Dear Parishioners:
Today is my 56th
Birthday. In some circles, that is still
considered a young person. In more and
more circles, I am now a “Senior Citizen.”
To the children, it I am certainly “old.” Many of my own elders have given me advice:
“Don’t get old.” Well, it is hard to put
such advice into practice. We do
age. The question is not whether time
will have its way with us, but whether we will let time get the best of
us. Age is a question of “mind” over
“matter”: If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
Wisdom comes with age.
The Scriptures continue to challenge
us, inviting us to put Faith into practice, accepting Jesus at His Word, though
others may reject what He has to say. We
have been taught the Truth by Jesus through the Scriptures, and by the Church,
which teaches us in the Name of Jesus, especially through the Sacraments. Can you open yourself more to the “hard
teachings” of the Church and come to understand their import? Time will give way to Eternity at some point
for all of us. Faith is the only bridge that can help us reach across to
Eternity from the vantage of Time. We
are called to believe in an age that prides itself on its autonomy and that
tries to secularize everything, that is, to redirect everything to the “stuff”
of this world. This is a challenge that
we can meet, but we must do so together.
Each year, on my Birthday, I renew
my pledge to “live a good life.” Two
weeks later, on the anniversary of my Baptism, I make a personal renewal to respond
to the grace given to me by Christ through my Baptism. I invite each of you to renew your own pledge
to life and to grace. Let the year ahead
be truly a year of Family – spurred on by Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to our
country on the occasion of the World Meeting of Families. And let it open up to a Year of Mercy, called
by Pope Francis to begin December 8th. May your Family grow in Faith, Hope and Love,
and may you be a sign of Mercy to all you meet!
This week, we welcome our students back to School. We hope to
have a great year full of fun and learning the ways of God.
As we listen to the Bread of
Life Discourse from the 6th Chapter of the Gospel of
John, all are invited to renew and deepen their reverence for Jesus, the Bread
of Life, as He offers Himself to us in the Holy Eucharist.
The Lord’s invitation to us is to follow Him and to stay faithful to Him even when others leave. May we all stay close to Jesus by coming to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day and by welcoming others to know Him by the witness of our lives.
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