A Letter from Fr. Paul - Sunday, September 10th

Family reunions are always special so, on our Welcome Back weekend, we welcome all of you who have been part of our Pius family.  Because of the community you built over the years, Pius continues as a vibrant faith community of worship and outreach. 
 
Our readings this weekend remind us that we have a responsibility to each other in community, the responsibility to witness by the way we live our lives and to challenge each other to live the Gospel of Love. 
 
One of the ways we live the Gospel of Love and witness to others is to be the first to work at repairing a relationship. We are all sinners, we all do things that hurt or annoy others: that is part of any relationship.  An instinctual way to react is to lash out at the other person, to harbor resentment, and then bad mouth the person to others.
 
In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to act differently. He tells us to go and talk about it, but directly with the other person and try to work it out.  He tells us to take actions that will restore the relationship, not actions that widen the gap caused by the original offense.  It means controlling anger, swallowing righteous indignation, etc., and approaching the other person in a way that invites peace, forgiveness, and unity. And when we can do that, we are inviting the other person to grow in forgiveness and love as well.  It is a win-win: everyone is happier and at peace. 
 
I invite us this week to reflect at how well we do at being the one to reach out and repair relationships.  Can I do better?  And let us always remember each other in prayer, as we struggle with the need to be forgiving.
 
Church sign of the week: The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest.