Auxiliary Bishop emeritus Roger Gries shared his wisdom on a number of topics -- most notably the power of God who touches humanity through the gift of the sacraments -- at a special Lenten Soup and Conversation evening on March 19 at St. John Bosco Parish’s Bell Tower auditorium.
He talked about the season of Lent as a time of preparation in the Church for Christ’s resurrection. Using his special brand of wit and wisdom -- sprinkled with humorous anecdotes -- the bishop reminded the crowd that God comes to us through the humanity of Christ. He went on to say that we see in the Scriptures a God who is merciful, who loves us and who touches us personally in the sacraments.
“God wants to be with us – God wants to touch us, he wants to be with us and through the seven sacraments that God has given to his Church God watches us in a very, very special way and for very special reasons,” Bishop Gries said. He spent time explaining each of the sacraments, their meaning and importance for our lives.
The bishop closed his talk by urging the gathering to attend the entirety of the Easter triduum -- from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday -- which represents the summit of the liturgical year. Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ's paschal mystery. The single celebration of the triduum marks the end of the Lenten season, and leads to the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord at the Easter Vigil. The liturgical services that take place during the triduum are the Mass of the Lord's Supper, Good Friday of the Lord's Passion and the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord.
About 270 people attended the Soup and Conversation event, which was the second of three similar programs sponsored by three parishes that comprise the parish cluster of St. Bridget of Kildare (Parma), St. John Bosco (Parma Heights) and Mary, Queen of the Apostles (Brook Park).
Those gathered shared a simple Lenten meal of a soup and bread.
