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From the Pastor's Desk: Nov. 7, 2021
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From the Pastor’s Desk:
The message at the beginning of November, as we come closer to the end of the Liturgical Year, is a call to true discipleship. To be Jesus’ disciple is to personally respond with our heart between hypocrisy of self-important behaviors and generous yet often seemingly insignificant actions. True disciples give all they have, their “whole livelihood” – not goods, but themselves. Discipleship calls to give without counting the cost, counting self-gain or seeking attention. The amazing thing about faithful discipleship is that God provides us with astonishing surplus – unconditional love, endless mercy, life lasting protection, countless talents and blessings.
The “whole livelihood” disciples give is their very selves, in a way they give back what God has already given them. Ultimately, discipleship is about stewardship, it is about who we are.
What is Stewardship? For sure stewardship is far more than money, far more than just a vague concept of giving of time, talent and treasure – it is a way of life. It is a realization that we don’t do things because there is a specific need, but rather we do them because we have a need to give. It is not a money issue, it is a spiritual issue. This is why the “widow’s mite” in today’s Gospel serves as such a powerful example and challenges us about our spiritual notion of Stewardship that is directly related to our priorities in life and our relationship with the Lord.
The week of November 7-13th, the Church in the United States will celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week. The theme for this special time of observance is “Saint Joseph: The Dream of Vocation.” It invites parishes to foster a culture of vocations for the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life. "Amid all these upheavals, [St. Joseph] found the courage to follow God’s will. So too in a vocation: God’s call always urges us to take a first step, to give ourselves, to press forward. There can be no faith without risk. Only by abandoning ourselves confidently to grace, setting aside our own programs and comforts, can we truly say “yes” to God,” he said, and exhorted the Church to look to St. Joseph as an “outstanding example of acceptance of God’s plans.” -Pope Francis
National Vocations Awareness Week is designed to help promote vocation awareness and to encourage young people to ask the question: "To what vocation in life is God calling me?" To promote the culture of vocations is to encourage our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends to be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and invite them to think and to pray about it. Research had showed the significant role community encouragement plays in the discerning process. Over and over again when asked, newly ordained priests and newly professed men and women religious, credit the encouragement of family members, coworkers, friends and clergy, as being a significant factor in their pursuing a vocation.
Next weekend, November 12-14th is the Annual St. Luke Festival. As we enter the final week before the festival, please make sure to sign up to serve at the festival, to buy pre-sale ride tickets and raffle tickets that offer great and exciting prizes in order to express your support for the success of the festival.
Since the festival is getting bigger and better, please be aware of some aspects of housekeeping for the festival weekend. There will be no parking on the church’s property. Additional parking will be like in the past years on the lot of Old Jennings Rd. and Blanding Blvd. There will be limited handicap parking and no mobile transportation (golf cars) will be available. Please, I ask for your patience, cooperation and understanding to follow the direction and instruction of the traffic officers to be safe and to help assure the success of this wonderful event.
Please extend an invitation to everyone you know to experience the joy of our community during the Festival. I hope to see you all at the Festival.
Generosity and stewardship as a way of life offers us an incredible opportunity of our true and authentic relationship with the Lord that leads to do something beautiful for God with our lives. “Never get discouraged. The good you do today, will often be forgotten by tomorrow: do good anyway. Discouragement doesn’t come from God. He is there always at our side encouraging us.” -St. Mother Teresa
Have a blessed week! With prayers, Fr. Andy
