Dear Holy Trinity Family,

On Saturday August 8, I celebrate my 6th anniversary of priesthood ordination, and what a grace it has been to be a priest of Jesus Christ for these past 6 years! I am truly honored to be your priest. One of the most important lessons I have learned as a priest is to be patient and always keep focused on Christ. He truly is the way, the truth, and the life as we hear in John’s Gospel. This weekend we encounter Peter and his struggle always keeping his focus on Christ. The disciples encounter a storm while on the sea. On our lives we encounter our own storms, spiritually, emotionally, physically. Jesus comes to calm the storms. He invites Peter to step out of the boat, in the middle of the storm, and to trust. Christ invites all of us to step out of our boats, our comforts, and embrace our storms with him. We see that Peter only begins to sink when he loses focus of Christ. In my priesthood over these past 6 years I can relate to Peter. When we lose focus of Christ we get caught up in our own worries and anxieties. We focus too much inwardly than on the cross and our savior who hangs from the cross. As we continue our journey may we always focus on Christ especially as we encounter the storms of life.

- Fr. Jonathan