From the Pastor's Desk - March 22, 2026

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

Last Sunday, the disciples asked Jesus who it was that sinned that caused the blind man to be born that way. They held the false notion that someone born with a handicap of some sort was suffering the punishment of sin, whether their own or their parents’. Jesus responded, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” This Sunday, a similar dynamic emerges: In their distress, Mary and Martha turn to Jesus for help, because their brother Lazarus is seriously ill. Jesus responds similarly to last week: “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.” By the end of the gospel, Jesus has called Lazarus back to life from the tomb.

Jesus looks upon our human frailty not as something to be despised, but as an opportunity to manifest his power and glory. Whether someone has a physical handicap, like the blind man, or is deathly ill, like Lazarus, Jesus is not scandalized by that state of affairs. In fact, it is through our frailty, handicaps and defects that he can most powerfully work. That allows us to accept and even to praise God for the weakness of our human condition. I remember our rector in the seminary saying that as he was about to be ordained a priest, he had written down a list of all his strengths that would make him an effective priest. Then, after thirty years of priesthood, he looked back and was amazed to see that it wasn’t his strengths that made him a good priest, but his weaknesses. During the last two weeks of Lent, we will see Jesus at his weakest and most vulnerable. Yet, it is when he is at his weakest that God is most powerfully working out our salvation.

I am excited to announce that our parish once again has a subscription to Formed.org. There is tons of great content for children and adults—videos, lectures, Bible studies, the lives of the saints, audiobooks, series on different aspects of the faith—in English and in Spanish. All of this content is available for free! Signing up is simple. Simply go to formed.org/signup, and follow the prompts. You will need to identify our parish as part of the sign up process: St. Martin of Tours, Gaithersburg, MD. Please take advantage of this to help you grow in your faith!

Lastly, please see the bulletin and website for our Mass times for Palm Sunday, the Easter Triduum and Easter.

In Christ,

Fr. Dave