Hello Friends!
Jesus is always inviting us to be open to the gifts he wants to share with us. As we hear this weekend about the call of the first disciples, we see two distinct moments in which people come to find Jesus. First, John the Baptist is with several of his followers, and as he sees Jesus and points him out, “Behold, the Lamb of God,” those disciples immediately go and follow Jesus. Were it not for John showing them the way, they might never have recognized the Lord. But that in itself is not enough. Once they go to Jesus, the second step is that Jesus invites them further and to “come and see.” Being open to the Lord’s call requires paying attention. Those disciples also go out and they invite others and the process just keeps on repeating itself throughout the gospel. And that process continues in our own time. As we encounter the Lord and are built up by his grace, we are all the more emboldened in our witness to go out, to point the way to Jesus, and to invite others to “come and see.” This is the nature of the Church, and we cannot help but share the Good News that Jesus is Lord!
We have struggled to find peace and healing in our country in recent times. Respectful discourse and dialogue have been sorely lacking, and a lot of finger-pointing, laying blame, and accusations of lies and twisted facts come from all sides. As we prepare for the transition of leadership with this week’s inauguration of a new president, I invite you to join me in praying for our country. We seek God’s grace to help us and to make up for what is lacking in our own lives—our fears, our doubts, our faults, and our sins. The opening prayer (the “Collect”) at Mass this weekend says it all:
Almighty ever-living God,
who governs all things,
both in heaven and on earth,
mercifully hear the pleading of your people
and bestow your peace on our times.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
May the Lord strengthen us in our resolve to follow him and to let his peace reign in our hearts.
After a long wait for medical clearance, I was able to help Clinton Fanka, our seminarian we are sponsoring from Cameroon, move in to St. Mary’s Seminary on Wednesday. If you wish to write to him or send a card of encouragement during his seminary career, his address is:
St. Mary’s Seminary and University
5400 Roland Ave
Baltimore, MD 21210
A reminder, our parish Winter Relief coordinator, Matt Fritsch and I will be speaking at weekend Masses, giving an update and asking for donations for this vital ministry. Due to the current pandemic, it was decided that the Winter Relief program throughout Anne Arundel county would not be held at churches. We will be asking for donations to help these homeless men through the Arundel House of Hope so that they can stay safe and warm this winter. You may make a contribution directly to GiveCentral Here.
On Saturdays, January 9, 16 and 23, our young children will be making their First Reconciliation. I want to thank them for working very hard during their preparation and receiving this Sacrament during the covid-19 pandemic and for their commitment to preparing for First Eucharist at home over these next few months. Please keep these children and their parents in your prayers as they celebrate God’s loving mercy.
While he was not a Catholic himself, we celebrate the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. because his goals were completely aligned with the themes of Catholic Social Teaching: the life and dignity of all people; the call to community participation and inclusion of all Americans, regardless of their skin color, in our democracy; the duty to advocate for those who are downtrodden, putting the needs of the poor and vulnerable first; and solidarity in our one human family, regardless of racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. The National Holiday is observed this Monday, January 18. The Parish Office will be closed and there will be no morning Mass.
This week we are offering a special video series highlighting the celebration of the Mass. These short videos (3-5 minutes long) are beautifully produced and are ideal for your personal faith formation. Go to https://www.elementsofthecatholicmass.com/episodes and watch Episode 1: The Meaning of Liturgy. You can access these videos on demand.
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, you will not be admitted. There is no walk-in seating through the end of January due to the intensity of the Covid-19.
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.
Have a good week!
Fr. Paul