Dear Parishioners of St Anthony:
The parable of the laborers in the field always makes us feel uncomfortable. It offends our sense of justice. The men who worked all day should have received more than those who only worked for the hour, or so our human reasoning goes. But as with all parables, the truth lies deeper in the passage and requires thought and reflection to grasp its true meaning. The Jewish people were the “first ones hired” to go work in the vineyard of the Lord. It was a free and gracious act of God that allowed them to be the “Chosen People.” It was us, “the Gentiles”, that God later called to be a part of his people and enabled to work in his vineyard as well. At the end of the day, we all get the same reward—the relationship with God and the promise of eternal life with him. We, too, have been invited by God to go work in His vineyard. We are the workers later in the day, even in the scheme of the history of the church, we are working late compared to the 12 apostles and the early martyrs of the Church. So, we should rejoice that God is so gracious and generous in His love for us.
If all went according to plan last week, the new tile in the church is completed. Tile was installed in the vestibules and a few other areas of the church this past week. The only projects that remain in the church are the rewiring of the microphones for the choir risers and installing carpet on them. New carpet for one of the confessionals will also be installed after that room gets a fresh coat of paint. The only thing left, besides those small side projects, is the installation of the long-awaited pews!! They are supposed to arrive on Tuesday, September 26th at 9:00am. After the truck is unloaded, the pews will begin to be assembled and installed in the church over the next two weeks. After that, the organ and sound system will be adjusted to match the new acoustics of the church. Then, we should be ready to return to the church for our liturgies. Once again, I want to thank everyone for their patience while this major renovation took place.
Stop by for the dusty shoes tour of the church set for this Sunday after our 10:30am Mass. It will be a time to see most of the church work completed before the pews are installed. I know many of you have been taking sneak peeks here and there already but, this will be a fun time for everyone to enjoy!
God bless,
Fr. Dennis