by Fr. Michael
Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.
We are continuing our Stewardship Renewal as a parish, where we are inviting every member of our parish to examine how they are using their time, talent and treasure in response to Jesus’ invitation to be His disciple. Are we living as disciples of Jesus in an intentional, generous way? I know many people (myself included!) who have spent a lot more
time on Netflix shows or reading-infuriating news reports online than time spent with the Lord in prayer. Many of us (me again!) can spend a lot more money on passing fads and pleasures than we do on supporting the work of the Church and helping the poor. The point of our stewardship renewal is that all of us become much more intentional about what we are giving to the Lord, because if we are not intentional, we will give Him our leftovers, if anything at all.
Today our message is the “Path of Discipleship” that Jesus invites Peter, the apostles and us to walk with Him. It is a difficult path. It involves renunciation and sacrifice. It is the opposite of the “me-first” mentality that our culture swims in. But there is no better way to live than to follow Jesus with our whole heart and mind. Today we are invited to take a deeper step in our path of discipleship by signing up for the upcoming Encountering Christ Retreat (September 15
th and 16
th) and helping one friend who
needs a life-changing encounter with Jesus to sign up as well. Together as we walk this path of discipleship we will become more and more the people that God has called us to be, a
Parish family, fully alive in Christ: setting the world ablaze!