News Around the Parish
Faith Sharing Book Club – As Pope Francis celebrated the 1st anniversary of his papacy on March 13, we’ve been reading his book “The Joy of the Gospel.” It’s been refreshing and delightful. So far, from the Introduction and Chapter 1, there have been already many gems that have surfaced. Here are 10 that we have enjoyed:
-- #2. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades.
-- #3. God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking His mercy.
-- #4. Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.
-- #9. Goodness always tends to spread… if we wish to lead a dignified and fulfilling life, we have to reach out to others and seek their good.
-- #10. An evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral! Let us recover and deepen our enthusiasm…
-- #24. The Lord gets involved and He involves His own, as He kneels to wash their feet… Evangelizers thus take on the “smell of the sheep” and the sheep are willing to hear their voice.
-- #27. All renewal in the Church must have mission as its goal, if it is not to fall prey to a kind of ecclesial introversion.
-- #38. In preaching the Gospel a fitting sense of proportion has to be maintained… imbalance results… when we speak more about law than about grace, more about the Church than about Christ, more about the Pope than about God’s word.
-- #44. I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy which spurs us on to do our best.
-- #49. I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security... If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life.
In our discussions, we reflected also upon how each of us, can better reflect the good news of the gospel in our lives. If you have time, come and join us. Call the parish office for dates and times (681-4225) or pick up a book and read on your own. Extra copies are available at the parish.
Fr. Dan
