Search
From the Pastor's Desk: Jan. 16, 2021
-
Today’s Sunday brings us to Ordinary Time in the Liturgy of the Church. The term “Ordinary Time” may be misleading…for there is nothing ordinary about it. In the context of the liturgical year, the term “ordinary” does not mean “usual or average”, but rather celebrates all aspects of the Mystery of Christ and instructs us on how to live out our Christian faith in our daily lives. It also gives us an opportunity to enter more fully into the mystery of “Sunday.” Ordinary Time in the Church's year occurs in two sections. The first part begins after the evening prayers at the end of the Christmas season, which ends with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. It lasts through the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday- the beginning of the Lenten season. Ordinary Time resumes after the Easter Season, after Solemn Vespers on the Feast of Pentecost, and continues until the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent.
So today, the Lord invites us to an extraordinary relationship He wants to have with us. A relationship of intimacy, real person-to- person, to bring us authentic joy and fruitfulness. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water. So they filled them to the brim.” All the good things of our lives here on earth are gifts from God. They tell us about God, and they give us little hints about what life lived in close communion with Him is like.
If His gifts can give us so much joy, just imagine the delight that comes from actually possessing Him - and that's what He wants to happen now here on earth, in part, and also completely, forever in heaven. And yet, we too often think of God as aloof from the healthy joys and activities of the human experience. After all Jesus came not just to teach us theology, but to bring the whole human condition back to its fullness. Therefore, it is part of human nature to celebrate, to enjoy the good things of creation (like marriage and wine), and Christ wants to teach us how to do so in a balanced and healthy way. The better we know Him, the more fully we will experience the life He has given us.
We are blessed in our community of St. Luke Parish to experience the generosity of God. I am filled with tremendous gratitude to share with you that after careful calculations, our St. Luke Annual Festival generated a record high profit of $130,000.00! This is our record to date and an incredible, consistent growth in the past several years in spite of the most recent difficult times of the pandemic. This is a significant boost of funds to help us keep our budget on target and to continue to support the ministries of our parish in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ! Once again to the leadership team of the festival and to everyone who supported, I offer my most profound words of appreciation and gratitude!!!!
On Tuesday, January 18th, we will begin the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.” Every year since 1926, the Catholic Church sets aside a special time to focus upon prayer of unity among Christians. This year’s theme is, “We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship Him" (Mt 2:2). As we celebrate this time with focus on Ecumenical dialogue, let us offer our special prayers “that all may be one... that the world may believe” (John 17:21), so that our actions and prayers as Christians will embody the true peace, reconciliation, and unity which is to be found where God dwells.
January 22nd is the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. It is a Day of Penance for Violations to the Dignity of the Human Person and Prayer for the Full Restoration of the Dignity of Life. Today we pray for an end to the destruction of human life due to abortion. We pray for the innocent lives lost to abortion. We pray for the families of the unborn and all who suffer from the act of having an abortion.
Let us experience this time with openness to grow in our relationship with the Lord; and, empowered by the gifts of the Holy Spirt we will live authentically joyful and spiritually fruitful lives. “There is only one ingredient to the good life. So essential that without it, the good life is impossible… (it is) goodness itself” (Matthew Kelly, Life is Messy, p. 151).
Have a blessed week everybody!
With prayers,
Fr. Andy
