Love Your Enemies

02-23-2014Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

One of the truly dramatic scenes in Sacred Scripture is when one of the temple guards strikes Our Lord on the cheek and Jesus did not strike back. Jesus simply asked, "why did you hit me?" (Jn 18:23)

Our Lord does not resist to the evil person. This does not mean Jesus is a doormat to be walked on. Jesus speaks to His attacker because He wants that man's conversion. In the same way, Our Lord invites us to do good not only to lovable people, but even to the unlovable. Every one of us has been unlovable at times. God knows our every thought, motive and action - and He continues to care for each of us. Jesus' example of forgiving those responsible for humiliating and torturing Him shows us the way. Those people responsible for humiliating and torturing Him are you and me.

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To Love God

02-16-2014Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

To be Christian is to love God. To follow Christ requires us to live and act and believe a certain way. God is very clear about obeying His commandments. Our Lord reminds us of the importance of these commandments when He says, "Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Part of keeping Our Lord's commandments involves serving and loving our brothers and sisters in need. So, who are our brothers and sisters in need? Everybody! Everyone needs love. We express God's love through serving one another. This is important because doing good for others especially the poor and vulnerable reminds us of who we are as God's children. WE are poor and WE are vulnerable. God has saved us from death through Jesus' perfect sacrifice. Any good we do for others is only because of the goodness of God who has loved us first. Apart from God, we are incapable of loving others. Apart from God, we will do nothing good for others. GOD IS GOOD and GOD IS LOVE.

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Charity & Development Appeal (CDA)

02-09-2014Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Each year we are given the chance to Share the Light of Christ. Through the annual Charity and Development Appeal you are able to make a difference in many people's lives. Here are some ways you can make a difference:

Your gift to the CDA supports over 70 community and charitable organizations that assist individuals and families in need or in crisis. These organizations provide an open door to improve the lives of thousands of people across 4 Arizona counties (Mohave, Maricopa, Coconino and Yavapai). The CDA serves the needs of local communities beyond the boundaries of any one parish. As a result more people are served across communities as well as within parishes.

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St. Josephine Bakhita - Human Trafficking

02-02-2014Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This Saturday (February 8), we celebrate the Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita who was canonized in 1992. She was born into a prestigious family in 1869 in the Sudanese region of Darfur. Her father was the brother of the village chief. A loving family of three brothers and three sisters surrounded her and she lived a happy, carefree life.

So imagine this happening in your family. Sometime between the ages of 7 and 9, Josephine Bakhita was kidnapped from her home by Arab slave traders who had already kidnapped her elder sister two years earlier. Forced to walk barefoot for 600 miles, she was purchased and resold three additional times into slavery. So traumatized by her abduction, she forget her own name and was named Bakhita (Arabic for lucky) and was forcibly converted to Islam.

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