From the Pastor&#039;s Desk: Oct. 24, 2021

Over the past several weeks, our Sunday Readings in general, but the Gospel of Mark in particular, reminds us about the call to discipleship. Jesus places expectations for those who will follow Him and who will continue His message in the world. He reminds us that to be His disciple requires self-denial, rejection of anything that would constitute an obstacle in our commitment to follow Jesus, so with humility, trust and confidence we can place our faith and advance in our way of discipleship.

This Sunday as we listen to the story of the blind man Bartimaeus, Mark brings our attention to the blind man’s cloak. The Gospel tells us that once Jesus called the blind man’s name, he “threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.” Why would that be important? Because the cloak represents a symbol of self- sufficiency, a symbol of our deep-seated tendency to think that we are capable of solving all of our problems on our own. The cloak symbolizes all those things that we wrongly depend on for happiness; things that we tend to idolize: good looks, intelligence, athletic ability, money, good education, success, popularity...
Following Christ, obeying His commandments and teachings, means putting these other things – good and valuable though they may be – into second place and trusting that friendship with God alone is the real source of the fulfillment we most yearn for. And yet in the world filled with so many different voices calling us to go in so many different directions, including those that bring confusion and refusal of God, we too need to be determined like Bartimaeus who refused to be silenced or overwhelmed by other voices. Once he heard the Lord’s call, he didn’t hesitate – he cast off his cloak and sprang forward, teaching us all that our only sufficiency should be Jesus Christ.

As our Annual Parish Festival is approaching – the weekend of November 12-14 – I kindly ask your support and participation. Please take advantage of the raffle tickets that you received in the mail and invite others to purchase them as well. The prizes this year are excellent. Also, please offer your time to support one of the many positions needed for the success of the festival. I trust in your commitment and dedication for the future of our parish community.

It is with tremendous joy that I want to express my most sincere words of gratitude to everyone who contributed their time and talents to make our Annual Celebration of the Patronal Feast of St. Luke such a success! With delicious food, fun, and fellowship with great participation at the Parish Picnic on Saturday, as well as a great number of parishioners who gathered for the Eucharist last Sunday, the entire weekend was such a splendid success! In a special way, I want to commend the Pastor’s Advisory Team for their dedication and hard work to make this all happen.

I also want to extend words of thanks to all who came to join in such a wonderful gathering of fellowship, friendship and prayer to help build our community. As your pastor, I am overjoyed to see so many of you involved in building our community and in sharing with one another the best you have –your very selves as the true image of the love of God. Without you, none of this would be possible. Thank you!

“The most appealing invitation to walk with God is the witness of our own lives, the spirit with which we respond to our divine calling, the completeness of our dedication, the generosity and cheerfulness of our service to God, and the love we have for one another.” –St. Mother Teresa

I wish you a blessed week!
With prayers,
Fr. Andy