My dear parishioners, in these difficult and trying days, many persons need encouragement for the sake of goodness. From Jesus, you “have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, (and) were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.”  [Eph 1:13]  Do not despair of becoming holy. Do not think that holiness is yesterday’s relic or today’s smartphone app. 
Your simplest acts of holiness are needed today, this very hour. Your holy words, thoughts and deeds outshine the luminaries of heaven. Your smallest effort towards purity strikes fear throughout the whole of Satan's desolate empire. When your struggle for holiness becomes intense and difficult, realize that the stakes are very high.
 Our struggle for holiness is merely a shadow of the immense conflict taking place in the world of the spirit. The Evil One wants to crush our world and all its people in his merciless grip. Christ first defeated the powers of sin and death on the cross. Very soon Christ will cast Satan and his unholy angels into an eternal abyss from which there will be no escape. In the meantime, “the prince of the power of the air”  [Eph 2:2]  battles St. Michael and the Heavenly Host for the possession of the human race.
 A holy way of life is not so easy. Often it is very rough going. Therese of Lisieux, the “little flower,” the apostle of confidence, had this to say about perseverance:  "Many souls say: ‘I don't have the strength to accomplish this sacrifice.’ Let them do, then, what I did: exert a great effort. God never refuses that first grace that gives one the courage to act; afterwards, the heart is strengthened and one advances from victory to victory."
You are much loved, and "you are Christ's; and Christ is God's.” [1Cor 3:23]  It is no accident that Jesus equated purity of heart with being able to see God.  [Mat 5:8]  Understand then, that for you to possess the gifts that last, God must possess you. He will not, indeed, he cannot possess you, unless you make a living covenant with him and pledge him the efforts of your own holiness, your own personhood. The world as we know it is passing away  [cf. 1Cor 7:31, 1Jn 2:8]  with faith, hope and love enduring.  [cf. 1Cor 13:13] 
The foundational event of your personal life is the day you exchange your human will for God’s will, your agenda for God’s commandments, your worldly knowledge for God’s divine revelation, your fears and anxieties for trust in God. Renew now your commitment to faith in God and in his Church. You are reborn on the day you surrender forever your mortal soul to the holy, immortal Christ. He alone “is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” [Eph 1:14]  Sincerely, in the hearts of Jesus and Mary. Your pastor, Reverend Richard Barker.
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