Pastor’s Letter & October 25 Bulletin

Pastor’s Letter & October 25 Bulletin

23 Oct 2020 | Posted by: chadmin

The October 25 bulletin is available online. 

Dear friend,

The Bible encourages us to reflect on the theme of stewardship. Much is entrusted to each one of us. Part of the spiritual journey is acknowledging that all aspects of our lives are a gift. The more we start from a place of gratitude, the more we deepen our understanding of the stewardship bestowed on us. Whether we ponder our own gifts and talents that we use to succeed in this world or the persons around us that are entrusted to our care, stewardship relates directly to our final judgment. Jesus said, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” The first reading from the Book of Exodus this weekend invites us to reflect on stewardship and how we use our personal power in reference to others. God called the Jewish people to not use money or power over others. An essential truth of the Bible is that God cares for all humans equally. It is important for us to heed the desire of God that we extend the same care to one another that God has for us. Whether we consider our time, talents, finances, affection, or communication, our efforts to care for the good of others, despite their ability to repay us, is essential to Christian living.

With the cold weather coming, I will start hearing confessions in the church confessional this week. All of the safety protocols for the coronavirus involve cleaning touchable surfaces and being mindful of aerosolized respiratory droplets. If one is sick, the use of a facemask helps prevent our personal respiratory droplets from infected someone else. For these reasons, we will require the continued use of a facemask, not only in church but also while in the confessional. Hand sanitizer is available outside the confessional to sanitize your hand prior to touching and opening the confessional door. If others are waiting in line for the confession, please keep the 6 foot social distance to respect others waiting. During the quarantine, I started hearing confessions at 5pm each night. Attendance at 5pm warranted continuation of maintaining a 5pm confession time. Recently I have returned to our normal confession times, with one 5pm day each week. Starting next week, each scheduled confession time will be in church. The times will be Wednesday at 5pm, Thursday at 8:30am, Saturday at 8:30am and Saturday at 3pm. Have a great week.

God bless,

Father David