The Psalms remain one of my favorite models of prayer. This morning, I was struck with Psalm 45:1 as a reminder to me of the good things that the Lord has done in my life. Psalm 45:1 reads, “My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.” Psalm 45 stands as a song of Thanksgiving to God, and it strikes me as appropriate, after what the staff and I experienced this last week.
The parish council and parishioners determined that it would be staff appreciation week. Each day of the week, a surprise arrived at the parish office acknowledging the hard work that our staff does each day. But my heart, was full, not just in gratitude for what everyone contributed, but more importantly in that the many people of the parish took the time to recognize our hard-working staff. Such a simple task, though it likely took hours to orchestrate, reminded me of the gratitude that I have as serving as a priest at Sts. Joseph and Paul Catholic Church. The many friendly faces, the assuring nods of prayer and support, and the simple daily interactions are all what is part of being present here in this parish.
I will not speak on behalf of the staff, as I know that they are grateful as well and will share their gratitude in their own way; however, I will extend my gratitude to each of you sitting in the pews. Your presence here in this parish makes all the difference. I thank you for allowing me to be a priest in this parish. Because of your continued witness to charity and generosity, I am able to be reminded of how greatly blessed, highly favored and deeply loved we are here at Sts. Joseph and Paul.
