Light of the World
April 23, 2023
“I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not walk in the darkness; he will have the light of life.” Jesus – Jn. 8:12. This, and: “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden . . . Your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in heaven.” Jesus – Mt. 5:14 & 16.
As many of you know, Holy Redeemer is a blessed and fortunate parish. I liken it to a safe refuge, a lighthouse in the dark night of a storm tossed sea, or a shining city on a hill. The Lord, who is Light, wants us to be light too, and to share our light with those in darkness. I was reminded of this Light, Jesus and us, throughout Lent culminating in Easter. I want to share some reflections on the light that shines here at Holy Redeemer, that you may have your faith strengthened, give praise to Almighty God, and share your faith and light with others.
Fourteen people entered the Church at the Easter Vigil. For many of these fourteen, the biggest God moments of their lives happened at Easter. We mustn’t overlook the importance of this for them or the Church. Making disciples and salvation is a core part of Christ’s great commission: “Go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them . . .”
During Lent, a few hundred parishioners read The Warning, the small book from Christine Watkins. Over two hundred of those readers joined a Lenten small faith sharing group. Many have told me of the enlightenment they gained about the nature of sin and its consequences, and the deeper conversion in their lives that followed. I encourage you to read the book if you haven’t already and to pass it along to someone else if you have.
When we were shut down for Covid in 2020, I thought that we’d permanently lose 20% of our parishioners, most parishes have, some much more. Initially we too lost about 20% of our parishioners but over the past year we have gained many new, faithful, and engaged parishioners coming from surrounding parishes and we are so happy to welcome them to our Parish family! Now, we are only down about 12% and the trajectory is going in the right direction. Praise Be to God!!!
With that said, attendance at the Easter Masses was our greatest for a weekend since 2019 (almost 2200, 2300 if you include views online); while attendance at our Holy Thursday (600+) & Good Friday (850+) liturgies were awesome! When we combine these numbers with a return to pre-covid numbers for Stations of the Cross (350 average) and our Lenten penance service (350), we can see that city on a hilltop.
Our ordinary income is better than projected and simply the greatest in our history. Thanks to your generosity, we will pay off our debt from the addition on the back of the church two years ahead of our original aggressive plan!
Visitors are in awe. I hear from people who visit us what a special place this is, along the lines of “what is this place?” From visitors who join us for Mass, or attend Stations of the Cross, to people who come here for retreats, missions, the Donna Cori Gibson concert, to the priests who came for our penance service, our mission priest (Fr. Carlos Martins), the people who hosted the Eucharistic miracles display, weekend visitors – they all ask that same question: “What is this place?” Attendance at our various events and the devotion they see here, leave them in awe of the light they find here, a veritable shining city set on a hill.
We are for now a shining city on a hill, and as much as possible, Christ is calling us to work to keep that light burning brightly. We need to thank and praise Our Lord Jesus Christ for the great blessings He’s bestowed upon us here, and to continue to share those blessings and the light that is our Catholic faith and Parish with others.
May the Risen Lord Bless You,
Fr. Thomas Nathe
