From the Pastor’s Desk: February 10, 2019

    Today’s Gospel pushes us further into Ordinary Time recounting Jesus' public ministry and His main focus on the call of God's servants.  There is a sense of natural fear and unworthiness in the response to God’s call. The story from the Gospel illustrates what often refers to us – we, too, have fear of God, as the word “fear” gives the impression of something dark, negative and harmful. But on the contrary the “fear” of God is rather a great moment of grace, clarity and light that comes from awe and love for God. When we experience the fear of God, the Holy Spirit brings the shiny presence of God’s holy presence in our lives. In the face of God’s holiness, we can often recognize with the humility of Peter, the long way we have to go in our own holiness. The moment of the fear of God is a moment of true and authentic encounter with God, when we recognize His amazing power, love and grace and become aware of our nature filled with weaknesses and limitations and yet with such a profound desire for greatness. It is a moment of truth and honesty, a moment of conversion that invites us to come closer into God’s holy presence, no matter the distance we find ourselves from it.
     The week of February 7-14, 2019 in the Church in the United States celebrates National Marriage Week, under the title – “Marriage – Made For a Reason.” This special week is a collaborative campaign to strengthen individual marriages. Marriage works. It makes people happier, live longer, and build more economic security. Children with married parents perform better in school. Deep down, everyone wishes they could have a rewarding lifelong commitment with their spouse. But in the midst of challenges, we forget how marriage can benefit our personal lives. We are losing our determination and the skills to keep marriages healthy and strong.
 
     "...We should provide the facts about the importance of marriage as a matter of child welfare and economic aspiration. As a society, we have launched highly effective public education campaigns on much less momentous issues, from smoking to recycling... For now, the decline of marriage is our most ignored national crisis..." -- TIME Magazine.
     "The Brookings Institution says that if we had the marriage rate today that we had in 1970, there would be a 25 percent drop in poverty. The Heritage Foundation says that marriage drops the probability of a child living in poverty by 82 percent.” -- FoxNews 
     "National Marriage Week presents a chance to focus on rebuilding a culture of marriage for this generation." --  NEWSWEEK magazine.
     On Monday, February 11 ^th, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Church will celebrate the 27 ^th World Day of the Sick. Introduced by Pope John Paul II as a way for believers to offer prayers for those suffering from illnesses. The day coincides with the commemoration of Our Lady of Lourdes and is an important opportunity for those who serve in Catholic health ministry to reflect on caring for those who are sick as well as those who provide care to them. The theme chosen by Pope Francis in his Message for 2019 is “You received without payment; give without payment” (Mt 10:8). These are the words spoken by Jesus when sending forth his apostles to spread the Gospel, so that his Kingdom might grow through acts of gratuitous love.  On the World Day of the Sick, the Church – as a Mother to all her children, especially the infirm – reminds us that generous gestures like that of the Good Samaritan are the most credible means of evangelization. Caring for the sick requires professionalism, tenderness, straightforward and simple gestures freely given, like a caress that makes others feel loved.  Life is a gift from God. Saint Paul asks: “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor 4:7). Precisely because it is a gift, human life cannot be reduced to a personal possession or private property, especially in the light of medical and biotechnological advances that could tempt us to manipulate the “tree of life” (cf. Gen 3:24). - Pope Francis
 
     To join in the celebration with the Universal Church, our morning Mass on Monday will be celebrated with the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. If you are elderly, because of the aging process, or have a serious illness (physical or mental), or if you will undergo surgery soon, please come and receive the healing grace of Christ through the sacraments.
    Have a blessed week! 
 
    With prayers,
    Fr. Andy