“Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.”
Oftentimes, when I think about all the troubles in the world, I tell the Lord: “It’s a good time to come now. Can you make the 2nd coming happen already? Come Lord Jesus!” At the heart of this statement is knowing that when the Lord does come again, things will be in right order and all will be well. In the meantime, it is up to us to bring Christ to the troubles and struggles of everyday life. He will give us strength to do this. As we recently celebrated All Saints Day, we recall the words of St. Teresa of Avila…
“Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours, yours are the eyes through which to look out Christ's compassion to the world Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good; Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.”
What a gift and privilege it is to bring Christ to others—to bless people with our lives.
As we enter into November, we now begin to pray for our 1st graders in a special way. As they gather at the 9:00am Mass this Sunday, we will call them forward and pray for them. I ask that you continue to pray for them each day this month. We need to let them know how special they are in our mission to bring Christ to others.
Know that at the Donut Sunday receptions after Mass, there will be a table set up if you ever wanted to register as a parishioner but never had the opportunity to. I understand the bulletin says to see a priest after Mass, but it was especially challenging for me this past year to meet as baptisms and meetings occur after Mass. Let this be an opportunity to sign up if you’d like and I will contact you and get to know your story. Thanks!
I do want to make you aware of a few dates this month. On Tuesday, November 15 @ 7:00pm, in the Beatitudes Room, we will offer an information night on the Angel Scholarship Fund. What is the Angel Scholarship Fund? How does it help families in need of tuition assistance as well as those who contribute to the fund? Come to learn about a new way to support our parish school while getting a state income tax credit. Bring a copy of last year’s Ohio tax return with you. On Thursday, November 17 @ 7:00pm, Maria Miravalle, Spiritual Care Coordinator at Cornerstone of Hope, is offering “Staying Hopeful Through Grief” a talk that will discuss how grief can change our whole outlook on life, especially around the holiday season. Our Stephen Ministers will be there to help offer support. Lastly, on Sunday, November 20 @ 6:30 pm, my uncle, Fr. David Merzweiler, will be preaching at the close of Eucharistic Devotions. He is excited about sharing how the Eucharist helps to make us of one mind and heart for the Lord.
That’s enough for now. More later.
God bless you and all you do,
Fr. Jeremy
