Opening Mass for the Diocesan 50th Anniversary Year
January 12, 2022 •
Father Matlak from St. Basil Ukrainian Greek Catholic Mission and St Thomas Aquinas is our visiting priest this evening.
You are the key to heaven for those who are living in darkness, and who need the light of divine grace.
This is the imagery of the readings which were chosen by Bishop Jugis for all the parishes tonight as we open the 50th Anniversary year.
The liturgy is a pilgrimage. A pilgrimage out of the darkness of the world into the light, led by the priest who is also on pilgrimage.
Remember what your identity is, remember that you are called from the darkness into the light, remember that you're called to lead other people into the same.
What will nourish you on the pilgrimage? Well, the opening prayer of the Mass, which again was chosen by Bishop Jugis, talked about two things: the Word and the Eucharist. So read your Bibles Catholics, and stay close to the Eucharist. In other words, be like Mary who had the Word in her - the Word made flesh. So may the Eucharist which you are about to receive make you more and more like Mary: the Word alive in you and the Gospel.
If you do those two things, and everything else I said today, you will become a Saint. It's as easy as that. But it's also as difficult as that.
Homily begins at 10:00