April 27, 2023

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. John’s,

 

In the book of Genesis, God created the world good. The first reference to something not being good in creation is the statement “it is not good for man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) God created us to live in community, both with Himself and with each other. Last week, I spoke about the importance of community and the value of small groups. This week I would like to emphasize the need for communion with God. We receive Him in the Eucharist at every Mass and are given the nourishment from Him to share Him with others. Not only does He come to us at Mass, but He remains with us in the Eucharist reserved in the Tabernacle. It is beneficial to spend time with the Eucharist exposed in the monstrance, which is called Adoration. We are blessed to have had an adoration chapel at SJB for 21 years! The Lord has remained with us and adoration gives us the opportunity to remain with Him!   

I personally am strengthened when I stop by the adoration chapel to check in with the Lord. It gives me the space to step back and reflect on how Christ is working in my life. I have found adoration to be a great place to share with the Lord my desires and fears. I have also found comfort in the fact that He is there and listening to me.   

Here are some great reasons to spend time with the Lord in Adoration:

 

This weekend is Good Shepherd weekend, when we reflect upon Christ as the Good Shepherd, who protects and cares for us. The Good Shepherd remains with His sheep and they are given confidence simply by His presence. It is not good for us to be alone, take time to pray in adoration, and be with the Lord.   

Our adoration chapel is located near the Chapel of the Angels just to the north of St. Paul Plaza. Our adoration chapel is open from 7:00 pm on Sunday nights through 4:00 pm on Saturday afternoons. We have parishioners signed up to cover most of the hours, but we still need your help to cover all the hours! Please stop by the table in the plaza or contact St. John’s Adoration Committee at sjbadoration@gmail.com for more information about signing up for a weekly hour. 

 

 

We are in the process of finalizing a parish-wide survey focused on your Sunday experience at St. John’s. Be on the lookout this upcoming Tuesday, May 2 for a special email from Survey Monkey containing the survey. Additionally, we will also have paper copies available on the Harvest Table. Please take the time to thoughtfully fill out the survey so that we as a parish can better see how well we are serving our people.

 

As the Father loves me, so I also love you,