Over the last few days, John Angotti and I gave a new style of retreat in which we bantered back and forth about the Eucharist and God’s love for us with words of wisdom and songs of praise. This new format was well received with close to 100 parishioners attending each night in-person with an additional 100 people tuning in on the livestream and then between 300-800 watching it online after that. While many enjoyed the dialogue-format, everyone especially enjoyed hearing John singing his classics as well as some of his beautiful new songs. He has such a gift in encapsulating faith into striking songs of splendor. Tonight, you have another opportunity to hear John sing at 5pm Mass and in concert. The 5pm Mass tonight will be a Teaching Mass followed by a dinner in the Parish Center and a concert with John. It will be a great evening of learning and entertainment. Come join us and please bring a friend.
One of the messages John and I shared at the last session was that at the end of every weekend Mass we are sent out with a mission to share the joy of the gospel through everything we say and do in the week ahead. We talked about how we are called to be living witnesses to the love of God, that we have once again received the Body of Christ at the table of the Lord and we have also been nourished by the Word of God. I talked about how powerful it would be if every single one of us went out after Mass each Sunday smiling and sharing gentleness, kindness and forgiveness with everyone we met – from the cashier at the store, to the barista at Starbucks, to our children who no longer attend Church, to every stranger we meet on the streets.
I gave a metaphor about how each of us is given a “bag of seed” at the end of Mass. Our role is to plant those seeds in every person we meet that week. The seeds are seeds of goodness, kindness, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and service to others. We will not necessarily see those seeds grow within the week but if we do that week after week, realizing that someone else will water them and someone else still will reap the harvest, eventually the community around us will see a massive growth in the seeds!
I believe we need to take an extensive view of our faith and not necessarily look for short term results. Our faith is a long-term strategy. We are in this for the long game. When we come to Mass each week, no single Mass necessarily transforms us but over time, the many years of weekly attendance and nourishment from God’s table transforms us into people of joy and gratitude and that makes all the difference in the world!
As I said earlier, we are truly called to witness the long-lasting effects of the Eucharist. Every week we need to take that nourishment and our bag of seeds and plant them indiscriminately to all we meet, sharing the joy of the gospel and God’s love with all. We must never grow tired of sharing the seeds we have received and the love we receive from God. His Love and the seeds given to us are to be shared so keep spreading the joy of the gospel and be kind, gentle, good, or forgiving to everyone we meet.
In response to the needs of our community, we are starting a new grief support group on Thursday, November 10. Sometimes we need a little support to navigate the initial period after losing a loved one, or it may be we need support to continue the healing process or support to steps of self-care. We will meet monthly on the second Thursday and help each other work through the stages of grieving. Gavin Corn will lead the group and I will be attending to support the group as we launch this Ministry. If you’d like to attend and receive the book that Gavin will be using during the meetings email here.
Several of you have asked me about the All Souls Novena and yes you can still submit names for your loved ones as we pray for them each Mass during the first 9 days of November. It is a long tradition in our Church to pray for the deceased in November and never forget them. This is one way we can remember our loved ones and pray for them. To add the names of your deceased relatives and friends click here.
Finally, I hope you received the Annual Report of the parish sent via a separate email with a link to view the document. It is very important you read that document and understand the state of the parish and school both financially and pastorally. While we have accomplished many great things this year, we still need your ongoing support with your time, talent and treasure. We will talk some more about this in the coming weeks. Please read the report here and if you are looking for ways to support our parish with your time, talent or treasure, we’d love to hear from you, so please send us an email here. Thank you.
God Bless,
Fr. Brendan