I’m still basking in the rays of warmth of the Risen Lord! I hope you are as well. Our Holy Week celebrations were awesome and inspiring. Thank you to everyone who helped out to make them so beautiful. I dare not begin to mention groups and names for fear that I would leave some one out. God knows who you are!
Tomorrow, April 9, is the feast of our parish, the Annunciation. It was transferred from March 25, which was during Holy Week this year. This Sunday (March 8, 2018) after the 12:00 Noon Mass we will have a prayer service in honor of Our Lady, followed by a report of the parish and a lunch. I hope that you are planning to attend.
It has been almost two years since our parish was founded. We have grown a lot in this time, thanks be to the grace of God. As I stressed during the parish report last year, if we do what God wants us to, He will shower his blessings and grace upon us. There is no doubt. Looking back upon these past 21 months, I can see how we have flourished under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We do not know where the Spirit will lead us, and so we must remain open to that guidance, trusting that God knows what is best for us. This can be an exhilarating experience, even if it is a little bit frightful. Our faith helps to remove the fear and anxiety, and at the same allows us to trust. We need not be concerned about the little things that seem big to us. God asks us to look at the big picture, the entirety. And when we do so, we realize the innumerable blessings that we have received. It humbles me.
We must also realize that our priority is to look outward, instead of inward. We are called to be that “joyful band of missionary disciples”. Let us continue to pray for the breath of the Holy Spirit and the guidance that will be even more exhilarating than what we have experienced up until now.
Fr. Ken
St. Mary, Cause of Our Joy Catholic Church 