From our Parish Administrator, Father Sinoj Pynadath:

1. God’s design is wholesome! Our faith shall help us to have a wholesome understanding of the reality of the world and life. The two miracles in the Gospel this Sunday – healing of a woman who suffered from a chronic bleeding disease and raising Jairus’ daughter from death – reveal that Jesus wills life and wills it in fullness. God’s will for us is to have the fullness of life, a wholesome life. And He is kind, generous and compassionate to grant us healing and graces provided we trust in Him and confess our faith through our lives. Our sufferings and imperfections shall become the means by which we are guided to the providence of God to be made whole by His blessing. Life has a strange way of evening things up. Therefore the differences in life shall be seen as the providential part of the wholesome design of God. This truth shall help us to be patient with the sufferings and confusions we face and take them in faith to Christ who accepts us as we are and will revive us to fullness, wholeness and holiness. This wholesome design of God shall be in our minds as we prepare to celebrate our Nation on July 4^th. We as a “united” nation have an identity in ourselves to live the wholesomeness of life and society. The differences and variety of us shall not be a cause of division and non-integration. Let us rise to the design of God, revealed through our ancestors, to be united and complementing each other to strive to bring everyone together to the fullness of meaning and prosperity

2. Habitat for Humanity is one of the many Social Outreaches of our Parish. You may have seen the envelopes for this in the tithing packet for May and June. So far we have collected $2,069 this year. We thank you for your contributions. We appreciate our Social Concerns Committee for being the ambassadors of our parish in this ministry. I encourage you to participate in this outreach that would help build a shelter for someone in our town. You can give anytime this year through WeShare.

3. Great Apostles: On June 29 we celebrate the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. The Tradition of celebrating the Feast of these “princes of Apostles” together is very significant because we know that they both disagreed frequently in various matters of faith practices. Though they followed different courses in life, they were united in following Christ and witnessing to Him by their martyrdom. Therefore paring them together is to be seen as Divine Wisdom to help us understand wholesome design of God in the differences in the Church. Peter’s papacy would not have progressed to its fullness without the challenges posed by Paul. May they help us to broaden our hearts! The Church they toiled and died for is much more broad, deep, open and inclusive than we can comprehend. The sufferings, imperfections and differences are nothing in comparison to the call to witness to Christ who has promised eternal reward to those who love and serve Him. St. Thomas is another example of difference in witnessing to Christ. His doubt did not distance himself from Christ, rather his questions and desire to see Christ helped him to make a complete surrender and confess in fullness “My Lord! My God!” His conviction and faith strengthened him to make long travels to India to spread the Good News and be martyred for Christ. Our doubts and questions shall be considered as the means of a revelation of the mystery of God’s design. Let our doubts and questions lead us closer to the truth in Christ. We celebrate the Feast of St. Thomas on Saturday July 3^rd.