From the Pastor's Desk: God Makes His Home With Us

Have you ever thought about making a home with God?  That can be a weird thought.  We know that God loves us, we know that we receive Jesus in the Eucharist.  Yet, that is not enough for God.  He wants to be with us at every moment and be a part of everything in our life.  Is our heart ready for that?
 
St. Augustine said "O Lord my heart is restless until it rests in you."  What he meant was we can focus on so many things instead of God: worry, anxiety, stress, sadness, glory, success...and these things make us restless because when we focus on ourselves and not on God, we become restless.  We are made by God for God.  
 
God wants us to lean on Him and tell Him why we are sad, or anxious.  He wants us to celebrate with Him when something great happened.  He wants to live with us.  Our hearts need to be ready for God.  When we focus on God in order to love one another,  God will dwell with us.
  
Remember, God is love.  Just imagine God setting up a big tent over Centerville, Bellbrook, Washington Township and Sugar Creek Township because we are loving one another and God dwelling with his disciples.  It is not as far fetched as you might think.  We had 290 new families register last year, around 80 this year already.  Masses are getting more full.  It is more than about numbers though, it is about loving one another as Jesus loved us and making a home for people here because disciples dwell with.God and he makes his home with us.
 
This means that we need more people to respond and become liturgical minsters as Servers, Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, Lectors, and most importantly welcoming people into our churches as ushers and hospitality.  We welcome people into God's sacred encounter every week at Mass.  All of those ministries prepare and facilitate others having that sacred encounter with God.
 
When we love one another, we dwell with God.  Our communities need us to dwell with God so they can see God.   
 
God wants to dwell with you, let your heart be open to God's love because Disciples dwell with God.