From the Pastor’s Desk: February 24, 2019

    Today we continue to reflect upon Jesus’ first major sermon in the Gospel of Luke. In the foothills of the mountains of Galilee, in a grassy meadow, surrounded by what Luke calls a "great crowd", Jesus paints a simple and yet powerful description of a true disciple/Christian. The identifying mark of a Christian is treating others - all others - the way God does, the way God treats us. Jesus indirectly gives us a portrait of Himself; He shows us what kind of Lord He really is - a lavish one. Nothing limits His generosity and love – nothing! If we are ungrateful to Him, He is still generous with us; if we oppose Him, disobey Him, insult Him, abandon Him- He keeps on loving us. He simply does not give up on us!

    We are created in God's image, and God is love; His very divine nature is all about self-giving. So the more we develop our capacity for love, for authentic, self-forgetful love, the more we will mature into what God created us to be. Therefore, this is what Jesus means when he says, “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. 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”, so “then your reward will be great!” "Gifts will be given to you, overflowing, will be poured into your lap!" That is our Lord. That is the characteristic of disciple/Christian.

    The challenge for us today is how to live it out authentically and trust in God and His plans for us. We live in a world that denies the presence of God and ridicules the message of Christianity. Sadly many of us support that godless, progressive, destructive ways of life by rejecting the message of Jesus for the sake of popularity, political correctness or simply choosing to believe and trust in lies rather that to embrace faith and trust in God. This violent and merciless society is like tsunami that destroys everything on its way. Let’s be honest, if we do not act of our call to live our Christian/Catholic way of life the “wave of secularism and relativism” can swipe us out.

    Next weekend- March 2/3, 2019, in our diocese, we will conduct the Bishop’s Annual Stewardship Appeal – “Lord it is good to give thanks to You” (Ps 92:2). This year, the Appeal aims to continue support for the education of our future priests, the ministries of Catholic Charities, and for Catholic schools that serve the poorest communities, students with special needs and two regional high schools where the Catholic population is not yet large enough to ensure full enrollment. These ministries need the support of everyone in the diocese; their expense is beyond the regular operating costs of the diocese. On behalf of Bishop Estévez, I invite every family in our parish to consider giving a gift in proportion to the blessings God has poured out for you. While gift amounts are suggested, every family is asked to prayerfully decide what gift is appropriate for your blessings and circumstances, first to support your parish, then the diocese and charity of your own choice. We, as a parish community, are invited to join with others throughout the diocese to share a portion of the blessings the Lord has entrusted to each of us in support of these essential ministries of our diocese.

    I would like to offer an update of the projects on the campus. The Roof Repair Project is going well. The weather slowed the initial plans a bit, but most important is to make sure that the job is done correctly. At this time we are very close to finishing the project….soon. To celebrate the successful conclusion of this significant project we will have a special reception, on Saturday, March 9, after the Vigil Mass. I am most grateful for your prayerful and financial support!

    Also, the ACS gym is going according to schedule. We have selected the gym floor colors, walls, wall pads and the goals. The new parking lot and retention pond are under construction. In the next few days the existing “Annunciation Catholic School” sign on the entrance from Blanding Blvd. will disappear. After consultation with the pastors of Sacred Heart and St. Catherine parishes and our PAT and Finance Council, at the end of the construction we will make a new sign that will show the three entities of the campus – St. Luke Parish, St. Luke Child Care Center and Annunciation Catholic School. Please, know that to support our limited savings we have taken loans to make both projects possible. I am most grateful for your sacrificial support to make them possible.

    I wish you a blessed week! Please pray how you can make the call to discipleship more authentic this week!

With prayers,
Fr. Andy