Sometimes, Jesus’ teachings don’t seem to make practical sense. When we hear things like love your enemies and do good to them, turn the other cheek when struck, give to anyone who asks, do to others as you would have them do to you, be merciful, stop judging, forgive, and give to others, we get a bit unsettled. After all, it’s okay for God to do all of these things, but does He really want us to do them, too? Many good-hearted Christians really draw the line with some of these ideals and say, “No way!” They even remark that if someone did something hurtful to someone they loved, they would have no reservations seeking severe retribution. There is still this persistent thinking, even among those who consider themselves Christian, that a violent action deserves a violent response. Somehow, we continue to justify.
Yet, it is most clearly against the very grain of the Gospel. Part of our difficulty has more to do with understanding God’s love. We wrongly think that sinful or hurtful actions and evil people somehow are seen as lesser in God’s eyes. They are not. God loves the sinner as much as He does the saint. And, both of these inclinations exist in every human being, even those who consider themselves holy. Both the capacity for good and the disposition toward evil exist in every one of us. Viktor Frankl has this to
say when reflecting on the Holocaust: “Our generation is a realistic generation because we have learned what a human being really is. When all is said and done, man is that same creature who invented the gas-chambers of Auschwitz; but he is also that being who walked upright into those chambers with the prayer ‘Shema Yisrael’ on his lips.”
If we believe in God, we have to actlike God. Whether we like that idea is another issue. If we don’t then perhaps, we need to reconsider our faith and whether we really believe in Jesus Christ. We are made in the image of God, not the image of ourselves. The Christian must, at all costs, leave resentment and the need for retaliation behind, lose defensiveness and bring into the mind and heart the realization of who we represent in this world. ©LPi God delights in you. How do you feel when you hear that? Delight usually comes with an exuberant flow of joy that seemingly arises from one’s toes with the expression of great glee. Reflecting upon the deep measure of joy God has in us can be a source of joy for ourselves. Delight is infectious. A very young brother and sister were playing on the beach when the all too familiar ice cream truck made its daily rounds. The boy shook with excitement and delight as he took his sister’s hand and exclaimed, “The ice cream man is here, isn’t it great!” As they ran off toward the truck, one could hear the girl reply, “Yeah, I can’t wait!” The experience of a child’s delight in something so simple as ice cream, lifts our spirits from our burdens and transports us to the lighter, more innocent side of life.
Life is not meant to be a burden. Believe it or not, God actually wants us to be happy! In fact, the wedding feast at Cana shows us that God even puts His blessing on our happiness. It is okay to celebrate the wonder of ourselves and others. Life is good. It is always interesting to note that Jesus saves the good wine until last. You would think it would be the other way around. The superb quality of Jesus’ wine points to the superior quality of life we find in Christ. It is not a life of burdens but a life of wonder and delight! In Christ, we are lifted from the superficial and mundane to a life of purpose, hope, and love.
God is with us through the long haul, through the challenges and sorrows as well as the successes and accomplishments. In spite of the fact that we often wander from the path, God’s celebratory delight in us remains. As spouses are asked to remain faithful to each other through whatever life brings, God remains faithful too. This promise remains through this life and into the next. All we have to do is take the advice of Jesus’ mother to heart when she says, “Listen to him.” This wisdom saves us from foolishly giving in to the illusion that we can make better wine than Jesus. ©LPi
Con la fiesta de la Epifanía y el Bautismo del Señor se cierra el Tiempo de Navidad, que siempre es precedido por el Adviento. Ahora, comenzamos el Tiempo Ordinario. Serán siete domingos de este corto periodo, que termina el día anterior al Miércoles de Ceniza. La segunda etapa de este Tiempo es más larga, da comienzo después del domingo de Pentecostés y termina hasta el sábado antes del primer domingo de Adviento. ¿Para qué sirve a los cristianos este Tiempo Ordinario? ¿Qué nos pide la Liturgia de este tiempo? Pues, es muy sencillo, nos pide meditar en el misterio de Cristo. En su invitación de participar en su Reino con alegría y compromiso verdadero. La Iglesia tiene diversidad de carismas, donde podemos entregarnos al servicio de los demás.
Por ejemplo, hoy el Evangelio nos invita a participar junto con María y Jesús en las bodas de Caná. Y es ahí en esa boda, donde Jesús hace su primer milagro a petición de su Madre María. El diálogo de ambos viene a ser a causa de la falta de vino. Por lo tanto, los novios estaban en apuros por esta razón. Este relato es muy profundo, el hecho de que Jesús participa en la boda, tiene como significado la boda de Dios con la humanidad, que más adelante será la Sangre de Jesús derramada para la salvación de la humanidad. “Alegrémonos, regocijémonos démosle honor y gloria, porque han llegado las bodas del Cordero” (Apocalipsis 19,7). También, el profeta en la primera lectura lo pone claro: “No te llamaran más ‘Abandonada’, ni a tu tierra ‘Desolada’, sino que te llamaran ‘Mi Preferida’ y a tu tierra ‘Desposada’. Porque Yavé se complacerá en ti y tu tierra tendrá un esposo” (Isaías 62,4). ©LPi 
THE MANAGEMENT OF THE ASSETS
Summary: The parish ended last fiscal year in
the red. The SBA/Payroll Protection Plan loan from previous year assisted with some part of this fiscal year. Once again we were able to pay all of our Archdiocesan Obligations. The parish is working hard on maintaining a balanced budget. With your assistance with Sunday collections, we still came in 8.43% under budget. Through personal donations, we were able to pay off our consolidated 2014— 2017 loan to the Archdiocese. Not only are your donation of your talents or time needed, we need continued support in our weekly collections. Therefore, I am once again asking all parishioners who have not yet increased their weekly contributions to please consider a $1.00 per week increase. We currently have 1,898 parishioners. With an additional $1.00 per parishioner over the remaining 33 weeks in this fiscal year we would increase our total revenue by $62,634. With these additional funds and continued control of expenses we will be able to once again fulfill all of our Archdiocesan Obligations and be current with all of our everyday invoices.
With the help of all of you, we are continuing to reduce one of the operating loans. This past year collections were $10,543 reducing the balance to $119,440.
MAINTENANCE, SITE AND FACILITIES
With the unusual past year dealing with the pandemic, project still got completed. We were able to repave our Seymour Church parking lot and completed the St. Christopher parking lot wall. Just a reminder, we have projects on the horizon for our aging parish buildings. We need those of you who have not yet fulfilled your TTWCI pledges to please continue to fulfill your pledges. We can use those funds to help pay for upcoming projects. I appreciate all of your commitments to Santa Maria del Popolo and thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely, Rev.. Miguel Martinez, Pastor
EL MANEJO DE LOS ACTIVOS
VResumen: La parroquia terminó el año fiscal pasado en números rojos. El préstamo del Plan de Protección de Nómina / SBA del año anterior ayudó con parte de este año fiscal.
Una vez más pudimos pagar todas nuestras obligaciones Arquidiocesanas. La parroquia está trabajando arduamente para mantener un presupuesto equilibrado. Aun con las colectas dominicales, estuvimos un 8.43% por debajo del presupuesto. A través de donaciones personales, pudimos pagar a la Arquidiocesis nuestro préstamo consolidado 2014-2017. No se necesita solamente la donación de su tiempo y talento, también necesitamos su apoyo continuo en las colectas semanales. Nuevamente les pido a todos los feligreses que aún no han aumentado sus contribuciones semanales que consideren un aumento de $1.00 por semana. Actualmente tenemos 1,898 feligreses. Si cada feligrés aumenta su contribución con $1.00 durante las 33 semanas restantes de este año fiscal, aumentaríamos nuestros ingresos totales a $62,634. Con estos fondos adicionales y el control continuo de los gastos, podremos cumplir una vez más con todas nuestras obligaciones Arquidiocesanas y estar al día con todas nuestras facturas cotidianas.
Con la ayuda de todos ustedes, seguimos reduciendo uno de los préstamos operativos. Lo recaudado del año pasado fue de $ 10,543 reduciendo el saldo a $ 119,440.
MANTENIMIENTO DE LAS INSTALACIONES
Con el inusual año pasado lidiando con la pandemia, el proyecto aún se completó. Pudimos volver a pavimentar nuestro estacionamiento de la Iglesia sobre la calle Seymour y completamos la pared del estacionamiento de San Cristóbal. Solo un recordatorio, tenemos proyectos en el horizonte para nuestros edificios parroquiales que están envejeciendo. Necesitamos que aquellos de ustedes que aún no han cumplido con sus promesas de TTWCI por favor continúen cumpliendo sus promesas. Esos fondos se utilizan para ayudar a pagar los próximos proyectos. Agradezco su continuo apoyo y compromiso con Santa Maria del Popolo.
Atentamente, Rev. Miguel Martínez, Párroco 
