30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear parish family and friends of St. Julia,

I have had the honour witnessing the marriage of a number of couples, and have been blessed to witness the excitement of welcoming a new life into this world.  When a baby is born, there are many emotions.  I have witnessed tears, laughter, hugs, relief, and joy.  It is an honour and it is indeed one of life's most significant and meaningful events.  Yet birth is not the ultimate goal.

At every baptism I find myself saying to the parents, next to the gift of life, the greatest gift you can give your child is the gift of faith.  This is a gift, and it is every parent's responsibility, in my opinion, to have their child baptized, and to raise their child in the faith, all for the salvation of that child's soul.  That is why I was ordained - for the salvation of souls.  Because birth is not the ultimate goal.  Birth is the beginning of an exciting journey.  Birth is the beginning of a life of promise, hope, and redemption.  A life of being open to God's plan and will for us.  Yes, there will be great successes along the way.  There will be some missteps too.  The ultimate goal, my friends, is nothing that can be found here on earth.  The ultimate goal is heaven.

When a life comes to its earthly end, the greatest gift you can give your loved one is a funeral in the church.  It is here where we pray for that soul, as that soul journeys from life here on earth to eternal life in heaven.  At funerals I have witnessed tears flow as they ease our sadness, yet I have also witnessed laughter, hugs, relief, and joy.  More times than not, the second reading is from our second reading this weekend from 2 Timothy:

I have fought the good fight. 
I have finished the race. 
I have kept the faith.

This is what the Christian life is all about.  It is my prayer that each of us will be able to utter these words in our heart from St. Paul when we are called home.

May God bless each of you and those that you love,

Fr. Greg