October 20, 2019

He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Please keep in your prayers all of those who received the sacrament of anointing at a special Mass this Saturday morning. May this powerful sacrament they have received give them strength of mind, body and soul.

Congratulations to our young people who received the sacrament of Confirmation from Bishop Zubik this weekend. We pray that this sacrament will truly strengthen our young people to be more committed than ever to, Christ Jesus. We look forward to seeing them more fully engaged in the life of our parish. May these young people and their parents through the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation become an even more faithful presence in our worship and our youth ministry efforts, as well as our outreach service in the name of Christ! The Youth Ministry session for Sunday, October 27, is Hallows & Muertos: Halloween. Registration for the Youth Ministry Fall Retreat in November is required by Monday, October 21.

As you can see from this bulletin, there are many exciting things happening for people of all ages and all situations in our parish community. And all of these activities continue to grow and become even more vibrant. The entire pastoral team is encouraged and delights in the number of young people and children more present at our Masses. Please continue to keep up the effort of encouraging one another to allow the spirit of Christ to unite and guide us in unity and peace.

Our nation so desperately needs unity and peace. Not only nationally is this a major problem, particularly on the political scale, but, if we are honest, even within our own selves, we need the wholeness of God’s  spirit. The sacraments are God’s way of bringing us healing and strength. Our refusal to celebrate them on a regular basis cheats our very soul out of life. The very life that God desires for us.

As the hardwood trees beautifully display their fall colors and offer us beauty and hope, we know that sooner, rather than later, the leaves will  fall and the barren trees will stand through the winter months of cold, snow and ice. Life does not end, it just changes form. No matter what season of life you may find yourself in, there is always hope—hope in a God of love and eternal life. The same God offers hope to us as a parish community. As long as we cling to him, not to any human person or any material thing, but truly cling to Christ, our Savior. We will find our way. For He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Don’t be foolish enough to hang your eternal salvation on any other person, place, or thing. To do so is to fall prey to the same folly as the Israelites in the desert who made a golden calf by their own hand and called it “god.” The work of our hands will never save us eternally. Our attachments to other human beings, no matter how holy, or special, or good they may be, does not insure our salvation. It is only Jesus Christ,as St. Paul says, “It is Christ crucified who saves,” acknowledging the great sacrificial love of our God for us who inspires you and me to be willing to make sacrifices of our own out of love for Him.

Talking about this is one thing; living it is another. Saying that we are Catholic Christians, and actually living it, are a whole different matter. Just think how different our community would be, our parish, our diocese, our world, if everyone who claimed to be Catholic, or everyone who claimed even to be Christian, actually lived the faith! We are encouraged by the greater attendance of our children at Mass and of our young people who were confirmed this weekend. But we would be truly inspired by them all if it were not just a snapshot in time, a moment for a party and a picture, but truly a life lived! Let us all be more determined than ever to live our faith! God love you,