Blessed Are You!

How did Jesus lay the foundation for the largest continually existing human institution ever? By the wisdom and love that flowed through everything He said and did, and in a way which was rather unconventional. His unconventional wisdom is expressed in today’s gospel passage when He declares that those who are normally seen as unfortunate are actually blessed. 

“Blessed are you who are poor… you who are now hungry… you who are now weeping… when people hate you… exclude and insult you… your reward will be great in heaven (Luke 6: 20-22)”  

Are these the kind of people that a leader would recruit to build an enduring empire? Initially they might be consoled initially to gather for a large group pity party while placing their hope in “pie in the sky when you die.” But that kind of religion cannot last for long. 

The unconventional wisdom of the beatitudes sets the direction for the rest of Jesus’ unconventional teaching and life. Eventually, in the light of His death, resurrection, ascension and sending of the Holy Spirit, His wisdom emerges. The Church comes to birth not only from the hope of heaven, but also from the experience of the Kingdom of God in our midst (cf. Luke 17:21). We are called through our poverty into the kingdom of God, which is already among us, but not yet fully realized. Our religion has endured for 2000 years because it not only offers people hope for the future, but also a glimpse or a taste of the kingdom of God here and now. 

Yet after surviving all the tempests of the past, what would it take for the “Bark of Peter” to become stagnant, waterlogged, and sink into a pile of lifeless fossils? One generation. We who carry the light of faith must pass it on to the next generation, or else… 

Our love of God and love of neighbor motivates us to pass on the light of faith. As we do so, remember this: God made everyone as a candle with a wick that is meant for the light of faith. He made us all for Himself. So, as you share your faith and love with another, look for their wick. They may try to hide it from you, but it is there, and when they are tired of being without the light, they will expose their wick and God may use you to ignite it.

Thanks to everyone in our parish who gives of their time, talent and treasure to share the light of faith with other people. God is using us all and our ministries to help bring people hope for the future and life more abundantly now. You may perceive that good things are happening at IHM, but do you ever wonder about the numbers? Below is one way that we have quantified our growth by comparing numbers from the calendar years 2023 and 2024.   

Registered Families / Households	up by	74	to	5,369
Average Weekend Mass Attendance	up by	305	to	2,185
Children & Youth	up by	105	to	380
Adults	up by	200	to	1805
Infant Baptisms	up by	6	to	48
Children Baptisms (1-17)	up by	18	to	68
Adult who became Catholics	up by	9	to	25
First Communions	up by	3	to	140
Confirmations	up by	24	to	161
Weddings	up by	11	to	37
Anointings of the Sick	up by	14	to	160
Funerals	up by	13	to	81
Confessions	certainly up by, God knows how many!

 
Our parish is certainly not stagnant. We are focusing on the mission to proclaim the greatness of the Lord and accompany our neighbors to the Heart of Jesus. We are passing the light of faith in some unconventional ways. Thanks for your continued support of the mission. Blessed are you!