Life is a mystery

From the Desk of Father David

Dear Parish Family and Friends,

              Jesus said to His apostles: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.”  This passage, taken from Sunday’s Gospel, sounds harsh and unloving.  Let us take a closer look.  The first part about loving Jesus more than anyone, reminds us of the First of the Ten Commandments to have nothing before God, and the Greatest Commandment to love God with all of our heart, mind, and soul.   When we live these commandments, we are enabling God to hold our lives together and prevent them from spinning out of control or keeping us from going down the wrong path. For God is the one that helps us see what is of importance and provides us with the abundance of love and forgiveness we need for all of our relationships.

Take up your cross and follow me is Jesus’ invitation to embrace the beautiful and ugly, the good and the bad of our lives.  To see all of life as a gift and to allow Christ to transform it into a masterpiece.  It reminds me of a poem that Corrie ten Boom used to quote called Life is But a Weaving.  This poem is included in today’s bulletin.  Life is a mystery which cannot be understood, but needs to be embraced with faith in a loving God.

Almighty God please strengthen our ability to trust in Your loving providence, especially during these rocky and difficult times.  Help us to love you and others more each day.

Peace and healing,

Fr. David