ANNUNCIATION

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus is nearing the end of his journeys with his disciples. Soon after these events, he will turn towards Jerusalem to face his Passion. He is beginning to pull his Apostles aside for intimate moments, revealing more deeply his heart, teachings, and mission on earth.

Vác thập giá của mình không chỉ "vào giờ chết" mà thôi, nhưng "ngay từ bây giờ". Trong cái "ngay bây giờ" của những mối tương quan giữa con người với nhau. Không những dấn thân vì chính nghĩa lớn lao, như việc cứu rỗi thế giới, hoặc phát huy nhân phẩm, nhưng sống hằng ngày với việc mang niềm vui, đến cho những kẻ vì đau khổ, mà trở nên gắt gỏng với những người chung quanh; nâng đỡ những người thiếu tình yêu thương, giúp những kẻ bị ruồng rẫy, bị bỏ rơi, tìm lại được phẩm giá của họ.

Winter can be depressing. Depending on where you live in the country, you may not get to see the sun for two or three months. It can be bone-chillingly cold and there is little sign of life except for the brave neighbors who shovel their driveways. The days are short and dark, the trees are lifeless, and we don’t hear children playing outside or birds chirping. It can be so desolate. Carrying our cross is often a “winter” for our soul. It can be challenging, lonely, and feel never-ending. The hope that we have in Christ is for the springtime that is to come. We carry our cross and accept death to ourselves so that we can experience the Resurrection with him. The budding of flowers and leaves on the trees, the warmth of the sun, and life coming to bloom again. But in order to experience this beautiful springtime, we must first go through the trial of winter.

If you’ve been tracking our progress toward meeting our goal of $57,833 for this year’s Archdiocesan Together in Mission drive, you’ll see that we have been steadily moving closer to that number. Thank you to those of you who are receiving monthly invoices from the Archdiocese and who are making payments toward fulfilling their pledges. If you need to “catch up”, we encourage you to do so. Please remember that if we fall short of our required assessment by the end of the drive, the parish will be billed for the difference. If we all do our part by paying our pledged amount, it will reduce the need to use funds that we would be able to allocate to needed projects here at Annunciation.