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The Nativity of the Lord
Dear Parishioners:
We gather together on this Christmas Eve, Christmas Day with great joy to celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus. Each year, Christians gather around the world to remember and to give thanks to God for the Savior born in a manger. This Saturday/Sunday of Christmas, we certainly gather giving thanks that the awful days of COVID are behind us and that we, as parishioners of St. Luke can re-engage yet again in our beloved Mass, confessions and through the sacraments be ever strengthened to do God’s holy will. I am very grateful to Fr. Hubert, for the support he gives to us and in particular, to me his brother priest. To Deacon Ray and the staff and the many, many volunteers who are making this Christmas so special, Rhonda, Jeanne, Pat, Teri and Lyn with Mike and Tom and our cornerstone men who have worked hard outside and inside on decorations. Yes, my dear parishioners, St. Luke is ablaze with lights this year, in gratitude to God for the gift of our parish and all of us who follow God. Our musicians, our lectors, our extraordinary ministers, our ushers, our altar servers are all excited as together, we joyfully lead you in praise and song, beauty, and dignity through these most holy days of Christmas.
We consider the humble crib, the first home of the Holy Family. This home was indeed a home in transition as they rapidly had to move into exile in Egypt. We consider the home to which they returned later in Nazareth, a holy home where the praises of God were sung. As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family this Friday, we give thanks for the holy families of our parish community. Our families are varied in size and in age group. Some families have two parents, some have one, some families have lots of children and some have none. Each of us, however, lives in a home where God is present and evident in the living of our Catholic faith. I love to visit the families of our parish and feel and see the warmth and love of Christ evident through the crucifix on the wall, the statue on the table, the love, and the eyes of those who live there. In honesty, it does not matter whether it is a big home or a little home, a new home, or an old home. The home that reflects God’s sacred presence where all can strive to live together in peace. Thankfully, our families can live in the U.S. peacefully and with dignity. Let us keep in prayer families in our own country and in our hometown, who are struggling through illness, divorce, addiction, or bereavement. As we look to Ukraine, we pray for the many families who have been pulled apart by the war and many of whom are living in exile. We consider many in the big cities of Ukraine, who are living through awful power failures, bombing and terror. We pray that their holy family unit through the grace of God, will withstand the brutality and violence of the aggressor. Sadly, in our world, there will always be injustice, war, and violence but to counteract this, our holy homes that proclaim faith in Christianity, Judaism, in Muslim faith, in the Buddhist faith, in the Hindu faith, where religious values can strive to reflect the fragile home strengthening a troubled world.
On behalf of Fr. Hubert and Deacon Ray, I wish you a peaceful and Holy Christmas.
Fr. Owen