Dear Fellow Parishioners, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! I am sure you, like me have been reading some of the “Year-in-review” articles that are out there, and it is not a pretty picture. Many are eager to put 2020 behind us and enter into a new year with hope and promise.
Personally, I learned a great deal during this past year and have taken the time to write down the many things I learned about myself, our community, and our nation. The pandemic has shed light on who we are as individuals, communities, and nations. Knowing the truth about who and whose we are helps us to work at trying to become the people God wants us to be.
We should be proud of the great outpouring of generosity toward others. At the same time, we need to face our divisions in our nation and our church with the hope that we can listen, learn and eventually become a united people. Reading Pope Francis’ Encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” has opened my eyes and heart to where we are, and what we need to do as communities of faith as we move forward post-pandemic. The most important challenge, which happens to many is that we get stuck under the “dark cloud” and weighed down by the events of the past; and are paralyzed. We need to walk in the light of Christ, learn from the past, walk in the present, and together work toward a future filled with hope and dreams of the world that God speaks of so powerfully in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures.
I encourage you to take some time to do your own review of the lessons you learned about yourself, your family, and beyond, and let those lessons shape belief and behavior in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
A new year has lots of promise; may we promise to bring a new attitude, a new spirit, a deeper faith and hope that will shape our future together.