Fr. Hien's Weekly Letter 09/12/21

Hello Everyone,
     How was your Labor Day weekend?  Did you enjoy your family and friends?  Please remember that each day of our lives is a gift from God.  We are all called to be thankful to God for one another, especially this weekend as we celebrate grandparents' weekend.  We all know that without our grandparents, our moms and dads, none of us would be here.  It was God who chose to give us our families, and one another, so that we may love them as God loves us.  One thing that gets in the way of loving and showing our respect to our elders, especially to our grandparents, is that we tend to think that we know more than they do and that they need to listen to us.  That's just wrong.  God never made them to listen to us but rather, we are to listen to one another, and in most cases, we are to listen to their advice and wisdom.  It's God's fourth commandment that we are to honor and respect our parents, especially our grandparents this weekend.
     As we are gathering in church this weekend to worship God, may we all pray especially for our families, especially for our parents and grandparents, whether they are alive or deceased.  If you parents or grandparents are still alive, please stay connected with them and let them know you love them.  Of course, everyone of us has different ways of showing our love for others.  Some people love to give gifts such as flowers and money, others love to do things such as cook for them, many others love to stay around and visit with them, etc....  Please know that if you have good intentions to show your love and respect to your elders, they will know, and they will repay you more than you can ever give it back to them,  To be a family, we must love one another unconditionally, especially through the gift of life--birth and salvation by passing on our Catholic faith to everyone in our family.
     Lastly, I would like to remind everyone of our church's family mission that has been in our parish forever:  All Saints is a diverse Roman Catholic community, centered in the Eucharist, guided by the Holy Spirit, nurturing one another through friendship, prayer, education, service, and stewardship, on the journey with Christ to the Father.  Let us be good parishioners of All Saints by becoming one with Jesus and helping others come to Jesus for love, life, and salvation.  Fr. Hien