“Prepare the way of The Lord!”

My dear friends in Christ,

During this time of Pandemic, we are facing extraordinary challenges within the ministries of our Church. Choirs can’t rehearse or sing together, we have safety shields at the end of our Communion line, our liturgies are small or virtual and we are unable to minister to the homebound and those in the hospital because of the shut-down. So what do we do? We have to adjust. This is not easy because after months of disruption, we might be forgiven for feeling disappointed, overwhelmed, exhausted, or all three. We have to prepare just as we heard in the Prophesy of Isaiah: “Prepare the way of The Lord!” We also get an introduction to John the Baptist who also felt exhausted at times in the wilderness. And yet, God asks us to give comfort to His people. How can we give what we ourselves need so desperately? Perhaps the Lord is giving us an opportunity to grow in compassion. It’s not about us. It’s all about Jesus Christ, the Son of God Incarnate (in the flesh) for our sakes. He is the one who heals us, redeems us and secures our future and gives us peace and rest. As we continue on our Advent journey, we ask the Lord to give us the “eyes to see and the hearts to trust.”

The Christmas Tree was delivered last Friday and has been securely planted. Thank you to Maria, Charlie and Mary, Gregory, and Mary Joyce for making this possible. It may seem small at this time, but I have been assured that it will grow. I thank Jimmy in Maintenance for getting this project completed before this Second Sunday of Advent.

May God bless you all,

Father John