A Letter from Father David

My dear parishioners,

Every year at Christmas we reflect in a deeper way on the great mystery of the Incarnation, that beautiful Christian mystery of God taking on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. Two thousand years ago God took on a human nature and came to dwell among us. In and through Jesus, God was seen, heard and touched by all those around him.

Two thousand years later, the physical presence of Jesus is still with us through the beautiful Christian mystery of the Eucharist. At Mass, at communion, in the tabernacle, Jesus dwells in a most profound and spectacular manner. Jesus is alive and truly present body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Holy Eucharist like He was in the manger so long ago.

What if the shepherds and the wise men simply worshipped Him from afar, without coming into His physical presence? They would have lost out on the special, superabundance of grace that comes to all who come in contact with Him personally and physically. Faith and love drew them to the manger. There is nothing like physical contact with the ones that we love.

In the same way, we too could just worship Jesus “from afar” without coming into His true, physical presence in the Eucharist at Mass, in communion, and in the tabernacle, but then we lose out on the extraordinary graces that are offered to us in His sacred body and blood.

Many people around the world have stopped attending Mass for one reason or another including our own corner of the world in Mason and Fulton Counties. I would like to invite everyone back to church this Christmas and beyond. In the New Year, let’s let faith be our guide, not fear. Let’s let devotion fuel our decision making and not comfort and convenience.

As your Pastor, I miss seeing you and praying with you on Sundays and special feast days. My vocation is to nurture you with the sacraments above all the Eucharist. We need Jesus more than ever. I hope that faith and love draw you to Christmas Mass this year to worship in the flesh the infant Jesus truly alive among us. You all remain in my daily thoughts and prayers.

Merry Christmas! ~ Fr. David