Dear Friends in Christ,
This Sunday’s Gospel gives us great solace in our Catholic Faith. In it, Jesus assures “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places…I am going to prepare a place for you.” Through these words, Jesus offers us the hope of Heaven. Through His work of redemption, Jesus opened the gates of Paradise to those who believe in Him and He encourages us to be hopeful in His love and mercy.
We often hear this gospel at funeral Masses. Families sometimes choose this reading because it helps them to envision the place where their deceased loved one has gone. The Church teaches us that our prayer for the deceased, both through arranging for Masses and offering personal prayer and sacrifice, can help them pass through purification into the fullness of eternal life. Thus
through this, they will enjoy in the heavenly dwelling place the Father has chosen for them.
Everything that we do in our lives of faith is geared towards us receiving Heaven. The more we love God and others the more our hearts are expanded to receive this unimaginable gift. This love
involves not only works of charity. It involves the daily living out of faith in moral decisions and in our participation in the Church’s sacramental life and prayer. Our love of God is shown in all of
these areas of our lives and reinforced by our fellowship with other believers who encourage us.
It is the quality of the community we share that attracts others to join our number. As Jesus assures us that there are many dwelling places for us in Our Father’s house, so, through our
community, we make welcome places for new members in our parish dwelling place. The presence of greeters at the doors of our church before Masses shows visitors that we look forward to meeting them and want to ensure that they have a positive experience when they are with us.
This Sunday, at the 11:00 am Mass, members of our First Communion class will receive Jesus for the first time. May they and their families feel our support, care and prayers which will help them to know that this church is their real home.
In Christ,
Fr. Michael