September 19, 2021 - The Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September19,2021
My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Jesus tries many ways to get through to us. His aim is to reveal to us His loving Father in Heaven. The above passage is one that we find charming and is clearly meant to disarm us. A favorite picture of Jesus is one where He is surrounded by children and is speaking to them and they are listening to Him. In several texts of the Scripture the Lord invites us to become like little children in order to inherit the kingdom of God. To have a pure love for God and others is most important. The more innocent and trusting we are, the more we can receive what He brings and then respond to His great love. The more we are like little children the more we are actually like God. This innocence must not be lost.
Our parish is entrusted with the important ministry of assisting parents in raising their children. In conjunction with our devoted and generous parents, we maintain at great expense a Catholic school as well as our Religious Education Program. We do our best in cooperating with parents in bringing their children to the Lord. This is our main goal. If a child’s heart is given over to Christ from its earliest years, there is the greatest hope that he or she will live a God-loving life. At the core of this training is the full practice of the Catholic faith, which is available in the Church. We believe that the optimal formation of a child involves learning and practicing the Catholic faith.
The full practice of the Catholic faith is the best way to give to a child all that God wants him or her to have in preparing for adulthood. In addition to the truth of religious instruction there is the need to pray and regularly celebrate and receive the sacraments. To learn and observe God’s commandments is more than ever essential. The more children are able to observe adult witnesses of faith the better. We do what we do because Jesus told us to do so: “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me.” Our children deserve the best.
Yours in our Lord and our Lady, Fr. Mark G. Mazza, Pastor