St. Joseph the Worker

Dear Parishioners of St. Joseph the Worker:

 We continue our journey through the Easter season, the time for us to say “ALLELUIA!!”  Our Catholic Church, in its wisdom, has 50 days for us to celebrate the greatest miracle in history—the raising of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Let us do just that—continue to revel in the joy of the empty tomb and the promise of eternal life for all those who live their lives in the ways of the Lord.

This weekend we say CONGRATULATIONS to our parish seniors graduating from high school.  Some of them will join us for Mass at 10:30am on May 18^th to be recognized.  Also, a wonderful brunch will be prepared for them and their families.  They are great young people.  We are so blessed to have them in our parish.  May their futures be blessed by Jesus.  May they show the world their faith in the Risen Lord and share His love and joy as they journey through life. 

Let’s think about the situation of those graduates referred to above.  I would think we would want them and children of any age to be as educated and as mature as they could/should be.  That is why they attend school—to learn and be formed so that each of them can be productive contributors to our country and to the world at large. 

Well!!  What about applying those expectations when it comes to our Catholic faith.  Don’t we want them to be as learned and mature as they can be?  Don’t we want prepared young Catholics to lead our Church into the future?   Then, the first thing we need to do is to make sure they celebrate their faith each weekend at Mass.  Our church is the best “classroom” in which they can find themselves.  The Lord, the Master Teacher, is always there to teach them through the Scriptures.  And, that same Lord is there to feed them with the most nutritious faith food available—His Body and His Blood. 

Then, we need to make sure these young Catholics and those following them attend Catholic classes in our Faith Formation.  This is where they “book learn” about being a Catholic.  The classes help them to experience community service, and prayer.  For one hour a week, many of our young people get to grow in their faith and grow closer to Jesus Christ. 

Let us all, no matter what age we are, challenge ourselves to grow in our faith so that we can be faith-filled examples to all those around us.  If we think about it, one of the best ways to learn is by imitation.  Others will be able, hopefully, to show Jesus to the world through imitating our acts, because those acts imitate the Lord.

Have another prayerful week of Easter!

Your Pastor, Father Joe