5th Sunday of Easter

Dear Parishioners, 
As you well know, the readings at Sunday Masses have been carefully chosen and arranged for each week for our benefit and our spiritual growth. The words contained in these readings are divinely inspired, with the words of Jesus Himself in the Gospels that we hear. In the second reading this weekend from the Book of Revelation, the passage ends with God saying “Behold, I make all things new.” Naturally, as human beings and not divine beings, we interpret God’s work in our world and in our lives differently and individually, yet as members of the Church and sheep of the flock, we are called to see God’s work as always beneficial for us, yet sometimes our interpretations don’t indicate that, at least not when God’s work first takes place in our lives. Yet, my brothers and sisters, this is where our faith becomes operative and that upon which we rely and depend—to see that God makes all things new in our lives, especially when change happens. I realize that I speak about change often; however, it is not yet a year that we as parishioners of St. Hubert’s and St. Peter’s have had to “change and adapt” as merged parishes. Through the decision of our spiritual leader and shepherd, our Archbishop, God has made all things new as far as our church communities are concerned, and yet we, as the sheep of the flock, and not the shepherds, are called to listen to his voice as the representative of Christ for us in our local Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Complacency, defined as a dependence on routine, a lack of ambition, a false sense of security, and satisfaction with mediocrity, is actually the opposition to Jesus’ “making all things new” because Jesus’ agenda is always the right one, even if we might not see it from the start, and our relying on faith and hope are what make us true disciples of today. To be unmoving, negative, and complacent are real hindrances to our being people of faith and followers of Jesus. So when we hear the Word of God being proclaimed at Mass in the readings and in the Gospel, let us keep in mind that these readings are not proclaimed just to fill the time or to sound nice, but are meant for us to hear and to embrace, and thus make us truly followers of Jesus, present-day disciples, and just as important, sheep of the flock who strive for and live the love that Jesus calls us to in the Gospel this week.