Sunday, November 8, 2015

A Word from Your Pastor - November 8

Dear Parishioners:

Jesus invited His disciples to take a step into a deeper relationship with Him by asking questions.  At a moment of intensity, He asks His disciples “Who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29) This question is at the heart of all other questions.  We are asked to identify Jesus for Who He IS and in so doing we establish the very ground on which we stand.

Our age is a skeptical age.  It tends to discount anything that came before our age until it is tested.   It doubts what it cannot see.  It denies first and then seeks to manipulate things to go a predetermined direction.  Jesus calls us out of this way of thinking.  He invites us to see the world from God’s perspective.  He invites us to welcome God into our world freely by becoming part of what God is doing.  Jesus invites us to dream of what the world can be through His grace and to take concrete steps to let it happen in us.

The New Evangelization is the Call of the Church today.  From Pope John XXIII, who prayed for a New Pentecost to Pope Francis, who calls us to go to the peripheries, we are invited to become a welcoming community that leads the world to Jesus.

This week, I will be interviewing our Confirmands, the 8th Graders who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.  I will sit one-on-one with each of them to invite a deeper look at what God is doing in their lives.  This is always a revelatory moment.  I learn from them what is going on in the lives of their families in regard to Faith and how they are experiencing their own moment of discernment concerning commitment.  This is a privilege moment, and as  Pastor, I delight in this opportunity to speak heart-to-heart with each one.

Next weekend, on Saturday morning, our 2nd Graders will be receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time.  They delight in the power of this Sacrament to allow them to experience the healing Mercy of Jesus as He forgives them their sins and teaches them to forgive others.


As our youth enter more deeply into the Sacramental Life of the Church, all are invited to set an example for them.  Take the opportunity to renew your own relationship with the Holy Spirit you received at Baptism and Confirmation.  Go to Confession, especially if it has been a while, and renew your commitment to the life of Grace and Holiness.  Aim high.  Be holy.  Love.  God cannot be outdone in generosity.


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