News - Pastor's Message

As we celebrate All Saints, let us ask ourselves: Which Beatitude is Jesus inviting me to live more faithfully? Where am I being called to greater mercy, humility, courage, or peace? Whose life might be changed because I chose to listen, forgive, serve, or stand beside someone in need?

It takes patience to listen when we are tired, humility to admit when we are wrong, and courage to forgive someone who has hurt us. Sometimes love means making time for our children, checking on an elderly parent, or reaching out to someone who feels forgotten.

What is the promise of God's reign if not the conversion of hearts and the transformation of lives, families, communities, and cultures? The Word of God is given not simply to be heard, but to be welcomed, lived, and shared. Each time we choose forgiveness over resentment, justice over indifference, hospitality over exclusion, and generosity over self-interest, we allow the reign of God to become more visible among us.

God continuously invites all to the banquet of living in his divine life. He doesn't take anyone off the list. He keeps inviting, even and especially those not seen as fitting or deserving of being at the banquet of his divine life. Our yes to the invitation means we are ready to be transformed. Living in the life of God, who is love, often means we have to change. Perhaps that's why we often don't respond immediately to the invitation or even become angry with the messenger.

As servant-disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to remain connected to him. Jesus later describes himself as the true vine, and we are the branches. Apart from him, we cannot bear lasting fruit. Remaining in Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us enables us to produce a harvest worthy of the Kingdom of God. What kind of harvest are we producing?

As the Prophet Ezekiel reminds us, God looks upon the sinner who turns away from sin and chooses a new way of life. Conversion is possible because God's mercy keeps calling us forward. When the sinner turns away from sin and chooses a new way of life, God sees that conversion.

A La Salette parish is, above all, a Eucharistic people. The call to honor the Lord's Day finds its deepest expression in our faithful participation in Holy Mass. At the Eucharistic table, we encounter Christ who gives Himself for us and draws us into communion with God and with one another. The Eucharist nourishes our conversion, strengthens us to forgive and reconcile, and sends us forth to become what we have received: the Body of Christ for the world. For a La Salette parish, Sunday Mass is not simply an obligation to fulfill; it is the heart of our weekly life of faith, thanksgiving, communion, and mission.

A Challenge for Our Parish Community Perhaps this week we might ask ourselves two simple but difficult questions: • Whom do I need to forgive? • And from whom do I need to ask forgiveness? Then, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, take one concrete step toward reconciliation. Make the phone call. Offer the apology. Release the resentment. Return to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Or simply begin praying for the person who has wounded you.

The Christian life, then, is a fragile yet sanctifying bond—a holy "yoking" of our lives to Christ and, through Him, to one another. We are invited to carry one another, forgive one another, correct one another with charity, pray for one another, and never forget that the person who may be most difficult for us to love is still our brother or sister in Christ.

It may be a little early to count all the conversations, new friendships, sign-ups, and results that will come from this wonderful weekend. But perhaps that is not the most important thing to count. We remember the words of Our Lord in the Gospel: "Give them some food yourselves." Jesus did not tell His disciples to count the crowd; He invited them to serve the people before them. And that is precisely what we saw at Blessed Trinity: people willing to share what they have, offer what they can, and serve with generous hearts.

I often sense the Lord asking me the question, "Who do you say that I am?" Is He really the most important thing in my life? Is He the one on whom I base all my other decisions? Or rather, do I only focus on Him when it is convenient or comfortable? Today's world is full of choices that can easily become our idols. We can ask ourselves is what we worship the pursuit of money or power or dominance over other people? Do we waste time scrolling on our phones instead of allowing ourselves to become aware of the presence of God? Do we see Christ in those in need? By our lives, who do we say that the Lord is?

Sometimes a change of heart begins simply by listening. Sometimes healing begins when we are willing to encounter the other person rather than merely holding an opinion about them. Sometimes reconciliation requires humility—the grace to acknowledge our own assumptions, prejudices, or part in a conflict. And sometimes mission means being willing to cross a boundary we have always assumed should remain in place.

Last Sunday we reflected upon the Lord's command, "Give them some food yourselves." Jesus challenged His disciples—and us—to recognize the gifts He has placed within us and to respond generously to the needs of others. Whether in our families, workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, or parish community, He calls us to become His witnesses and servant-disciples.

Christ takes what seems so little, blesses it, multiplies it, and places it in the service of His Kingdom. The miracle still happens today whenever disciples refuse to send people away empty and instead become instruments of God's compassionate love and generosity.

This July, several of our Blessed Trinity high school teens have the opportunity to attend the annual Life Teen Catholic Summer Camp in the mountains of Georgia. During this week-long experience, they will encounter Jesus Christ in a deeper way through the celebration of the Eucharist, Reconciliation, inspiring speakers, prayer, music, fellowship, and the beauty of God's creation. For many of our teens, this will be a life-changing experience—one that strengthens their Catholic faith, deepens their commitment to Christ, and prepares them to become future leaders in our parish community.

As members of the Blessed Trinity family, we are blessed to witness this every day. Every ministry, every family, every volunteer, every child learning the faith, and every person who walks through our church doors is part of God's loving work.