FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
Dear Beloved St. Mary’s Parishioners,
A constant theme throughout the Bible is God’s love for humanity. He created us out of love, for love. The Book of Genesis revealed that you and I are created in God’s “image and likeness.” Now, if this is true, it begs the question: what is God? This is where the beauty and power of Christianity comes in and why I love our Catholic faith. We proclaim that God is a trinity! God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is three persons, but one God. It's a great mystery that’s difficult to fully comprehend. To put it another way, God is a communion of love (Cf. 1 John 4:7). The Father loves the Son. The Son loves the Father. And the love between them is the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if the deepest truth of God is a Holy Trinity of love, you and I are created in the image of love itself. The meaning of our life is ultimately found only in love. Is it any wonder, when Christ describes his love his Church, he uses the analogy of a husband loving wife? “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Cf. Ephesians 5:25).
This beautiful reality leads to another critical question, how do we remain in the love of the Trinity? Jesus tells us how in this Sunday’s Gospel: “If you keep me commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love” (John 15:9-10). Remaining in the love of God means submitting our lives to the will of God. With that being said, effective July 1st, I am sad to announce that Bishop Soto has transferred Fr. Reji to Anthony’s Parish Mount Shasta, the northern part of our diocese. For us priests, moving parishes is one of the hardest parts of our ministry. We truly grow to love the people we serve, making leaving any parish assignment a heart-piercing experience. However, when we are ordained, we make a solemn promise to go wherever the bishop decides to send us. Our life is not our own. We belong to Christ.
In his place, please join me in welcoming Fr. Carlos Aviles Canton, a priest from Managua, Nicaragua. He has been exiled from his homeland because the current president has launched a fierce persecution against the Catholic Church in that country. Any priest or bishop that dares speak against the oppressive government are being thrown in jail, expelled from the country or worse. As priests, we strive to follow Christ wholeheartedly out of love. No government, whether it's the Roman Empire of old, King Henry VIII of England, the Nazi Regime, or Communist China, can force us to deny our faith in Jesus Christ. Before Fr. Reji departs, we will announce a parish celebration to send him off and a welcome party for Fr. Carlos. More details to follow!
A Slave of Jesus Christ,
Fr. Brian J. Soliven
