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Pastor's Letter-- January 3, 2021
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In his Apostolic Letter Patris Corde , Pope Francis has asked the universal church to give special focus to Saint Joseph for the year of 2021. As the husband of Mary, the mother of God and thus the foster father of the Lord Jesus, Joseph deserves our attention in a particular way. This call for a year of St. Joseph marks the 150th anniversary of his being named universal patron of the church. As such a patron, it means every single one of us is able to seek his support.
Our parish is also focusing on the family in a particular way this year. While we look at the Holy Family during the Christmas season, Joseph can give us a particular key into how to help our families to be the “domestic church” we are called to be.
Unlike Mary and Jesus who were without sin, Joseph, like all other saints, had his failings and mistakes. A saint, I’ve heard said, is a sinner who keeps on trying. This actually gives us something to relate to, even if we can at times mistakenly put saints up on pedestals beyond us. Joseph gives us hope: we can be saints, too. It actually is what God really has planned for each of us.
And perhaps Joseph also shows us a very easy way to discover holiness: love Mary and Jesus with a generous heart. And perhaps the first step in that is to, like Joseph certainly did, spend time each day with Mary and Jesus. Joseph would have worked each day and then turned his focus toward these two most important people in his life. Let us do the same. If the people we hang out with rub off on us, then we should be sure to hang out with the Holy Family!
With this year focused on the family in our parish and throughout the universal church focused on St. Joseph, we should also pray for men to be faithful and loving fathers, both in spiritual fatherhood and to their biological children. The U.S. Census bureau in 2018 showed that over 1 in 4 children do not have a father-figure in the home. It is a sad reality that children without fathers are more likely to grow up in poverty, underperform in school, suffer more emotionally and socially, and experience other negative behaviors or circumstances.
In Pope Francis’ words: Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. A word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all.
Pray to Saint Joseph for families without fathers, and for men who are fathers and who one day will be fathers - spiritual or biological.
Continuing my exploration of the Parish Pastoral Plan, I would now like to delve into the Core Values of the Parish Plan. The first one is entitled Authentic Accompaniment. There are three bullet points to describe what that means: (1) People before projects; (2) Focused towards Jesus, together; (3) Admit our littleness. Brevity helps to make ideas memorable (an intended goal), but they can also require some clarification.
People before projects. Jesus came to save souls and not establish programs or projects. We want to make sure our focus stays on the person in front of us. People have said that Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II gave such attention to the individual that they felt they were the only person in the world. Although their “projects” were certainly very important, they saw Jesus in those before them.
Focused towards Jesus, together. Whatever we do, our eyes should be on Jesus. We are not a community closed-inward on ourselves, nor are we directed toward some earthly destiny. True accompaniment is walking side-by-side toward the Lord.
Owning our littleness. Without the grace of God, we are powerless. But this doesn’t mean we’re insignificant. If we admit our need for God (and others), we are freed from self-reliance, and this breaks down barriers between us and Jesus and opens us to his grace.
