Pastor’s Message
NEWS & UPDATES
St. James Campus Redevelopment Project
Since my last communication to the parish with an update on the campus redevelopment on February 12th, we received one additional proposal for the school and convent properties. This brings the total number of proposals received to 6 (six)!
Members of the St. James Campus Redevelopment Committee and I have
been back and forth with the top contenders. At this point in time, it is still to early to schedule a parish townhall meeting. Stay tuned for more news.
REFLECTION ON THE READINGS
With the raising of Lazarus as the centerpiece of this weekend’s Gospel,
death inevitably also gets the spotlight. Typically the kneejerk response all things death is to shutter or at least deflect our attention elsewhere. But “death” may be more present in our prayer life than we think. Take, for example, the prayer that almost every Catholic wields – The Hail Mary.
The conclusion to the “Hail Mary” should give us pause. We ask the Holy
Mother of God to keep us sinners in her prayer at two signature moments of our lives: now and at the time of our death. What a strange request
this is, at first glance. Why, of all the hours and seasons and years of life should we single out these twin moments for special consideration? “Now” is easy. Now is the moment of decision, the vital and active hour in which change is possible. We can’t move the past an inch. We can’t manipulate the future until it arrives. The only time under our jurisdiction when we are free to act is now. So if there is an important moment to have the prayers of the Mother of the Church, it’s the one we’re in presently.
The other moment when we plead for Mary’s attention is the hour of our
death. Ah, that is a significant time for all of us. Although we hope to
enjoy many “nows,” death comes only once and it is the Last Chance Saloon. If we’ve botched many a now, or all of our nows until the last one, Christianity still holds out the possibility of the final “yes” after a lifetime of “no.” So we are wise to pray that the mother of Jesus will attend us in that last hour of grace and guide us to repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Hail Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. AMEN!
Quote of the Week
I live each day to kill death; I die each day to beget life, and in this dying unto death, I die a thousand times and am reborn another thousand through that love from my people, which nourishes hope!
