Happy New Year - 2022

Message from Fr. Gijo Muthanattu George, Pastor

“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me, come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

(Jeremiah. 29:11-13)    

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Today we do not honour the woman of the year. Today we do not honour the woman of the decade. Today we do not honour the woman of the Century. No, today we honour the woman of all time - Mary the Mother of God!

Every year we start our Liturgical celebration by honouring Mary the Mother of God. What a wonderful way to start our new year and how appropriate to remember that God too has a Mother

 I pray the holiday season has been refreshing for each of you. During this season, we would normally take time to reflect and look forward to the New Year. This helps us to realign our lives afresh to God’s purpose and word to us. As we come together at the end of this trying year 2021, I think it is good for us to spend some time reflecting on the “reason for this season” – Jesus Christ, the Lord! As you know, we still are on Christmas and for this reason, we have gladly rejoiced for his glorious birth.  We have welcomed Him to our homes and to our celebrations, remembering that, as Christians, we celebrate Christmas not as a secular holiday, but as a proclamation of our faith that God so loved the world He sent His only Son (Jn 3:16) and that the Word became flesh and dwells among us (Jn 1:14).  

In a world that wants to make Christmas only about presents, and food and Santa Claus and self-indulgence, we, as Catholics are not ashamed to profess our Faith: Christmas is about the Incarnation of the Lord and our salvation history.  We are not ashamed to say “Merry Christmas.”  We are not ashamed to send out “religious” Christmas cards, which celebrate his birth to our friends and family members.  We are not ashamed to have the “Manger Scene” in front of our homes, in our homes and in our streets.  We are not ashamed to give witness to Jesus in the midst of so many counter-testimonies.  We are proud to be disciples of Jesus, and we want all to rejoice with us as we celebrate His birth!

Now as we usher ourselves into the new year, it is good to think and look ahead what are those things you need to implement in your life, those things you need to change and those you need to forget. The New Year is the opening chapter to a book that is full of success. While you may face hardship, focus on the positive outcomes. This New Year believe in yourself and all you can accomplish. Success is sure to come your way. For good things come to those who wait. Just so, when you feel like giving up, victory is within reach. Keep this in mind during this 2022. The pandemic hit us so badly, but we proved we are stronger than it, for we have Jesus at our side and those who hope and live with him have nothing to fear.

Let our new year’s resolution be: to be there for our families and friends, for those in need and for those who mourn, for those who suffer and for those who rejoice. The immense and unprecedented refugee crisis today is heart-breaking, moving us to tears and urging us to act.

Our parish has agreed to sponsor them, and I am delighted that they are in the final stages of medical and security clearances before arriving in Canada within the next few weeks. I recognize the challenges that this pandemic has created for our parish to take on this commitment, but with your help, the lives of many refugees can be saved through the sponsorship efforts of our parish.

Let us help and serve one another as true Christians. And leave the pain and misfortune in the past… let us focus on what we can accomplish and what makes us happy. As the greatest scientist, Albert Einstein said, “Learn from yesterday, live for

 today, and hope for tomorrow.”

 In the year 2021 we have attained much together.

To our beautiful families, thank you. Thank you for your time, effort and very generous  donations this year.

To our outstanding Volunteers, thank you. We are indeed blessed with committed volunteers who give of their time, and talent in serving the community of St Martin of Tours during these difficult times. We value you beyond belief.
     

May you and your families stay safe and may 2022 bring many blessings!