John answered them all, “I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, … he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Luke 3:16
The Baptism of the Lord. The Catholic Catechism states that “Jesus’ immersion in the water is a sign for all human beings of the need to die to themselves to do God’s will.” In other words, as baptized Catholics there is only one gift that we need to give to Jesus – the gift of ourselves. Surrender yourself to God, place your trust in Him and allow the Holy Spirit to work through you for the greater glory of God.
How was your first week of the new year? happy? holy? how about those new year’s resolutions? bah humbug. After all these years, my confession is that i’m still working on eating a healthy balanced diet of broccoli. At least my Pittsburgh Penguins are 10 and 0.
Please mark your calendars for our next Pastoral and Finance Councils, January 26th and January 27th, respectively. As we prepare the Annual Report, please let me know if you would like to share a Faith Story with us – how God is active in your life. As we continue to engage in the mission and grow the Catholic Faith in our communities, I would like to thank everyone who continues to share their gifts, talents, and treasures.
Thank you especially for Wayne McDonnell, and Melanie Sonnel, for their five years of service on the St. Finnan’s Finance Council. Let’s continue to pray for them and their families, as they look at different ways to serve our community. Also, welcome to Terry Koronewski, new member of our Finance Council, and Suzanne Joly Richer, our new bookkeeper for both St. Finnan’s Basilica, and Maison Shalom House. A special thank you to Cameron and Janice McCormick for their years of service to Maison Shalom House as well. Though they may no longer part of the staff, however, they continue to be active members of our parish community. Come Holy Spirit, as we discern new ways to grow the Faith in our parishes, and in our families.
This weekend concludes the Christmas Season and brings us to the beginning of Ordinary Time. We should use this time to see how God brings order to the time that we are in. This weekend’s Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is a great initial event for this ordered time, reminding us of our identity as children of God, as sons and daughters of the Father. God bless you. Have a great week. Peace.
