My dear parishioners, the scriptures proclaim, “In the beginning . . . the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” And again, “God separated the light from the darkness.” [Gen 1:1-2,4] If you contemplate each day the sovereignty of God and the power of God’s grace, you will advance far on the road of your spiritual life. You will discover how your loving God helps you to conquer adversity and suffering, trials and disappointments, unfairness and wrongdoing in such a way that his divine perfection and purpose are ever before you magnified, not diminished. Consider how God’s Holy Spirit, the “Breath of the Almighty” who bestows life [Job 33:4], moved over the abyss of Christ’s tomb on the third day. Jesus Christ, “the bright morning star” [Rev 22:6], rose from the abyss to conquer death itself. The glory of the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection overturns all human expectations. God’s unspeakable love silences the Evil One, vanquishing sin, futility, and dread of the future. God’s divine love regenerates the wounded and restores the lost. Moreover, it confers on his faithful followers a greater share of glory than the joy they possessed before evil days visited them. Unquestionably, this good news empowers you to seek the God who created you. And having discovered Jesus Christ through whom all things were made [Jn 1:3], you follow him in a holy a way of life. This divine knowledge enriches your bonds of affection with the triune God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A strong devotional life is a visible sign of such richness and affection. In the weeks after my priestly ordination at St. Anne Church in Houston, I stood in the north transept with a lay minister who scorned an elderly Hispanic woman praying her Rosary devotedly on her knees from the entrance to the altar steps where she remained with head bowed for some time. I could only reply to the minister, “Jesus will seat her at his heavenly table. As for us, we may find ourselves elsewhere, begging, ‘Lord, we knew you when.’” Historically, the devotional life of individuals, families, communities and nations -- and by inference its absence -- has proven to be a reliable marker of people’s spiritual and collective well-being. We are witnesses to this fragile generation’s rejection of cherished devotion wherever they see it. Daily, we witness the perilous surrender to self-absorption and loss of hope by people who need devotional graces most. Lying and deceit abound. Christianity is mocked. Marriage and family dissolve. Children abandon parents. Violence explodes. Human beings taunt each other endlessly and scorn the loving God who created them. To be devoted is to reserve something essential and cherished in the core of one's personhood for the purpose of offering oneself as gift to another. Devotion is a solemn outward expression of compassion. One desires to take on, indeed to suffer as his very own, the experience(s) and sorrows of other human beings. In this way our human sentiments and deeds take on an indelible Christ-like intentionality. Devotions nourish our deeply held belief that Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection liberates the world from indifference, intentional neglect and the tyranny of pride. Devotion is the gracious submission of human beings to God and to neighbor, precisely for the sake of the other’s good. This is the Great Commandment [Mt 22:37-39], in other words, the arduous path of holiness. As a human being’s informed conscience is the defender of truth, we may say analogously that a person’s devotional life safeguards mutual relationships and strengthens them. To all Christians strong or weak, catechized or not catechized, rich in love or poor in spirit, strengthen your religious devotions. Humble yourself on your knees. Pray without ceasing. Worship faithfully on the Lord’s Day. Go to Confession. Take up your rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, novenas and the sainted examples of holy men and women through the ages. Understand why the Church loves the Mass, the crucifix, the altar, the Stations of the Cross, stained glass windows, relics of its blessed saints and martyrs, candles, holy cards and holy water. Regard these not as artifacts of the past but for what they really are: living proofs of God’s love to aid us in presenting ourselves blamelessly as a thank-offering to our loving Creator. Ever in our ears, we hear the proof of God’s devotion for his faithful elect: "I have loved you with aneverlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." [Jer 31:3] Sincerely in the hearts of Jesus and Mary. Your pastor, Reverend Richard Barker. +++
My dear parishioners, the scriptures proclaim, “In the beginning . . . the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” And again, “God separated the light from the darkness.” [Gen 1:1-2,4] If you contemplate each day the sovereignty of God and the power of God’s grace, you will advance far on the road of your spiritual life. You will discover how your loving God helps you to conquer adversity and suffering, trials and disappointments, unfairness and wrongdoing in such a way that his divine perfection and purpose are ever before you magnified, not diminished.