Pastor’s Letter: May 7, 2023

Pastor’s Letter: May 7, 2023

5 May 2023 | Posted by: chadmin

The May 7 bulletin is available online.

Dear friend,

You have hopefully seen or heard our communication about the ending to the sunset of the Invest in Kids State Tax Scholarship Program. This State initiative of Illinois has been a huge benefit to students seeking a private school education in the State of Illinois. State legislators are currently preparing a budget and will later vote on programs to be funded by the State. In the totality of the budget, Invest in Kids is less than 1% of dollars spent by the State, but has a great effect on many students and institutions. We are hopeful that every person of voting age communicates his/her desire to make the Invest in Kids permanent in the State. In this bulletin and in our email communication, there is a QR code that allows you to easily scan and fill out an automated form to your area State Legislators. The form takes less than three minutes to complete. Please take a moment to complete this on behalf of St. Philomena and all private school students who benefit from this scholarship program. Without a renewal of the program, individuals are still able to give until the end of December. If an individual donates $1,000, the individual receives a State Tax Credit of $750 and the student receives $950 of the donation as a scholarship. It is a true win-win for all involved. Please consider a donation, but complete the form through use of the QR code. Thank you.

On this 5^th Sunday of Easter, we read the Gospel of John Chapter 14. This passage is often chosen for funeral liturgies because Jesus promises His Apostles that he has a place in the Father’s House for us. This passage includes the famous line from Jesus when He tells them, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” All of us reflect on the meaning and purpose of life in different ways at different times of life. The main point of the Bible is that no matter ones age, preparing for life after this life is most important and the overarching theme to life in general. The goal of life is Heaven, for all of us. The Scriptures reveal God as desiring all of us to enjoy the eternal blessings of Heaven with God. The Gospels reveal the care and concern of God that we in fact know Jesus and the way to Heaven. As we continue our celebration of Easter, the proof of life after death, may we set our hearts on the road that leads to His Kingdom. With this personal desire for eternal life, may we be helped to know Jesus more each day and challenge us to live as a faithful disciple of Him. Have a great week.

God bless,

Father David