Have you already made your New Year's "Predictions and Resolutions"? What is going to happen in your own lives in 2022? What is going to happen in the lives of your own families and beloved ones in 2022? Do you anticipate any major changes? What changes if any do you DESIRE the most?

It is a good time to look back on the events of 2021 and reflect on the purpose of our lives. It is also a good time to be aware that GOD IS IN CHARGE! We are not! The question is not so much what we want to do or what we want to see happen. It is rather what is God's plan for us and our beloved ones? What is God's will? What does God want us to pray for?

St John gives us HOPE: "Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have CONFIDENCE IN GOD and RECEIVE from Him WHATEVER WE ASK, because we KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS and DO WHAT PLEASES HIM. And his commandment is this: we should BELIEVE IN THE NAME OF HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST, and LOVE ONE ANOTHER just as he commanded us. Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them.." (1 John 3:21-24). This is simple: Believe in Jesus! Trust in Him! Love Him and Love one another! It is so simple: let Jesus and the Holy Spirit take over your life and decisions. But this total surrender is difficult because we want to keep control of our lives.

Last Sunday at the 1 pm Mass, as we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family reflecting on the above passage and also on teenager Jesus' OBEDIENCE to his parents (Luke 2: 51-52), I asked two questions. First: DO YOU LOVE GOD? The response was a resounding, unanimous YES! Second: DO YOU LOVE GOD's WILL'S? The response was: SILENCE ...then a few "No’s.”

In his book "Jesus is passing by”, St Jose Maria Escriva commented on Jesus' obedience to his parents "Jesus obeys, and he obeys Joseph and Mary. God has come to the world to obey...We have to love God so as to love his will and desire to respond to his calls. They come to us through the duties of ordinary life-duties of state, profession, work, family, social life, our own and other people's difficulties, friendship, eagerness to do what is right and just". Whether children or adults, we do not like to obey. We like to do our will and not the will of others. We like to control our lives' and not be controlled by others. We are proud and self-centered. When we believe that God is in charge of our lives, our greatest DESIRE should be to OBEY HIM! To do HIS WILL! To do what PLEASES HIM!

As we depend totally on God, there is no need for us to make specific predictions and resolutions for the NEW YEAR 2022. We should let go and let GOD! We should not worry about tomorrow. We should be grateful to God for everything we have. Like Mother Teresa of Calcutta, we should believe that GOD WILL PROVIDE! We do not have to be successful; we simply have to be FAITHFUL!

We are entering the New Year 2022 with two beautiful celebrations on the first two days of the year: Saturday January 1st the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God (8:30 am and 10 am Masses with 5 pm Vigil Mass on Friday 31st December) and Sunday January 2nd the Epiphany of the Lord (regular Sunday Masses with 5 pm Vigil on Saturday).

Looking ahead, I am inviting you to three other January events:

• 7 pm Thursday January 6: discussion of the book given at all Christmas Masses
• 4 pm Sunday January 16: Santo Nino /Holy Child Mass followed by traditional dances in the Father Martin Hall
• 11:30 am Sunday January 23rd: Dedication of the New Altar (stay tuned for more information next weekly bulletin)

Like the three Kings may we keep following the Star that leads us to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! May Mary, Mother of GOD, keep leading us to her Son Jesus every day of our lives!
Like Mary, may we be humble, obedient, and faithful!
Like Mary, may we say YES to GOD and follow His greatest commandment of LOVE!

May GOD keep blessing our parish, our staff, our volunteers, and all parishioners throughout the New Year 2022!

On behalf of Fr. Jan, Deacon Rich, Deacon Bill and Sister Rosario, we would like to express our appreciation for all your support to our parish in the last 12 months and we would like to wish each of you and your entire family a MOST BLESSED NEW YEAR 2022!!!

One in Christ,

Fr. Alain