St. Joseph Church – Bristol, CT

This weekend on Saturday evening, February 11, 2012, we gather with all those involved with ministries here at St. Joseph. This is an impressive group of people and a good size group also. Our ministries range from liturgical Ministers for Communion, Lectors/readers, cantors and choir members to Finance and Pastoral Council members; from school volunteers and religious education teachers to prayer shawl knitters, pro-life committee members to folks involved in Zion Lutheran Soup Kitchen.

All of us have been baptized in the death and resurrection of Jesus. All of us are members of the Body of Christ, the Church. All of us are called to be holy because of our baptism. And very importantly, all of us are called to join the apostles and bring the message of good news to the world.

Ministry can look like doing a lot of things. And it is true we do a lot of things in and  through the church to be helpful to those in need. For all of us the message is “keep on doing these things, don’t stop”. But there is also another message that needs to be heard with this.  “Don’t just do things, be a Christian presence in the world.”

Sometimes a few moments of listening to another person and being with him or her means a lot more than doing something for that person. We are ministers for Christ because of what we do for others in his name. May we be true members of the Body of Christ because we also bring his message of God’s healing love, forgiveness, joy and peace.

- Fr. Joe

During the month of January and especially the last week in January, the Catholic Church focuses on it school system. What began as a strong desire to teach young Catholic children by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton has grown into a nationwide approach to educate in the ways of faith with strong pedagogical practices. This outreach has a long tradition of educating children of Catholic immigrants which continues today and even goes beyond to teach so many others. All who desire to learn and attend a Catholic school are welcome. We are proud of our Catholic School at St. Joseph. Families have made a commitment to educate  their children in the Catholic faith with high moral values and a firm basis in reading, math, science and athletics. Well prepared teachers are dedicated and enable students to achieve high academic goals.

All who use Catholic education today realize how costly this can be. We are grateful to parents and teachers who sacrifice much to be part of the Catholic Church educational system. We are also grateful to you, our parishioners, who have enabled us to support our school financially. Other parishioners have given money and resources so that tuition assistance can be received by needy students.

For all of this we are grateful. To all of you we say thank you. To our students, their families and the staff, we say a job well done.

- Fr. Joe

This weekend is the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision on abortion.  It has become the weekend when many pro-life supporters will go to Washington D.C. to  march in defense of life and attend talks and workshops learning about pro-life issues.

As Catholics and Christians we know and have come to understand more deeply how sacred life is. We are given the gift of life from God, our Creator, through the love of our parents. This life is most holy and sacred and must be handled with great dignity and respect. From the moment of conception to the moment of natural death human life is valuable and very vulnerable. It is to be cherished and protected.

Life is never simple. It has many complexities, twists and turns and demands our greatest
attention. Life issues involve abortion, end of life issues, working with disabled people, war, capital punishment and immigration. These issues are controversial and are often politicized. Many people also say that the Church or religion should not delve into these areas.

Since the Second Vatican Council (1962 to 1965) and even before, the Catholic Church has paid close attention to these issues and has made statements of the Church’s views and position. Because the bishops are moral teachers of our faith in Jesus Christ, they hope to make clear the teachings of the Church, be part of an on-going conversation and further the understanding and development of important topics for our time.

Because each one of us has a shared responsibility of living out and understanding our
faith, we ought to know more about each of these issues. May the challenge of this weekend help us to do just that.

-Fr. Joe

Looking out the window today is something of an odd January sight. There is no snow. Now for skiers this is a hardship. For children this is a disappointment. For many others though, this situation is just fine. I am in this last category.  We all share the same humanity but  each one of us approaches life a little differently. That makes for a colorful world and adds a  great deal of variety to our everyday routine. How ordinary life would be if we did not have so many distinctions.

The ordinary is good. The ordinary allows us to plan, gives us the opportunity to sink deep roots and develop thoughts and ideas. It is in the ordinary that the peak moments of life  can have full understanding.

In the Church we are in what is termed Ordinary Time. It is not the season of Advent, Christmas, Lent or Easter which are peak moments in the Church calendar. This Ordinary Time is an in between time that allows the message of Jesus to sink in deep within us, grow and develop.

In the next few weeks listen to the gospel message of Jesus. Let his love seep deep within  you. Let the message of God’s love become alive in your heart. Let that message be seen and known by others around you.

Maybe no snow, but a wonderful depth to God’s love for us all.

- Fr. Joe