishop of a diocese, it seemed that every year as the celebrations of Christmas and Easter approached, there would be a profoundly sad event in the diocese or difficult crisis to face for the good of the diocese. Just as I was anticipating with joy the celebrations of the great mysteries of our salvation, something would happen, which, from a human point of view, put a dark cloud over the celebrations and called into question the joy they inspired. Once, when I commented to a brother Bishop about this distressingly too regular experience, he simply responded: “It is Satan, trying to steal your joy.”

It makes sense that Satan whom Our Lord describes as “a murderer from the beginning, … a liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8, 44) wants to hide from our eyes the great realities of the Incarnation and Redemption, wants to distract us from the liturgical rites through which we not only celebrate those truths but receive the immeasurable and unceasing graces they have won for us. Satan wants to convince us that loss and death, and the sadness and fear which naturally accompany them show Christ to be false, falsify His Redemptive Incarnation, and show our faith and the joy it naturally inspires to be a lie.

But it is Satan who is false. He is the liar. Christ, God the Son, indeed has become man, He has suffered the cruelest Passion and Death, in order to redeem our human nature, to restore to us true life, the divine life which overcomes the worst sufferings and even death itself, and brings us surely and safely to our true destiny: eternal life with Him.

Saint Paul, in the face of so many profoundly discouraging trials throughout the course of his Apostolic ministry, culminating in his martyrdom at Rome, wrote to the Christians at Colossae: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, the Church” (Col 1, 24). For him, as it should be for us, to suffer with Christ for the Church, for the love of God and our neighbor, is the unassailable and unfailing source of our joy. It is the highest expression of our communion with Christ, God the Son Incarnate, sharing with Him in the mystery of the divine love of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The life of Christ, the grace of the Holy Spirit poured forth from Christ’s Heart to dwell within our hearts, inspires and strengthens us to embrace loss and death with His love which conquers them and transforms them into eternal gain and life without end. Our joy, then, is not some superficial pleasure or emotion but the fruit of love which is “strong as death,” which “many waters cannot quench … neither can floods drown it” (Sg 8, 6-7).

Our joy does not take away the sharp sting of loss and death but, with confidence and courage, faces them as part of the lifelong combat of love which we are called to wage during this life – after all we are, by God’s grace, true soldiers of Christ (2 Tm 2, 3) – in the sure knowledge of the victory of eternal life. Thus, at the end of his life, Saint Paul could write to his spiritual son and fellow shepherd of the flock, Saint Timothy:

For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing (2 Tm 4, 6-8).

We love Our Lord, we love the Redemptive Incarnation by which He is alive for us in Church, and thus we are joyful in fighting the good fight with Him, in staying the course, no matter what trials we face, and in keeping the faith, when the Father of Lies tempts us to doubt Christ and even to deny Him.

Satan has perhaps never had a better tool than the coronavirus for stealing our joy in celebrating the holiest days of the year, the days during which Christ won for us eternal life. How he would like to take the holiness from the one week of the year, which is known simply as Holy Week! The current international health crisis caused by the coronavirus COVID-19 continues to reap a tragic harvest of loss and death, engendering profound sadness and fear in the human heart. Certainly, Satan is using the suffering which has beset so many homes, neighborhoods, cities and nations, to tempt us to doubt Our Lord and the Faith, Hope and Love which are His great gifts to us for our daily living. The effect of Satan’s murderous intent and his lies is made all the greater when we are far from the Lord, when we have taken His life within us for granted, when we have even abandoned Him as we pursue passing worldly pleasures, conveniences or successes.

In the Church herself, we have witnessed a failure to teach first Christ as Lord. How many today are suffering profoundly from a useless fear because they have forgotten or even rejected the Kingship of the Heart of Jesus in their hearts and homes. Remember the words of Our Lord to Jairus who sought His help for his dying daughter: “Do not fear, only believe” (Mk 5, 36). How many today are without hope because they think that the victory over the evil of the coronavirus COVID-19 depends totally on us, because they have forgotten that, while we must do all that we can humanly do to fight a great evil, God alone can bless our efforts and give us the victory over loss and death. It is so sad to read documents – even documents of the Church – which purport to address the most important difficulties which we face and to find in them no acknowledgment of the Lordship of Christ, of the truth that we depend completely upon God for our being, for all that we are and all that we have, and that, therefore, prayer and worship are our first and most important means of combating any evil.

Some days ago, a young adult Catholic said to me, as if it were a matter of logical fact, that he would not be celebrating Easter this year because of the coronavirus. If the joy of our Easter celebration were simply a matter of good feelings, then I understand his sentiment. But the joy of Easter is rooted in eternal truth, the victory of Christ over what clearly looked like his annihilation, the victory won in His human nature for the sake of the same victory in our human nature, no matter what hardships we may be suffering. If we believe in Christ, if we trust in His promises, then we must celebrate with joy His great work of the Redemption. To celebrate the mysteries of Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection is not to lack respect for the suffering of so many during the present time but to recognize that Christ is with us to overcome our sufferings with His love. Our celebration is a beacon of hope for those whose lives are severely tried and invites them to place their trust in Our Lord.

Yes, Holy Week this year is so different for us. The suffering associated with the coronavirus has even led to a situation in which many Catholics, during Holy Week, do not have access to the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist which are our extraordinary, yet also ordinary, encounters with the Risen Lord, in order that He may renew and strengthen us in His life. But it remains the holiest week of the year, for it commemorates the events by which we are alive in Christ, by which eternal life is ours, even in the face of a pandemic, a worldwide health crisis. I urge you, therefore, not to give way to the lie of Satan who would convince you that, this year, you have nothing to celebrate during Holy Week. No, you have everything to celebrate, for Christ has gone before us in every suffering and now accompanies us in our sufferings, so that we remain strong in His love, the love which conquers every evil.

Today, we celebrate Palm Sunday, when Christ entered into Jerusalem with the full knowledge of the Passion and Death which awaited Him. He knew how ephemeral was the welcome which He had received, a just welcome for the King of Heaven and Earth, but superficial because those who extended it had only a worldly understanding of the salvation which He came to win for us. They were not ready to be one with Christ in the establishment of His eternal Kingdom through the events of His Passion and Death. After Palm Sunday, each day of Holy Week is rightly called holy because it is part of Christ’s steadfast embrace of His saving mission at its culmination.

Take time today to reflect on the true royal welcome which you have extended to Christ in your heart and in your home. Read again the account of His entrance into Jerusalem and of how, after His triumphant entry, he wept over Jerusalem with the words:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not” (Mt 23, 37).

If you or your home are far from Our Lord, remember how He desires to be close to you, to be the constant guest of your heart and home.

Remain with Christ throughout Holy Week. In a particular way, make Holy Thursday a day of profound thanksgiving for the Sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and the Holy Priesthood, which Our Lord instituted at the Last Supper. Make Good Friday a quiet day during which you undertake penitential practices, in order to enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s Suffering and Dying. On Good Friday, be filled with gratitude for the Sacraments of Penance and of the Anointing of the Sick. On Holy Saturday, keep vigil with Our Lord, praising and thanking Him for the gift of His grace in our souls through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit from His glorious pierced Heart. Ponder especially how His grace is within you through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Holy Eucharist. During all of these days, reflect upon and thank God for the gift of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and its fruit, the family – the “domestic Church” or little Church of the home – , the first place in which we come to know God, to offer him prayer and worship, and to discipline our lives according to His Law.

If you are unable to participate in the liturgical rites for these holiest of days, which is indeed a great deprivation, for nothing can substitute for the encounter with Christ through the Sacraments during these days, strive in your homes to be at the Sacred Liturgy through your desire to be in the company of Our Lord, especially in the mystery of His saving work. Our Lord does not expect of us the impossible, but he expects that we do the best that we can to be with Him throughout these days of His powerful grace.

There are many wonderful helps for the nourishing of such holy desire. First of all, there is rich treasury of prayer in the Church, for example: the reading of the Holy Scriptures, for instance the Penitential Psalms, especially Psalm 51 [50], and the account of the Passion of Our Lord in the four Gospels, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, meditation upon the mysteries of our faith through the praying of the Holy Rosary, especially the Sorrowful Mysteries, the Litanies of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin (of Loreto), of Saint Joseph, and of the Saints, the Way of the Cross – which also can be made at home by using the images of the Fourteen Stations depicted in a prayer book or on a sacred object – , the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, visits to shrines, grottos and other places sacred to Our Lord and to the mysteries of the Redemptive Incarnation, and devotion to the saints who have been powerful to help us, especially Saint Roch, Patron against Pestilences.

In our time, too, we are blessed to have access, through the communications media, to the sacred rites and to public devotions as they are being celebrated in certain churches, especially in the churches of monasteries and convents in which the whole religious community is participating. Viewing a sacred rite which is broadcasted is certainly not the same as direct participation in it, but, if it is all that is possible for us, it is surely pleasing to Our Lord Who will never fail to shower us with His grace in response to our humble act of devotion and love.

In any case, Holy Week cannot be for us like any other week but must be marked by the deepest sentiments of faith in Christ Who alone is our salvation. The sentiments of faith during these holiest of days are, likewise, sentiments of deepest gratitude and love. If your gratitude and love cannot have their highest expression through participation in the Sacred Liturgy, let it find expression in the devotion of your hearts and homes. Commemorating, with Christ, His Blessed Mother and all the saints, the events of the Sacred Triduum, we contemplate the mystery of His life within each of us. For all, time spent, each day, in prayer and devotion, meditating upon the Passion of our Lord, will help us to be with our Lord during these holiest of days in the best manner possible at this time. How much the suffering of the present time should teach us about the incomparable gift of the Sacred Liturgy and the Sacraments!

In closing, I assure you that you and your intentions are in my prayers today and will remain in my prayers throughout Holy Week and especially during the Sacred Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. May we all keep company with Christ with deepest faith, hope and love, as we celebrate these holiest of days on which He suffered, died, and rose from the dead to free us from sin and from every evil, and to win for us eternal life. May our observance of Holy Week, this year, be our strong armament in the ongoing combat against the coronavirus COVID-19. In Christ, the victory will be ours. “Do not fear, only believe” (Mk 5, 36).

Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke
5 April 2020
Palm Sunday

 

Please visit the Parish FACEBOOK pages for more information and spiritual reflections.

 

 

As so many people have reflected, we have entered an unexpected Lenten Desert.  Many people have spoken of renewed family prayer life   in these days, while others are experiencing the sadness of isolation.  Many of us, experiencing illness at this time are self-isolating in an abundance of caution, and charity. 

Our church will be open daily from 8:00 – 9:00 am for PRIVATE Prayer, until further notice.  If you have any symptoms, please do not come to the church.  It has also been encouraging to see people stopping to rest and pray at our outdoor shrines.  In all of this we are respectful of the abundance of the safety precautions including social distancing.

We will continue to provide on this page information and updates from the parish and the Archdiocese.  There will also be provided reflections for the Lent and Easter Season. The parish also has several FACEBOOK pages which are continually updated.

There are also here links to many celebrations of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  I continue to offer Mass privately each day.  In accord with the directives of the Archdiocese in these difficult times, be assured that all scheduled Mass Intentions are being fulfilled, and Mass continues to be offered on Sundays for the People of the Parish.

Thank you to everyone who has checked in on my needs in these days, and thank you especially to everyone who has continued to support Holy Martyrs Church in these difficult days. Many people have made use of the e-giving link on this page.

Please see the new information below concerning the Virtual Lenten Retreat beginning Monday, March 30th, announced by Archbishop Nelson Perez.    That evening, and on each of the following evenings leading up to Palm Sunday, a video will be posted to Archbishop Pérez’s Facebook page. At that same time each night, installments will be posted to his Instagram page as well as the Archdiocesan Vimeo Channel, the Archdiocesan website, and CatholicPhilly.com, the official digital news agency of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.    More information at CatholicPhilly.com    

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Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez Announces The Launch Of
“The Power Of Faith And Hope In A Time Of Uncertainty: A Virtual Lenten Retreat”

The six-day online retreat program is part of the ongoing pastoral and temporal response of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to the COVID-19 pandemic and offers a means for the faithful to prepare spiritually for the approach of Holy Week.

Beginning Monday, March 30th I will share a video each night at 7:00 p.m. via my Facebook page. The series will extend to Palm Sunday and will include dynamic presenters from across our Archdiocese who will bring Catholic Families closer to Christ through scripture, reflection, and prayer. Six of the videos will be in English and American Sign Language and one will be in Spanish.

Please consider participating in this upcoming Lenten Video Retreat. Give this gift of hope to yourself. Christ is hope and through Him we’re a people of hope. I’m praying for you during this time of uncertainty.”

+Nelson J. Pérez
Archbishop of Philadelphia

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Sunday Mass offered for the People of Holy Martyrs Church

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The Church will be open daily for private prayer – from 8:00am until 9:00 am. Please have every respect for the required Social Distancing of 6 feet and the Limitation of gatherings of NO MORE than TEN persons.

 

The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available on Saturdays from 3:30 – 4:00 pm on the Rectory Side Porch.

This will allow for the required Social Distancing as well as effective ventilation.

The Parish Office will remain closed until further notice due to illness. Please conduct parish business through email at holymartyrschurch@gmail.com or by phone 215-884-8575. 

Thank you for your support and continued dedication in these challenging times.

Let us continue to pray for all those suffering as a result of the corona virus and all those working to halt the spread of this disease.

 

Our Lady, Health of the Sick, pray for us! 

 

REFLECTION FOR THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
March 29, 2020

The Resurrection and the Life By Nina Sophie Heereman, SSD
Ezekiel 37.12-14; Romans 8.8-11; John 11.1-45

     “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” (Lk 24.25-26). As he talks with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus speaks as though it were crystal clear that the entire mystery of his death and resurrection has been foretold by the Jewish Scriptures. But the two disciples, like many Christian readers throughout the ages, struggle to see how this could be so evident.

Resurrection and the Return from Exile

     The first reading for the fifth Sunday in Lent (Ezek 37.12-14) gives us a fine example of a prophetic text that could be readily understood as speaking not only about Christ’s death and resurrection, but also of our own. “I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel” (Ezek 37.12). Such is God’s explicit promise this Sunday through the mouth of the prophet. In Ezekiel’s time, God was addressing the people of Israel living in exile far away from their homeland. Serving the Babylonians as slaves, they felt buried alive. In fact, the Old Testament understands the destruction of the Temple and the deportation of the king and people to Babylon as Israel’s symbolic death. The drama of our first parents had repeated itself. Like them, Israel had been given a paradise of a land in which to enjoy abundant life in God’s presence in the Temple. There was just one condition: observance of God’s law, which is exactly what the people refused. Just as Adam and Eve, driven from the presence of God, had found themselves East of Eden, Israel, too, had been driven out of the Promised Land towards the East (see Genesis 3.24). Although physically alive in their exile, the people were spiritually dead. Their promised liberation and return to their own country was thus like a resurrection from their Babylonian tomb.

     This promise seemed fulfilled when King Cyrus decreed the Jews’ return to Jerusalem (see Ezr 1.1-4). Nevertheless, Ezekiel clearly foresaw another resurrection, one of which the return from exile was but a powerful symbol. After all, it takes no outpouring of God’s Spirit to return to one’s homeland. Many other nations were ordered to do the same under Cyrus. Rather, Ezekiel sees the return to the Promised Land as symbolizing another, more fundamental resurrection that God will bring about through the gift of his own spirit. The return from exile stands for the very resurrection spoken of in the second reading and the Gospel: the resurrection of our mortal bodies by the power of the Holy Spirit, the definitive resurrection prefigured by the raising of Lazarus. In the previous chapter of Ezekiel, the gift of the spirit is depicted as a sprinkling with water that will cleanse Israel from all its sins and so create in them a new heart. The people will receive a new spirit, the prophet says, divinely empowering them to do what the human will wounded by sin cannot do: to follow God’s commandments and so fulfill the condition sine qua non for uninterrupted life in the Promised Land as God’s covenant people (see Ezek 36.25-28). This is the same Spirit we ourselves have received in baptism, the Spirit who conformed us to Christ’s death and resurrection (Rom 6.3) and cleansed us from original and personal sin. It is also the same Spirit who cleanses us anew in every sacrament we celebrate and every prayer we say.

The Resurrection and the Life

     Jesus, who has come to restore all things, recapitulates the entire history of Israel in his own flesh. Reading the Scriptures with a mind not blinded by sin, and acting in the full possession of the Holy Spirit, he understands that Israel’s exile prefigured his own banishment from the land of the living in expiation for Israel’s sin. But in Israel’s return from exile, he also recognizes a prefiguration of his own return from the valley of death. Just as God forgave Israel after having expiated her sin in the Babylonian captivity, the Father will also bring Jesus back to life after having expiated humanity’s sin in his crucifixion. Jesus’ words, “this illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (Jn 11.4), therefore have a double meaning. Yes, Jesus will raise Lazarus from death and so be glorified as “the resurrection and the life.” But on a much deeper level, this provisional resurrection of Lazarus will lead to a more dramatic glorification of the Son of God, namely, the revelation of God’s glory in his death on the cross. Jesus knows perfectly well that the raising of Lazarus will lead to his own condemnation, as St. John powerfully asserts in the conclusion of this Sunday’s gospel (which the lectionary unfortunately cuts short). The resurrection of Lazarus seals the Sanhedrin’s decision to put Jesus to death, a decision which unwittingly testifies that Jesus, who indeed raised Lazarus, will raise all those who believe in him thanks to his death in their stead. In the unconsciously prophetic words of the High Priest Caiaphas, Jesus should die for the people of God “so that the whole nation may not perish” (Jn 11.50). The fruit of His death is the life promised to all who believe in him.

     In restoring Lazarus to life, Jesus announces his own resurrection, while proving himself to be the author of life endowed with power and authority to give life to whomever he wishes. He is in the truest sense “the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11.25). But his resurrection, like the one he came to give us, is not a simple return to earthly life, as was the case with Lazarus. Lazarus, like all of us, would eventually die a second time (his tomb is found in Larnaca on Cyprus to this day). By contrast, Jesus’ resurrected body, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit (Ezek 37.14), is to die no more.

     But Christ hasn’t just promised to raise our mortal bodies to eternal life on the last day, as we firmly confess every Sunday in the Creed. Amazingly, he has already raised us to new life in our Baptism. In the baptismal waters, we were both buried with Christ and raised with him through faith in the working of the God who raised Jesus from the dead (see Col 2.12). This is why St. Paul says in the second reading: “if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you” (Rom 8.10-11). We live in a state of already and not yet: our bodies are still subject to mortality, because we still bear the effects of original sin as a penance. And yet, “by virtue of the Holy Spirit” whom we received in our baptism, we are united with Christ and therefore already “truly participate in the heavenly life of the risen Christ,” even though this life is “hidden with Christ in God” (see Col 3.1). As St. Paul says in another letter: “God has raised us up and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2.6). This is Jesus’ message to Martha and to us: “Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (Jn 11.25-26).

Nina Sophie Heereman, SSD, is an Assistant Professor at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University, CA. She did her doctorate at the École Biblique in Jerusalem with a dissertation entitled, “Behold King Solomon. A Symbolic-Diachronic Reading of Song 3:6-11 and 4:12-5:1”

Teaching the Faith is a publication of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. For information about membership or to donate, please visit our website.www.catholicscholars.org

 

 

The Daily Mass Readings are always available at the U.S. Bishops website    www.usccb.org  

 

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Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez Announces The Suspension Of All Public Masses In The Archdiocese Of Philadelphia Effective At Noon March 18, 2020

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez has suspended all public Masses in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia effective at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18^th and until further notice.

 

Archbishop Pérez said, “As the Archbishop of Philadelphia, my first priority is to ensure the health and welfare of those entrusted to the pastoral and temporal care of our Church. So, in light of the developing Coronavirus pandemic, a decision has been made to suspend the public celebration of all Masses in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for the time being.

All of us need to do our part to slow the spread of this illness. Like you, we are monitoring coronavirus developments and look forward to continuing our lives on a more normal basis.

While things may look and feel different during these uncertain times, I want to be very clear that the Catholic Church in Philadelphia is not closing down. It is not disappearing and it will not abandon you. Time and again as our history has proven the Church has risen to meet great challenges and provide a beacon of hope and light.

As your Shepherd, I promise that the Church remains steadfast and is prepared to walk with you and serve you. Neither the Church nor its charitable works will stop. God is always by our side. He never abandons us. I invite you to join me in prayerful solidarity for the intentions of the sick, suffering, and their caregivers as well as government and health officials. With God’s grace and blessing, we will navigate the difficult waters of this challenge as a united human family, for after all is said and done, we are people of Hope!”

Though public Masses are suspended in all churches in the Archdiocese, the right and need of the faithful to hear the Word of God and celebrate the Sacraments is not put aside. Pastors, along with all those who work with them, will be as attentive as possible to all the spiritual, pastoral, and charitable needs of the people they serve.

Priests will continue to offer the sacrifice of the Holy Mass during this period and to honor all requested Mass intentions.

Churches can remain open as a location for private prayer at the discretion of the pastor.  Baptisms, Confessions, Marriages, and Funerals may take place as usual but with due regard for the limitation of participants and reasonable social distancing.

During these days the Parish Office may be open on a very limited basis.  When possible, make every effort to conduct parish business through email or a telephone call.  If you are not feeling well, please do not come to the parish office.

In conjunction with directives already in force in hospitals and institutions, all visits to the sick with Holy Communion, including in private homes, by priests, deacons, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are suspended.  In such instances, only priests will be available to celebrate the Sacraments for those in immediate danger of death. In all circumstances, government and health agency directives for group size and social distancing are to be observed as the Archdiocese of Philadelphia strives to meet the pastoral and temporal needs of all those in need.

A live stream broadcast of the 11:00 a.m.  Sunday Mass can be found on the Archdiocesan website and Archbishop Pérez’s Facebook page. This broadcast will continue each Sunday on an ongoing basis.

Additional information regarding opportunities for prayer and devotions are available on the Archdiocesan website.  www.archphila.org

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Mass will be broadcast on TV or online via one of the following:

Channel 6, WPVI TV – ABC
Sunday mornings at 5:30 AM

Nativity of Our Lord Parish, Warminster PA
Livestream the 10 AM Sunday Mass – https://www.noolp.org/

National Catholic Broadcasting Channel
https://dailytvmass.com/daily-tv-mass/

EWTN – Daily Mass at 8 AM
https://www.ewtn.com/tv

 

From the Office for the New Evangelization:

• Please find a compilation of spiritual support resources on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia website at archphila.org/resources
• Join us for a nightly online Rosary for an end to the coronavirus at 8 PM. You can participate online, by phone or in spirit. Full details for joining in can be found at phillyevang.org/rosary.

Live stream Mass from the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia at 11am on Sundays – click on the above picture.

 

Keep up with the news at:

Archbishop Perez’s spiritual message during pandemic

 

Archbishop Perez’s message to school students of the archdiocese

 

Archbishop Perez’s message to archdiocesan employees

 

Until further notice, Priests and Extraordinary Ministers of Communion will not be conducting hospital or parishioner home visits.

You can watch the Mass on TV or online via one of the following:

Channel 6, WPVI TV – ABC
Sunday mornings at 5:30 AM

Nativity of Our Lord Parish, Warminster PA
Livestream the 10 AM Sunday Mass – https://www.noolp.org/

National Catholic Broadcasting Channel
https://dailytvmass.com/daily-tv-mass/

EWTN – Daily Mass at 8 AM
https://www.ewtn.com/tv

The Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul will livestream the 11 am Mass on Sunday at www.archphila.org

 

If you are unable to attend Mass in person you can make a spiritual Communion.

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament.
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.

 

 

Click on the image below to register and begin using FORMED.

FORMED is the revolutionary digital platform that gives you access to video-based study programs, feature films, audio presentations, and eBooks from the Church’s foremost presenters . . .  At the parish or on the go, FORMED allows you access to the Catholic Faith.

 

 

 

The Veil Removed

The Veil Removed is a short film that reveals the coming together of heaven and earth at Mass,

as seen by saints and mystics, revealed by scripture and in the catechism of the Catholic Church.

Click on the picture above

 

On Sunday, March 1, at the Rite of Election at the Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Archbishop Nelson Perez welcomed Tran Nguyen of our parish, and all those preparing to receive the Sacraments of Initiation; Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist.

Pictured above is Loc Li, Tran Nguyen, the Elect of our parish, Archbishop Nelson J. Perez, and Terry Melanson, R.C.I.A coordinator of Holy Martyrs Church.

Please keep Tran in your prayers, that she will continue to be strengthened by God’s love and learn to know and follow Christ faithfully in His Holy Catholic Church.

 

 

 

Learning to Experience God at Mass – Fr. Scott Borgman

 

Click on the picture to go to St. Francis Inn Ministries in Kensington

 

CATHOLIC CHARITIES APPEAL 2020

The Veil Removed

The Veil Removed is a short film that reveals the coming together of heaven and earth at Mass,

as seen by saints and mystics, revealed by scripture and in the catechism of the Catholic Church.

Click on the picture above

 

O Mary Conceived without Sin, Pray for us who have recourse to Thee.

 

 

 

 

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Thank you for your generosity to the

SECOND COLLECTION FOR OUR CONTINUING RESTORATION and IMPROVEMENTS

As always your kindness is greatly appreciated.

God bless you.

 

      For information on planning a Baptism at Holy Martyrs Church click this link

The Sacred Role of Godparents

click on the picture to view video

 

For more information on choosing a Godparent for Baptism click this link

Keep up with the news at

Click on the image below to register and begin using FORMED.

FORMED is the revolutionary digital platform that gives you access to video-based study programs, feature films, audio presentations, and eBooks from the Church’s foremost presenters . . .  At the parish or on the go, FORMED allows you access to the Catholic Faith.

 

 

Going Beyond Teen Chastity

Theology of the Body for Teens: Middle School Edition is a dynamic faith formation program for teens and pre-teens. It goes beyond traditional chastity programs by connecting the two hottest topics on the planet—God and sex—and discussing them in a language sixth through eighth graders can understand.

Using a great mix of stories, real-life examples, activities, prayers, and references to the culture that teens understand, the Middle School Edition answers the questions middle school students have about their own bodies, issues on sexual morality, and how they were uniquely created for greatness

Theology of the Body for Teens: Middle School Edition is an exciting and dynamic program based on Pope John Paul II’s revolutionary Theology of the Body being offered to middle school students. This program will give students the answers and the tools they need to successfully and safely navigate through life. Contact Tom Hasty at tomhenny@hotmail.com or (215) 450-6334 for more information.

Classes will be held on Sunday nights from 6pm – 7:30pm for 8 weeks starting 9/29.

There will be a parent session at 6pm, 9/22

Cost: free!

Click here for registration form:Theology of the Body Registration Form

Sponsored by the Santa Maria Council of the Knights of Columbus.

 

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A Message From the

OFFICE OF THE NEW EVANGELIZATION

Reviving Confession

HOW TO ATTEND HOLY MASS LIKE A SAINT

Click on the picture to play

 

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How Father Jason Kulczynski Became Known as the ‘Relic Priest’

 

   Holy Martyrs Respect Life Committee

Meetings on the Third Wednesday of the Month at 6:00pm

Click on the picture to hear a recap of the opening talk of the evening on Aim High on Radio Maria.

Follow Holy Martyrs Respect Life on FACEBOOK

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HOLY MARTYRS SWEATSHIRTS – $20.00
AND HOLY MARTYRS HOODIES – $25.00
Click on the picture of the shirts to go to the ONLINE ORDER FORM

 

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VETERANS OF THE ARMED SERVICES MEMORIAL

Visit the “News & Events” page for additional pictures.

 

If you would like to include the name of a Veteran of the Armed Services, living or deceased, or make a donation please contact the Church Office at 215-884-8575. Thank you.

Thank you to our donors and volunteers . . .

and to our Veterans.

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For information about the

Traditional Latin Mass in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

The Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite

www.latinmassphila.org

 

Tuesday, 19 March 2019 – 7:00 pm Missa Cantata on the Feast of St. Joseph

SUNG MASS in the Traditional Latin Rite
19 March 2019 – 7:00 pm

Celebrant: Rev. Jason Kulczynski
Pastor of Holy Martyrs Catholic Church

Homilist: Rev. Carl Gismondi, FSSP
Pastor of St. Mary Church, Conshohocken

with the Schola Cantorum Philadelphiensis

www.latinmassphila.org

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

Click on the image for more information

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Brian Holdsworth on Reverence at the Sacred Liturgy

It’s an amazing fact that we can carry on with the day to day affairs of our lives without giving a second thought to the immensity of our universe and the incomprehensible forces that explode and contract within it.

 

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CATHOLIC HERALD

Allowing children to skip Mass is like letting them not brush their teeth, theologian tells parents

Click to link to the article

 

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How to Receive the Eucharist

An Instructional Video provided by the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon

 

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Grotto in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We wish to thank Sean O’Brien who built and donated the new Grotto in honor of the Blessed Virgin, in memory of his mother, Savilla O’Brien, and in honor of all mothers who overcome many obstacles for the good of their families.

 

 

For information on GOOD SHEPHERD REGIONAL SCHOOL  go to our News and Events page.

 

CATHOLIC RADIO

Click on the images to listen online.

Relevant Radio 640AM

Domestic Church Media

 

Online at radiomaria.us

 

The Office of Youth and Young Adults for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia exists to reveal the real person of Jesus, to help people discover their identity in Him, and to assure everyone that they belong in His Church.

Click below to check out their new website:

Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary

Please pray for all seminarians as they study and continue on their journey to the priesthood.

Visit http://heedthecall.org/poster/ for information about our Seminarians.

 

 

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 Visit the News & Events page for more information about the

Blessed Virgin Mary Shrine and the St. Joseph Shrine

  

Thank you to our generous benefactors, craftsmen, volunteers, and Donors.

If you would like to make a donation toward this installation in memory of, or in honor of,  a loved one, please contact the Parish Office

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Holy Martyrs is the home of the Martin Saints Classical Catholic High School

An Independant Private Catholic School in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Listen theInterview about the new school with Deacon Christopher Roberts on Aim High on Radio Maria   HERE

 

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Our Lady, Queen of Martyrs, Pray for us

         

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Traditional Latin Mass – April 5, 2017

 

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The Faithful Traveler on EWTN . . .

For Information click on the picture.

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Exposition of Sacred Relics

On All Saints Day at Holy Martyrs and other locations

Over 100 relics of the Lord and the Saints were on display on March 29, 2017.

Students from Regina Luminis Academy visit the Exposition of Relics

Included in the collection is a relic of the Cross of our Lord, relics from Mount Calvary and the Birthplace of our Lord. Also included are relics of the Cloak of St. Joseph, St. John the Baptist, St. Philomena, St. Francis, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Charles Borromeo, St. John Neumann, St. Katharine Drexel, St. (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta, St. John Paul II, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. Damian of Molokai, St. Therese, Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, Servant of God Fr. Walter Ciszek, and many others.

 

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          Archdiocese of Philadelphia – Launch of Project Rachel

Healing for those who suffer from the pain of Abortion

Click to view the Press Conference

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View the Video of Holy Martyrs Church Groundbreaking Ceremony

 

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The Study of the Sacred Scriptures

Listen to Father Peter Damian on Aim High, on Radio Maria:

Introduction to the Study of Sacred Scripture   –   Part I

The Study of Sacred Scripture  –  Part 2

Sacred Scripture – Part 3

Sacred Scripture – Part 4

Sacred Scripture – Part 5

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Sincere thanks to Archbishop Charles Chaput for allowing us to bring the Altar on which Pope Francis offered Mass on the Parkway in Philadelphia in September 2015 to Holy Martyrs Catholic Church in Oreland, Pa.   

Click on the image above for images of moving the Altar to our church.

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Vocation Videos Produced by Joyful Films

View more films at   www.joyfulfilms.com

Visit the Office for Vocations to the Priesthood of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia at

www.heedthecall.org

Father Stephen DeLacy, Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, describes the new vocation Initiative of the Archdiocese titled, Called by Name, in the following video

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Holy Martyrs Catholic Church is the home of the

National Center of the Universal Archconfraternity of Saint Philomena in the United States

visit our website at   www.philomenafamilyusa.com

 

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Visit the following links for News of the Catholic Church and Church Documents 

The Vatican

 

News Agency  – The World seen from Rome

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MEMORIAL OPPORTUNITIES

Click here for information about Memorial Donations to Holy Martyrs Church

The triumphant Lamb of God, inspiration of the victorious Martyrs.

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Tuesday, April 2 — Presentation — Father Michael Shea, C.M. Mary at the Foot of the Cross

 

 

 

Tuesday, March 12 — Lenten Soup Supper with the Sisters of Life

Click on the pictures to link to the Sisters of Life Website