In today's reading from the Gospel of John, Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you. " Also He responded, to Thomas' question of how do we get there, we do not know the way, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Hence the Latin quote noted above, which according to Wikipedia, is the slogan of many Catholic Universities.
There were 2 sacraments celebrated at Mass today. One was baptism; 4 babies received their first sacrament and absolution from original sin. This is a happy joyous time. Father Jack had the young children of the parish come to the baptismal font in the back of church and stand by as the babies experienced their first step toward fulfillment of their Catholic affiliation. We all sat and turned toward the back, where the font is positioned. The advantage of this placement is that we see this reminder of baptism whenever we enter the church, as one of the first things we see.
The second sacrament is one that we gladly may receive each Sunday. Even more I could elect to attend daily mass and receive it each day. I am not yet of the habit of doing that. The accompanying song was "I received the living God, and my heart if full of joy." I just downloaded this from Amazon.com, and found out with minimal searching that this is a song with an unknown composer. It is based on John 14, 15. I encourage you to download this and listen to it a few times when you want some inspiration and to experience some of the wonder, joy and mystery of the Church.
Dear Father in Heaven, may the 4 infants baptized today grow to the fullness of membership in your church, and receive the support and encouragement of their families and parish in their development. May I know the way that I can participate in this mission and may the sacraments become a more central part of my Catholic faith and community. Amen.
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