Maranatha- Come Lord Jesus!
Maranatha – Come Lord Jesus.
Hope you all are having a beautiful Thanksgiving week with your family and friends as I bring the spirit of Thanksgiving to the Alberta region of Canada, visiting the CFIC priests and our mission in this area. Today we begin a new year in the liturgical calendar. The reason why the liturgical year ends and begins with the same theme is clear: if we have already embraced Jesus in His first coming, we will have no fear of His second coming.
Advent is the season of special preparation and expectation for the coming of Christ. It encourages us to examine our lives, to reflect on our need for God to enter our lives and to prepare earnestly for, and eagerly await the coming of Christ. It always feels strange to begin Advent in November. But the stores are already decorated for Christmas, so why not? I hope the department stores won’t think we’re trying to spoil their party by injecting a little religion into this busy season of the year.
Today we begin our yearly pilgrimage through the events of our history of salvation starting with the preparation for the birthday celebration of Jesus and ending with the reflection on His glorious “second coming” as judge at the end of the world. We are entering the Advent season. Advent means “coming.” We are invited to meditate on Jesus’ first coming in history as a baby in Bethlehem, his daily coming into our lives in mystery through the Sacraments, through the Bible and through the worshipping community and finally His Second Coming at the end of the world to reward the just.
We see the traditional signs of Advent in our Church: violet vestments and hangings and the Advent wreath with four candles. These signs remind us that we must prepare for the rebirth of Jesus in our hearts and lives, enabling Him to radiate His love, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness around us. We need to be alert and watchful while spiritually preparing for Christmas by offering our daily work to God for His glory, by practicing more self-control by resisting our evil habits and inclinations, by seeking reconciliation daily with God and our fellow-humans, and by asking God’s forgiveness as we extend our forgiveness to those who have hurt us. Let us begin each day by praying for the strength and power of the Holy Spirit to prepare ourselves for Jesus’ rebirth in our hearts and lives.
Upcoming transition at Blessed Sacrament Church
My dearest parishioners of Blessed Sacrament church; finally, it is the time for the transition which we all have been anticipating. Though hard, I believe it is a good time for me to move to my next mission. It has been a great honor and joy for me to be the pastor of this wonderful parish for the last three years and six months. I always enjoyed your cordiality, friendship and generous support to me, and it was indeed a blessing for me to be at this parish. For me, coming to Blessed Sacrament church was a very easy transition and smooth functioning of three plus years. It is only because of your incredible support and cooperation.
As you may remember, I was planning to move towards the end of last June, but it was extended. I am still the responsible person for my religious order in North America. CFIC in North America is present in Canada, USA and Mexico, serving in seven Archdioceses or dioceses. As the number of priests, communities and missions are growing, my responsibility becomes a bit more demanding and challenging. Therefore, after several months of prayerful discernment with proper consultations with the concerned authority, I am sorry to inform you that I have submitted my resignation as the Pastor of Blessed Sacrament church to Archbishop Bernard Hebda. But I will continue as the pastor till December 31st, 2021. I am planning to continue to stay in our CFIC community in Bloomington for the near future and focus completely on the functioning of the Order. Archbishop has appointed Fr. Jimmy Mathew Puttananickal, CFIC, as the new pastor of Blessed Sacrament starting January 1st, 2022. Please join me in welcoming Fr. Jimmy as your new pastor for the new year and please continue to offer the same support and collaboration to him that you have been extending to me.
I am truly indebted to you all for your friendship, cordiality and generous and kind support. Surely, I am going to miss you all as the members of this wonderful parish. You will be in my thoughts and prayers always. I am sure that we will have chances to come together and share our joy and friendship in the future.
With gratitude and prayers;
Fr. Benny Mekkatt, CFIC