Dear Parishioners,
My wife and I were at a Deacon Retreat last weekend directed by Sr. Geralyn Schmitt from the Diocese of Harrisburg. The theme was about building the Kingdom of God. As a man, a husband, and a deacon, I am to build the Kingdom of God by expressing authentic and courageous love to all I meet. As we go through Lent, let us remember that our purpose in bettering our spiritual selves is to imitate Christ in his self giving love. It is for us to make our world a better place by showing dignity to others. It is for our church to become more alive in Christ.
The purpose of our Lenten sacrifices are so that our family may show love more readily and freely to one another. We are seeking that our love for God will take up a greater part of our life. The song we try to sing during Lent is a song of gracious love for God's benefit, to glorify and praise Him. I think because we sing to God our little song, rooted in honest care for each other, the Holy Spirit responds in harmony. The more beautiful our melody, the greater the melody that God sings in return. God's love is why we pray, why we go to Mass, why we serve the poor and why we care for each other. We know in our hearts that this love comes through God’s Spirit speaking to us and filling us. Our dance with God is such that the more we invite him in our life, the more we can see him at every turn. Therefore, the Kingdom of God is reflected in our good actions to one another. Let us know and serve God this Lent by becoming more like Him. Our imitation of Christ will surely make our little part of the world a better place.
Blessings,
Deacon Steve
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.
