Dear Parishioners and Friends,
We have just celebrated the birth of our Savior and we
sense the closeness of our God in a very special way in these days. This time
is an excellent moment to follow the words of Pope Francis who, in his recently
published Apostolic Exhortation entitled Evangelii
Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”), invites all Christians to a renewed
“personal encounter with Jesus Christ” (3).
I think we will all find that as we draw closer to
Christ – as we make the choice to follow him more closely each day through a
committed life of prayer and faith – we will experience an increase in joy. The
Savior’s merciful and tender love is capable of restoring our joy. This is the
joy of the Gospel.
I also think we will find that as we experience our
lives being “invaded” by a great joy rooted in our faith in Christ, we will
radiate that joy to others. We must never give in to pessimism or defeatism. As
the Holy Father writes, “an evangelizer must never look like some who has just
come back from a funeral!” (10) No. We have the Good News which gives meaning
and purpose to our lives and helps us serve the one great Love of the universe.
How can we become discouraged? So many in our world seek God and we “should
appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty
and who invite others to a delicious banquet” (15).
Happy New Year!
In Christ,
Msgr. Baker
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