My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

During the celebration of Mass, we jubilantly proclaim, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” We follow in the footsteps of God’s people who journeyed across sea and dry land to settle as God’s dwelling place. We bless God and we are also blessed as we come in the name of the Lord! We gather as one people of God, united by His eternal love. But we don’t stop at receiving God’s love for in receiving, we are compelled to also give; to love one another as God loves each one. We are called to mark all times holy, lifting ourselves out of an inward view to see others as God’s perfection.

We celebrate in praise and thanksgiving for the many blessings we are given all the days of our lives. During the celebration of Mass, as we offer these prayers, God calls us to go forth and praise Him by our deeds, glorifying the Lord by our life. We use our resources to feed and clothe the poor, minister to women in crisis pregnancy centers or mow the grass of an elderly neighbor’s yard. We bring school supplies for those we serve in third world countries and our own country or offer a hug of God’s mercy and consolation when a person is lost or has experienced a loss; then we are blessed, who come in the name of the Lord. God’s love is the foundation, the source of all life. We acclaim all life is sacred from conception through natural death. We magnify the God-given gifts of people with disabilities through the ministry of Magnify of Central Florida.  We act as God’s children as we respect one another with the dignity of God. We are blessed who come in the name of the Lord!

God’s love is not only a blanket to wrap around our shoulders; God’s love is a blanket for us to enfold all His people throughout the earth. We dedicate this month of October to the treasure of our Diocesan Protectress, Mary, Mother of God. She places her mantle upon each one of us, leading to her Son, Jesus. Our heart stirs with her eternal message of listening to the Word of her Son and living the Word.

The human heart is always searching for a truth that can feed and satisfy its desire for happiness. As Christians, we know we are not satisfied by human words alone. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis says, “We always need a light from on high to illuminate our steps, living water that can quench the thirst of the deserts of the soul, consolation that does not disappoint because it comes from heaven and not from the fleeting things of the world . . . The word of the Lord asks us to change our gaze and allow our hearts to be transformed into the image of Christ’s heart.”

Sometimes we may feel we are inadequate or that what we do does not bear God’s fruit. St. Teresa of Kolkata said, “When we have nothing to give, let us give that nothing.” We are called to sow seeds of love; to unearth the darkness so that His light shines forth joyfully. These seeds of love nurtured through, with and in God will take root. Their yield will be goodness and peace. Their yield will be the perfection of the bond between heaven and earth, the expansion of God’s kingdom.

May God’s love be brought to perfection in us.