News - August 2021 RSS Feed

The tension in the relationship between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day is once again highlighted in the Gospel reading for this weekend. In the question addressed to Jesus, the Pharisees ask: “why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” Given their disposition to Jesus, we could argue that they were not seeking for information as to why his disciples did not wash their hands before eating. They were essentially challenging Jesus’ ministry...

It is my choice! My beloved parishioners, How often in our conversations do we hear the above expression or a similarly worded expression? To make a choice is to exercise the right to choose. This implies a degree of freedom from whatever could impede such choosing, as well as a freedom to choose one thing from the other. We must have heard someone say, or we might have said it ourselves, “I am free to do whatever I want…” Again, this is true, but the speaker must not forget that they are also responsible for the consequence of this freedom. What I am trying to point out is that freedom has a corollary – responsibility. We are free creatures; but we are rational creatures as well. Freedom is foundational to who we are as humans; but this freedom is not an absolute. Our freedom cannot be free-range and unbounded. It has limits. For example, my right to life does not entitle me to use that freedom at the expense of another. The freedom to do whatever I want does not extend to taking another person’s freedom to live. And because freedom is not an absolute, we cannot make a god of our freedom and worship only at the altar of license. We must always remember that our freedom is a gift, which, to be whole, must be put at the service of and regulated by right reason.

Last weekend we had our parish summer picnic. It was such a wonderful opportunity to meet with some of our parishioners. I had so much fun, and I am sure those who were able to attend did likewise. We even had music provided by Kevin & Lynda Gring. How cool! I wish to express my gratitude to our staff and all who volunteered their time and resources to make the event a huge success. Thank you to all who brought side dishes as well. We pray for more opportunities to fellowship together as a parish community.

This week we have our parish summer picnic after the 11:30 a.m. Mass. Apart from the excitement of finally getting to partake in the popular Corn and Sausage, I am looking forward to the opportunity of spending more time with and getting to know some of our parishioners. We are grateful to the Lord for making it possible to hold this picnic this year. And we continue to pray for an end to this pandemic that has impacted, not just our physical, but also our mental health. Along with other dimensions, humans are social beings, and the ability to interact with other people helps foster this dimension of our being. I also wish to express my gratitude to members of our staff, especially Jenny Peterson, Roy Lawson, Darlene Pruett-Taylor, and Gail Waltman, and all our wonderful volunteers, for the work that has gone into planning toward this annual event. It is my hope that you would enjoy this opportunity to visit with your parish family again; and may this demonstration of our love for one another bear fruits in abundance. Amen.