FOURTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

Dear Parishioners and Friends of Holy Family Parish:

In today’s Gospel, we have the continuation of Luke's Gospel and we see that many took exception in the idea that Jesus was the Messiah. Moreover, they could not believe what they heard because Jesus used specific known facts about prophets who cured non-Jews. His message was to advise them that they were not the only nation God loved. This angered them so much so that they drove Him out of the synagogue. In fact, the message of Jesus was that He came to save all na-tions. He calls us to be prophets of our own time calling to all people who would hear to embrace the Good News. More-over, we as Christian-Catholics although we say we have the fullness of truth are also called to be prophetic in that truth and not act as though we are the only ones loved by God. To do so, would be rather arrogant and presumptuous to say the least. The core of the Gospel is the revelation that God became what we are so that we can better understand what God is and grasp what God is about: love, forgiveness, compassion, justice, and peace. To speak as a prophet and to listen as a prophet demands the honesty and courage to confront exactly who we are and our need for change and re-creation in the love of God.

We are in need of a generous volunteer to assist with the opening of the church for the 7:00 a.m. Mass. Mr. Bernal who has been doing this for us so for many years felt that it is time for him to hand on the reigns to someone younger and a bit more healthier. We would also need someone to set up for the Mass since he used to do this and we currently have no longer to replace him other than your pastor. Please speak to me or to Mrs. Cordova to offer yourself as a volunteer in this effort. Thank you for your attention in this request.

I would like to thank Mrs. Lorena Dore and Mr. Marc Ochoa for their willingness to assist our finance council. I would like to thank Mr. Kelly Copeland and Mr. Mike Mohr for their many years of assistance to our finance council and wish them all the best. The primary role of a finance council is to assist me in ensuring that we are on top of our parish budget and that funds are being managed properly. Again, thank you to Mrs. Dore and Mr. Ochoa I am confident they will be a valuable asset to our parish finance council.

As you know we have been looking into the repairs of the roof and A/C I am happy to report that our finance council has deliberated on the three proposals and we have come up with a reasonable solution to fixing of the roof. We will use Roof USA to fix some of the damage they found without having to totally replace the entire roof. However, the A/C is a bit more problematic as there has to be some more technical replacements of the actual system with regards to the gas system and some parts to accommodate the new EPA regulations for freon usage. The A/C proposal will have to be taken to the Corporate board as this is a more involved expense which will need their approval.

Speaking of the Corporate board of directors, I am happy to welcome Mrs. Karen Messing as the new secretary. She will be assisting us with ensuring that all the paperwork is properly filed and that all the notes are taken. Thank you Karen for saying yes.

Lastly, I wanted to let you know that I am in Portland, Oregon visiting our college seminarians of the diocese of Tucson. Moreover, it is a time for me to get some rest from all the busy activities of Christmas. I will be staying at the Carmelite priory next to the seminary getting in some silence and prayer. Please pray for me and the seminarians. See you all when I get back.