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 Dear
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today is the Feast of the Holy Trinity. We come to Mass,
and we know that the Easter season ended last week, and you’re probably
expecting the green vestments and all the other “regularities” of Ordinary Time,
and then you get here, and we’re still wearing white, and we’re still
celebrating, and we’ve got this big Feast Day that comes right after our Easter
season. What’s going on here, right? Today we’re celebrating God’s love
demonstrated for us in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Last week’s
Feast of Pentecost, celebrating the revelation of the Third Person of the Holy
Trinity, the Holy Spirit, leads us nicely into this week’s Feast, celebrating
our Triune God. And guess what? When we come together next weekend, we’ve got
another big Feast, Corpus Christi, the Feast of the Body and Blood of our Lord.
We are eventually going to get back to Ordinary Time on Sunday. It’s just going
to take us awhile.
This weekend, I do want to take this opportunity to
congratulate all of our graduates. We have had a plethora of graduations
lately, everything from our Kindergartener’s graduation, two weeks ago, to our
eighth-graders last week, and to our area high school students this weekend,
including both Westfield High School and Guerin Catholic. This Parish has been
blessed with so many truly amazing young people! I am awed at your gifts, and
your talents, and your incredible ideas and creativity in making our world a
better place. I’d have to say that spending time with any of our young people
here at St. Maria Goretti has to make you feel more hopeful and enthusiastic
about the future. We are blessed with many really good young people. As all of
our graduates head on to their next stage in life and their next set of
challenges, may you know how proud your Parish is of all of you. We look
forward to many more great accomplishments and achievements. Our prayers and
our hearts go with you as you move on.
This summer, we are all going to be seeing a lot of
different people. Perhaps now is a time for us to be reminded of how important
it is for us to evangelize. Evangelization is NOT an option for the Church.
One of our primary missions, given to EACH ONE OF US by Jesus Himself, is to
take the Good New, the Gospel, out to others. This mission is made that much
more weighty by the fact that we have so many people in our surroundings who are
spiritually floundering. Watching Oprah is NOT enough. Reading a book on
becoming your better self is NOT enough. Being a part-time Catholic is NOT
enough. We must truly follow Jesus Christ with all our hearts, all our souls,
all our strengths, and all our minds, IF we really want to inspire others to do
the same. Catholic Christianity is contagious when it is really lived out. God
has given us a Faith that makes sense, that is inspiring, and that has worked
for countless others. Our Faith is so inspiring that countless Catholic
Christians have gone to their deaths as Martyrs, because our Faith meant that
much to them. The Martyrs humble me. They inspire me. They challenge me. And
I hope that they have the same effects on you! The Martyrs would NOT be quiet
about their Faith. They would be evangelizing everybody that they came in
contact with every day. They’d be inviting them to Mass, and have them over to
dinner, and asking others to join them in service. When’s the last time you
invited someone to come to Church with you? When’s the last time you invited
someone to pray with you? When’s the last time you asked some one to help you
to do something for God or for those in need? So many people aren’t going to do
it on their own, but you’d be amazed at what a personal invitation from YOU
might just accomplish! Sometimes, we’re too bashful as Catholics. We hide
behind being “politically correct” and we never do get around to evangelizing
others. We don’t have to beat anybody over the head with a Bible or the
Catechism. Evangelization like that doesn’t work anyways. But if we love them,
and care about them, and invite others to join us in the service of the Church…
well, I think you’ll be amazed! Take advantage of the opportunities this
summer. The Italian Fest is coming up on July 12th.
Invite your neighbors to come and join us at the Italian Fest. That’s
evangelization. And who doesn’t like gelato?
Next weekend, we begin our “Supporting Our Seminarians”
2009 Campaign. In the next three weeks, St. Maria Goretti must raise $23,700 as
our portion of the Diocesan campaign. We’re all going to have to help out to
make that happen. Let’s think and pray about what each one of us can do to help
out.
Have a great week! Fr. Dale leaves this week for a trip
to France. Please keep him and his group in your prayers.
In Christ,
Fr. Kevin
It is only
the fear of God that can deliver us from the fear of man. |
