Congratulations and Thank You Father Michael!

Change is a fundamental aspect of life. Some changes are unexpected, while others can be anticipated. There are changes we would rather avoid, and others are bittersweet. In the life of a young priest, there comes a moment when he is ready to accept a leadership role as a Pastor. Fr. Michael felt he was ready to take on this challenge and opportunity.

This past week, Fr. Michael was asked by Bishop Sweeney if he would be willing to become the new administrator of St. Luke’s Parish in Long Valley. I knew that it wouldn’t be long before someone as talented as Fr. Michael would be asked to fill a leadership position and as expected, Fr. Michael accepted.

Fr. Michael has been a priest for seven years and for the past two plus years he has served at Corpus Christi. During his time here, he has done so much to help build up our parish community. We are so grateful for his love, care, and commitment in everything that he did. He has left a mark on our parish and will be missed by us all!

Bishop Sweeney has been in touch with me and is actively looking for a replacement parochial vicar for our parish. I will share more information on this soon.

We will have a farewell Mass for Fr. Michael on Sunday, October 1st at 11:00 AM, followed by a small reception in the gym to thank him and to wish him well in this next stage of his journey!

---

Update on Staffing at Corpus Christi Parish

In March, Alexandra Carroll was hired to be our new Minister of Evangelization. She was initially brought on as a part-time employee, with the intention of transitioning her to a full-time role. Since joining our parish family, she has done much to build up our parish and has spent a great amount of time getting to know all of you and addressing the needs of our community.

Beginning September 1st, Alexandra will become a full-time employee with our parish. Her talents and skills align with our parish’s vision and will contribute to its realization. That being said, I am happy to inform you that Brigette Vohden, our current Director of Religious Education (DRE), will be going on maternity leave this upcoming Fall. We extend our best wishes to her as she begins her new life adventure as a mother. During Brigette’s maternity leave, Alexandra will serve as our interim DRE.

Brigette and Alexandra have been working closely together for the past few months, and we anticipate a smooth transition. As your Pastor, I want to let you know that I am confident in Alexandra’s abilities as interim DRE. We look forward to Brigette returning to her position at our parish. At that time, Alexandra will return to her position as our full-time Minister of Evangelization.

More information will be coming concerning this transition.

---

Update on Corpus Christi Capital Repairs

After a lot of research and bid gathering, many of our capital repairs are in progress.  Our church roof replacement is scheduled to begin on September 6.  In mid-September, the outside brickwork repair surrounding the stain glass window behind the altar will begin.  The contractor will also repair multiple issues with brick repointing around our campus. We were also able to schedule the atrium windows’ renovation in mid-October.  Deposits have been given for each of these projects.   Scaffolding will be going up soon!

We originally thought that the roof replacement above the parish offices would be a simple fix.  After much research, this project will be more complicated and much more costly to repair.  The two original roof layers will have to be taken off.  The HVAC unit for this area will have to be replaced. The duct work is rusted and will also have to be replaced.  In addition, the piping of the water runoff will have to be overhauled for this section of the building. More to come on this project.   

The trees in front of the church on Southern Boulevard and along the driveway entrance have been trimmed.  The trees in front of the rectory on Robert Drive have also been trimmed. 

Some smaller work has also been done.  The carpets in the church and in other rooms were cleaned and many stains were removed.  A new water fountain was installed in the atrium near the restrooms.  The pews and chair cushions in the church and atrium were cleaned.  The tiles in the atrium were also cleaned.  In two weeks, the atrium tile grout will be reconditioned.    

We will let you know more about these and the other projects that will be happening in the coming months!

---

The Assumption of Mary: Our Hope!

Throughout the Catholic Church’s Liturgical Year, there are many days we call special attention to – whether it is a “Memorial,” a “Feast,” or a “Solemnity.” Solemnities are celebrations of great importance and typically include all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. 

This Tuesday, August 15th, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, a Holy Day of Obligation. We celebrate that Mary was taken body and soul into heaven at the end of her life. 

With much of the economic, social, and governmental problems in our world, many people question where God is? Will God help us? Will God get us into heaven?

On the feast of the Assumption, we get our answer from God. By his divine power, Jesus brought Mary to the finish line of being in heaven and experiencing the resurrection of the body. One day, Jesus will get us to the goal of our lives and the finish line of heaven, where we will have our bodies glorified like  Mary. Jesus always finishes what he starts. He only needs our cooperation! 

I invite all of you to take a break in your routine on this important day to remember where we are heading and how we will get there. The Assumption is not just about Mary, it is about us!

---

Passing On the Greatest Gift to Our Youth

I have been impressed by how hard the parents of our children work to provide the best for their children. They make sure they have quality educational, social and other skills so that their children will have the tools to succeed in life. Yet, what greater gift for our children is there than a relationship with God? Each of us was created for this gift and only this gift is able to fulfill our deepest longings. This gift enables us to move forward in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, in prosperity and in need. It is the one gift that has the ability to give us happiness in this life and in the next.

I am truly grateful for my parents and the catechists who stepped forward to teach the Faith to me as I was growing up. Whether in Religious Education class, or later in Catholic schools, these men and woman gave me a gift I came to appreciate more and more over time. I look back now with wonder and give thanks for those who planted these seeds that changed my life forever!

Right now, our parish is in need of catechists beginning in September to help pass on the great gift of Faith to the youth of our parish. Our Director of Religious Education, Brigette, and our Youth Minister, Jim, can help get you started. Training will be provided. Maybe God is tapping you on the shoulder to step forward! Our youth need your gifts and your lived experience of our Faith. We need your help to pass on this Gift!

Please contact Brigette Vohden (our DRE) at bvohden@corpuschristi.org or Jim Murray (our Youth Minis-ter) at corpuschristi@boldym.com.

---

Corpus Christi Carnival 2023: Follow Up

Our Carnival is a wonderful parish tradition for our community and this year was no exception!    It was great to see the tremendous turnout of parishioners and people from the local community.  Each night was full of life and with the help of our prayers, the rain held off on Friday and Saturday in the early afternoon.

As well as being a “fun” raiser and helping us all to come together, the carnival helps to fund our mission throughout the year.  This year we budgeted to make $35,000.  The actual revenue for the carnival was over $37,000.  

The list of people to thank is long as an event likes this involves the time and talents of many of our parishioners and staff.  I would like to give a special shout out to both Hugo Barth and Dawn Chiodo, our co-chairs. They did an incredible job, and we are very thankful.  We are grateful also to all those who came out and supported the carnival by purchasing the food, games and rides. 

We look forward to many successful carnivals in the future, as we continue to spread Christ’s Joy, Hope and Healing to one another and the community at large!

---

Heaven

Ever since my mother, Jeanette, passed away 11 years ago, I have given much more time and thought to the notion of heaven. As a young boy, I remember not liking the notion of heaven that I heard – that we would be floating around in the clouds in the presence of God. How boring! Yet heaven and getting ready for heaven is the reason we are on this earth and everything else is secondary!

Concerning heaven, St. Therese of Lisieux said, “Our Lord does not come down from heaven every day to lie in a golden ciborium. He comes to find another heaven which is infinitely dearer to him—the heaven of our souls, created in his image, the living temples of the adorable Trinity.” St. Thomas Aquinas wrote and taught many things. Toward the end of his life, he had a vision of heaven. It was so beautiful that afterward, he said that it made all his writing—some of the greatest writing in the history of the Church—seem like “straw.”

There is much we don’t know about heaven. Yet we do know the secondary things we will experience in heaven. We will find our true identity. We will no longer desire anything other than worshipping and praising God. That emptiness within us in this life will be filled beyond our expectations. We will be reunited with our loved ones. There will be much laughter (Luke 6:21). We will not become angels, but we will have a glorified body, which means we will no longer have pain and suffering. There will be no imperfections in our body. They will shine like the sun, just like Jesus’ body did at the Transfiguration (Mt. 13:43). Our joy and peace and happiness and fulfillment will continue to grow and grow.

Yet the main focus of heaven is much greater than these. Heaven is really about the Beatific Vision. Moses was told by God, “You cannot see my face, for no man can see Me and live! (Ex 33:20) Coming face to face with the Trinity is to share in the nature of God. In other words, we will share in God’s divinity. What an awesome image! We will share in the attributes of Almighty God. We will share in the perfect joy, peace, happiness and fulfillment that God experiences.

Yet heaven begins when we were baptized. The more that we make God first in our lives, the more we turn from sin and love our neighbors, especially the poor, the more we begin to get glimmers of the joy, hope and healing of heaven. This is what spurred the saints on. God wants us to receive this gift now and in eternity. By practicing our faith, we create within ourselves the capacity to receive this gift. It is all about being faithful disciples!

---

Thank You! Restricted Building Fund Initiative

Thank you to all who were able to participate in the parish Restricted Building Fund initiative. The initiative formally ended on June 30, 2023. During the course of the campaign, we have collected approximately $230,000 in-house and have pledges totaling $60,000. This brings the total anticipated monies received from this Initiative to close to $300,000. These funds are restricted and will only be used for capital repairs and expenses associated with them and are segregated from our normal operational funds.

We have been busy working with the Diocese and various contractors and the fruits of this work will soon be visible. Starting this summer and continuing into the fall, these needed repairs will be done in phases. The Church roof replacement contract has been signed and the church roof will be replaced in July or early August depending on the availability of the shingles and the contractor. You will soon see the scaffolding going up around the Church. The trees around the parish campus will be trimmed. The landscaping around the parish property will be upgraded. The Church stained-glass windows have been surveyed and repairs will soon be done to them as well. The Atrium roof windows will be repaired as we finalize bids. We are gathering information for the replacement of HVAC units around the campus. We continue to gather bids on brick repair work around the church campus. As good stewards, we will continue to keep you updated on all the upcoming projects needed to ensure that our parish continues to thrive.

Thank you again for your sacrifices as we fund our vision to bring Christ’s Joy, Hope, and Healing to all those who come through our doors for another 33 years and beyond! Together we celebrate the past and prepare for the future!

---

Growth in the Summer!

Throughout the history of the Catholic Church, there have been many different styles of prayer outside of Mass. Some are more intellectual, some more affective, some more practical. All are designed to help us grow in our awareness of and closeness to God, based on our unique personalities.

One type of prayer stands out from all the others throughout the centuries, Eucharistic Adoration. St. John Vianney once told a story of a man that he found in the Church just staring at the tabernacle. St. John Vianney asked him what he was doing, and the man said, “I look at him (Jesus) and he looks at me.” This was a turning point in St. John Vianney’s understanding of adoration.

This type of prayer has been practiced by so many of the saints because it is so effective in leading one into a much deeper relationship with Jesus. This prayer of contemplation is a loving awareness of God’s presence. How wonderful it is to know that Jesus waits for us--to just be in his presence. To speak with him or just to be with him! If heaven is where Jesus is, then coming to adoration is entering the presence of heaven. This is no pious thought – it is the truth!

Join us every Monday and Wednesday throughout the summer. We have Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction from 1pm to 3pm.

I invite you to come for a few minutes or spend an hour. Maybe you have never experienced Eucharistic Adoration… Don’t be afraid! Come and see! Jesus is waiting for you – to bring you joy, hope and healing!

---

Father’s Day

“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable” (Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet).

Fathers and those who act as father figures share in the creative power of God in a unique way. In the verb form, the word, “father” means “the founder, to be the foundation, to author.” Fathers are called to walk on sacred ground where God has allowed them to stand in a role that they could not possibly fill without His help, love and wisdom. A father fulfills this role when he himself recognizes his need of God. It is a proven fact that fathers who actively practice their faith with their family have children who later practice their faith.

Whether it is teaching, mentoring, providing for, and especially, leading their children in the ways of faith, a father’s presence and example is invaluable. As with St. Joseph, this foundation is usually formed in a quiet way. This foundation allows their children to grow physically, emotionally and spiritually, and all without counting the costs.

Generations from now, it is possible that our accomplishments will be forgotten. Yet the way that fathers live their vocation will directly affect not only their children, but their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We should never underestimate the power of a father’s influence!

This Sunday we express in a special way the love we have for our fathers and those who act as father figures, those with us and those called home to God. Wishing you a Father’s Day filled with gratitude!

---

Corpus Christi (The Body and Blood of Christ) and the Embrace of God

In 1263, a German priest, Fr. Peter of Prague, made a pilgrimage to Rome. He stopped in Bolsena, Italy to celebrate Mass at the Church of St. Christina. At the time, he was having doubts about Jesus being truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. When he recited the prayer of Consecration at Mass, blood started to seep from the consecrated host and onto the cloth corporal.

Fr. Peter reported this miracle to Pope Urban IV, who sent delegates to investigate. The host and the blood-stained corporal were then placed in the Cathedral of Orvieto, where they remain to this day.

This Eucharistic Miracle confirmed the visions given to St. Juliana of Mont Cornillon in Belgium (1193-1258). St. Juliana was a nun and mystic who had a series of visions in which she was instructed by Our Lord to work to establish a liturgical feast for the Holy Eucharist. For many years, she had tried to convince the bishop, the future Pope Urban IV, to create this special feast in onor of the Blessed Sacrament.

Soon after the Miracle of Bolsena, Pope Urban IV commissioned St. Thomas Aquinas to compose the arrangements for a Mass and an Office for the feast day. One year later, in August of 1264, Pope Urban IV, by means of the papal Bull Transiturus instituted the Feast of Corpus Christi for the universal Church.

What does this have to do with us? Eucharistic miracles are not new. They have happened many times over the centuries. They remind us that God is real and all powerful. He is not held bound by the laws of nature, physics, and science. Our universe and all within it are not an accident. In addition, none of our difficulties and problems are beyond His help and ability to bring good.

On this our patronal feast day, let us thank God for loving us enough to want to be present with us. We don’t have a God who watches us from afar from heaven. We don’t have a God who loves us casually. No, we have a God who wants to be so intimately close to us that He changes Himself under the appearance of bread to achieve this. God causes the miracle of bread changing into His Body and Blood at every Mass throughout the world. The Eucharist is God’s embrace of each of us!

---

Trinity Sunday

Legend holds that St. Augustine was walking by the seashore one day contemplating the mystery of the Trinity when he saw a little child running from the water to a spot on the seashore. He was using a shell to carry water from the ocean and pour it into a small hole in the sand.

St. Augustine came up to him and asked him what he was doing. “I’m going to pour the entire ocean into this hole,” he said. “That is impossible, my dear child, the sea is so great, and the shell and the hole are so little.” “That is true,” the boy said. “It would be easier and quicker to draw all the water out of the sea and fit it into this hole than for you to fit the mystery of the Trinity and His Divinity into your little intellect; for the Mystery of the Trinity is greater and larger in comparison with your intelligence than is this vast ocean in comparison with this little hole.” The child then vanished.

At times, we describe God as creator, provider, friend, redeemer, and counselor. These describe how God acts, but God is more than these. At the core of God, God is a Trinity of three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Russian Orthodox Iconographer, Rublev, created an icon that sheds light on this mystery. In the icon above, there are three Persons sitting around a table. In front of the table, facing us, is an empty spot. The three people represent the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three sitting around the table represent the love shared between the Persons of the Trinity. A love that has existed for all eternity. Each Person only thinks about and loves the other. There is joy and peace and perfect harmony. This is what heaven is all about. It begins now!

In the middle of the table is food in a bowl. It is an image of the Eucharist, the divine food which draws us into the very life of God. This is why it is so important to receive. The Eucharist allows us to enter into this divine mystery. The empty spot is facing us for a reason. God has waited for all eternity to invite each of us to sit at this table, to share in the very life of the Trinity.

In order to sit in this spot, God asks us one thing. If he reserves a spot in his life for us, we must reserve a spot in our lives for others. We must make room in our hearts for others and see them as made in the image and likeness of the Trinity: the poor, the outcasts, the difficult to love, our enemies. We must open our hands in sharing ourselves and what we have to be a part of the solution of making a better world, a world worthy of the dignity of the Trinity.

---

“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short time, but their hearts forever."

As a young boy, I remember the great care that my mother showed me. There was a comfort knowing that all in the world was well because my mother was present. Looking back, I think this is the way that God intended it to be. I could always count on my MOM. As we celebrate Mother’s Day, I would like to thank all the Mothers, Grandmothers, Step-Mothers, Godmothers and anyone who acts in the capacity of being a Mother, for all of their sacrifices and care!

Mother’s Day can be a mixed blessing. For some it is a reminder of a loved one who has passed. For others, it is a reminder of the joy and vocation of motherhood. It can also be a day of experiencing loss.

Yet, the heart of a mother reflects the love of God in an intimate and unique way. “Does a woman forget her baby... or fail to cherish the son of her womb? Yet even if these forget, I will never forget you” (Is 49:15). From bringing us into this world, to spending decades fixing meals, helping to solve our problems, picking us up when we’ve fallen, and helping us to learn to live in this world. That love continues throughout our lives.

This Sunday we express in a special way the love we have for our mothers, those with us and those called home to God. We also pray to our Blessed Mother for her guidance, and courage and are grateful for those special neighbors, teachers, and friends who have nurtured us, supported us, and helped us become the people we are today.

Wishing you a Mother’s Day filled with unconditional love!

---

The Good Shepherd

An American tourist traveling in the Middle East came upon several shepherds whose flocks had intermingled while drinking water. After a while, one of the shepherds turned toward the sheep and called out, "Manah" which means "follow me" in Arabic. The sheep immediately separated themselves from the rest and followed. Then the next shepherd called out, "Manah" and his sheep followed him. The tourist asked the third shepherd, "I would like to try that.” He put on the turban and called out to the sheep, “Manah.” The sheep did not respond, not one. The shepherd explained that it is only when sheep are sick that they will follow any voice and not that of their shepherd.

Today Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd who calls us to follow him. What an appropriate image for His relationship to each one of us.

In a world where we can sometimes feel like part of the crowd, Jesus knows each of us by name. He knows us better than we know ourselves. A good shepherd can close his eyes, and with his hands touch the face of each sheep and know that they are part of his flock. Jesus can tell when each of us is healthy, when we are in need and when we are thriving. In a world where we are promised much, but are led to dry and arid areas, Jesus leads us to places of true pasture, where we can flourish. A shepherd knows that their job is to provide for all the sheep’s needs. Each day, Jesus never neglects what is truly good for each of us.

Although we are free to leave the flock, our shepherd leaves the rest to seek us out when we are lost. He doesn’t chastise us but puts us on his shoulders and brings us back home.

At night, the sheep are led into a protected area called a “sheepfold.” Sometimes there are many flocks that stay together at night. There is only one way in and out. The shepherd then lies in this open space. No sheep can get out and no wolf can get in. In this way, the shepherd is the door that protects the sheep where they can stay, protected from all harm. In a dangerous world, Jesus is not like others who have no concern. He cares so much that he gave his life for each one of us.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He gathers us together in the Church, where we are called by name, united, nourished, healed, and protected from the storms of life. The Good Shepherd is the One in our lives who truly knows and cares more about us than anyone else. We don’t have to have all the answers or always be in control. We just need to listen to the Good Shepherd and follow his voice. Jesus, the Good Shepherd tells us, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." There is no better way, no greater truth, no happier life. On Good Shepherd Sunday, this is the reason for our hope!

---

The Easter Season: Plugging into God’s Power

Easter reminds us that death has been conquered and the earth has forever been remade. The blooming flowers and trees remind us of this new life all around us. We, like the two men on the road to Emmaus who realized “This is the Christ,” are called to rush out and share the good news with our family and friends. Our mission is to tell that Jesus has triumphed over the worst that life could throw at us – death.We don’t have to be fearful or afraid anymore. God can and will help us with the rest!

Yet as Easter Sunday passes, many of us realize that some things have not changed in our lives and that we still have difficulties. In light of Easter, how do we move forward with these?

It is interesting that after the Resurrection Jesus mainly appeared to the disciples gathered together as they worshipped and lived life in community. This is no accident. It is together as a community of faith that we receive the greatest gift, the Eucharist. It is this gift that he left us on Holy Thursday that was meant to be the font from which we continually go back to each week to find healing, strength and meaning in our life. Jesus knew that our good intentions and good will could only keep us moving forward for a limited time. As persons made of body and soul, when we are not plugged into the Eucharist as part of a community of faith, we feel that emptiness.

When the Israelites were traveling through the desert for 40 years, they were fed by God with manna, a food that they did not understand. As we spread Easter joy with those around us, we are all called to dig deeper into the mystery of the Eucharist in our lives. The Eucharist is our “food for the journey.” I invite you to spend time reflecting on the fact that we receive Jesus’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity at each Mass. There is a wealth of joy, hope and strength that we can all better access when we dig deeper into this mystery. In every Mass, heaven is made present. God wants to be forever with us in the Eucharist, in an intimacy that we can find nowhere else! This is the source of our joy this Easter Season!

---

Easter: The Power to Transform Our Live

Easter began last weekend but continues for 50 days. It is a great opportunity to spiritually tap into a power made available to all of us. How do we do this? I would like to suggest a few ways:

First, Live without Fear: If Jesus can overcome the worst that evil and sin can throw at him, we have great reason to live without fear in our lives. God is in control. God walks with us and will help us to pass through whatever difficulties we experience. “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). This is not pious talk – this is the truth. Say “no” to fear and anxiety and choose to trust in the One who is most trustworthy.

Second, Receive Joy: When we live with the knowledge that we do not walk alone through life and don’t always have to have the answers, we are free to let God be God in our lives. If things don’t always turn out the way we plan, we can surrender to the better plan that God has for us and our loved ones. Joy does not depend on the circumstances in our lives. How often the saints had a constant joy through all their trials. God intends all of us to have this joy!

Third, Live Victoriously: If it is true that Jesus has conquered sin and death, all the other difficulties that come our way are in the hands of God too. We can choose to live as if we are truly children of God, with a supernatural dignity and an eternal destiny. How much joy God receives from us when we walk through life with our heads up, cheerful, thankful, and trusting in God’s providence for us. We have the greatest reason to walk with hope and courage, knowing that the ruler of the universe has our back!

Over the next few weeks, I invite you to live boldly and with joy! We were made for this, but each day we need to grasp the power that God offers us during these days of Easter!

---

The Lord is truly Risen, Alleluia!

From the early days of the Church, Christians have shared the joyous news about the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. “We have seen the Lord” (John 20:25). Easter reminds us that we have been reconciled with God the Father. Together we share in this victory!

In the midst of all the difficulties in our lives and in history, God has the last word. As for Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, this is the reason for our joy and hope!

These days of Easter challenge us to recommit our lives to Christ. The Church is not composed of perfect people. We are people who are perfected by the steadfast love and mercy of God. Easter can be a time of spiritual renewal and a time to begin again in our relationship with God!

Maybe you consider yourself strong in faith, maybe you are struggling with aspects of our faith. Maybe you are somewhere in between. All are welcome at Corpus Christi Parish as together we strive to live by His example and to be fed by the gifts that He gives us in the Church.

As we celebrate Easter, I’d like to thank the many people who have shared their time, talent, and treasure who worked so hard behind the scenes to decorate the church and prepare for the Easter liturgies.

I also extend a warm welcome to those who are visitors to Corpus Christi Parish. We are so very happy you chose to celebrate Mass with us. We also extend an invitation to you to become a regular part of our parish family. Corpus Christi is Christ’s Joy, Hope and Healing received and shared.

A Happy and Blessed Easter to all of you!

---

Palm Sunday and the Beginning of Holy Week

This weekend we receive the palms at the beginning of Mass. They are blessed and then the priest enters the church to begin the procession. This reminds us of Jesus, at the end of his ministry, entering Jerusalem and the beginning of his journey towards his Passion, Death and Resurrection.

It is easy for us to lose the impact of what happened 2000 years ago. Yet, if we look closely at the Passion story, it is not to highlight the cruelty of the Romans and the leadership of the Temple. It is rather to recall why Jesus chose to go through this ordeal, not only freely but with a sense of fulfillment. How often there is injustice in our world, and how seldom others risk their own comfort to change things for the better, to right a wrong, to challenge the establishment, to bring peace. Not Jesus! Out of love for each one of us, Jesus walked this path of unimaginable suffering. It is hard to fathom such total self-giving for others!

During this time of uncertainty, we are called to reflect on how committed God has been to us in saving us. If we were the only person who ever existed, Christ would have gone through this ordeal for us alone! We are asked now, during Holy Week, to journey with Jesus in our own lives. To let our toughened hearts be touched again by this great love. We follow Jesus into the uncertainty of our own lives and our world, trusting that Jesus will see us through to the other side, where all will be well!

Please consider journeying with Corpus Christi this week with all the Holy Week events especially on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. This information is found on our website and in our bulletin.

---

Becoming Fully Alive

In the Gospel, Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” What does this mean? St. Irenaeus once said, “The Glory of God is a human being fully alive.” All of Christianity can be summed up in this phrase. What gives God happiness and glory more than anything is when we are fully alive. In contrast, what saddens the heart of God more than anything? Is when we allow sin/death to reign in us at any level -spiritually, emotionally, or psychologically. When sin dwells in us, God is grieved.

In the first reading from the Prophet Ezekiel, God says, “I will open your graves and have you rise from them.” Whatever grave that we are in, maybe it is a hatred for someone else, resentment, jealousy, or an inability to forgive. Whatever is limiting our life, the image of a grave is a suitable symbol. It is here that we are constricted and held bound. Lazarus has been placed in a tomb and has been inside for four days. His sister Martha says, when Jesus tells them to move the stone, that there will be “a stench.” St. Augustine says that Lazarus in the tomb stands for that spiritual rot that has not only started to express itself in our words and actions but has now established itself as a habitual part of our lives. Now our anger, our resentment, has become such a part of our life that it affects others negatively. It is in these places that we may have begun “to stink.” Lazarus symbolizes this worst kind of sin/spiritual rot. How important it is for us during Lent to look at how sin affects us and others. Yet the heart of this story is that Jesus comes to the grave of Lazarus. He brings him back to life, even in this dirtiest, awful type of rot. It is from here that Jesus also invites us back to life.

It is sad to hear people say, “what I have done is so bad that it can’t be forgiven.” The Gospel today is telling us NO. Nobody is beyond the reach of God. At other times, maybe we have grown comfortable with the rot in our lives. At the end of the story, Jesus approaches Lazarus’ tomb and he groans. He groans because it is God’s deepest pain to see us in our woundedness. God hates when we back ourselves in a corner, where we can’t flourish. Jesus groans with a deep desire to get us out of this situation. It breaks God’s heart when we are not fully alive.

During this season of Lent, we listen within to hear the Lord groaning. Can we see him weeping because he sees us not fully alive? Jesus commands them, ‘take away the stone.’ Lazarus is in his grave and they have rolled the stone across the front. Maybe we feel stuck, in darkness, unable to change our situation.

Yet even in our worst situations, Jesus has come to bring us life and to bring it to the full. Jesus’ power is greater than any sin or situation that we find ourselves. This is the good news. Today, he says, “Lazarus come out.” Today Jesus addresses us by name and says, “Come out.” Lent is about inviting God into our own situation. We were made to be fully alive. Do you believe this?

---

The Man Born Blind

Part of the journey of life for all of us is the realization that we are weak. Our culture tells us that we need to hide this at all costs. Cover your weakness over with accomplishments, looks and possessions. Keep up the appearance of being perfect. Yet eventually life will powerfully point out to us where our weakness is. For some, this weakness may be easy to see. For most of us, it is an internal weakness or flaw that time-to-time rears its ugly head. If we are honest, none of us is exempt.

Today Jesus and his disciples encounter the man born blind. They discuss whether he or his parents’ sin caused his blindness. Jesus says neither. He says this weakness was allowed in this man’s life to show God’s glory. This realization may be in a certain sense helpful in our walk with God and achieving our purpose in this life. What the Lord told to St. Paul, He says to all of us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

Because the man born blind listened and cooperated with Jesus, he was healed. And over time, he was healed of a worse problem, his spiritual blindness. He started by seeing Jesus as a miracle worker, then as a prophet, then as someone coming from God, then he worshipped Jesus. In the end, most of the people that were watching were also healed of their spiritual blindness.

What does this have to do with you and me? We are all the man born blind. Our purpose in life is to become saints. For much time, we are blind to this. Like the Pharisees, we may only care about externals. Yet our weakness can be an invitation to lean fully on Jesus in our lives. Lent helps us to do this more effectively. When we walk humbly, leaning on Jesus’ strength daily, we begin to “see” ourselves and our journey as it truly is. We begin to see and treat others as made in God’s image. We see our lives in reference to our goal of heaven. This is the path of holiness, of joy and peace. This is the path of “seeing” like God sees!

---

Thirst

In 1992, the Washington Redskins won the Super Bowl with a victory over the Buffalo Bills. Seventy-five thousand people gathered on the mall between the Capitol and the Washington Monument to cheer their team and coach. Several days later, there was a request to see if any player could attend a rally at a prison the next day. None of them were available, so coach Joe Gibbs volunteered to go. After winning the Super Bowl, he could have opened any door, but he chose to go to a penitentiary to speak about his faith. There he said to the over 500 prisoners, “A lot of people in the world would probably look at me and say: Man, if I could just coach in the Super Bowl, I'd be happy and fulfilled... But I'm here to tell you, it takes something else in your life besides money, position, football, power, and fame. The vacuum in each of our lives can only be filled through a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Otherwise, I'm telling you, we'll spend the rest of our lives in a meaningless existence. I've seen it in football players' eyes, and I've seen it in men who are on their deathbed. There's nothing else that will fill the vacuum" (Chuck Colson 1992).

Today, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well. She is drawing water by herself at the middle of the day. She is at the well because she is thirsty and empty. Thirsty not just for water, but for love and respect and peace. Empty because of the consequences that her sins had caused in her life. Jesus doesn’t just happen to come upon her. He intentionally went to the middle of nowhere to meet this woman where she was. It was only after confronting her sin and changing, that she was able to move on with her life. A thirsty Jesus comes to the well because he thirsted for her love and her wholeness, not to condemn her. There is a sense of joy that returns to her life, as she is forgiven and transformed.

As we celebrate this 3rd Sunday in Lent and continue to journey with Jesus through the dessert these 40 days, we are reminded of the love of our God who seeks us out personally. He comes to meet us in those spaces where we are empty and “thirst” for more. Jesus also calls us to do our part in being honest about our sin and how it has affected our life. When we do, we allow Jesus to do the same for us and allow our deepest thirsts to be quenched.

---

Lent: Buried Treasure

It was one of the most amazing and unexpected events in all the Scriptures, and we hear about it today in the Gospel! “His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.” Jesus is surrounded by Moses and the Prophet Elijah, while Peter, James and John watch. It says that Peter is at a loss of words as to what to do. He suggests making three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Yet Jesus doesn’t respond.

It is easy to think this has nothing to do with us. Yet to get the full impact of the transfiguration we must understand the context of what comes before. In Matthew’s Gospel just before this, Jesus reveals that he will suffer greatly, be rejected, be killed and then rise after three days. He adds that we must be willingto follow him. The disciples were in shock and anxious as this did not fit in with their idea of following Jesus. We may feel the same way!

The transfiguration was meant to give Peter, James, and John a background of hope as they would later see these difficult events transpire. The transfiguration was the ring-side seat view of the future of heaven where Jesus is in glory, and we see the perfect light of God. Here we will all share in this perfect light where there is no longer any pain and suffering. The transfiguration gave Peter, James, and John hope after the resurrection of Jesus and in their struggles to spread the Gospel.

The transfiguration is our privileged preview that beyond our struggles, our difficulties, our hopes not coming to pass, in the end Jesus will triumph. Jesus will get us through all that happens to us – even when life throws some difficult situations at us, when there seems only darkness and questions. It is at these moments, that all we need to do is keep our eyes focused on Jesus, our God!

---

Lent: Buried Treasure

A few years ago, archaeologists at a dig in the biblical city of Eshtemoa dug up 62 pounds of 15th century jewelry. The gems and silver, taken separately, are worth about $7,000. But the jewelry, the combination of the silver and the gems, has an estimated worth of over five million dollars! It was buried about 18 inches beneath the dirt floor of a cottage that has been continuously inhabited for 500 years. People had been living within reach of this, but for centuries they did not know that it was there. How many people are living the same way today with the treasures that Christ offers us?

Over the last several decades, the practice of going to confession has declined. There are a lot of reasons why this is the case, but maybe one of the most popular is the notion that it is acceptable to confess our sins directly to God. Why the need for a middleman (a priest)? This seems easier than going to confession. Yet a better question is, “how does God normally work in our lives?” Through Noah, creation was established after the floor. Through Abraham, we receive the promises of Faith. Through Moses, the Israelites were led out of Egypt. Through David’s line, the Messiah would be born.

In our lives, God brings us into the world through our parents. We are formed through our teachers, protected through firefighters/police officers, represented through our legislators, and healed through nurses and doctors. God always works through others when helping us. This reflects the truth that we are created in the image of a Trinity of three Persons. We are wired to be intimately connected with one another. When God interacts with us, he respects this truth.

In taking away our sins, God acts in the same way. Jesus chose the apostles personally and gave them authority on his behalf to forgive sins. In John 20:21-23, Jesus breathed on the Apostles and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” In Confession, we know with 100% assurance that our sins are forgiven. We are reconciled with Christ and his Church. The grace from the Sacrament heals us from the damage of sin and helps us overcome future sins. Self-knowledge is increased because we receive objective feedback. Today with an increase of people going to psychologists for help, there seems to be a recognition that there is greater healing when we share our inner life with another. Does all of this happen when we “confess” directly to God? It does not!

This Lent, Confessions are available every Monday from 7PM to 8:30 PM in every church in the diocese of Paterson (Morris, Sussex, and Passaic Counties), in addition to Corpus Christi Parish. We will also have a communal Penance service here on Monday, March 20 at 7PM.

During Lent, God peals back the truth for us and reveals the healing that can be ours if we choose to do things God’s way. It is worth the simple and honest dig just below and beyond our way of seeing and doing things! Don’t be afraid!

---

Ash Wednesday and Our Lenten Journey

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent can be one of the most grace-filled times in the Church calendar if we choose. It is a time to reflect on God’s care for us. God loves us so much that he is 100% committed to our well-being. Lent is about us reflecting on our own personal commitment level in response to such a great love.

Over the year, our hearts and minds lose focus. We allow God to move out of the primary place in our hearts and lives, and let other lesser goods become our focus. We all sin and do things that hurt our relationship with God and others. It is easy to feel comfortable and justify wherever we are in our spiritual journey. Lent helps us together to refocus our hearts, our actions, and our lives, to be totally honest before God, ourselves, and others.

On Ash Wednesday, when we receive ashes on our foreheads, we are told to “turn from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” To do this, we focus more on prayer, penance, and almsgiving. As adults, we abstain from meat on the Fridays of Lent (see the Guidelines for Fasting and Abstinence during Lent here). We are also invited to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) during Lent to heal us from the effects of our sins. Our parish will offer Confessions on Monday evenings in Lent in the Church from 7 PM to 8:30 PM. We also pray more and open our hands to those who are poor to remind us that we are indeed our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. During Lent, it is appropriate to think of something that we can give up or something good that we can do for others.

In doing so, together we support one another as we journey with Jesus towards Easter and we allow ourselves to be transformed. As we make this journey, we remember that all these intentional practices have one purpose in mind -- to empty our hearts and lives to make room for God’s great love, to experience this joy, hope and healing and to share it with others!

---

The Greatest Game

It is estimated that 192.9 million US adults will tune in to the Super Bowl this year. 103.5 million plan to throw or attend a party. The total amount spent on food, drinks, apparel, decoration and other purchases for the day is expected to be $16.5 billion, which is about $86 per person. The half-time show features Rihanna, among others. The commercials promise to excite our imaginations, with an approximate cost of $7 million per 30-second spot.

This Sunday, it is shaping up to be a great match up between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles which will be held in Glendale, Arizona. The Eagles are headed to their first Super Bowl since the 2017 season when they beat the New England Patriots. The Chiefs will be appearing in their third Super Bowl in four years.

These two teams remind us that not any one person is responsible for them making it to the Super Bowl. There are many exceptional players on each team. The coaches are all seasoned and talented. Yet beyond these, it is each of them working together as one that brings out the greatness in each team. Working with a single focus in mind, they move beyond their individual dreams and their individual struggles.

This is no mere metaphor but is a living reality for each of us. As we gather today for Mass, we are reminded that Jesus joins us together as the Body of Christ. Together we welcome, worship, and grow in relationship with Christ, who leads us to serve and invite others to this kind of discipleship.

At our deepest level, this is who we are. Together we are joined for the greatest game, the game of life. As we journey together towards heaven, a great crowd of witnesses cheers us on!

---

Pass the Salt!

A teacher asked her student to define what salt is. He hesitated and then said, "Salt is what makes French fries taste bad when you don't sprinkle it on." Salt, one of the most abundant minerals in the world. It is used as a preservative. When put on food, it brings out the natural flavor of the food.

It seems strange that Jesus would use salt to describe his followers. Salt is not eaten for its own sake, but is put into foods – to preserve it, to spice it up, and to make it taste better. Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth... but if salt loses its taste, it is no longer good for anything.” We lose our saltiness – our distinctiveness as disciples – when we simply blend in with the world… when we look and sound and act like everybody else.

We were each created by God for a special purpose – to make a difference in the world. Through our baptism, we are made members of Christ’s Body and given gifts and abilities to make other’s lives better. We don’t just help others because it is a good thing to do. And we don’t just try to help others meet their physical and day-to-day needs. We help them to see past the darkness around them and see how much God loves them. We help them know hope and joy in their lives and thus lead them to the One who can satisfy all their needs now and in eternity.

This is what drove the saints to help others, to really live out their faith with their particular gifts. They knew that God was thirsty for these people’s love and that our actions could help them to walk the road to eventually loving God in return.

It isn’t enough to be a follower of Jesus. He wants us as his followers to get out of our salt shakers and to flavor the world!

---

Joy: The Road Less Traveled

Some look at Catholicism as a religion of rules -- rules that don’t always seem relevant to our daily lives. In the old days, Catholics weren’t supposed to eat meat on Fridays. Today we are asked to get ashes on Ash Wednesday. Sunday Mass is obligatory. One might ask why we would want to be a part of a faith that is so restrictive? Yet this may be a superficial way of looking at our beautiful faith.

The Bible is a collection of divinely inspired books that tell the story of our good God revealing himself to his people. God wants us to know definitively who he is and who we are. He wants us to know how much he loves us and how much he wants to share life with us. Lastly, he wants to teach us how to love others in light of our common destiny, and how to properly love him in return. We may think these truths are self-evident, yet many of them are not.

Often these teachings are difficult because God’s intent is to move us beyond our own plans, our own opinions, our own priorities and our wanting to love our way. They move us beyond the weaknesses and sin that affect every one of us. Many today give up on our Catholic faith because they feel that these teachings/rules are too difficult or there doesn’t seem to be a payoff from living them out.

This weekend we hear the Beatitudes. Jesus tells us some very counterintuitive things. Blessed are the poor. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the meek. What is Jesus talking about? They are the opposite of what our society tells us. Yet, below the surface there is a wisdom that looks beyond the surface to see what will bring true peace and joy into our hearts and into our lives. Blessed are the poor because they recognize their true poverty before God and allow themselves to lean on God and find true stability. Blessed are those who mourn because they allow themselves to love deeply. Blessed are those who are meek because they find that thinking less about themselves and more about others is the difficult path that leads to wholeness.

The Beatitudes help us to see with the eyes of God and allows Him to lead us beyond our feelings, our plans and our will to something much, much better. This is the path of holiness, the path of the saints, the road less traveled. Those who follow this path are the most joyful of all people!

---

Cherishing Life at All Stages

Close your eyes for a moment and think back as far as you can remember. Do you remember when your heart began to beat at 21 days, or when your brain began functioning at 40 days? Do you remember the day you were born? For most of us, the answer is no. And yet, God remembers and cherishes each of these moments. You were truly you at all these moments, and God knew you! He intended you! He loved you!

Jeremiah 1:5 tells us: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Like the Prophet Jeremiah, we are consecrated by God for a special mission in our world. Only we can fulfill this special part in our world and in others’ lives and in their journey to heaven.

This weekend is a time to remember the great gift of life that God gives us – from conception to natural death. The life of each of us has great value, despite our struggles and sacrifices. Yet in the midst of these, God is with us, journeying with us, watching over us, and caring for us. As co-operators with God, we are called to care for, to protect and defend the lives of all our brothers and sisters, especially those who are most vulnerable and marginalized. In assisting them, we live out our own mission.

When we protect and cherish life at all stages, we see glimmers of the divine shining through a frail humanity, reminding us of our own dignity before God and others. It is then that we are reminded that we are loved at each stage of life. We begin to understand our own worth is based only on that we are created in the image and likeness of God and loved by Him. Our lives—all our lives—are worth cherishing and protecting!

---

Seeing God in the Ordinary

I don’t know about you, but it is tough to see the beautiful Christmas decorations being put away. For me, there is a sense of excitement and anticipation that surrounds the Christmas season. Now we push this aside as we get back to ‘regular’ life.

This season between the greatest feasts of the Church, Christmas and Easter, that we have entered is called Ordinary Time. During this time, at Mass the normal color is green. Green is the color of life and growth. It is a time to mature and grow deeper in our love for God and others. To help us do this, the readings during these 34 weeks contain the rest of Jesus’ early life and ministry and the major events that mark our common spiritual history: the parables, the miracles, the Sermon on the Mount, the bread of life discourse, etc. These events have much wisdom to share with us and to help us to see God actively working in the midst of our ordinary lives. The goal that all of history is directed is represented in the final Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

We can use this Ordinary Time to grow by looking at our habits. Maybe this is a good time to begin reading the Scriptures. Maybe we can allow ourselves to push through those distractions to reach a new level of prayer. We can cultivate the attitude of being grateful for all that we have and share more with others. We can practice being in the presence of God throughout our day. We can recommit ourselves to being together on Sunday each week to receive the greatest gift offered to us in this life, the Eucharist. We can spend more time eating with family and less time on our smart phones.

There is power in this season to help us to grow--if we unlock it and live it!

---

The Epiphany of the Lord

Mother Teresa once visited a poor man in Melbourne, Australia. He was living in a basement room, which was in a terrible state of neglect. There was no light in the room. He did not seem to have a friend in the world. She started to clean and tidy the room. At first, he protested, “Leave it alone. It is all right as it is.” But she went ahead anyway. As she cleaned, she chatted with him. Under a pile of rubbish, she found an oil lamp covered with dust. She cleaned it and discovered that it was beautiful. And she said to him, “You have got a beautiful lamp here. How she said to him, “You have got a beautiful lamp here. How come you never lighted it?” “Why should I light it?” “No one ever comes to see me.” Will you promise to light it if one of my sisters comes to see you?” “Yes,” he replied. “If I hear a human voice, I will light the lamp.” Two of Mother Teresa’s Sisters began to visit him regularly. Things gradually improved for him. Every time the Sisters came to visit him, he had the lamp lighted. Then one day he said to them: “Sisters, I will be able to manage myself from now on. Do me a favor. Tell the first Sister who came to see me that the light she lit in my life is still burning.”

With all our technology, with all our affluence, with the power we have shown to dominate many forces of nature, we are convinced that we can find ways to ensure world peace and happiness for everyone – yet peace evades us! In the same way, each of us searches for peace and peace evades us. So often we look in the wrong places, like Herod who found security in his position, in what he had built up around him, and was willing to do whatever he needed to maintain it.

On Epiphany, the three wise men today show us in story form –the true path to peace in our world and in our lives. The wise men received peace because they were willing to leave behind their fears and all that they clung to. They were willing to reach out to go to those whom God sent them. They were willing to journey without completely understanding. They were willing to journey without knowing the way. They followed the signs that God gave them along the way.

Peace comes to us when we can brag about how much we’ve given freely to others, not how much we stored for ourselves. Peace comes not when we rest our hope in our economy but when we rest securely in God’s providence. Peace comes from ordering our lives around the Child Jesus, His teachings through the Scriptures and His Church, when we love the Way God loves and beat with the same Heart as God. The wise men show us that we cannot create true and lasting peace apart from leaving our comfort and our plans to follow where God leads us --- to reach out to those in need. Today, the wise still seek the child. The wise follow the signs and seek those in need!

---

With a Little Help from Our Mother…

It seems strange that we begin the new year celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

A little history: The title “Mother of God” comes from the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. Jesus’ nature as both fully human and divine is something that we take for granted today. Yet back then it was very much debated. The Bishop of Constantinople, Nestorius, said that Christ had two closely united natures, and so Mary was only the mother of the human part of Jesus. The council refuted this and gave her the title “Mary, Mother of God,” in Greek “Theotokos.” They said that Christ indeed has two natures, a divine nature and a human nature definitely united in one divine person. Since these two natures form one single person, Mary is the mother of the whole person, Jesus. Not that she came before God or is the source of God, but that the Person she bore for nine months was indeed true God and true man. When we honor Mary with this title, we are mostly honoring and affirming who Jesus is below the surface.

This feast comes at the end of the Christmas season. We remember that the Father could have sent Jesus into the world any way he wanted, yet he chose to go through the Blessed Mother. It was through Mary’s “yes” to God that our savior came into the world. It is through her that the door to heaven was opened for us. Just as God invites each of us to live out our vocation as disciples and works through us, God has and continues to work through Mary in an extraordinary way.

On this Solemnity, Jesus invites us to ask Mary, Mother of God, to journey with us. This experienced guide has walked this journey of discipleship to heaven already and has helped many to do the same. She knows the pitfalls, the sideroads and the dead ends along the way. She is there to powerfully intercede for us in all the areas of our lives if we choose. As we begin this New Year, I pray that you will invite her to walk this journey with you. Have a blessed New Year!

---

Christmas Joy

In his book, Joy, William Schutz talks about how the birth of his son Ethan inspired him to write on this subject. He and his wife receive joy from Ethan’s birth. Then Ethan experienced joy from seeing and touching and tasting things for the first time. Over time, Ethan begins to lose this joy like many of us. Schutz wrote the book to help others get reconnected with this joy that we should all have in our lives.

These days of Christmas remind us that we were made for joy. Our God didn’t want us to search aimlessly throughout our lives for it. He shows us that He is our source of joy. God tore open heaven and became one of us so that he could physically be with us and share His joy with us. How comforting to know that whatever we are going through in our lives, no matter how difficult things may seem, no matter how dark our world may appear, God is with us! He comes as a little baby, totally approachable and humble, wanting to be embraced and loved.

Reflecting on this past year, you, the parishioners of Corpus Christi Parish, are one of my greatest joys. I hope that you will find hope, peace, and joy not only during this Christmas season, but also in 2023. We know this is possible because the source of joy has come to us, to be with us and to walk with us at every moment of our days.

On this Feast of Christmas, we need not fear. We need not be in control. God is. He is Emmanuel, God with us!

---

Advent: Waiting with Hope

The days are getting shorter, and light is receding. With the leaves gone, the bare trees remind us that together we have moved into a new season. Advent is all about waiting. The waiting of Advent is not a passive waiting for things to just return to what they were before. It is an active waiting for something better!

We prepare ourselves by consciously being aware of the three comings of Christ. We meditate on the coming of Christ 2000 years ago as a baby to save us from our sins. We look forward to the end of time, when Christ will return and bring us who remain to heaven forever. The middle coming is the hidden coming of Christ in our lives each day. This usually happens in the darkest moments, when we think that God is absent and uncaring, and we cannot see a path forward.

We have been preparing through more prayer, going to confession and doing works of charity for others. I invite you this Advent to continue to use the remaining opportunities offered at our parish. You can find these on our website at corpuschristi.org.

Our God does not come to us with bells and whistles announcing his coming. Like a thief in the night, he comes in the stillness and quiet when we make room to listen. He reveals himself if we take the time to reflect, prepare, watch, and wait.

Jesus comes to bring us hope and peace in the uncertainty and brokenness of our and our family’s lives – a peace which the world cannot give. He comes to remind us of the only One who can fill our hearts and to give meaning to all that has and will happen to us. This is the peace that is held out to us – if we are willing to wait and walk in hope!

---

Joy Amidst Darkness