A Letter from Fr. Paul - October 22, 2017

Our tri-parish retreat went very well. Thank you to those who attended, to Christ King for their hospitality, and to those who accompanied us in prayer.

We can never underestimate how important it is, as disciples who want to share the love and joy of Christ, to be aware of those who join us for our celebration and be welcoming. I share a recent email that we received through the web page: It was so nice to be greeted even though I was a stranger to your parish on Sunday. Lovely liturgy and a pertinent topic to me. Very friendly congregation. Hope to see you again in the future.

Our diocesan paper, the Catholic Herald, has been redesigned and most of its content is about our diocese and its communities. Please consider subscribing to it.

We are getting near the end of the 2017 Catholic Stewardship Appeal. Our community is still less than halfway to our goal. If you have not yet contributed, please consider doing so. The appeal supports services that are crucial for our parish community.

God can use everyone – even the most unlikely – to bring about His Kingdom. Everyone!!!! Don’t believe me? Look at the first reading from Isaiah: Cyrus was the King of Persia, who had just conquered the Babylonians, and he sends the exiled Jews back to Jerusalem and makes sure they have the resources to rebuild the Temple. He is even said to be “anointed” by the Lord, that is, chosen in a special way. God has “called him by name” and “grasps his hand.” The Israelites never would have believed that this could have happened! A pagan king?

Who do we believe is so far gone that God cannot use them? Speak through them? Whom do we dismiss? God speaks to us in the most astonishing ways and through some of the most unlikely people. Let us be careful not to dismiss people too easily. The more quiet time we spend with God in reflection, the more we will recognize His voice, from wherever it may come.

-- Paul James Portland, SDS