A Letter from Fr. Paul - December 10, 2017

MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY OF THE WEEK: join our prayer network. Members pray for requests received from parishioners and others. You pray at your convenience. To join or request prayers, contact John Kielich at jkielich@wi.rr.com or call 414 449-5094.

I received a message from James Anthony in Tanzania that the fifth well has been completed, this one in the village of Bendera-mbili. I quote from his e-mail: There are about 1500 people, the majority of whom are peasant farmers. In the past the villagers did not have access to clean potable water. They used to fetch water from unprotected shallow wells, which caused so much suffering due to the contamination of water. They have been frequently suffering from water borne diseases such as typhoid and cholera. A few days ago we completed the construction of this fifth new well and handed it over to the villagers. We are extremely happy for completing this well successfully. We are also very grateful for your generous support, which transforms the lives of our people! I thank you also: Pius Parishioners Always Come Through!!

Last week our readings called us to be conscious of preparing ourselves for meeting Christ at the end of our lives. We do that by living as Christ did: taking care of those in need. If we live for others, then we will be at peace when Christ says, when I was hungry, you gave me to eat…

Our readings this week add another dimension: when we live for others, when we are taking care of the needy, when we are patient and forgiving, we are giving an example that draws others to Christ: we become evangelizers, we become a voice crying in the wilderness, we make straight the crooked paths…in other words, we help others come to know Christ.

I invite us to reflect that when we live Gospel values, we are not only preparing our way, but, like John the Baptist, we are preparing the way of the Lord so that others can find Him. I end by quoting a phrase from last Monday’s reflection in our Advent booklet: Never let me forget, I pray, that I may be the only Christ [others] see this season.

-- Paul James Portland, SDS