What's Going On

In the picture above, you can see me signing one of the beams that will go into our new Pastoral Center. Last weekend we gave all parishioners a chance to sign the beams, and a lot of you signed. It was fun to see people gathered around the two beams after every Mass, and to see all the signatures that were there by Sunday night. But that’s not all! On Monday all the students of our Parish School were given the opportunity to sign as well. Now the beams are covered with signatures: people of all ages, from all backgrounds, have all made their mark on these structural parts of the new Pastoral Center.

Meanwhile, everyone has been enjoying our new Narthex, which will be blessed at the beginning of each Mass this weekend. It is a great place for people to calm themselves before entering the church proper, as well as a nice place to greet each other and talk after Mass. In this way the church proper is maintained as a quiet, sacred space for people to pray, and at the same time we can enjoy being together as a community.

Another event which I am anticipating with great joy is our second Evening of Encounter, which will be in the church on January 20th from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Our first Evening of Encounter (last October) was well attended, and it received great response from all who participated. No doubt those who enjoyed it the first time will come again. But if you did not come

to the Evening in October, I really hope you will come this time and experience what people are talking about: a free-flowing gathering of people (of all faith backgrounds), brought together by their desire to encounter the presence of Christ in a special way; the inspiration of a strong, relatable message; the incomparable music of Johnny Oskam and his band; the Eucharistic Presence of the Lord on the altar; the availability of prayer partners for individual prayer; and the list could go on. I hope to see you there, and I hope you’ll bring a friend with you.

Gratefully Yours,

The Baptism of the Lord

This Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The Gospels present to us a marvelous scene: Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist, and the Holy Spirit descends upon him in the form of a dove, and the voice of God the Father is heard proclaiming, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

In celebrating this feast, we have more than a mere commemoration of a past event. We also have a reminder of our own baptism. When we were baptized, no dove was seen and the voice of God the Father was not heard; but the Holy Spirit did come upon us and we became the beloved children of God. This is the glorious reality of our baptism. “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are.” (1 Jn. 3:1)

Rejoicing as God’s beloved children, we realize that we are abundantly blessed. Let’s continue to treasure the life of grace that comes to us through the sacraments, and let’s use God’s blessings for his glory and the good of all his children.

Gratefully Yours,

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord is the last big celebration of the Church’s Christmas season. The word “epiphany” means “manifestation” in Greek. This is the day when we commemorate the Lord being manifest to the magi from the East as a newborn King. Led by a star, they found him with his mother and foster father and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold acknowledges Christ as a King. Frankincense professes that he is God. Myrrh recognizes him as man, a human being like us.

For us, the gold we can offer Christ is our allegiance to him. His teachings are not always popular or convenient for us; follow- ing them in all circumstances shows that we are loyal members of his Kingdom. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray “Thy Kingdom come.” These words might be a good short prayer to say anytime we are faced with a decision that involves the teachings of Christ. Frankincense has been a sign of the Transcendent for many ages. The incense we offer is our faith. Of course, this means not only acceptance of a list of truths, but also a way of life. Prayer is paramount in our profession of faith. Living the sacramental life goes right along with prayer. We worship the Lord and we enter into communion with him as the Source of all that we have and all that we are.

Myrrh was a fragrant balm used to anoint bodies for burial. It is an acknowledgment of the humanity of Christ. As the Letter to the Hebrews (4:15) tells us, he was like us in all things but sin. Our myrrh is our acceptance of the joys and sorrows, the possibilities and limitations, of our humanity in union with the Lord. He knows what it is like to be us, because he is one of us. Remembering that he is our Brother sheds wonderful light on the dignity of each human person.

Wise persons still seek him. Today we join the magi in following the star to our Newborn King.

Gratefully Yours,