"To know, love and serve the Lord and one another, in imitation of Mary"

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My Brothers and Sisters,

“For Sale.” I can’t help but notice how many homes have a sign in their front yards. It's a sign that things are changing once again. Overfield Township, like many other townships in our area, has a lot of elderly residents and many are starting to decide whether they have enough energy to keep up with the demands of owning a home. For some, it’s the cold, long winters that prompt them to move somewhere warmer. Other families are moving because of work, divorce or the passing of a loved one.

Some of us do well with change and some do not. It’s just a fact of life, but we all know that change is inevitable. It comes to us all. Years ago, when my grandson Alex was around 5 or 6, my wife had the audacity to move some furniture around at our house. Alex came over and, visibly upset, told us to put it all back. Change can be good and bad but learning to roll with it and make the best of a situation is key. When we reopen St. Mary’s church in July, some will like the changes and some will not. Many will say, “I liked it the way it was”, while others will say, or even have said, that it was way past time to renew and update, to refresh God’s house. And let’s face it, you can’t ask for money or do fundraisers to improve our worship site and then do nothing about it. It makes people wonder where the money was going.

Our universal Church is undergoing some planned and some forced-upon changes because of the failure to protect the most vulnerable. It’s sad to say we are not alone; many other churches and institutions are doing the same because of the failure of leadership. I think we can see this unrest spread throughout the world.

We hear people of faith – whatever that faith is – profess to not believe in Hell or Purgatory. After all, why would a loving God punish His people this way? We have failed in our responsibility to explain or teach what we hold as truth, especially Catholics. When was the last time you heard a Priest, Deacon or minister say that we should pray for the souls of our loved ones? What we usually say, out of kindness, is that your loved one is in Heaven, and we all hope this is true. That’s why we offer Masses for our loved ones, just in case they need a little help. But only God knows where our loved ones are.

What would we think if, in next week’s bulletin, we see a notice that Purgatory is having a yard sale? Let’s sell the clutter! Or what if we see in the newspaper that Hell is for sale because no one goes there anymore? (I wish.)

As people of FAITH, we are called to know and teach our faith as it was handed down to us. May we be the best of teachers.

May God Bless You,

Deacon Ray

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