Peace and all good!
"If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
“….anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”
Wait a minute, there! Did Jesus really say that? Maybe something got lost in the translation. Actually, not. These words from this week’s Gospel (Luke 14:25-53) are meant to be harsh—partly to get our attention. More likely, they are intended to get us to realize that being a follower of Jesus is not easy. But, apart from the very few living saints among us, who could even think of making such a commitment? Or would even want to?
Discipleship is serious business; it requires deep commitment and a willingness to let go of anything and anyone that may come between ourselves and the Lord. Still we cannot follow Jesus successfully by disciplined commitment alone. Ultimately, we need to rely upon God’s
grace and help. We need to admit both our limitations and our complete dependence on God. It’s what folks in 12-step recovery mean when they say, “Let go and let God.” In doing
so, little by little, day by day, we are more able to open urselves to the transforming power of God’s Presence and Love. And that, I believe, is the start of true discipleship.
This past week, I’ve been away from the office attending meetings of our Franciscan Definitorium— I am one of six friars who act as a consulting group to assist our Minister
Provincial, Fr. John Hardin, ofm, in making decisions concerning the friars and our ministry commitments. The work is just piling up! At this point, I realize that I will never, ever get caught up with correspondence, phone calls, emails, and appointments. But I’m learning, too, little by little myself to “let go and let God.” Thank you for your patience with me. Great things continue to happen every single day in our parish whether the pastor is here or not.
Just a few items of interest: Our great Knights of Columbus, along with our
MOP (Maintain Our Parish) team recently removed some dead trees from the grounds, including one unsightly stump right in the middle of the parish lawn. Rumors are they want to install a barbecue grill, adding some real sizzle to our parish life….
We have been getting some responses to our pleas for Ministers of Bereavement and Ministers to the Sick & Homebound (separate ministries). We still need more! Please call Betty Muszynski at 760-231-1254 or Walter and Dorothy Arney at 760-722-5616 respectively for
information and details….
Labor Day signals the end of summer vacations and we’re gearing up for the Fall here at the Parish as well: Registration for Religious Education classes is going strong and continues through Sept. 18th. Classes at our parish school, Old Mission Montessori, are scheduled to begin Sept. 7. The Small Christian Communities (SCC) groups of the parish sponsored a great kickoff luncheon for both Parish and School faculty/staff on Wednesday, Sept. 1. Let’s keep
all of these wonderful people in our prayers….
The Crab Fest (at the Old Mission) is slated for September 10 will benefit both the Mission and our Parish Social Concerns office.
The Comité Hispano is sponsoring its second annual “Fiestas Patrias” celebration of Hispanic culture on Sunday, September 12, Noon to 9 PM on the Parish lawn
in front of the School. Proceeds will benefit the OLG Sports Court. Come for a wonderful day of food, exhibits, family fun, and great music! A wide variety of parish groups will
be participating as well in this great celebration of Hispanic heritage and our cultural diversity. Bienvenidos!
Please mark your calendars: The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick will be offered on the weekend of September 18-19 at the following Masses: Saturday (Sept 18): 5 pm, 7 pm. Sunday (Sept 19) 7 AM, 8AM.
…. Stay tuned! There’s always more to come!
God bless!
Fr. Chuck
PS: Last week, I neglected to thank our parish wedding coordinators: Linda Reyna, Mary Dorso, Jan Jones, and Jacque Travis for their tremendous work in putting together
the celebration of our group wedding Mass last weekend. They are incomparable! Thanks! — ct
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