Father Gregory Galvin, Director of Priestly Vocations
Hallelujah to our newborn King, Christ the Lord!
My hope is that you experienced a merry Christmas filled with many blessings of joy, peace, faith and divine love! It’s amazing how quickly Advent and Christmas came and went.
Who could ever imagine that God would save His own creation, humankind, by lovingly sending His Son into the world to lift us out of sin and bring us God’s gift of divine mercy? That the Word of God, obediently and willingly, would allow Himself to come to us in the person of a baby?
Picture the newborn babe, lying in the manger and you looking on in amazement. What are you seeking from God? We have so much to be thankful for in God’s love for mankind. This year, may the fruits from our preparation be evident in our words to each other, and our actions toward each other.
May we embrace the work given to us in baptism, the work to become Holy and to become Saints with the help of God’s grace working in us. May each of us work throughout this new year, at bringing joy to others. May we root ourselves in hope of the gift God has for each of us, doing our best to be instruments of God’s love, growing in faith and becoming the best disciples of Christ that each of us can be.
Reflect on this quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to His beloved is that of overcoming self… sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society…we should seek not so much to pray but to become prayer…Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.”
If we make our gift to God this year to better our efforts at discipleship and open ourselves to His grace through a more active personal prayer life, the center of which is a more active sacramental life, then we as the Body of Christ, the Church, can become a larger instrument of God’s peace in our daily world.
May this Christmas season bring great renewal of mind and spirit into your heart and soul and have a greater effect in your daily life. Continue to join us in prayer at our monthly holy hour for vocations to the priesthood.
Please keep our seminarians in your prayers and those who are considering taking the first step of saying yes to our Lord by deciding to apply to become priests. May you be blessed in the new year with good health and happiness. Happy New Year!
