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Dear Friends in Christ,

One of the great blessings of the Church is the multiplicity of nations God has called to her service. And one of the pleasing aspects of this blessing is that all cultures find a home in the Church, and a place for their people to live and to be at peace. From the moment the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles and upon Mary, the Mother of God, the men and women of Christ's Church have been filled with zeal - zeal for the love of God, and zeal for one another. For the Church is two things - the Faithful at prayer, at worship before God Almighty, and the Faithful at the service of one another. Our hearts are filled with faith and hope - belief in God and belief that He will forgive our sins and save us; and our hearts are turned by the power of hope to service - to love for one another - to charity - that love in our hearts which flows from the deep love of Jesus Christ, who suffered and died for us all, and who came to us, never to leave, when we were baptized.

Here in Atlanta, the Church is like a beautiful stained glass window - there are many parts, of many colors and shapes, blended into one design, forming an image of beauty and of truth - an image so powerful as to draw others into its holiness - an image in which all men and women can find a home for their souls, without losing the special and unique character that God gives each and every one of us. We remember the words of the Old Testament from today's first reading:

Wisdom has built her house…she has set her table…she has sent her maidservants to call from the highest places …"Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed."

We remember, and understand, that this prophecy has been fulfilled in our age, in the age of the Lord - and we know that our real home, the home of our wisdom, is where we gather to eat and drink the food that God has sent us, the Body and the Blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Getting here - to this city, to this home, to this Church - has not been simple or easy for anyone - but it has been especially hard for those forced to leave the land of their birth, the land of their forefathers - to escape, poverty or persecution - and to cast their fortunes and fates upon the waters, trusting that God would bring them to a friendly shore. St. Paul warns people of all times that the way may be difficult, saying: "Watch carefully then how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil."

You, the men and women and children of the Haitian community, who have brought your lives to the Church in Atlanta - you have heard the voice of wisdom, you have heeded the advice of St. Paul, understanding the evil that lives in our day, and seizing the opportunity to find a place where things will be better for you, for your children and for your children's children. Perhaps, in your hearts and prayers, lives the hope that some day you might return to a renewed and restored homeland. And no one wishes to take from you this beautiful and comforting aspiration. But the fact that you may long for what was yours, cannot and will not dampen our desire that you be a part of our family, a part of our home.

For we are all pilgrims - life itself must be a constant recognition of sin and evil, and a turning away and crossing into the new paths of God's holy laws, the paths of righteousness for His sake. None of us are at home until we understand that our home is wherever we can do what we are doing now - celebrating the Feast of our Redemption, the Sacrifice of Christ for our sins, the Salvation that comes to us from His Body and Blood. For He has said: "…the one who feeds on me will have life because of me." And with Christ to sustain us, the journeys we must make, the challenges we must face, they are but minor inconveniences compared to what He has suffered for us.

Because of this, dear friends, let us make the most of what He has given us, in His Son - and what He has given us in one another. Let us work diligently here at St. Peter and Paul Parish to add vitality to our community. Let us cooperate with Father Peek and with Father St. Fleur, accepting their guidance, and working with them to strengthen this family of the Lord. Let us find our place, without losing our identity, in this beautiful window, fashioned of the wondrous diversity of God's people, but united by His Blood, His Sacrifice, His love for us. And through this window, may the Holy Spirit, the Light of God, shine on us and all that we do. We have but one God, Father, Son and Spirit, and to Him be glory and honor, now and for ever. Amen.

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