Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Mercy,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus!
As we get closer to the end of this month of November, which also marks the end of the liturgical year of 2019 and the beginning of the new one, the readings at Mass talk about the end times. If we take them literally, they are terrible and scary.
But Jesus tells us that “by our perseverance we will secure our lives.” Sisters and brothers, this is a call for us to be serious about our spiritual life. We should persevere in asking ourselves where we are in our spiritual journey.
In meditating on this weekend’s readings, I would like to leave each of us a simple question to ponder, “Are we making progress on our journey towards obtaining what we most covet, namely, the salvation of our souls?”
These past several weeks, we had fifty-five faithful and spiritually zealous parishioners take part in “Appreciate the Word, Live the Word.” They came together in small groups week after week to talk about and meditate on the gospel readings. They gathered together to take a look at Jesus’ message and to try to see how they are living it out. The sessions ended this past week. Those who took part in them are already looking forward to the next ones. And yes, as a church, we assure you that there will be more. For those who missed those sessions, I encourage you to experience the next ones. We will announce them in due time.
Moving forward, coming to Mass is of utmost importance in our daily and spiritual life. Every time we come to Mass, besides giving thanks to God for all the graces we have received (and especially the Body and Blood of Christ), let us do what the people in those small groups did. That is, let us ask ourselves, what struck me in the readings? Or what word or phrase jumped out at me? What is that word or phrase saying to me? Keep doing or practicing this regularly until it becomes a habit. This is a small piece of advice or teaching that will be of great spiritual benefit to your soul.
God bless us all!
Love,
Father Marty