Dear Seton Family,
“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar” ( Jesus’ words in this weekend’s gospel reading, Matthew 22:21), is a great reminder about doing our civic duty, about being responsible members of society, doing our part to contribute to the common good. Jesus was speaking in regard to paying the census tax, which was presented to him by the Pharisees as a test. Jesus, of course, answered deftly.
There is, however, a much deeper lesson for us than simply the separation of church and state and “doing our part” for each. Jesus’ final words, “[give] to God what belongs to God” ought to lead us to discern what we owe to God and literally what belongs to God. As the creator and source of all that is, there is essentially nothing that does not belong to God. Arriving at this conclusion, all we can do is offer praise and thanksgiving for everything we have and everything we are. We can hold nothing back in our service, our devotion, and our giving back to God!
As the pandemic continues, the Parish Staff and I are continuing to make the health and wellbeing of our faith community a top priority. With that in mind, we are now looking at ways to celebrate the upcoming holidays that will keep us all safe. This means we may have to make adjustments to our regular Christmas Mass schedule, how we decorate the church, and with attendance limitations, ways in which we can welcome everyone, including those who don’t regularly worship with us. In the meantime, think about what Christmas will look like for you. Will you watch Mass at home via livestream or would you like to attend in person? Also, there are some things you can do. Think about who you can invite to watch our livestream Mass especially if they aren’t parishioners or active Catholics, participate in our Holiday Giving programs or invite your child to provide art for the parish Christmas card (forms can be found on the website and here). I am curious, send me an email at SetonParish@seaseton.org and let me know how you plan to celebrate with your parish family this holiday season.
Another area that has been effected are our Holiday outreach programs. We are working hard to find new ways to help those in need, especially during this time. We kicked off our Thanksgiving food drive last week and have already collected 26 bags. Please click the link here to find more information on this vital ministry.
We will begin our Christmas outreach earlier than usual this year as well to ensure that we can purchase items for families in a timely manner. Please stay on the look out for more information in the coming weeks about our Christmas outreach.
Here is this Sunday’s Worship Aid
A reminder....
I encourage you to sign up for weekend Masses through the parish website or FaceBook page. The link is available after the 9:30 Mass each Sunday UNTIL Wednesday evenings at 10:00pm. We are seeing an increase in walk-ins to Masses as of late. If you come to Mass without signing up, we cannot guarantee you a seat. Don’t forget to wear your mask, use hand sanitizers in the Narthex and keep your social distance as you approach the Main Entrance of the Church!
As usual, we will continue to live-stream Mass (Mon—Thurs at 9:00am and Sunday at 9:30am) on the parish Facebook (link) and uploaded on YouTube (link), and our parish website, https://www.seaseton.org/Resources/Media. If you do not have Facebook but wish to watch our livestream, click here for instructions.
God bless you!
Fr. Paul