A Letter From Our Pastor: Celebrating Jesus’ Birth

Dear Parishioners,

This month we will celebrate the birth of Jesus. Even amid a pandemic, the celebration of Jesus will happen and it is probably most important for us to do so with vigor this year. Fear and anxiousness concerning our mortality are a part of our world. Should there be this fear and anxiety? Jesus clearly states, “Do not be afraid.” He says this because He came to save us from sin and death. His death is the “remedy” for death, says St. Ambrose. He died so that we may live. The life that Jesus gives is the central message of the Nativity, so it is imperative that we celebrate Jesus’ birth this year with great vigor.

Jesus took on our human nature, and the divine and the human are united. Jesus humbled Himself by sharing our humanity, so that we may share in His divinity. This is a phrase that the Priest says inaudibly when he pours the water and wine into the chalice. Every time we celebrate Mass, we remember that Jesus became man, so that we may share in His divinity. Sharing in His divinity means that we share in His immortality. He shares His divinity with us, so that He can conquer death in each of us. He shares His divinity with us to strengthen us to reject sin, which brought death into the world. He shares His divinity with us so we will have life with Him now, and forever.

In sharing His life with us, He taught us about the Father and the Holy Spirit in His teachings. Jesus’ words give life because they are the truth. Unfortunately, everything we hear, and all we say, may not be true. The lies that we hear, and the lies perpetuated by the evil one, lead us down a road that leads to death. Jesus taught the truth, and He says that the truth will set us free. The truth sets us free from sin and death. Jesus’ teaching and His death on the cross both set us free from sin and death. The truth about the cross is that it is a perfect sacrifice for our sins. The truth about His death is that the cost of sin is death. Sin kills our relationship with Jesus, and Jesus embraces the death due to our sin, to set us free. The truth is that Jesus wants us to live in freedom from sin; loving Him and serving Him each day. The truth about Jesus’ cross is another part of the Good News we celebrate with His birth.

Teaching the truth provides us with a road map that leads to living the truth. In the document The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium, there is a clear and powerful statement about teaching. “Teaching has an extraordinary moral depth and is one of man’s most excellent and creative activities, for the teacher does not write on inanimate material, but on the very spirits of human beings.” Teaching the truth is what we do in a Catholic school and we write it on the spirits of every child that comes through our doors. Our human spirit has the power of intellect and will, guiding the choices that we make in life. These powers need immersion in truth, or the decisions and choices we make will be harmful to our salvation, and we can lead others down that path too. I understand the gravity of the effect teaching has on the minds, hearts and souls of young children, so I am passionate about the need for a Catholic school. Our Catholic school is celebrating its 20th year because of your support and prayers. We look forward to another 20 years and more, and we look forward to sharing the truth about Jesus, Who sets us free and gives us life, now and forever.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Msgr. Robert Tucker, Pastor

Msgr. Robert Tucker, Pastor