From the desk of Fr. Trinidad
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On December 25, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI wrote his first encyclical letter title Deus Caritas  Est (God is Love). Personally, I believe that this little church document, is one of the most beautiful and easiest encyclicals to understand. If you ever have a moment to reflect upon your life and the world that surrounds us, I strongly encourage you to read it. I decided to include the first paragraph of the opening introduction in this week’s bulletin. It describes perfectly the formula on how to become a saint and ultimately, reach our final destiny, our eternal dwelling place in heaven.
 
Pope Benedict writes: “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in  him” (1 John 4:16). These words from the First Letter of John express with remarkable clarity the heart of the Christian faith: The Christian image of God and the resulting image of mankind and its destiny. In the same verse, St. John also offers a kind of summary of the Christian life: “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.” In these words, the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea but the encounter with an event, a Person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction. St. John’s Gospel describes that event in these words: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should… have eternal life” (John 3:16).
 
I hope that as we celebrate All Saints day and All Souls, we can come to a deeper appreciation, of the greatest event, that has ever happened in human history, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only reason why we have existence, why we can come together as a community, why we can walk in one  faith, one hope and one love. Heaven is knowing that to be loved by God and loving others, gives us our very existence. Some may say the reaching of heaven is a lifelong uphill task, others may that trying to be holy is only for the saints. What I am certain of, is that for those of us who have a soul, Our Lord is slow to anger, kind of heart and merciful. Aim for heaven, but just in case we choose the bumpy road out of negligence or procrastination, there is always purgatory. Hopefully, some kindhearted soul will pray for us when we are there.
 
Pax et bonum
Fr. Trinidad

From a treatise on John by Saint Augustine, bishop

No one comes to me unless the Father draws him. Do not think that you are drawn against your will; the will is drawn also by love. We must not be afraid of men who weigh words but are far from understanding what belongs above all to divine truth. They may find fault with this passage of Scripture and say to us: “How can I believe of my own free will if I am drawn to believe?” I answer: “It is not enough that you are moved by the will, for you are drawn also by desire.”

What does this mean, to be drawn by desire? Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. The heart has its own desires; it takes delight, for example, in the bread from heaven. The poet could say: “Everyone is drawn by his own desire,” not by necessity but by desire, not by compulsion but by pleasure. We can say then with greater force that one who finds pleasure in truth, in happiness, in justice, in everlasting life, is drawn to Christ, for Christ is all these things.

Are our bodily senses to have their desires, but not the will? If the will does not have its desires, how can Scripture say: The children of men will find their hope under the shadow of your wings, they will drink their fill from the plenty of your house, and you will give them drink from the running stream of your delights, for with you is the fountain of life, and in your light we shall see light.

Show me one who loves; he knows what I mean. Show me one who is full of longing, one who is hungry, one who is a pilgrim and suffering from thirst in the desert of this world, eager for the fountain in the homeland of eternity; show me someone like that, and he knows what I mean. But if I speak to someone without feeling, he does not understand what I am saying.

You have only to show a leafy branch to a sheep, and it is drawn to it. If you show nuts to a boy, he is drawn to them. He runs to them because he is drawn, drawn by love, drawn without any physical compulsion, drawn by a chain attached to his heart. “Everyone is drawn by his own desire.” This is a true saying, and earthly delights and pleasures, set before those who love them, succeed in drawing them. If this is so, are we to say that Christ, revealed and set before us by the Father, does not draw us? What does the soul desire more than truth? Why then does the soul have hungry jaws, a spiritual palate as it were, sensitive enough to judge the truth, if not in order to eat and drink wisdom, justice, truth, eternal life?

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, that is, here on earth. They shall be satisfied, that is, in heaven. Christ says: I give each what he loves, I give each the object of his hope; he will see what he believed in, though without seeing it. What he now hungers for, he will eat; what he now thirsts for, he will drink to the full. When? At the resurrection of the dead, for I will raise him up on the last day.
 
Pax et bonum
Fr. Trinidad

                                                                                   From the desk of Fr. Kevin Waymel

​Brothers and Sisters,

You have heard in the announcements that we are looking for new members for the parish Pastoral Council. As I presume that many of you will be unfamiliar with the role of the Pastoral Council, I intend to elucidate the matter here. The council is a “representative body of parishioners which in collaboration with the pastor work toward consensus in discerning the mission, goals, and direction of the parish.” While the pastor is tasked with making decisions regarding parish life, decisions are best taken when well informed.  The Pastoral Council is able to bring ideas to the table, inform the pastor (especially if new) of certain aspects of the parish’s history, express concerns that parishioner may have, and help plan parish events. It really is a service that benefits both the pastor and the parish community, and when properly utilized can be a huge asset for a parish.
St. Albert’s has many competent people, and not just in a strictly academic sense. The most important characteristic a member of the parish council can have is love for God and a desire for His life to be communicated within the parish. This is much more important than organizational skills or preparing a great agenda for the year. The Pastoral Council needs to be concerned, first and foremost, with the local ‘flock,’ and helping the pastor (which means shepherd) tend the sheep (don’t feel insulted, it’s not me calling you a sheep, it’s God) (He calls me a sheep also).
And so, we need new members. Members tend to serve on the council for 3 years and every year   3-4 are added so there is a staggering of terms. Due to Covid, we are a bit off kilter and are looking for something like 9 new members. Some of those will be elected by parishioners. People who would like to participate in the council should email Isabel Gallegos (her email is on the cover of this renowned and prestigious publication). She will compile a list of everyone willing to serve and on Monday, November 8th we will have a meeting following the 5:30 Mass to elect the members from that group. There will also be some that I will ask to serve directly. I think this is important as it allows me to ask people who may never step forward, or who are less known to the parish community, people who may be ‘on the peripheries.’ I think it’s good to have the perspective of those who are not necessarily heavily involved with parish life. Most importantly, picking people directly allows me to exercise the great church tradition of nepotism, ensuring the continuation of the noble practice.
So, I ask you to think about whether God might be calling you to serve the parish in this way. You will be able to submit your name until November 1st, so there is time to ask the Lord what he thinks.

In Christ,
Fr. Kevin



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