Our Lady of Hope Catholic Community

The Christmas season is over and Ordinary Time has begun. Wouldn't that be nice? Well, it is ordinary time for the Church Year at least. Still not much ordinary in most of our lives. No one knew how long this pandemic would last or that a different strain of it would develop to continue the problem even longer. That is why we look to our Hevenly Father to help us through whatever life throws at us. No matter how brilliant we think we are at solving problems there are bound to... be some that stump even the greatest minds. Stick with God. It may not be easy but He will get us through. The Ordinary Time for our Church year is only 4 weeks long before we get to Ash Wednesday on February 18th and the Season of Lent. A time, once again to prepare ourselves for the Easter Season. Last year our lent was interrupted by the virus and we never did get to celebrate Easter in Church. This year we can only pray that things will be turned around by then but we must also be prepared in case they are not. I would like to thank all who took the time to help take down the Christmas decorations. Your help made a daunting task very manageable. I appreciate all of you who took time out of your Sunday rest to complete this task. One thing I wanted to make everyone aware of is this past Christmas season we did not have many flowers because we lost our supplier and we did not know if church would even be open because of the rising numbers of virus victims. We found another place to get them but still did not want to waste your flower donation money so we will be using it for flowers throughout the year. Thank you for your donations and caring about our church. God Bless, Deacon Joe

This weekend we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord. It should remind us of our own baptism even if we were too young to remember it. When we are baptized, we become a follower of Christ and profess that we will follow the ways of Jesus and be an example for others as Jesus himself was (and is) for us. If we were baptized as an infant or child our parents and Godparents professed our faith for us. As we grew to maturity, we were given many opportunities to recommit ourselves to... the faith given us by them and still do today. We answer the questions asked at our baptism at Easter time as well as the baptism of someone else when it happens during mass. We are given a chance to speak for ourselves and not to be spoken for by others. We decide for ourselves if we truly want to follow this Jesus our family wanted us to believe in. If we want to be called Catholic and accept all that goes along with it. Today that name Catholic is not always accepted by society and can be a challenge for us as we try to follow Church teaching and the ways of Christ. Jesus only did good during his lifetime and yet he was mocked and criticized for it until he was eventually murdered for it and for us. Many of his followers over the years have also suffered persecution at times. So, we shouldn't be surprised if we encounter obstacles and challenges to our faith at times. If we stand firm as Jesus and his disciples did, we too will gain the eternal rewards of heaven promised us by our God. Read the words of Jesus in the New Testament to help us through any doubts that may arise. Read the letters of Paul who changed from persecutor to disciple. Then pray to our Heavenly Father for the help we need and KEEP THE FAITH. God Bless, Deacon Joe

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021!!! Each new year gives us the opportunity for a fresh start. No matter how good or bad the previous year was we have a chance to start all over again and make any changes we think we need. Last year brought us surprises we didn't want at all but had no control over. The pandemic caused us to rethink our values and how to accomplish what we needed in a different way. It brought sorrow to many and joy to others. Sometimes both to the same people but that is ...what life is about. Sorrow shows we are human and have feelings. Joy teaches us to love life a little more even after sorrow. We need to concentrate on the joy while working through the sorrow. Many of us traditionally start the year with resolutions for some kind of positive change. Last year there were so many unexpected changes I don't know if anyone wants to think of more changes but as would be expected, I suggest we look at our prayer life. Many already have done so but we always need to look deeper into prayer, expand on it and be sure to include time for the bible. We can learn so much from the ever-changing way to look at familiar bible stories. It is an owner's manual for life and how we should live it. When it is backed up with a reliable source that helps explain what we read it can open a whole new world of understanding for us. There are many answers to life's questions in this Holy Book. Take a look. I pray that your new year be filled with all things holy and that we all realize what a blessing we can be for each other. God Bless, Deacon Joe

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas

What a year this has been. Many are happy to see 2020 come to an end but we are not finished with the pandemic yet and it may still be a while before it is. We have been very fortunate that for most of our lives everything seemed to be what we would call normal with few big surprises. Then came Covid - 19 and nothing is the same...EXCEPT OUR GOD. He is the only thing that remains the same no matter what else happens in our world. He is always there for us through the good and... the bad, happiness and sorrow and for those who believe he is the only reassuring thing we can count on every time. We know he loves us with a love we can only imagine. He loves us no matter what we do or don't do. He loves us so much he gave his Son for us that we be able to spend eternity with him in heaven if we so choose. Never lose sight of this. Never forget he is always there for us even when we feel alone. The poem Footprints in the Sand says when we only see one set of footprints that is when he carries us. He doesn't abandon us ever. I would like to thank all of you for the blessing you are to me and our parish. So many of you are there to help as the need arises and you make my job a pleasant experience. Thank you to all who decorated the church, helped at the masses, checked people in for Christmas mass, escorted them to their assigned seats and took the time to sanitize after each of the masses. Thank you for the cards and well wishes to me and our staff. It brightens our days to see them. Thank you for the love you share with us and others. You are the example of Christ for all. And of course, thank you to our staff who keep the church and its grounds in great condition and address our parishioners needs. We are all grateful and wish you all a happier and holier new year. God Bless, Deacon Joe