Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
As we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King we bring our liturgical year to a close, and what a year it has been. As I consider the many unprecedented happenings of this past year, I am also reminded that nothing is unprecedented for God. We hear in the Gospel today that God’s Kingdom, the Kingdom we hope to inherit, was made for us before the foundation of the world. This is our all-powerful God, our God who made the heavens and the earth, who knew us before we were in our mother’s womb, and desires to know us more deeply each year of our lives. We hear in the first reading that God makes Himself our shepherd. He promises to seek us out when we are scattered, to lead us out of the cloudy darkness, and to heal our wounds.
God’s mercy and love is a free gift to all humanity. God is always ready to shepherd us towards His Kingdom. In the Gospel Jesus helps us to understand our path to that Kingdom, and our responsibility to one another. Jesus asks us to care for Him as God cares for us, in the person of the poor, the hungry, the stranger, the prisoner. This Gospel teaching is a foundation of Catholic social teaching and inspires much of what we as faithful disciples are called to do in the world. When we see Jesus in our brothers and sisters in need and work to meet that need we are indeed building the Kingdom of God on earth.
It may be cloudy and dark at the moment in our world, but we know that our God is at work, seeking the lost, bring back those who have strayed, healing the sick and injured. If we feel lost, we need only listen for His voice, calling us back to Him. We may hear that voice from an unexpected source, from someone who is hungry, someone who is a stranger or a prisoner. I invite you to join me this week in opening our eyes, our ears, and our hearts to hear and see their need, Jesus’ need, and whenever we can, taking action.
I wish you and your loved ones continued blessings of good health, renewed hope, and profound peace,
Fr. Paul
Please take a moment to read our Carmel Mission weekly bulletin.