The Kindness and Generous Love of God Has Come to Us!

When the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, He saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.        Letter to Titus 3:4-7

The Lord is come! Alleluia! Alleluia! 

Today we celebrate God taking human form, joining us in the limits of human existence and suffering with us from the sins of humanity. To paraphrase the Canticle of Zechariah in Luke 2: The tender mercy of our God has brought a daybreak from on high to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, and guide our feet into the path of peace.

The generous love of God took human form today. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

This Sunday is the Feast of the Holy Family.
St. Paul’s advice to families in Colossians 3:18-21 was written in a time of very disparate gender roles and power. It raises much over-wrought indignation in our times when these differences are in a process of diminishing. So let me take the liberty of suggesting that we read this passage substituting “spouses” for “wives” or “husbands” and “parents” for “Fathers”:

Spouses, be subordinate to each other.

Spouses, love each other and avoid any bitterness.

Parents, do not provoke your children, so they may not become discouraged.

So how is it possible to be “subordinate to each other”? Lose the idea that someone is in control and talk out issues calmly. I personally have found this easier said than done. It requires both sides to listen and not get caught up in blame, defensiveness and days of awkward silence. It requires the Second Commandment to love and avoid bitterness.

I’ve always liked “do not provoke your children”. This is not the same as “do not discipline your children” or “do not set boundaries for you children”, though for some parents, this may be a fine line. “Do not provoke your children” implies trying to avoid making our children into what we want them to be. We need to guide them growing into who God wants them to be, being careful to avoid confusing the two. Nobody said parenthood was easy!

Let us bring joy to the world in 2022!

Parish Collections
                                 July 2021 to date      Prior year

Collections Income     $188,381            $161,007

Net Income                  ($13,135)             ($30,469)

Savings Reserve          $74,924             $153,000


Net Income: the difference between all expenses and all income for the fiscal year so far Savings Reserve: funds in PRF drawn on to cover extraordinary expenses or urgent cash deficits This is a new format for the Parish Collections Report, we believe this more accurately reflects the current financial standing of the parish with regard to funds needed to meet expenses. We hope you find it helpful.