Hidden Treasures: Finding God in our Life
The Search
The pace of life in today’s world is ever increasing. It gets more and more difficult to focus on what are the important values in our life. To gain some insight into what’s really important, I looked back over some of our recent Sunday gospels and saw some insights to help us focus on the “treasures” God offers to all of us. I would like to share some thoughts with you.
In the October 22 gospel, when the Pharisees asked Jesus what should they give to Caesar, Jesus responds, “render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God, what is God’s. At first we may think – “Caesar has been dead for two thousand years, that’s not an issue for us.
But NO! Many “Caesars” are alive in our world – the athlete who makes millions of dollars and can live an opulent life style; the CEO who makes mega-millions and grudgingly gives a pittance to the employees. Today’s entertainers are paid millions – for what? These are just three examples of the “Caesars” in our world. What are some of the examples of “Caesars” you see in our world?
Recently we saw the example of the rich landowner who stores his excess crops to be used at a later date and God says, “You fool, tonight your life will be demanded of you!”
We’re told that it’s “more blessed to give than to receive.” Where do we see that in or life?
The above graphic shows piles of gold (the world’s “treasures). Behind this are two doors (the gates to heaven). Are we distracted by the world’s shiny, but ephemeral glitter? Or do we search for the Hidden Treasure behind the closed doors?
The Hidden Treasures in our life
Each one of us needs to ask “What are we rendering to God?” God gives us unconditional love and expects us to share our blessings with those in need.
“St. Mark’s” becomes “Our Lady of Unity”
As many of you already know, the St. Mark’s parish is merging with the neighboring parishes of St. Helen and St. Aloysius. The new name of the parish is Our Lady of Unity. The name is appropriate as it reflects the three parishes unifying to share their time, talents and treasures under the guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary. OLW is fortunate to join with them to share in God’s name.
For approximately thirty years, OLW and St. Mark’s have been “sharing parishes”- especially with the “Food Drive.” This will continue with the same guidelines – parishioners will drop off non-perishable food on the second Sunday of the month; then on the following Saturday, volunteers deliver the food to the Our Lady of Unity community. Don Piergalski and his team coordinate this ministry.
Of equal importance is the Christmas Giving Tree. This also is a long-established relationship. Our Lady of Unity will provide a list of families who need financial assistance. A Christmas tree will be set up in our church and parishioners can take a name to provide a “gift” for that family. Patty Haase and her team coordinate this ministry.
The name has changed but the spirit lives on – and the need of the community has increased. But here we will see The Hidden Treasures of God’s love.
Thank you for your love and support of those in need!
Deacon Tom Corcoran
irenetomc@hotmail.com
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