Dear Parish Family,

The Scripture readings at the beginning of Ordinary Time always focus on the call of God for Christ and for His Church. On this Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, we hear about the first call of Jesus to His disciples. John the Baptist has been arrested, and Jesus settles in the sea town of Capernaum in Galilee taking up John's mantra, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus also begins calling His first Apostles, Simon and Andrew, James and John, to travel with Him throughout Galilee teaching and healing. 

 

The Gospel of Matthew connects this time of fruitfulness in Galilee with the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy that God "has glorified the seaward road" after a time of degradation in the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali. This is the same region in which Jesus spent much of His public ministry calling and forming His disciples, bringing the power and glory of the Lord with Him and fulfilling Isaiah's words that "the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." Jesus is this great spiritual light. The first disciples may not have realized all of these prophecies being fulfilled before their very eyes, but they did recognize Christ, the light of the world, when He came. 

 

In a world with so many wounds and so much division, both then and now, we crave to see Christ who is the light of truth, goodness, love, and understanding. Yet while we want others to see us in this light, we also need to repent and change our ways so that we can see others in this same light. St. Paul tells the Corinthians to "be united in the same mind" of Christ so that there may be no divisions among them. As we reflect on Christ's call for His first disciples, may we hear this call particularly for us this week, to put on the mind of Christ so that we may see His light and become that light of love for others.

This week we also celebrate Catholic Schools Week. What a blessing it is to have such wonderful Catholic Schools in our area! Have you seen the billboards posted throughout Geauga County with the schools of St. Mary, Notre Dame, St. Helen, St. Anselm, and St. Joan of Arc? We work together as a region to be mutually supportive and challenge one another to be our very best for our students and our families. We all strive to form our students and families in Gospel values and give them the best Catholic education we can offer!

 

Moreover, through the expanded EdChoice scholarship and your investments in the Angel Scholarship Fund tax credit scholarship, Catholic education has never been more affordable for families than it is now. There are ample scholarships available to families, so please share this news with family and friends so they know to reach out to a Catholic school near them. I truly believe the greatest gift we can give our children is a relationship with Christ. Our Catholic schools are instrumental in sharing the gift of Christ with our young people.

  

May the light of Christ bless you and make you ever grateful for His gifts.

 

I am yours in Christ,

Fr. Scott Goodfellow