Greetings in Christ, all!
We are so very close to Christmas, but Advent is not over! We are in the season of waiting, waiting for Our Lord Jesus Christ to return and lead us all to the Kingdom on Heaven. In this Season of Advent, you’ll hear over and over a focus to our Mass Prayers; asking God to help us live in this temporary world in such a way as to prepare for the eternal world in the Kingdom of God. How blessed are we?!
I want to be sure to note something for both of our Parish Families…
In just a couple weeks, you’ll come in to Mass for Christmas Eve or Christmas itself and there will be people with us who are not usually here: some of them will even be sitting in your seats. 🙂
As God’s Family, we need to be sure to welcome, not judge them. We want to show them how living the faith has made us more joyful, patient and kind people and I’m going to ask us to give our absolute best in our efforts. Welcome the strangers, offer to help with any parents who look a bit overwhelmed, guide the people who may not know the right words and actions…all of it. Keep in mind the value of loving people where they are in order to help God get them to where He wants them.
Our Mass schedule for those days is pretty intense, pray for your priests, that we will be faithful, holy and kind. I always feel a tremendous pressure on these holy days to say those words that will shake the spiritually lethargic, heal the spiritually wounded and bring them back to the practice of the faith: I need to remember to count on Our Lord!
We are nearing the end of our campaign and I am excited about whatever the Lord is going to do through it. Once we have a sense of what we’ve collected, we will begin our execution of the plan if we hit goal and our reworking of it if we don’t.
A couple practical notes: if you are still paying your Witness to Hope pledges, please know that the Diocese has already taken their share and all the pledges you send in go directly to Holy Family.
If you have not given to either campaign, I’m asking you to consider a pledge of $20 a week for the next three years. If half the families in our parish do this, we not only hit our goal, we surpass it and can put money away for working on any number of maintenance projects that we will need on our buildings.
I hate talking about money…I hate asking for it. I know that some are not happy that I am asking for help so soon after I arrived, but I hope you can also see that it was/is unavoidable. I am taking the plan I have been given and I am giving it all I have; we know that wherever the Lord is taking us on this, it is a good place, because He is a good God.
I thank God for the joy of being your priest. I praise the Lord for your welcoming, generous and thoughtful hearts. I cannot believe I get to serve you.
Blessed, Holy Advent to all!
fjk