Prayer
Dear sisters & brothers in Christ,
I pray that you are blessed and that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. It seems like the darkness of 2020 just doesn’t want to fade into history. No matter who you voted for, the events of these past couple of weeks, along with the continuing threats of violence being made, are both sad and alarming. Even though I have always argued with people who said, “That could never happen in the U.S.” I never actually thought that I would see the day when our nation’s capital would be overrun by a mob and we would have an insurrection. No matter that it was doomed to fail, it still occurred.
I think it just goes to show us how deeply divided we have become. The level of anger and mistrust is well beyond anything we have seen in recent history. It has gotten to a point where nothing, including the testimony of God, will ever change the opinion of some people, and so where do we go from here? While I mostly agree with those who say that president-elect Biden is perhaps one of the best suited individuals to begin the bridge-building that is needed, I also wonder if anyone can do it. We certainly are going to need a lot of prayer.
Besides the political strife, we have had our usual dose of holiday deaths. There always seems to be a rise in numbers around Christmas, and so, my prayers and thoughts go out to all the families who have lost love ones. I know that it can be especially difficult around the holidays. Not to mention how Covid restrictions and worries can keep loved ones apart at a time when they desperately want to be together. Please keep your sisters and brothers in your prayers.
I want to end on a slightly more positive piece of news. We are planning a new fundraiser for January 31st. We have partnered with parishioner owned Licari’s, and will be sharing in the proceeds of all orders made on that day from noon to 8:00 pm when a church flyer is presented. So I hope you can join us and have a lunch or dinner (or both) from Licari’s on January 31st. Please spread the word and copies of the flyer.
In the Redeemer, Fr. Rick