Grace and peace to you. I hope that the New Year is off to a good start for you.
For the past five years on December 31st, Gina and I get together with our good friends Bob and Darlene.
We share a meal, take in some sort of theatre or musical performance, and then spend some time looking at the year
that has past and sharing what we hope to focus on or strive toward in the year ahead.
When it came my turn to share, I found
myself reflecting on a couple of ‘for sure’ events in the coming year – the completion of our new church
building and the fact that the parish is giving me a sabbatical this year. I talked about wanting to be
prepared for both, and what a blessing I felt these events would be. However, there was something else
deeper inside me and I expressed it. “I want to know Jesus more deeply and fully, and I’d like
to make that the focus of the year ahead” I said. As I said it, I felt a physical sensation, an emotional
response. I have striven to be a man of prayer and reflection for quite some time. I
have taught and preached about Jesus, been honored to celebrate the sacraments of the church, and am so very grateful to minister
as a priest. In light of all of this, you may think I know Jesus as fully and deeply as possible.
I admit in all humility that this isn’t the case. Like all people, I seek to follow Jesus
every day. I continue to be challenged to take as much time as I should for prayer and the reading of God’s
word. I have a desire to grow more deeply in love with Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity,
the incarnate Son of God. I suspect I am not alone in this.
One way I will seek to know Jesus more fully in the coming year
will be to spend more time with God’s word, and I’d like to invite you to do that with me. Throughout
the year, I will offer an introduction and discussion of each of the four gospels – enough to give you a basic idea
of the gospel, the author, major themes, and then we’ll look at some specific passages.
For this year’s Lenten overnight retreat, we’ll
focus on Jesus, looking in-depth at a few of his parables, his ministry, and his passion, death and resurrection.
I invite you to join me in my search to know
Jesus more fully. As a community we seek to be the Body of Christ. This year,
let’s take some dedicated, sacred time and seek for a stronger relationship with our Redeemer. God’s
peace to you, and many blessings in the New Year. –Fr. Scott
