Dear Saints,

I remind you occasionally that writing bulletin articles is a challenge for me. There are a couple of reasons for this: I’m not always sure what you’d like to read, and I don’t love open-ended prompts (like when the teacher asks you to “write about anything.”). If you have any ideas for me in the new year, let me know!

As Masses stack up around here, my custom is to withdraw a bit to rest and to pray. The last few weeks, then, gave me a chance to reflect on where we are and where we’ve been these past couple of years. Although the journey ahead can seem daunting, we’ve overcome a lot together and I take great solace in the fact that we are on the way together.

One of my tried and true Christmas themes reemerged before the Feast of the Holy Family. That theme is engaging the heart.

It’s not an original reflection by any stretch, but I’ve been struck again by the way God chooses to engage with us. God didn’t become a baby simply to communicate eternal truths and theological propositions to us. No, God became a human being to give us new hearts, to transform our world by transforming our lives from the inside out.

Get that: Jesus wants to transform our world by transforming the lives of those who follow him from the inside out. And he does it chiefly by loving us into his new world. His new creation, which is his kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, is a realm where forgiveness can win out over injury, where love can defeat death, and where communities of Christ’s disciples can embody in every interaction love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness, and self-control (the fruit of the Spirit).

This requires a commitment of us. Maybe it can be our collective New Year’s Resolution: by trusting and following Jesus in all things, we will show forth the fruit of the Spirit in our every interaction, and so continue to be a community that makes God known to people who are awaiting his revelation (that’s an Epiphany theme worth writing about!).

In the Peace of Christ,

Father Daniel

δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ