From The Pastor's Desk - November 24, 2024

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

The last Sunday of the Church’s annual calendar is dedicated to Christ, the King of the Universe. At each of our baptisms, the minister smeared chrism on the crown of our head in the form of a cross, thereby making us partakers of Christ’s kingly, priestly, and prophetic offices. As Christ is the King of all creation, so we share in his kingship through our baptism.

One way in which we share in Christ’s kingship is by living ordered lives. In our fallen state, it is easy for us to allow the passions to overrule our intellect and reason. A theologian once said, “If we do not behave the way we think, then we begin to think the way we behave, and then thinking ends.” In other words, reason infused by faith should dictate our behaviors. If that does not happen, our behaviors will end up skewing our reason, and we end up swamped in the capital sins of envy, lust, anger, etc. Through grace and our own efforts, reason guided by faith rules over the passions. It is not that the passions are bad—anger, sadness, excitement, etc., are all part of God’s creation. But in a person who rules over his interior life well, reason sees what is good or prudent and directs the will to choose those things. The passions aid the will in moving it towards what is right and good. Each of us experiences interior disorder to some extent, and it should be our task to govern wisely and in right order our thoughts, decisions, and actions so that they accord with the natural and divine laws.

I hope that you have a blessed Thanksgiving, and that the holiday is an opportunity for you to pause and reflect on the blessings you have in your life. God loves us infinitely and blesses us abundantly, and Thanksgiving gives us the chance to bless and thank him in return.

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is “Giving Tuesday,” and I ask you to keep our parish in mind as you consider making a donation this year. We would like to put the finishing touches on the kitchen in the parish hall. This involves buying appliances such as a warming oven, industrial dishwasher, microwave, and refrigerator. Your donations will go towards completing the refurbishing of the parish hall kitchen.

In Christ,

Fr. Dave