I was 16 years old on a youth group retreat in the mountains. One night, I opened my heart to the message being proclaimed: that God so loved the world that He sent His Son for us. Later, I lay under the pine trees and looked up at the countless stars. They seemed different. No longer cold, distant balls of chemical reac- tions, they appeared as an expression of God’s love, as if He were giving those stars directly to me. The truth of God sending His Son changed how I saw the whole universe.

If you’re asthmatic, you know the phrase “as natural as breathing” doesn’t always make a lot of sense. Maybe that’s because breathing isn’t always natural. Sometimes, it’s supernatural.

I come from a family of asthmatics. In my earliest childhood memories, my sister’s nose and mouth are covered with a bulbous plastic mask connected by clear tubes to her transportable nebulizer.

When I first read Homer’s Odyssey as a teenager, one scene captured my imagination: Odysseus finally returning home after 20 years, yet no one recognized him. Distinguished as a beggar, he speaks with his wife, his son and even his enemies. He is fully present, yet hidden. Only at the right moment does he reveal himself, and everyone realizes he has been with them all along. I was struck by the mystery that he could be so close to his loved ones, and yet they simply could not identify him.

Mini reflection: There is a reason Christ showed his wounds as he said the words, “Peace be with you.” It was not just a means of identifying himself — it was a catechism lesson. Here, he was saying. Here is the peace you will not find anywhere else.

Within Thy Wounds

The month of March and the first few weeks of April is a time of mixture: crocuses and snowflakes, new buds and dry leaves. Crosswinds blow both cold and warm. In early spring, we are heartened by the coming of spring and the disheartening trek to H&R Block to submit taxes! March and early April is that in- between time when we are not quite sure. We are caught in the middle of seasons…do I put away the snow shovels or bring out the deck furniture?

This weekend, I am happy to welcome our new Director of Music and Organist, Krishan Oberoi, to St. Mary Parish. Last October, I invited five parishioners to help me form a search committee for our next Director of Music and Organist.

Our first order of business was to create a job description and a job opening ad. After posting the ad, I received many applications, and from those applications, the committee and I invited four applicants for an interview.

Merry Christmas!

If you are joining us today for the first time, or if you are returning to church for the first time in a while, or you join us every weekend, welcome home. While you are here I hope you experience the joy and peace you’re searching for this Christmas. On behalf of the entire pastoral and support staff of St. Mary’s Parish I wish all of you and your families a Merry and Blessed Christmas.

Mini reflection: Advent is drawing quickly to a close, and Christmas is coming soon. The change is upon us. Do we rise to accept it, or do we fall on our faces in fear?

The First Transfiguration

I imagine Joseph waking up the morning after the dream, blinking in the dim half-light of the dawn.

Dear Friends,

As the book of Ecclesiastes tells us, there is a time for everything. It also reminds us that there is good news, and God is involved in all of it, the events, the changes and the transitions of life. I’m writing to you this weekend to inform you that our Music Director, Terry Kerr has decided to retire from ministry. His retirement will be effective, at the end of the Christmas Season.