Greetings in the Lord Jesus Christ!
Yes, it truly is good and even wonderful to be back at St. Joseph’s, sharing your faith journey and coming to recognize the good Lord, as we strive to come to know Him and cherish His great and majestic love for you and me.We gather here in our “home of worship” to learn and experience God’s presence in our lives – it is here in our church that we can be ensured of our salvation and eternal life…
How often many of us come to church on Sunday expecting everything to be in place and to run smoothly. We come, we pray and we leave and possibly, that is the extent of our church involvement. Oh yes, we toss in our church envelope and that’s it!
Do we realize that many, many volunteers are very actively and freely involved, often behind the scene – in order that the parish and the Church can and does exist…
We have volunteers on Parish Council, in the UCWLC, the Knights of Columbus, the Men’s Club, the Senior’s Club, the Parish Choir, the Outreach, the Children’s programs, etc. We do have volunteers who raise money that we might continue to operate – be it the Bingo which has sponsored so many projects, or making Perogies which demands dozens of willing workers (as I compose this, there are some 75 volunteers happily working in the hall), or selling items of interest or hosting bazaars, bake sales, raffles, etc., etc!
Do we truly realize how much we have to be thankful for? Honest – our Church could never, never, never survive without ALL these voluntary assistance! May the good Lord bless them all and may He also encourage even more to offer their talents for the greater glory of God and humankind…. We do appreciate all that you do! Thank You!
As we prayerfully prepare for Christ-mas, may I share a special poem that can be
a source of inspiration – for you and me…. The Knots Prayer
Dear God: Please untie the knots that are in my mind, my heart and my life.
Remove the have nots, the can nots and the do nots that I have in my mind.
Erase the will nots, the may nots, might nots that find a home in my heart.
Release me from the could nots, would nots and should nots that obstruct my life.
And most of all, Dear God, I ask that you remove from my mind, my heart
and my life all of the ‘am nots’ that I have allowed to hold me back,
especially the thought that I am not good enough. Amen.
May we welcome everyone down into the hall after the 11 am Liturgy? Our beloved children have prepared a small Christmas concert for you and for St. Nicholas!
Wishing all of you a wonderful, beautiful, peaceful and loveful
Christ-mas – Yes, the Reason for the Season is the birth of Jesus Christ!