The Lord is so good! I keep returning to this truth in my prayer, especially when
times are tough. We might not always feel good ourselves about the difficulties we
face in our lives and in the world, but the truth is that the Lord is good and He is
with us through it all! In the Gospel today, Jesus promises to make His dwelling in
us. He is with us. He brings peace to our troubled, frightened, and confused hearts.
Awareness of the Lord's goodness doesn't take away the difficulties we face (and it
certainly doesn't make those difficulties feel any better!), but it helps us face them
with a renewed strength that we are not alone, we are loved and supported by heavenly grace. Christ is with us. God is good.

Your Taxes. Their Tuition - Give to the Angel Scholarship Fund!
If you are a registered parishioner, you have already received in the mail an invitation to donate to the Angel Scholarship Fund. This weekend, I will be presenting the Angel Scholarship Fund at our parish Masses. In brief, Ohio is the 18th state to implement a tax credit scholarship program for taxpayers to turn their tax dollars into tuition assistance. The Catholic Community Foundation processes donations for this tax credit through the Angel Scholarship Fund. Donors to this fund receive a tax credit (up to $750 for single filers, and $1,500 for joint filers) to offset their Ohio income tax liability. St. Mary School or another Catholic school in our diocese can be designated to receive these tax credit scholarship funds to provide tuition assistance to our students, at no net cost to you as a donor!

We have to pay our state income taxes anyway, so we might as well take advantage of this tax credit to let the state of Ohio know where we would like our tax money to go. This is low-hanging fruit for all of us to take advantage of, and a win-win for taxpayers, students, families, Catholic schools, and our parish community. If you pay any state income tax at all, I strongly encourage you to give to the angel scholarship fund, and share this new opportunity with your family and friends. The more donors we have contributing, the greater the outreach we can have to families wanting a Catholic education for their children, and the more we can focus on discipleship, growth, and development at our parish.

A contribution form and FAQ page is inserted in today’s bulletin. You can also find these resources on our website at www.stpatrickthompson.org/asf. Thank you for spending the 5 minutes it takes to donate to the Angel Scholarship Fund to make a difference for a family desiring affordable Catholic education.

The Lord is so good! Even in the midst of a crazy and chaotic world, the Lord continues to bless us in so many ways. We open ourselves to receive His blessings when we pray and enter ever more deeply into His love. I hope you steal away a few moments of silent time with Him this week so you may know of His great love He has for you.