Dear Parishioners,
With the many advances of technology, what I write here has
the ability to reach many more people
than those who sit in our pews each weekend.
Necessarily, if a rather significant number of parishioners in an
average parish like ours are not part of the Saturday evening/Sunday
routine of going to Mass, then this bulletin also has to attempt to reach those
who will not be worshipping with us
this week. The bulletin is also
available online to those who may be away
from home, such as our college
students who will be heading off to school shortly. My hope and prayer is that this message will
go out far and wide each week.
St. Paul reminded us last week in the 2nd reading
to “seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” (Col.
3:1) We need to seek out the
spiritual things in life. Life is
very materialistic. We are constantly bombarded in commercials
and advertisements that we must buy
this particular item, that we are somehow incomplete
or missing out on something if we do
not own the latest, the best, the most expensive, etc. We
need to buy, buy, and buy! And it’s all a lie!
What makes us complete?
What really gives us value or significance in life?
The greatest gift
that anyone can be given does not have a price tag and cannot be bought. It is not something that will impress those
who see things with a worldly or materialistic set of eyes. It is rather something of a completely spiritual nature—the gift of faith.
When we are baptized, we receive the gift of faith. It is a gift—not something we buy, not something that we earn.
It is a gift, pure and simple. If
you have been given this gift, then thank God for it. If you are a parent, it is the most important gift that you could ever give your
child. It happens by the simple pouring
of water in the sacrament of Baptism: “I
baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.”
Through Baptism you are now a child of God; adopted by God
Himself! Jesus is God’s only
begotten Son from all eternity. We become
His adopted child through baptism. God is our Father, truly our Father!
I really wonder how much we actually think about our Baptism
and the gift of faith that we have
received through it? Whenever we walk
into the church and bless ourselves with the water from the holy water font, we should be reminded
of the fact of our Baptism. I have been given the greatest gift! I am a Child of God!
Faith, being a gift, can be lost or grow cold if it
is not fostered. That is why it is so
essential that we practice our faith—that
we come together as a faith community at Mass.
We need to worship together as children of the one God as a family. Hearing the Word of God and receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist regularly will
help our faith to grow.
For those who may not be baptized or who have not
yet had your children baptized, please think
about, pray about and ask for this precious gift though the Sacrament of Baptism. Adults seeking Baptism should inquire about
the R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
program.
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
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