Chaplain’s Message: What are we going to do with the time God is giving us?

Dear Brother Knights,

September always feels like a month of new beginnings. Summer is coming to an end, children are going back to school, our regular activities are starting again, and we gradually return to our normal rhythm.

It is a good moment to ask ourselves a simple question:

What are we going to do with the time God is giving us?

It is easy to fill our days with activities. We can be very busy and still miss something important. As Christians, the question is not simply how much we do, but FOR WHOM we are doing it and whether our lives are becoming a gift to others.

This is one of the things I greatly appreciate about the Knights of Columbus. Being a Knight is not simply about belonging to an organization. It means being ready to step forward when there is a need to help a family, support the Church, strengthen our community,

or simply be there for someone who is going through a difficult time.

Blessed Michael McGivney understood this very well. He saw the needs of the people around him and didn’t simply wait for someone else to act. He asked what he could do and then he did it.

And yes, someone might say, “Father, I’m already doing a lot!” And you may be right!

But the question is not whether we are busy. The question is whether, in the midst of everything we do, we still notice the person who needs us.

We don’t always need to do something extraordinary.

Sometimes it is a phone call, a visit, a meal, a word of encouragement, an hour given to a good cause, or simply helping a brother who is struggling. Jesus tells us: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

As we begin this new season, let us ask ourselves one simple question: Who is God putting in my path, and how can I serve that person?

Thank you, Brother Knights, for the many ways in which you already serve the Church and our

community. May God bless you, your families, and all that you do in His service.

Fr Robert M. Marciniak OCD