“Yet, O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands.”- Is 64:7
Friends, God is good, all the time.
What do you have on your heart today? Are you feeling at peace, relatively calm, without a lot of worries and stress? Or are you more filled with anxiety and find yourself bothered by the problems facing the world community, our nation, and neighborhoods? Are you dealing with personal issues or family struggles and difficulties? As we mark the holy season of advent to start the new Liturgical Year, I ask you to approach the year with absolute trust, prayer, and kindness. Absolute faith is the confidence we have, even without any proof or evidence, that because God loves and cares for us; because He is in charge of all events and circumstances in our lives and the world, and He will handle it the best way for us. Therefore, if we must be happy Christians, we need to have absolute trust in God as we face the new year.
But to our trust, we add prayer: prayer changes people, families, nations, and transforms situations. And remember that prayer is not a difficult exercise to apply just desire to pray and experience the presence of God around you. Offer all circumstances to God in prayer continually, and He will take charge. Pray for the members of the church everywhere in the world. Pray that those who belong to the church will not lose their faith. Pray that the Covid-19 pandemic ends and pray for the peace of the country.
Add kindness to your complete trust and prayer. Throughout the year, seek ways to bring kindness to people around you. Notice that kindness is not something we earn or deserve; it is something we receive or experience, and it stays with us; it brings life, healing, and energy to those who receive it.
Jesus talks of a gatekeeper in the gospel. We must comprehend this unique role as opening our heart to let in people: families, friends, colleagues, and strangers-through our kindness-forgiving those to be forgiven, loving those to be loved, caring for those to be cared for, and keeping every person in the heart without ejecting or rejecting them.
Maintain absolute faith; remember to pray constantly and show kindness. During this advent, there are prayer opportunities and other resources that will be made available on the parish website and emails. Please find time to engage with them. Remember also to read the gospel of Mark, which is the gospel for year 2021. Jesus says, behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone opens the door for me, I will come in and live with him or her.