Strive to act more like God.

My dear Friends in Christ,

We are very familiar with this Gospel passage, and because of that, we fail to recognize the radical nature of Jesus’ commands. Lend money without expecting it back. What? We’ve always heard, “neither a lender nor a borrower be.” Give extra to those who take from you. Huh? Stop judging! Do good things for your enemies; love them. Love enemies? As Catholic Christians, and as those who are faithful to Catholic Social Teaching, we are continually called to this high standard. This might be shocking to some. Is it even possible? Jesus gives us the key: Be merciful as your Father is merciful. Stop acting on your own and strive to act more like God. Be merciful, slow to anger, and abound in kindness, even to those who are ungrateful and mean. God in His loving compassion puts distance between us and our sins. Remember, God knows all and sees all. How do we put separation between an offense and the person who offended? What will it take to make us stop judging and condemning? And most importantly, how do we forgive people who have hurt us?

This weekend is the Annual Catholic Appeal kick-off in our Diocese. Every year the Bishop and Pastors reach out to the faithful for your help and support. This year’s theme is “What does love have to do with it … Everything!” And so, once again, I ask that you prayerfully consider a gift to the 2022 Appeal, so we may share the love for our ministries and programs. The GOAL for Corpus Christi Church is $50,000. Will you help me reach that so we can earn a rebate from the Diocese?

May God bless you all,

Father John