God Bless
Fr. Mark

Earlier this week I received two checks and a can of shaving creme. Later in the week I was given a check and in the payee line had the words, “St. Lucy Fr. Mark debearding.” It was accompanied by a little heart, so I guess that made it okay.
As many of you know my parish, St. Lucy, is in the middle of a mini-campaign “Clean Shave for a Clean Start” with the prize being my “debearding.” It has all been great fun (at least until the razor hits the face) but it is also part of who we are called to be as a Church in our Catholic faith. The Gospel message of Jesus Christ is a message of joy and deep peace where we conform ourselves with God’s blessing and love.
Don’t get me wrong, we are raising this money for a very serious purpose and we vitally need the support of the parish community to reach our goal so we may move forward with confidence in the renovation projects at St. Lucy but we are to do so knowing God walks with us. Pope Francis reminds us of this when he writes, “Hard times may come, when the cross casts its shadow, yet nothing can destroy the supernatural joy that “adapts and changes, but always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved”. That joy brings deep security, serene hope and a spiritual fulfillment that the world cannot understand or appreciate.” (Gaudete et Exsultate #125) The “deep security and serene hope” are the gift of unity and joy. Yes, there are difficult moments and financial worries which we all can carry but ultimately in trust and hope we place these doubts into God’s hands allowing Him to lead us forward.
In any campaign, whether it is raising funds, deepening our prayer life or loosing weight we recognize how when we are united with one another we the find strength and courage to move forward. Pope St. John Paul II in writing on the Eucharist describes how this unity flows from our participation in the banquet (the Mass) with all of God’s holy people, “Eucharistic communion also confirms the Church in her unity as the body of Christ. Saint Paul refers to this unifying power of participation in the banquet of the Eucharist when he writes to the Corinthians: “The bread which we break, is it not a communion in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor 10:16-17). ( Ecclesia de Eucharistia #23) While the campaign can be fun and joyous, like my Mom’s video, without the participation of the Church in moving forward we are never able to fully live in the joy and blessing of our vocational calling to holiness. Holiness comes with a sacrificial joy finding it foundation in our Eucharistic life as St. John Paul II points out, we are “constantly renewed and consolidated by sharing in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, especially by that full sharing which takes place in sacramental communion. We can say not only that each of us receives Christ, but also that Christ receives each of us.” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia #22)
Being united with the other, whether it be family or friends, is an invitation into a conversation of love and joy. It is a blessing of the energy that is found in joy, in the coming together for a common good where even in struggle and pain there is a deep sense of satisfaction. This can never happen in solitude and will never happen in solitude when we are in a daily prayerful conversation with God. As Pope Benedict XVI in his wisdom writes, “When I can no longer talk to anyone or call upon anyone, I can always talk to God. When there is no longer anyone to help me deal with a need or expectation that goes beyond the human capacity for hope, he can help me. When I have been plunged into complete solitude …; if I pray I am never totally alone.” (Spe Salvi #32)
Even in our fears there is the hope and blessing of God’s goodness and love because of His desire to enter more deeply into our lives. I pray deeply for the continued growth in stewardship in our Catholic Church knowing when we share our time, talent and treasure we are made better as a community. I pray daily for others to join us in building a new and greater Church filled with saints and sinners who desire a deeper unity with Jesus Christ. Because even in the trials and tribulations of life we are reminded by our Holy Father Francis, “Like the prophet Jonah, we are constantly tempted to flee to a safe haven. It can have many names: individualism, spiritualism, living in a little world, addiction, intransigence, the rejection of new ideas and approaches, dogmatism, nostalgia, pessimism, hiding behind rules and regulations. We can resist leaving behind a familiar and easy way of doing things. Yet the challenges involved can be like the storm, the whale, the worm that dried the gourd plant, or the wind and sun that burned Jonah’s head. For us, as for him, they can serve to bring us back to the God of tenderness, who invites us to set out ever anew on our journey. (Gaudete et Exsultate #134)

If you wish to donate to the “debearding of Fr. Mark please click on the link below…thank you and God be with you!
Text the word CLEAN to 38470 and pledge today or
https://paybee.io/quickpay.html?handle=stlucy&ppid=33#optionList