Dear friends,
As we celebrate the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the passage from the Gospel of Luke prescribed for this Sunday invites us to reflect on some of the hardest challenges posed by Christ to those who follow him: to love our enemies and do good to them. And further on, Jesus invites us to be merciful, just as our Father is merciful. The best part of the gospel today is my all time favorite: “Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” (Luke 6: 38) In this lies our Christian living, to know that our lives are not about ourselves. Our life is a gift given to us undeserved and unmerited. The ultimate paradox of our vocation is to remember that the more I cling to my life, my possessions and wealth, and my name and prestige, the quicker I will lose it. The more I give it away, the more I will gain it in eternal life. Difficult to let go, right? It is a conflict we face every minute of our lives. We all know, however unwilling we are to accept it, that we will all leave the Earth and nothing of what we think we own will go with us. However, if we are willing to give them away, we will have them with us when we are with the Lord.
How beautifully it ties in with the celebration of our life in Christ with our Bishop John Noonan and all the entities served by the diocese with what you can give away. On the second weekend of our commitment to Our Catholic Appeal 2022 having the theme, “As One Faith Family, We TRUST in the LORD,” I invite you to live up to your calling. Remember, you belong to a community that is generous and giving. How blessed we are. The enemy, the devil, will keep putting into our mind nasty ideas like, why should I give; I will not part with what is mine, etc. If you are tempted by Satan to think that, then remember what Jesus is telling us today: “Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” (Luke 6: 38)
I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who helped organize the farewell party for Fr. John Patrick. It was edifying to see so many of you stopping by to say a word of gratitude. May God be with Fr. John Patrick as he plans his sabbatical.
Congratulations to those women and men who had answered the call to attend the renewal weekend with the Christ Renews His Parish. Thanks to all those who worked tirelessly to host these wonderful events.
Fr. Tom Jones, C.S.C., who took part in our liturgy last Saturday commended us for the nature of our worshiping. Having been the Director of Liturgy for the Diocese of Fort Wayne - South Bend, Indiana for over 10 years and having taught at Notre Dame, said that our liturgy is on par with the famous cathedrals. He said this without even participating in all of the weekend masses. Kudos to all of the ministry volunteers and to all of you for your active participation.
Have a blessed week!
With love, Fr. John