The Most Important Thing We Do as a Parish Family of Faith

We begin another pastoral year at Saint Aloysius, and each of our many ministries extends an invitation to everyone. Every section of our weekly bulletin offers an opportunity to learn more about God and Christ and the history of salvation, to support one another in moments of challenge and grief, to encounter Christ in an Emmaus Retreat, to live married life with Christ at the center, to draw closer to Christ through Mary, to feed the hungry, to create hospitality for friends and strangers, to pray and work for the protection of life from conception to natural death, and to inspire one another with our commitment to Gospel living. Parish life is all encompassing and there are so many ways to live that life to the fullest at Saint Aloysius, but our real strength as a parish family comes from gathering at Mass. Witnessing the miracle at the altar and receiving the Body of Christ is really what makes us the Body of Christ and therefore our best selves.

Coming to Mass is a loving requirement of our Catholic Church because it helps form us into the disciples God wants us to be. It is where we encounter Christ in the Scripture, in the Blessed Sacrament, and in one another. God invites us each week to an exquisite encounter of Christ, His Son. Christ, who came to this earth as human and divine, knows what it’s like to be us and all that He desires is that we become more like Him. And having become more like Him, we can do anything He wants us to do. That will be life-giving for us and for everyone we encounter.

Many authors have written to complete this phrase: “If you want to be happy…”. By our baptism and participation in the life of the Church, we can take that a million steps higher and complete this phrase: “If you want to be holy…”. Here’s one possible completion: “If you want to be holy, be happy to come to Mass and learn to be more like Jesus.”

Please pray about how you will participate in the life of our parish family of faith this year, but more than anything, come to Mass and invite someone who’s been away to join you. You will be happier and holier than you could imagine.

See you at Mass!