Dear Parishioners,

Life is full of both sadness and joy. Both can be opportunities for growth, and joy can surely
overcome sadness. The life of Beethoven comes to my mind as one of the examples for that.
His deafness gradually became so profound that he shared in the difficulties of many deaf people. He was unable to do such simple things as join in group conversations. He felt embarrassed and then eventually he felt it necessary to withdraw within himself. Yet in the midst of his deafness (a sadness unique for a musician), he composed his beautiful, lilting "Ode to Joy".

Today's liturgy is the Church's 'Ode to Joy'. In the readings, we see Zephaniah, St. Paul and John the Baptist all shared one belief: that the Lord was very near. God's nearness filled them with a radical source of joy that no one could steal away from them. Their joy in the closeness of God gave an edge to their preaching exhorting others to make ready. It gave them a vision to see the far side of disaster and moved them to draw others into that sense of joy. The picture of John the Baptist as a man who moved in deep joy is not one we hear about him very often. He was a magnetic character who intrigued people to seek him out and follow him by asking, "What should we do?"

John's answer was to challenge people's generosity and sense of fairness and others may have reason to rejoice. We find joy in all the loving things we do for others in this or any other season: in the helpfulness we extend to those in pain; in the thoughtfulness we give to the deprived, especially the hungry, the homeless and the elderly; in the understanding we give those who are bereaved. Mark Twain once noted, "Grief can take care of itself, but to get full value of a joy, we have to have someone to divide it with."

Joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit that is one of the marks of being a faithful Christian. If we truly believe that Good News is really good news, we must be a people of joy! Our expectations and efforts often disappoint us. And so the message of today's reading is a tremendous help: in the first reading Zephaniah tells us to keep God as our light. St. Paul tells to be of a generous spirit, and John the Baptist is a model of joy in pointing out the 'One' who is mightier than him.

Let us pray that we may always have the humility of John the Baptist: When a feeling of expectancy grows in others, help us to declare before them all that we are merely baptizing with water. There is one who is more powerful than we are and He baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire. We all need the powerful presence of Christ that carries us through difficult times, that prods us on when we face the reality of our weakness and limitation.

With deep gratitude, I take this opportunity to thank our beloved pastor Fr. Tarantino. He placed his full trust in me and allowed me to serve this wonderful parish during his sabbatical. It has been a great honor and I express my sincere gratitude to him. With immense joy, I also express my sincere thanks to each and every one of you for the wonderful cooperation that you have extended during these days. It has been a great pleasure, serving you. Thanks for your wonderful smiles.

God bless us all!

Father Lawrence