Fr. Michael’s Message

“Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony…”

As November steamrolls into Thanksgiving and it seems Christmas is right around the corner (Christmas decorations? Already?!), our readings begin to turn towards the conflict that is at the center of the universe.

It is not a conflict between liberals and conservatives, democrats and republicans, or LSU fans and Alabama fans. It is the cosmic struggle between good and evil.

As followers of Jesus, we have an enemy, one who doesn’t eat or sleep and who has been doing this for a very long time. Our enemy, the devil, wants to undermine our relationships and destroy our faith.

The power of testimony

The response that we should be leaning into in the midst of this battle is to share our testimony. One of the pillars of our parish, Connect groups is that every person has a story, and we are given the opportunity to share that story with others. How God has impacted our lives, how we have struggled in moments of trial and suffering to live our faith, how God has shown Mercy to us in our brokenness.

The sharing of a testimony has tremendous power to heal and encourage those who hear it. I think we should be praying for opportunities on a daily basis to share our testimony.

Church rebuild

As our parish continues the long slow process of rebuilding, there have been some signs of hope recently.

We are hoping and praying for the ceiling and floors to be finished in the next month inside the Church so that we can (please God!) be back inside for Christmas Masses. There are a lot of moving pieces for that to be a reality, but please keep this whole process in prayer!

God bless you and have a wonderful week!