Dear Parishioners,

I have always wanted to work miracles. Seriously, how cool would it be if you or I could walk up to cripples, the infirm, the dying, or even the dead, and say “in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk!” – and then see it happen?! Our faith would be stronger, more people would come to our Church; life would simply be better. To what miracles might God be calling our parish?

Our first reading (Acts 4: 8-12) shows us that while working miracles might make life better, it won’t necessarily make it easier. St. Peter has been put in custody and is being questioned about healing a cripple in the name of Jesus the Nazorean – my favorite part of the story is actually in the previous chapter (Acts 3:6) where we learn that Peter’s ability to work the miracle is contingent upon his own life of evangelical poverty – the crippled beggar asked him for money and he responded “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have, I give you: in the name of  Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.” – and he does. If you and I lived greater poverty, could we work miracles?

The Gospel this week calls us to follow Christ in laying down our lives for our sheep and not being like a hired man who works for wages and thus doesn’t really care about the sheep because they’re not his own. When you think of your relationship to your parish, do you realize that you are responsible for the well-being of flock? Or do you consider the life and mission of the parish to be someone else’s responsibility…?

These questions lead to an invitation, Fr. Kevin and I invited everyone to attend an evening of catechesis (religious teaching) and discernment at Divine Mercy Catholic Church on Tuesday, May 8th from 6:30-8:30pm. God is calling us to a new vision of how we live, give, and love as a parish – please don’t miss this!

Gloria in Excelsis Deo!  Father Erik Lundgren