A heartfelt thanks to all of you for the warm welcome Fr. Chris and I received on our first weekend in the parishes. You are so vibrant! We are so delighted to celebrate the love of the Lord with you!...
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Words cannot express the gratitude that I, Father Bob Vular, your new administrator, and Father Chris Mannerino, your new parochial vicar, feel after the warm welcome we have received at Saint Richard and Saint Catherine. Though we all find ourselves in the midst of transition, your example of hospitality and eagerness is a testament to your faith in Jesus Christ, and of the fine shepherds who have served you through the years. Father Chris and I can only pray we are able to respond in kind! We all have questions. Indeed, we all have fears. But let us also be full of hopes! For, “we know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Christian author C.S. Lewis once wrote that Christianity is not so much about being nice people but in being “new men.” We see this contrast in today’s Gospel. “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus first answers in the predictable way. Follow the commandments! “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Perhaps for some of us it’s easy to answer this way. “I’m a good person!” he seems to reply. Does he truly follow all the commandments he professes to follow? Does he - in word and deed - check off all the boxes of the moral law? Perhaps. Whether he’s being honest or fudging the truth, Jesus accepts his answer at face value with compassion. “Jesus, looking at him, loved him.”
It was good to have Fr. Andre this past weekend. He helped us keep our problems in perspective. People in his part of the world struggle to have safe drinking water. Our problems do not seem so big compared to theirs. Yours in Christ, Fr. Vince