Goodbye
/This is my last message to you as your pastor. In my homily yesterday, I reflected on how well you received me as your pastor, and I made two requests as I leave. Below is a link to the homily in case you missed it.
The word valediction refers to to the closing phrase of a letter or email, such as “sincerely” or “best regards.” In spoken conversation, we say things like “goodbye,” “take care,” or “see you later.” “Goodbye” is a contraction for the Old English phrase, “God be with ye.” To desire God to be with someone is the best thing. If God is with us, we will be taken care of, and we we will see each other later.
In my family, we developed the custom of ending our conversations by saying: “I love you, God be with you.” These words have great meaning for me. And so I say to you all, “I love you. God be with you.”