My Dear Young People of St. Julia,
It wasn’t that long ago that some of you participated in the activities together with the seminarians that visited our parish. Some of you are also serving the parish community as Lectors at our Sunday Masses.
Do you know what you want for Christmas? Perhaps something real special? Something you have been wishing for? Well, I hope your wishes come true. I hope you get what you really want.
This Saturday two young seminarians from the Missionary Servants of the Word arrived to spend time with us until January 1st. We welcome these men with the hope that they will share much with us during these few days.
How can I begin to express my gratitude to the many people who have made this year’s week-long celebration possible? What words would I use to express how wonderfully our community has come together to celebrate Our Mother and to express the faith that I continue to witness in God and in one another?
Hope! Advent is all about hope. A youthful type of hope that fills our minds and hearts with a sense of joyful expectation.
The humanitarian crisis that exists at the southern border of the United States has been going on for such a long time that, perhaps, we have become numb to the suffering of the people there. It goes without saying that, as Christians, we cannot allow ourselves to ever be complacent to the suffering of any human being.
There are some couples in our parish community that have not celebrated the sacrament of matrimony. Many reasons exist for these situations and I simply want you to know that I respect you with deep understanding.
Two weeks ago, Pope Francis opened a new chapter in the history of our Catholic Church. It is called “The Synodal Path.” This is a process which will take place in the Catholic Church throughout the world.
Our parish community represents the heart of God in this world. All of us, no matter how many times we come here, draw near in the hope of feeling the presence of God. Whether the presence of God becomes a reality in our parish depends a lot on all of us. We cannot escape this reality. God is present in this world through each one of us.
May God bless us and protect us as we go forward in the midst of the pandemic. Let us never let our guard down as we strive to return to a more normal state.