Pastoral Impressions…

Faith is an essential part of our lives as disciples. St. John Paul II says in Fides et Ratio that faith is an exercise of true freedom; it is how “freedom reaches the certainty of truth and chooses to live in that truth.” (13) 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is unable to work miracles in his hometown due to the lack of faith that people have in him. Perhaps, we are not all that different. You and I sometimes put God in a box, thinking that we know all there is to know about Him. We may even think that God is disinterested in our lives, that He is angry with us, or that He is seeking to punish or reprimand us. However, that is never the case. God loves you and I profoundly. If God seeks to correct us, He does so as a parent does a child. As a result, all God asks is that we love Him back with all that we are, and choose Him in all things. 

In our weaknesses and failings, we are asked to remember what St. Paul teaches us in the second reading, namely that “power is made perfect in weakness.” In our prayer at Mass this weekend, may we place all our shortcomings at the foot of the Cross. Jesus knows what we need, and if we remain with him in faith, he will deliver us.
​
Congratulations to Fr. John Ferguson! Last weekend Fr. John Ferguson was ordained to the priesthood at St. Paul Cathedral by Bishop David Zubik. This weekend Fr. John Ferguson will celebrate the 11:30 a.m. Mass at St. Thomas More Church. Following Mass, there will be a   reception for Fr. John in the Family Life Center where he will offer first blessings to all who attend. Everyone is most welcome to attend. Fr. Ferguson has been assigned to St. Isidore the Farmer Parish, which encompasses six churches in Allegheny and Washington Counties. We are grateful for our time spent with John!