November 2016
Reflections of God's Goodness

What a year! In a few short weeks, we will close the Jubilee Year of Mercy and the liturgical year with the great Feast of Christ the King. What an appropriate ending to an awesome year!

Filled with gratitude and thanksgiving, we remember all we have learned and contemplated during this journey toward becoming more merciful. Pope Francis called us to “Be merciful like the Father” - a tall order, indeed! However, as we focused on God’s amazing love for us, we recommitted to His mission ‘to love one another.’

Reminded that we could become a ‘holy door’ for another person, we opened our hearts and our lives in new ways, and remembered “that God put a million doors in the world for His love to walk through…and we are one of those doors!” (Your Kingdom Come by Jason Gray)

We remind ourselves again that the “Church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners”, and that we are a work in progress. We continue to seek to be transformed in Christ, so that our presence in this world will bring His mercy and forgiveness to situations of anger, unkindness and division.

Thank you, Pope Francis, for reminding us that

Jesus does not keep our sins on a hard drive so that He can archive them. He forgives and forgets.

That’s the hard part for us!

What are the hurts and actions of another that I need to erase from my hard drive? Can we do it in the spirit of Pope Francis who echoes Jesus’ call to forgive 70 x 70? Following Jesus is never easy!

We choose to forgive others because we are forgiven. God is good. When we choose to forgive, God provides the grace we need.

My prayer for all of us, as we celebrate Christ the King, is that we will continue to proclaim His love in the world by practicing acts of mercy and forgiveness toward one another in His name.

Blessings!

Sister Mary Ann Barnhorn
Director of Development

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.