Hello Everyone!
This week we, as an entire diocese, begin Our Catholic Appeal. We heard at Mass an invitation from Bishop Noonan to join in the work of the ministries of the diocese. We saw small snippets of the good work within the diocese that happens through: encouraging all to serve, Magnifying everyone’s abilities through ministries such as Bishop Grady Villas, providing hurricane and storm recovery, supporting growing families, and forming the young Church in the faith through Catholic schools and faith formation programs.
The theme for this year’s appeal is “Blessed are they who seek Him with all their heart,” taken from the Psalm from today’s readings. I just want to reflect a little bit upon this theme as it pertains to us in our faith journey toward the Lord.
There is a lot demanded of us when we seek God with all of our heart—not external demands but internal demands. At the very core of our pursuit to seek God with all of our heart is trust in God. We have to trust that God is worth seeking with all of our heart. We have to trust that the journey with its valleys and hills is worth the effort. We have to trust that, as we give more and more of our hearts to God, we will not need what we giving. This journey requires trust, and it requires that our trust in God keeps growing. The journey to God will take our entire lives, but we know that the goal is unimaginable good because the goal is God.
Of particular importance, we heard in the video from Bishop Noonan launching the Appeal, we are on a pilgrimage: a pilgrimage toward God, growing in trust of God. This life pilgrimage has God as its goal. Thankfully, we are not on this journey alone. We make this journey as a faithful people, united by our common focus on the Lord. All of us have a part to share in the ministry and in the work of the Lord. As we journey toward God, we have the opportunity to help our fellow pilgrims in the diocese.
I want to close with the prayer for Our Catholic Appeal. During this time of the Appeal, I invite everyone to use this prayer when discerning our participation in Our Catholic Appeal. This appeal is an opportunity to share the gifts we have received so that all people may be able to stride boldly on this pilgrimage of our lives to God.
“O Lord, we praise You for the many gifts You give us each day; from the moment we were a presence in our mother’s womb to the grace-filled rise of the sun, to the blessing of Sacrament, to the night which ushers us rest. Help us to grow in our living faith. Guide us to serve as leaders to bring about holiness.
Bring us to share ourselves selflessly in all things in a spirit of love of You. In the Eucharistic banquet, You give Yourself completely and entirely to us. We give You our return, O Lord, with gratitude knowing there
is no measure to the gift of the Cross which brings us resurrection.”
In Holy Cross,
Fr. Vincent
P.S.—By the time you’re reading this Fr. John will be back from his vacation in India. Also, please keep in your prayers the women who are on the Christ Renews His Parish retreat this weekend and the men who will be making the retreat this coming weekend.