Every year seems to go by a little bit faster than its predecessor…I think? Is it just me, or is that the case? As I get older, every year seems to want to punish me by making the Earth move faster around the sun so that I have less time to do the myriad and many tasks before me. Anyone else? Can I get an Amen and an Advil? Some of you are grinning and shaking your heads after reading that, playfully mocking me right now… “Just wait, it gets worse,” right? Gah! Why does it go so quickly!?
Alongside these random questions and thoughts buzzing about in my mind, another series of questions seem to be on repeat, living rent-free in my head: “Am I centered on the ‘right’ things? Are my worries temporal and somewhat silly? Am I spending too much time trying to finish tasks that ultimately don’t matter? What am I doing that is superfluous rather than meaningful?” I wish I had a ‘STOP IT’ button for those questions, but much like a broken record, they play on in an endless loop.
Lately I have been mired in the slog of building repairs, budgeting, and planning for 2026. It seems like I haven’t been able to keep up—the building took a long time to complete; the budget seemed impossible; plans for the new year seem exhausting. But wait…aren’t those things resolved and hopeful, too?
The building is finished. Thanks be to God.
The litany of events and services for next year are signs of a vibrant and active faith community. Thanks be to God.
The budget went from an insurmountable deficit, to an albeit strained, but manageable, positive bottom line. Thanks be to God.
Seriously, I didn’t know how we were going to make it work, next year. Then I remembered that it isn’t my plan we follow, it is God’s will. I saw it. Through prayer, sacrifice, and the generosity of everyone in this place, God worked in all of that to sustain His Church.
While concentrating on the building repairs and how we were going to pay for them, I look back and see God throughout that process. The company that was responsible for the lion’s share of work gave us a hefty donation to help; the work was done correctly, if not as quickly as I’d like; we came out of a dire situation and stepped into an improved one. God worked in all of that to sustain His Church.
The events next year are exciting. We’re celebrating St. Paddy’s and Oktoberfest—just to have some fun. We’re helping groups like SISU and Skyline Ministries, the food pantry at St. James and handing out Manna Bags for the homeless; holding classes for confirmations and teaching scripture on a regular basis; worshiping every day with morning prayer and holding services in observance of holy days. God works in all of that to sustain His Church.
So, maybe, with a different perspective and a more faithful eye, the questions I asked at the beginning are the ones that are most wasteful. Are we centered on the right things? We are with God’s help—it isn’t our plan. Are we wasting time doing temporal things? No, we are the hands and feet of a God who sends us out repeatedly to be His body in this world. Do the tasks we endeavor to complete matter? Absolutely—just as long as they align with our faith and what God has tasked us to do: Feed His sheep, live by His commandments, love His ways and then actually walk in them.
When the clock strikes midnight tonight, instead of looking with exhausted eyes toward 2026, I think we should put on some new frames of mind. Be hopeful, be mindful, be kind, and mostly, continue being faithful. God hasn’t left us; He is following along and ringing in the new year, delighting in his creation and watching over us when we stumble.
God is in us, God is with us, God sustains us. We are His Church.
Happy New Year, and God bless you, all.
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+