Labor Day: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Epiphany Family,

“God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.” This simple phrase I have heard repeated (and responded to) on retreats and elsewhere is a great reminder of God’s goodness and faithfulness. It is so easy to get bogged down by the challenges and crosses we face but God is in the midst of it all, especially through God becoming one of us in the person of Jesus. He came to live among us, entering into all we experience except for sin, and then to suffer, die, and rise that we might live through, with, and in Him. We are constantly invited to a deeper trust in God and His goodness, faithfulness, and love.

I would like to give you another reminder of our parish wide meeting on September 18th regarding our facilities with RCM architects from 2-4:30pm in the Cardinal Stritch gymnasium. God is with us as we take a closer look at the health of our facilities and living stones (us). He invites us to trust in Him and all the ways He wants to work in and through our lives and parish if we open ourselves to His will and the path He will lead us on. Come, Holy Spirit!

I came across this challenging and appropriate quote from Pope Francis recently: “A parish can no longer be focused on preserving a nostalgia of former times as opposed to looking to the future with courage….Without an outward focus, the parish runs the risk of becoming self-referential and fossilized … of interest only to small groups”. The Church is always called to be on mission. The glossary of the Catechism tells us that “the Church is missionary by its very nature, continuing the mission or work of Christ through the Holy Spirit, according to the plan of God”. With the challenge of the many physical stones we have among our three campuses, our people, the living stones built on the Living Stone of Jesus, have not been united, built up, nourished, and strengthened as we should to go out and share God’s love. “Be not afraid” Jesus often tells us in the gospels. He is good and faithful. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and His promises.

Please also plan to join us for our mission from September 26th through 29th with Richard Lane. You don’t want to miss it!

In Christ,
Father Eric