Hi All,
Updates:
1. Mass yesterday was offered for the repose of the soul of Barb Giroux (by Becky and Arlene Wright), and Mass this evening was offered for all of you, the parishioners.
2. As you know, we've moved into having Mass open to 5 people. The schedule is a little bit different from the normal schedule, so please reference this sheet to check and to sign up: https://docs.google.com/
Reflection
May 1, St. Joseph -- http://www.usccb.org/bible/
May 2, St. Athanasius -- http://www.usccb.org/bible/
Our saints for the past two days, St. Joseph and St. Athanasius, have an interesting connection between them. St. Joseph was the foster father of Jesus, and so witness to the divinity of Jesus. He was close at hand for the miraculous conception. His whole life was in service to the mission of the God-incarnate in the world.
The life of St. Athanasius, for his part, was in its entirety dominated by his insistence that Jesus was divine. From his early participation at the council of Nicea in 325 to his work as a priest and a bishop, he constantly promulgated the teaching. Even though the doctrine of Jesus' divinity was clearly stated at the council of Nicea, the Arians continued to spread the error that Jesus was not God, but only a creature. They taught there was a time when Jesus, God the Son, did not exist. According to them, only God the Father was really God and existed for all eternity. Jesus was created in time. But this was to deny the constant implication of Jesus himself in the Gospels that he is God, and would also throw into doubt the saving significance of Jesus' life. If Jesus was not God, said St. Athanasius, then how could he reconcile us with God? And so St. Athanasius was compelled to repropose continually the truth of the faith. This led to multiple run-ins with the Arians, who forced him into multiple exiles.
One account of a near miss shows the cunning and resourcefulness of St. Athanasius. He was fleeing Alexandria by boat on the Nile river, and his pursuers were close at hand. In a moment of inspiration, perhaps of divine grace, St. Athanasius directed his pilot to turn his boat around and face his pursuers. They quickly crossed paths with them. His pursuers asked them if they had passed any boats. St. Athanasius and co. truthfully answered that they had. The Arian pursuers asked them if they had seen Athanasius. "Yes we have," they said. Then St. Athanasius added, "In fact he is close at hand. Hurry on in pursuit!" Complete truthfulness, and perfect escape! Innocent as a dove and wise as a serpent.
So both saints, in their own way, dedicated their lives to the mystery of the incarnation: the mystery of God himself become man. Jesus is God in the flesh, God and man. This is the mystery around which our history revolves. Even our dating system indicates the fact. All history beforehand led up to it; all history after it radiates out from it.
May we live our lives ever more in tune with the great mystery of our salvation, the mystery of God made man.
God bless you all!
Fr. Rensch