Pastor's Corner
Sixth Sunday of Easter we 5/4/24-5/5/24
The Sixth Sunday of Easter brings with it a familiar theme from the Gospel of John and that is that the love of God for His people, realized and expressed in the Person of Jesus, must be then expressed by His people to one another in community. In fact Matthew goes farther in equating the love of God and the love of neighbor. How is this realized in community and with and for each other? First the character of Christ is instilled in the baptized and the gift of faith then grows from our acceptance of the gift in belief. Faith brings with it an acceptance of hope that we will be united with Christ as we embrace the sacrifice of His mission and the quality of His message. Our hope looks forward to the reward that we will be given of unity with Christ for an eternity. This reward will be based on the judgment Christ will offer based on our response to His message and our own sacrifices offered in love of one another. This command is made clear in Jesus's message in the Gospel of John. "As the Father loves Me, so I also love you. Remain in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love."
Love of neighbor is strengthened by our adherence to the tenets of the message of Jesus and by our reception of the sacraments, outward signs of grace offered by God for our salvation. It is accomplished by our humble acceptance of the way and Person of Jesus, the example of which is offered in the Gospels. It is experienced by others, each made in the image and likeness of God, as, primarily, the satisfaction of basic human needs like shelter, food and drink, clothing, forgiveness, compassion and so forth. We contribute with generosity and passion to the needs of others not only so that they will be basically satisfied but also so that they will receive a sense of their own dignity as human beings. So in this parish we ask for contribution to the food pantry, to the young mothers' bassinet and to so many other good works. We also ask for the satisfaction of the Catholic Appeal goal which now stands at a deficit of $20,000. Know that this deficit will be paid from our parish accounts if we do not make our goal. Please be generous so that the good works of love and sacrifice ongoing in this Archdiocese can continue.
Have a great week!
God Bless, Fr. Joe