July 2, 2023

Dear Parishioners,

“And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple — amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward."

I’d like to reflect a bit on the corporal works of mercy. As a refresher, they are: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit prisoners, bury the dead, and give alms to the poor.

These are actually harder than you think, aren’t they? Most of us can check the feed the hungry (donations to our food pantry), bury the dead (go to wakes and funerals), and give alms to the poor (make donations) boxes. But what about the others? Come across someone thirsty lately? Have you ever visited a prison? And so forth. Batting .429 might be good in baseball, but I’m not sure if that will cut it for our Lord.

Don’t panic, we’re not doomed. Look at what Jesus says: “whoever receives you, receives me… whoever receives a prophet… whoever receives a righteous man…” Receive. We don’t necessarily have to go out and find it. We have to wait and, when the opportunity comes, act. So, we could look at the corporal works of mercy as not something that we pursue, but something that we wait to receive. Don’t go out and find the thirsty person, but wait (and hope). Then one day when you see a tired mailman on the street on a 95 degree day, you realize this is the chance. And you go out and offer a cup of cold water. You’ve fulfilled the work of mercy.

One way to go about the corporal works of mercy, then, is to pray that the opportunity comes our way. Lord, please, if it be your will, give me the chance to shelter the homeless, etc. And then be at peace about it. God will give you the opportunity when the time is right.

If making that prayer gives you angst, well, now you’ve got something to pray about. If you pray about those things that give you hesitation, you’ll receive greater freedom to do the Lord’s will. My hunch, then, is that opportunities will be aplenty.

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Happy Fourth of July. Enjoy your celebrations and BBQs this weekend. May God pour his grace out upon our nation, our people, and our leaders. May we be a holy people and may we strive to love our Lord. Please note, there will be only one Mass on Tuesday, July 4th at 8:30am. There will be no 6:25am Mass that day, nor will be there confessions at 8am.

Due to the holiday week, there will be no Scripture Seminar this Wednesday, July 5. We’ll resume next week, Wednesday, July 12th. There will also be no Donut Sunday or New Parishioner Registration this weekend.

Finally, I want to recognize Adrienne Timm, the director of our Social Service Ministry. Adrienne has been serving the parish for thirty years. As you know, the SSM runs the food pantry and oversees many other ministries in our parish, including bereavement, Griefshare, ministers of care, domestic violence, the parish garden, and the Lenten Almsgiving Project. This isn’t to mention the work Adrienne does in meeting with individuals and working on their cases, whether it be covering a month’s rent, reviewing a work contract, or providing some other assistance. It is a hard job, but Adrienne has done it well, and we are grateful for her dedication and her skill. So, it is with sadness that I announce Adrienne has decided to retire from her position at the end of August. This is a big loss to our parish and community, but I’m happy for Adrienne and the new chapter she will begin in her life as she spends more time with family up north.

I’ve formed a search committee to hire a new director of the Social Service Ministry. Please keep us in prayer as we look to bring an individual with the heart and skillset of Adrienne. And if you know of any individual who might be a good fit, please send them my way.

We plan to have a celebration in Adrienne’s honor in the near future, so please stay tuned for those details. Thank you, Adrienne, and God bless you.

Yours in Christ,