From our Pastor, Fr. Chas Canoy…
Dear Parish Family,
“CHRIST IS RISEN!” I so wish that we were celebrating together in person, so that I could hear you exclaim in response, “HE IS RISEN INDEED!” That sadly will not be until May, as you may have heard the diocesan announcement that the suspension of public Masses has been extended through Thursday, April 30.
But take heart! What we celebrate in this Easter season assures us that a new and resurrected life will result from our own time “in the tomb.” You can be assured of this: The Resurrection of Jesus leads to the Resurrection of His Church! Jesus is our head, and the Church is his Body; his Resurrection includes our own!
Despite the suffering this pandemic has unleashed, both upon our physical and emotional health, as well as the livelihood of so many, God cannot be outdone by such evils! He can bring good even out of the tragic situations and choices that humanity has made. In fact, this is the central mystery that we celebrate in this Holy Week and Easter season! God the Son took all the horror that the Evil One and fallen humanity could dish out, and he not only persevered and conquered it, but he made it the source of our own salvation and eternal glory for all who believe!
We as God’s people participate in that victory by our own perseverance in living a life of union with God, no matter what the world throws at us. While those trials may not be easy, with his power and the life of the Holy Spirit within us, we cannot be defeated. As an Easter people, let us stake our very lives on this truth. God’s goodness and love cannot be vanquished, but conquers all in the end!
Gird your loins, then, people of God! Pray daily, cultivate your capacity to hear God’s voice in your life, and lead those in your household to the sure and certain hope that you hold in your own
heart! We as your parish staff have worked to provide you the aids and resources you need to go deep in your relationship with God and to share that hope with the people around you. Have you
taken advantage of them? Here is a sampling of all those efforts:
- You may have noticed how our online presence has increased exponentially in order that you may have access to those opportunities.
- Fr. Chas and Fr. Brian have been in virtual contact with you regularly through Holy Mass, the rosary and other prayer opportunities, and simply to share their quarantined life with you via livestreams and social media.
- Our Parish Life and Faith Formation team in Shayne, Todd, Angel, and Clare are available to meet with you virtually through Zoom, by telephone, or by email to give you personalized guidance.
- Our regular email newsletter on Thursday, our website, our Facebook page, myParish App, and our weekly bulletin have kept you informed and connected with God’s family and have recommended the best of online content for growth in your faith journey with the Lord. Call it bespoke spiritual guidance!
- The calls from our Parish Representatives are gathering your prayer intentions and surveying the needs of our parishioners to see what we can do collectively to support one another!
So be encouraged! We may be experiencing a sense of suffering and death at this present time, but for those who unite this to our Lord’s own Passion and Death, this is preparing for us a much greater glory yet to be revealed! I am confident of this. And so let us prepare ourselves in the Upper Room as we fill ourselves this Easter season more and more with the Holy Spirit of the Resurrected Lord!
Your homework: share with me via email to info@saintjohnjackson.org in one page or less either: 1) your testimony or faith journey with the Lord or 2) how your faith and spiritual life has been sparked or deepened during these last few weeks. Please share words that you would not mind being shared, whether with your name or anonymously. I hope to share excerpts of these in some regular fashion online, as a way to spread “good news” until we all are joined together once again in the house of the Lord!
Blessed to be your Pastor,
Fr. Chas Canoy