“Behold the bridegroom! Come out to meet Him!” The call that goes out to the ten
virgins in this Sunday’s parable goes out to our hearts. Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom of the Church and the perfect Lover of each of our souls. He alone knows us perfectly, more perfectly than we know ourselves. He made us for Himself and gave His life for us on the cross for our salvation. The parable today challenges us to ask ourselves how we prepare our lives and our hearts to make a gift of ourselves to Him. Meanwhile, the Anointing at Bethany window (find the window on the front cover and the story in the very next chapter of Matthew, 26) offers us an image of one who gave Him so much that even some of His other disciples considered it a waste. As mentioned last week, this window sits in the back, Eastern wall of the Church, right between the Golgotha/Skull window and the Moriah/Lamb window. It is gives us the image of a woman who, with her tender love and unrestrained generosity, prepared our Lord for His death upon the cross - as our Lord Himself described it as a preparation for His burial. There is no point in which we have given the Lord too much. May we never hold back.
On that note, I have been overwhelmed at seeing the generosity of our parishioners, whether it is in time and talent, in giving to the food pantry, Pennies for Life, Our Table or other charitable opportunities, or in the weekly collection. Thank you for this example of generosity! This has motivated me all the more to be a good steward of your gifts, by striving to see what our needs are, particularly as the situation in our parish continues to evolve, and what opportunities we have to meet those needs and offer even greater service to our parishioners and beyond, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. This is something I am continuing to evaluate and I foresee very exciting things in the upcoming months! For now, I would like to take this opportunity to make public that, this past week, Cathy Trowbridge came (back) onto our parish staff as our new Project Coordinator. She has served us faithfully in many capacities over the years and has a lot of talent, enthusiasm, vision, and a generous heart. I look forward to letting you know more in the upcoming weeks about some of the exciting projects that she, and the rest of our parish staff, are working with me on!
Also, another position we are looking, in order to be better stewards of our facilities is an official maintenance person. Toward that end, I am announcing that we are seeking a part-time person to oversee the Maintenance of our facilities and grounds. If you or someone you know has experience in this area and would be interested in applying, please do not hesitate to let us know. Let us continue to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as the future of our parish continues to unfold.
In Christ through Mary,
Fr. Gifford
St. Louis, pray for us!
Blessed Mary, Queen Mother of the King of Kings, pray for us!
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