Welcome Back and Happy Grandparents' Day

09-08-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. James Aboyi

Welcome Back to the Religious Education Programs

I welcome our children, parents and Catechists back from summer break to the 2019/20 Religious Education Programs. Special welcome to the new families who are joining our RE programs this year. Classes will start for all grades this week. I thank our Faith Formation staff and volunteer leaders for their commitment to help our children grow in the faith. This year, we are blessed with twelve new volunteers, for a total of 56 Catechists and Core Leaders!

Happy Grandparents’ Day

I wish all grandparents in our community a Happy Grandparents’ Day and God’s blessings as we celebrate the Grandparents’ Day this weekend. One of the most exciting blessings in life is to live to see one’s grand- and great-grandchildren. The roles of grandparents are becoming increasingly crucial in our time than ever before. This is mostly because grandparents bring stability to families, especially as parents are often increasingly busy with dual career demands, education, long-hours jobs, out of town commitments, etc. Naturally, grandparents have a kind of unique connection with their grandchildren that strengthens the family bond in a special way.

Generally, children easily see their grandparents as role models in everything. For this reason, grandparents who have strong faith and prayer lives often make a big impact on the faith formation of their grandchildren. Many people have told me, they can easily recall Bible stories, songs and moral guidance given to them by their grandparents, than they do from other people. I encourage grandparents to take advantage of the opportunity they have in their relationship with their grandchildren to help them develop their faith, conscience, citizenship behavior and life skills.

Reflection on the Gospel

Jesus says in the Gospel today, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” We know he does not literally mean we must hate our loved ones as measure of our discipleship. Rather, he is simply saying that following him may cost us, even that which seems the most valuable to us in life. He uses the illustrations of how a builder calculates his plans to ensure the completion of his construction, and how a king strategizes his battle plan to calculate his chances of success, to communicate the seriousness of the choice to choose Him, or not, as a matter of life and death. Many Catholics are in danger of not taking this message seriously when we seek to eliminate the cross from our lives and settle for a faith that is essentially private and limited to minimal sacramental participation.

Thank you and Remain Blessed.

Fr. James