Pastor's Corner with Fr. Sean Weeks
Father Sean Weeks is a native Californian, born in Anaheim and raised mostly in Lancaster, CA. His favorite part of his priestly ministry is gathering for Mass with his people and preaching God’s word and offering the sacraments. His dog, Sarge, makes him laugh everyday.
Assignments since being ordained to the priesthood on 29 May 2004
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Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of the Lake in Lake Oswego
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Pastor at Our Lady of the Mountain in Ashland
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2011 - Pastor at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Portland
Father Sean's Weekly Message
December 20, 2024
"And he leapt for joy!"
On this fourth Sunday of Advent, we are made present to the Visitation. Mary, pregnant with Jesus, goes to serve her elderly cousin in her final days of her pregnancy. This is really a joy filled event. Last week, I completed my three Sunday, Advent reflections with a call to be sent. This Sunday, offers us some reinforcement to that call.
"When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
'Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.'” (Lk.1: 41-45)
We are being called to bring Christ to others. This is the main purpose of the final blessing and dismissal at the end of every Mass. In a homily by St. John Chrysostom entitled, The Light of a Christian Cannot Escape Notice, he states, "Do not say, 'It is impossible for me to influence others.' If you are a Christian, it is impossible for this not to happen. Things found in nature cannot be denied; so it is here, for it is a question of the nature of a Christian….Do not say then that it is impossible. The opposite is impossible. Do not insult God. If we have put our affairs in order, these things will certainly come to be and will follow as a natural consequence. The light of a Christian cannot escape notice. So bright a lamp cannot be hidden."
As I mentioned in my refection last Sunday, we, the parishioners here at St. Pius X, need to accept our calling to who the world is crying out for us to be. We need to engage our lost brothers and sisters in love. We need to accompany them and offer them our good news. We have a story to tell, that only we as individuals can tell it. Our brothers and sisters will have a story to tell and they need someone to tell it to. In a very real way, as with the example of the Visitation, the Christ in us needs to engage the Christ in the other, and let them leap for joy!
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