Why We Surrender to God

Surrendering to God and His Will is a common theme in spiritual life. It is crucial for spiritual growth, though it can be uncomfortable and requires immense trust. When we understand that God is good and has our best interest at heart, we can trust His Providence to carry us through whatever life throws at us. It is necessary to remember that there is no growth in the comfort zone. When we remain in our personal "comfort zone," we hinder the growth that God desires for us.

The season of Lent with its focus on prayer, penance, and almsgiving shows us a practical path to surrendering to God’s Will. Through prayer we sacrifice our time (our most valuable resource) to God and allow Him a space to work. Through penance we deny ourselves some worldly pleasure or comfort in order make a space for God’s consolation to dwell. Through almsgiving the Lord asks us to trust Him even with our pocketbook. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) Through our actions of prayer, penance, and almsgiving we move our hearts from the realm of the world to the Kingdom of Heaven which Jesus Christ, Himself.

A reminder that we have some extra confession times in Lent, and we want to encourage you to make it before Holy Week if possible as that can be a busy time for all and spreading confessions out over Lent enables the laity and priests alike a space for more fruitful individual confessions.

This year, we will not have confessions during our Divine Mercy Holy Hours in St. Joseph, Pillar of Families so that we will focus more intently on expressing our gratitude and praise of God’s amazing Divine Mercy. We should emphasize developing a spirit of mercy in our lives to build on the mercy we receive in the confessional.

Please continue to pray for Fr. Aaron and myself as we continue to serve St. Joseph, Pillar of Families, and discern God’s will for the next stage of our priesthoods. My life as a priest thus far has been an adventure and I am extraordinarily grateful for all the experiences I have had as pastor of St. Joseph, Pillar of Families. There will be much for me to reflect on and to learn from as I move forward in my priesthood.

Please pray for the priest(s) who will be appointed as your next pastor and the next vicar at St. Joseph, Pillar of Families. May they be given the grace to embrace their new assignment with courage, charity, and zeal. I pray that you will receive a saintly pastor who will guide you with wisdom and love.

Thank you to so many of you for your kind and encouraging words over the past few weeks. Your love and kindness have meant so much to me. I also thank you for your desire to serve the Lord and His Church. It is a beautiful thing to see your desire to serve.

Peace in Christ,
Fr. Jarred Kohn