From the Pastor
May/31/2010
Today, we celebrate the sacred mystery of the Holy Trinity. As we ponder the union of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we start to realize, little by little, that God is always reaching out to us, never ceasing to try to draw us into a relationship with Him, by creating us, redeeming us, and making us holy. The goodness of God’s love, a selfless love, fills us with wonder.
God tries to touch our hearts so that we will respond to His merciful love and pass it on to others. That is our main mission in life in conjunction with praising God for all that He does for us. As we continue our journey toward a fuller conversion of our heart and mind, we can be assured of God’s loving support. After all, it is our common belief that God wishes the salvation of every human being. That’s why Jesus, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, was sent to our world—to save us. That’s why God sends the Holy Spirit upon us, to encourage us in our faith mission.
This weekend, we graduate 31 eighth-graders to their new place in high schools across our area. Many of them will continue their Catholic education in Catholic school settings. Next year, they will also continue their spiritual preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation. None of this will assure them or us of their advancement in their faith mission. Much like the seed in Sacred Scripture, some will fall on good soil and develop and produce good (spiritual) fruit; others, sad to say, will not.
What our school and its staff have given them is a solid foundation to advance in this life and prepare for the next. Though we are a major support system for their parents, it is the parents who have the ultimate responsibility of raising them in the practice of the Faith by giving good example. If the parents and family are well-rooted in its Catholic faith, then good fruit should follow. But, if parental responsibility should fall short in its obligations, then the results, unfortunately, will be similarly predictable.
That’s why we try to encourage our children AND their parents to participate in Mass each weekend, so that they may grow together in their belief in God and the Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. So, I ask you to pray for these young graduates and their parents, that the light of Faith that was given to each one in Baptism, will not be snuffed out, and that each of these youngsters will not fall victim to the seductions of this world or its wily prince (Satan). The more often they receive the Eucharist worthily, the more likely they will grow in their knowledge and love of God and His
teachings in Scripture and through the Church. If they omit Mass through their own fault, they’ve already been alerted to the need of reconciliation with God before a worthy Eucharist.
The school has started the process by planting the seed; let’s pray that the parents and the rest of our parish family
will work to nurture the plant! Now that the summer has begun for many of the youngsters with the usual closing of school, there will be summertime opportunities to continue the learning in more delightful and less formal settings. In our parish, we will again host the popular Vacation Bible School program, begun a few short years ago for the youngest of our children. Beginning June 7th to 11th on our grounds, for three hours each morning, several wonderful volunteer parents, assisted by some of our teens, will lead the children a little closer to the Lord by teaching them about His love for His Church, the People of God.
And for the rest of us, may we not forget that we are God’s children and, as children, we owe our God the proper love, respect and gratitude due Him. Our primary duty is to give Him praise and worship each Sunday, whether “in season or out of season,” and to show our love for all His creation, including the earth, and all living things upon it, especially His children. May we never lose our sense of rendering to God the things that are God’s, especially by keeping His day holy.
Very Rev. Canon Tom
God tries to touch our hearts so that we will respond to His merciful love and pass it on to others. That is our main mission in life in conjunction with praising God for all that He does for us. As we continue our journey toward a fuller conversion of our heart and mind, we can be assured of God’s loving support. After all, it is our common belief that God wishes the salvation of every human being. That’s why Jesus, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, was sent to our world—to save us. That’s why God sends the Holy Spirit upon us, to encourage us in our faith mission.
This weekend, we graduate 31 eighth-graders to their new place in high schools across our area. Many of them will continue their Catholic education in Catholic school settings. Next year, they will also continue their spiritual preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation. None of this will assure them or us of their advancement in their faith mission. Much like the seed in Sacred Scripture, some will fall on good soil and develop and produce good (spiritual) fruit; others, sad to say, will not.
What our school and its staff have given them is a solid foundation to advance in this life and prepare for the next. Though we are a major support system for their parents, it is the parents who have the ultimate responsibility of raising them in the practice of the Faith by giving good example. If the parents and family are well-rooted in its Catholic faith, then good fruit should follow. But, if parental responsibility should fall short in its obligations, then the results, unfortunately, will be similarly predictable.
That’s why we try to encourage our children AND their parents to participate in Mass each weekend, so that they may grow together in their belief in God and the Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. So, I ask you to pray for these young graduates and their parents, that the light of Faith that was given to each one in Baptism, will not be snuffed out, and that each of these youngsters will not fall victim to the seductions of this world or its wily prince (Satan). The more often they receive the Eucharist worthily, the more likely they will grow in their knowledge and love of God and His
teachings in Scripture and through the Church. If they omit Mass through their own fault, they’ve already been alerted to the need of reconciliation with God before a worthy Eucharist.
The school has started the process by planting the seed; let’s pray that the parents and the rest of our parish family
will work to nurture the plant! Now that the summer has begun for many of the youngsters with the usual closing of school, there will be summertime opportunities to continue the learning in more delightful and less formal settings. In our parish, we will again host the popular Vacation Bible School program, begun a few short years ago for the youngest of our children. Beginning June 7th to 11th on our grounds, for three hours each morning, several wonderful volunteer parents, assisted by some of our teens, will lead the children a little closer to the Lord by teaching them about His love for His Church, the People of God.
And for the rest of us, may we not forget that we are God’s children and, as children, we owe our God the proper love, respect and gratitude due Him. Our primary duty is to give Him praise and worship each Sunday, whether “in season or out of season,” and to show our love for all His creation, including the earth, and all living things upon it, especially His children. May we never lose our sense of rendering to God the things that are God’s, especially by keeping His day holy.
Very Rev. Canon Tom