Father’s Notebook - December 22, 2019

Greetings brother and sisters in Christ,

Christ is born a little child in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago, and still the buzz about his birth is still found throughout the whole world. Growing up as a child, my family and I would always attend midnight Mass to celebrate Christmas. And it was only after midnight Mass, that we were allowed to open our gifts. There is something about celebrating our Lord Jesus Christ’s birth at one of the darkest and quietest hour. In the pitch black of night, we celebrate the light of Christ born to us to cast away the sin and darkness in our life and in our world.

Sometimes we can get use to the darkness that we don’t actually realize that we have been wandering without sufficient light in our lives. Analogously, some may have noticed that many of our lights in the church are out and we are actually really working with 60% of the lights. We have been working on updating the lights in the church since I got here, and the hope was that, on Christmas Day, it would be done. Unfortunately, the timing did not work out. In the following weeks, we will update all the spotlights to LED lights, which will allow the lights to run cooler and more energy efficient in the end. This should help the Readers be able to see the readings clearer, the singers see their music and of course the priest pray his prayers at the altar.

Also in a few weeks, we will begin to discuss the results the Master Plan Comprehensive Survey. I thank each and every one of you for your input and considerations. I have put together a team of seven people to help me and the Architects to sketch out a future plan for us. We will be meeting regularly with the Architects as they try to bring to life our vision and dreams as a parish. The goal is to have both a comprehensive plan, as well as a realistic and prudent map of how to grow our community. 

As all of us go to our families to celebrate Christmas, I pray that you allow Christ to be the light of your life. I pray that Christ will also light our path as a parish church so that we may continue to walk in his light and wisdom. I have confidence, that a God who would break the barrier between Creator and Created, will lead us out of darkness and into glory. I hope that this Christmas, as you are opening your gifts, perhaps you also sit down with the family and read the Christmas story in your bible (Matthew 1-2; Luke 1-2), so that we can have at the center of our celebrations, the reason for our joy.

Have a blessed and merry Christmas!

Fr. Khoi