From the Pastor&#039;s Desk: February 2, 2020

From the Pastor’s Desk:                                                                                                                            February 2, 2020

      Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord which occurs forty days after the birth of Jesus. The Presentation of the Lord concludes the celebration of the Nativity and with the offerings of the Virgin Mother and the prophecy of Simeon, the events now point toward Easter.

      In obedience to the Old Law, the Lord Jesus, the first-born, was presented in the Temple by His Blessed Mother and His foster father. This is another 'epiphany' celebration insofar as the Christ Child is revealed as the Messiah through the canticle and words of Simeon and the testimony of Anna the prophetess.

      In truth, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is rooted in everyday life. It has been celebrated in a special way since 1997, when now St. Pope John Paul II instituted a day of prayer for women and men in consecrated life. The vocation to those in consecrated life is called to be the beacon of light to share Christ’s light and love through their work in parish or diocesan ministries, education, health care, social services, spiritual direction and prayer. Through their service and vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, they show that Jesus Christ is our most valued possession. Therefore the celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life (WDCL) invites all of us to reflect on the role of Consecrated Life within the Christian community as they responded to God’s call to live a consecrated life for the sake of the gospel.

"This then is the consecrated life: praise which gives joy to God’s people,
prophetic vision that reveals what counts. Consecrated life is not about survival,
it is not about preparing ourselves for ars bene moriendi: this is the temptation of
our days, in the face of declining vocations. No, it is not about survival, but new life.
“But… there are only a few of us…” – it’s about new life. It is a living encounter
with the Lord in his people. It is a call to the faithful obedience of daily life
and to the unexpected surprises from the Spirit.
It is a vision of what we need to embrace in order to experience joy: Jesus."
(Pope Francis, WDCL Homily on February 2, 2019)

      In a very special way we pray for those consecrated who serve the faithful of our diocese and in our parish. In a particular way, we offer prayers for our Missionary Sisters of the Holy Family who minister in our parish and whose presence is so significant. They are called to remind us of our responsibility both individually and as a community to bring credible witness of faith, grace and bright presence of the light of Christ and His message of the Gospel and the Church to the world today, especially to our local community.

      This weekend as a part of the Dynamic Parish initiative, we will conduct the Bigger Future Survey. We invite each parishioner to participate. It is extremely important that we will be able to take a snapshot of our community and determine right resources for our parish. I find it very helpful to see where we are and how together we can grow over the next five years with Dynamic Parish in each of the four signs– prayer, study, generosity and evangelization. No matter where you are in your journey, by taking the survey you will be joining me in this parish striving to become all God dreams we can be.

      On Friday, February 7 ^th, we will host Night to Shine sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. This is the second year that we were invited to host this special event of an unforgettable prom night experience centered on God’s love, for people with special needs. On Friday from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, together with 75 guests with special needs, we will participate in the Night to Shine in St. Luke Parish in Middleburg, as part of a worldwide movement that celebrates 75,000 honored guests simultaneously on one night in all 50 states and 11 countries on 6 continents! I am grateful to everyone who expressed their support to assist us with the success of this event.

      I wish you a blessed week and pray that we will continue to grow and dream for everything God has planned for us individually and as a Dynamic Parish community.

With prayers,
Fr. Andy