Treasures

Dear sisters & brothers in Christ,

I pray that you are blessed, and as we approach Thanksgiving, I hope you have a lot of blessings for which to give thanks. Personally, I think the secret to living a happy and contented life is to know and love your gifts and talents, and especially, the people in your life. For to live your life fixated on the things you do not have, and envying the talents of others is a sure and certain way to live an unhappy life. True joy comes when you learn to share those gifts and talents with others, whether they be family, friends or total strangers. For what can put a bigger smile on one’s own heart, as to see the smile on someone else’s face when you share your blessings with them.

Throughout Advent we are going to be focusing on our Lord’s call, “Whom shall I send?” And our response, “Here I am Lord, send me!” Send us to share our blessings with our neighbors. As Christians we are each called to offer to The Church, both our local parish and the global Church (which includes Catholics and non-Catholics, Christians and non-Christians, believers and non-believers) our “time, talents, & treasures.”

We just shared with you a financial report on our parish, and over the next couple of weeks representatives from our Finance Committee will be at each of the masses to offer a bit of additional information, as well as, to answer any questions you might have. Finances are extremely important, since our parish could not operate without your financial support, not to mention all of the support we offer to those who stand at our door and knock. Those who are less fortunate than you and I. Those who are struggling.

“Treasures” can come in forms other than money, especially, when you consider our outreach ministry. For example, one of our families just donated their family’s highchair that had been passed down through the generations. It was a beloved piece of furniture that held many treasured memories. Through their generosity another family will now be able to create their own treasured memories. How many of us have things stored away, taking up space that we will probably never use again. Things that would be a treasure for someone else. A while ago, Michelle shared a story of a man who accepted a pair of socks as a treasure. He explained that he had been wearing the same pair for a month. You just never know how easy it can be to bless someone.

I have been writing and preaching a lot about talents recently, and about knowing them and sharing them with others no matter what they may be. And so, a word about “time.” Time is something we all have, and if wise, something we all treasure. While most of us live busy lives, some of us do have the luxury of sharing that time with others. The circumstances that arose due to the pandemic has taught many people just how truly valuable “time” is, and they have re-evaluated how they spend that “time.” There are many tasks around our parish whose main criteria is “time.” So, while we are all called to donate some of our “time” to the church, if you are one of those who have an abundance of time, we can certainly use your assistance.

In the Redeemer, Fr. Rick

P. S. Attention Parents! For a while now, we have been asking some of our teens to carry in the Processional Cross and on a few occasions when there were enough teens present, the candles as well. We would like to start using youth servers as much as possible. Due to Covid, we will only use youth that have their parents permission. I will also be creating a new class of servers that will consist of our older teens. If your children are interested, or if you would like more information, please contact myself, Fr. Chung, or Carol. God Bless!