Dear Parishioners,
In case you haven’t noticed (and there is no reason you should), the gutters around the church have been repaired, relined, and repainted. So we shouldn’t have the leaks into the church we have had in the past. That’s because the $20,000 rebate we received from the Embracing Our Mission capital campaign enabled us to pay for the work. Thank you for your generosity. Our next phase is retiling of the parish hall floor next year.
We also did some landscaping in front of the school to enhance the entrance around the flagpole and flower beds. Since we did some work in front of the church several years ago, it was only fair that we do the same for our school.
Two weeks ago, I talked about the virtue of humility as per the scripture readings. This week, the readings talk about two more difficult virtues: patience and mercy (Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-32). We all appreciate God’s mercy and look forward to receiving it. Yet, when we are asked to show mercy after we have been wronged, it’s not so easy for us to dispense it. However, it would help if we never forget our great debt to Jesus and our hope for God’s mercy. As for patience, it only comes from prayer and the remembrance of God’s patience with Israel on Mount Sinai and in the desert, and Jesus’ example in the gospel, as well as regular reflection on the many stupid mistakes we have made in the past. Above all, be more patient with yourself; God hasn’t finished working on you.
- Fr. Carl
Rev. Stephen Hook is Pastor of the Pastorate of the Visitation which includes the Catholic Churches of Pasadena, Maryland: St. Jane Frances de Chantal (Riviera Beach) and Our Lady of the Chesapeake (Lakeshore). He is assisted by Associate Pastor Rev. John Belinki, Deacon Howard Klohr, and Deacon Rick Clemens. To learn more about our pastorate, please visit www.catholicpasadena.org.
