In this weekend’s gospel, Jesus raising his eyes to heaven in prayer says, “now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.” Our immediate instinct is to wonder what he means since we know God, we know Jesus. We wonder what this eternal life is that we should know now because of our familiarity with the Holy Trinity. After all we have in our minds that eternal life is a place of perfect peace, an abundance of joy, and perfect love, hardly the environment we live in today.

   The fact of the matter is that when Jesus says to “know God” he doesn’t mean knowing about God. Instead, he is talking about having a relationship with God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that involves our minds, our spirits, our entire selves. Jesus is talking about God as love and our knowing God as love. Love that is unconditional and unending. Love that affirms and challenges. Love that never quits no matter how far we stray, no matter how hard we make it. Love that trusts, that forgives, that hopes, that feeds, that heals, that comforts, that changes the world.

To know God is to know He is love and to live this love. To know God is to heed the teaching of Jesus and to follow his example. To know God is to do all we can to provide a glimpse of eternal life through our generosity with our time, talent, and treasure. Through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy we continue the work of Jesus and make visible the kingdom of God already present yet not fully.

            This is exactly what our Annual Appeal allows our Church to accomplish throughout the diocese. Our generous contribution to the appeal continues the work of love and mercy that Jesus began. Our contribution to the Annual appeal makes it possible to reach out and share the Gospel with college students and young adults. The Annual Appeal ensures that the sick and the lonely are visited and the hungry are fed.  Through a host of programs supported by the Annual Appeal many come to know God, to know love.

            I ask you to please be as generous as you can to this year’s appeal. If you have already made your pledge thank you. If you haven’t all you need do is point your camera to the QR code below and you can easily make your pledge. I thank you in advance for you generosity and for your willingness to help others to “Know God” by sharing your love.