From The Bishop

It is very easy at times to become discouraged. Life can be very challenging and filled with disappointments. This is especially true with regard to our faith. As the world becomes more relativistic and secular, it seems that faith is under siege. Laws are being enacted and theories promoted that seem to undermine what we believe to be good, true, and beautiful. This is why the Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time are so relevant. We read in the First Reading from the Prophet Jeremiah, “They will fight against you but they shall not prevail against you for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.” The Lord is always with us because He loves us. In the Second reading St. Paul tells us that (love), “It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” It is God’s love for us and our love for God that sustains us and gives us the strength to endure and have hope. The Gospel of St. Luke reminds us that Jesus was rejected even by those who knew Him. If we are followers of Christ then we should expect nothing better. We too will be rejected for what we say and believe. We do not give up but, like Christ in the Gospel, we move on with great mercy. We continue to believe, hope and endure because God’s love is with us as we follow the example of the Master.