         
Pastor's Desk Archive             
2006 Pastor's Desk Arch.   
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Pastor's Desk Archive (November 2006)Knights of Columbus Patriotic Degree (11/5/2006) We Are the Church: We Support Ourselves Through Our Own Contributions (11/12/2006) Happy Thanksgiving (11/19/2006) How Near Is The End? (11/26/2006) Knights of Columbus Patriotic Degree (11/5/2006)I want to congratulate the members of our Knights of Columbus council who were among the many men from councils across the Archdiocese who were initiated into the Fourth Degree on Saturday afternoon. The various degrees of the K of C represent fundamental values:
The Fourth and Patriotic Degree reflects the historical reality of the immigrant church in the United States. There was a time when the patriotism of Catholic men was questioned because they were perceived to be “followers” of a foreign leader - the Pope. It took the experience of two world wars in which so many Catholic men served and shed their blood to demonstrate that this charge was spurious. The Fourth Degree invites the members of the Order to be appropriately proud of their homeland. I became a Fourth Degree member when I was a member of the Boston College council back in 1962. I encourage all the men of our parish who are not already members of the K of C to give serious consideration to joining this year. Many of our most committed parish members are Knights. Thank you, brother Knights, for your service to the Church! We Are The Church: We Support Ourselves Through Our Own Contributions (11/12/2006)St. Andrew’s is not some kind of impersonal institution. We are, rather, a community or family of believers who endeavor to live the faith that comes to us from the Apostles. Like any other community or family, we have a variety of needs related to the accomplishment of our mission and purpose. The primary work of our parish community involves worship & spirituality, spreading the faith, serving the needs of the poor, and activities that help us grow in love as a family of faith. But accomplishing these spiritual works in large measure goes on within our physical facilities. Like any home, these buildings offer us both shelter from the elements and an inspiring architectural environment in which we can build and strengthen our lives as followers of Christ. As a Household of Faith, we incur expenses of every kind: utilities, insurance, bread/wine & candles, educational materials, maintenance & custodial supplies, food for the poor and homeless, advertising, telephone, computer & office supplies, landscaping, and other expenses related to ministry to children and youth. We also provide a just remuneration to a pastoral staff that strives to offer us servant-leadership. In 2001, after very long and careful planning, we committed ourselves to the enlargement and renovation of our physical facilities. First, we raised more than half the money needed in cash ($1.5 Million), and then signed a promissory note to the Archdiocese to pay the balance ($1 Million) in the equivalent of a monthly mortgage payment that will extend over the next four years. Most families get to enjoy homes they could never afford by paying cash, but those mortgages often extend over 30 years. By paying our mortgage off in just five years, we will have a considerably reduced interest expense. Our Annual Sacrificial Giving Renewal campaign is conducted each year to provide all of our members with an opportunity to express how we will support ourselves through our tithes and offerings. Here’s a brief recapitulation of how our 842 registered households contributed during the past 12 months:
Happy Thanksgiving (11/19/2006)The first observance of Thanksgiving in America was entirely religious in nature and involved no form of feasting. On December 4, 1619, a group of 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Plantation on the James River...a location now known as Charles City, Virginia. The charter of the group required that the day of arrival be observed as a Day of Thanksgiving to God. The first Thanksgiving in the New England area occurred in 1621 when a group of settlers we call Pilgrims offered thanks to God for their safe journey and for the compact that was successfully negotiated with the indigenous people they called Indians. However, Thanksgiving Day was first declared a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It was observed on the fourth Thursday in November until 1937 when President Roosevelt moved it up a week to create a longer shopping season before Christmas. More interesting than the history is the word Thanksgiving itself and its special significance for Catholic Christians. We know that Thanksgiving is translated into Greek by the word Eucharist. Thanksgiving for us, then, is far more than just a very special holiday on the 3rd Thursday of November. Eucharist is the primary action through which we praise and worship God. It is the way in which we love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. The grace we receive for faithfully offering the Eucharist makes it possible for us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The Eucharist is both the source and summit of Christian life which is why our failure to offer it on Sundays is regarded as gravely wrong. But let me point out yet another insight into the word Thanksgiving. Without cultivating the habit of giving thanks to God in all things, it is impossible to be a good and faithful steward. I give of my time, talent, and treasure because I can never be sufficiently grateful for all of God’s blessings and benefits. He has replaced my former blindness with the ability to see into the kingdom of God. He has strengthened my weak limbs so I can live uprightly. He has healed my sin-sick soul. How can I not make every effort to be as generous as possible with all that I have? May God provide each and every member of our parish with a strong desire to give Him thanks in all things. How Near Is The End? (11/26/2006)As one church year winds down and another is about to begin, the gospel passages focus in on the end of the world. Most people can just push this prospect out of their consciousness, but all of us who have been around for a while know very well that we won’t be able to dismiss it forever. First of all, we know the end is nearer than when we came into the world. Not only can we tell we’re not getting any younger, we only need to look around to notice that neither is anyone else. Parents with grown children keep wondering where the years went. Those of us over 65 know that eerie feeling of time whizzing by. These gospels about the end of time are intended as reminders that Jesus came to inaugurate a new kingdom and a new era…a kingdom where God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven…where the lion can lay down with the lamb…where people of every race, language, and way of life are gathered around the Table of Plenty. For a new kingdom to begin, the old one must inevitably pass away. Many of us have so little faith that we keep clinging to the visible world and all its pleasures, forgetting that God is the Lord of what is seen and unseen. During the first two weeks of Advent the Church tries mightily to direct our attention to the belief that the Christ who died and rose will come again at the end of time. We are invited to be among those who will go out to meet him with joyful rather than fearful hearts. These sentiments are a real challenge when almost everywhere we look we see what the secular world has done to Christmas: elves and reindeer, frosty the snowman and jolly St. Nick with his sack full of goodies. Surely we would all be better off without all that stuff. Why can’t we just teach the true meaning of Christmas? Are we afraid that we’d miss out on “all the fun”. May God loosen our grip on holiday silliness long enough for us to consider what our lives would be like if God hadn’t lowered Himself to become one with us in Mary’s Son. We would be impoverished beyond belief. Soon and very Soon We are going to See the King |
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