Last weekend we kicked off the beginning of our Faith Formation year with free pastries and surgery confections. I’m always amazed how doughnuts and coffee bring joy to our hearts. Thank you to the hard work of Martha (our coordinator for our Religious Education program), her assistants, Armida, and Sr. Laura, and the rest of the volunteers. We have an amazing community here at St. Mary’s of selfless and hardworking parishioners. At the same time, we also had a fundraiser for Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrations on December 12th. We sold over $2,500 worth of tacos. Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of our biggest endeavors here at the parish. We will easily welcome nearly 5,000 people. Your continued generosity makes it all possible; without you, none of this would happen. 

Why do we do any of this? Is it simply to be a welcoming place for visitors or eat more calories? As important as those things are (especially doughnuts), these questions actually point to a deeper reflection of why we exist as a parish family. Let’s imagine a scenario. Someone comes up to you, knowing you go to Mass each Sunday, and they ask you, “Why does St. Mary’s exist? What is the mission of your church?” What do we say? Having the correct answer to this question provides a clarity of vision for one’s Christian life. If we could ask St. Paul himself, who’s letter to the church in Philippi that we heard in our second reading today, this same question, how would he respond?  “For me life is Christ, and death is gain…. I long to depart this life and be with Christ that is far better.” (Cf. Philippians 1:20-26). 

Look at the simple beauty of his answer! For St. Paul, the purpose of life is Jesus Christ. Nothing more, nothing less. Everything in his life is built around living for Christ, growing in Christ, and yes, sometimes, even dying for Christ. Now let us go back to the original question that I began this little reflection: What is the purpose of St. Mary’s? It is Jesus Christ. All that we do as a parish family is to worship him  “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Cf. Matthew 22:37). That is why we have Faith Formation classes. That is why we celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe. That is why we live. If anything we do as a parish that does not point to Jesus Christ, we cut that away. Jesus Christ is the sole purpose of our existence.