October 26, 2014
Dear Parishioners:
Your prayers are requested for the Church universal as the Synod on the Family is underway in Rome at this time. This is the first part of a two-year process that will continue with a similar gathering next year. If all goes according to plan, Pope Francis will participate in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia in 2015.
All of us belong to families in one form or another. We are the products of the family that gave us life and raised us to adulthood – our family of origin. We are also a part of a family by choice – through the Sacrament of Marriage. God, WHO IS a Family as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, draws us into His Family through the life we share in the Sacraments. The Holy Family of Nazareth reveals the importance God gives to family life in the very manner by which the Son of God lived it, sharing the joys and sorrows of Mary and Joseph.
At Our Lady of Mount Carmel we are seeking to be formed as a family, united in mind and heart with Jesus our Good Shepherd. A call is going out for us to deepen our welcome of one another and of those who come to worship with us. We are also hearing the invitation to participate intentionally with others by sharing our Faith in Jesus Christ with those around us. There is a hunger for belonging and for depth and meaning that only God can satisfy.
Parents are particularly responsible for setting an example that teaches their children in the ways of faith. Please make every effort to invite your children to pray for you the prayers they are learning in school or in our religious education program; and in return teach them the prayers you learned as a child. I know of some families who have picked a prayer that they call their “family prayer” or compose one of your own, and welcome Jesus into your home in a very personal way. Whatever you choose to do, entrust your family to God, and stay close to God’s Church as a family, and I promise you that you won’t regret it!
In Carmel,
Fr. Leonard