Today we end the holy Season of Christmas with this feast of the Lord’s Baptism. Next week we will be back in the green of Ordinary Time until the beginning of the Holy Season of Lent. It has been an incredible year for us. So many graces and blessings from God! Our attendance at the Mass throughout this season has been exceptional. Let us keep that up throughout the coming year. So many graces and blessings come from receiving the Lord’s Body and Blood. We must make Mass attendance a priority throughout the year, as well as confession and private prayer.
First, let me thank you for your incredible generosity this year. This is the best year to date in my twenty years here as far as finances go. My Christmas appeal brought in about $160,000.00 in extra income. This has us caught up at the moment, except for the little we had to borrow from the Foundation. A good part of this went towards paying down the elevator debt, which now stands at $60,917.00. Thank you, also, for your generous gifts and kindnesses to me personally during this season. I am most grateful for all you do for me.
I invite you to prayerfully consider some goals for 2020. Here are some suggestions:
Go to Confession once a month.
Make some time for a visit to the Blessed Sacrament weekly.
Make family prayer a frequent activity.
Be patient.
Cultivate gratitude for all God has done.
Remember the needs of the parish by sacrificing a bit more.
Take up fasting on Friday, even in small ways.
Work on spiritual health.
Recognize one sin in your life and root it out.
Create more silence in your life to hear the voice of the Lord.
Let us truly make this a better year by becoming better people, committed faithfully to the Church, to our parish and to each other. May the Lord bless you in every way.