January 2021

Dear Companion of St. Anthony,

As a new year begins, I find myself praying about how to find a refreshed faith in God during this New Year.  As our country experiences changes amid the chaos of the Covid pandemic and political unrest, I find myself praying the Serenity Prayer more often: “God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

I have a plaque in my office with a saying that hung on the office of the psychiatrist Carl Jung: “Vocatus atque non Vocatus Deus aderit.” Meaning, “Bidden or unbidden, God is present.”  This gives me hope that God is always present to us when we make ourselves open to his intervention in our lives.  St. Paul writes in the letter to the Romans (5:5), “Hope does not disappoint.”  I am counting on that statement to move us through this new year and the days of transition ahead.

Be assured of my prayers for you as we step into these unchartered waters, but our good Lord and our companion St. Anthony will not fail us. Have faith, hope, and love – but especially love one another.

Prayerfully,

Fr. Richard-Jacob

Spiritual Guardian