Dear Parishioners,
The first reading this weekend gives us a rather insightful episode in the life of Moses. Moses, as you know, was the leader of the recently-freed Israelite nation. There were about a million members of his congregation in the desert. It was a monumental task. Moses had to govern and organize the group, ensuring there was food, safety, and other necessities so they could exist in harmony. That alone would have been a full-time job. But that wasn’t all Moses had to do. He was their military leader, protecting them from attack by the Egyptians, the Canaanite tribes, and other desert marauders. Finally, Moses was their spiritual leader and had to create, essentially, a religion for the people. By “religion” I mean the structure around the faith. Recall, the Israelites, while they had their understanding of the God of Abraham, which was very basic to be sure, had really nothing else. There was no temple, no rituals, no feasts, and no laws. Moses was the first to receive the law and start all of this (the temple would come later). This meant Moses had to implement a religious vision and carry it through. The people looked to him for leadership; they looked to him to understand God; they looked to him to be filled with meaning.
All of this is to say that Moses’ plate was really full. It sounds like a parent or a grandparent or a business-owner or, dare I say, a parish priest.
Moses was overwhelmed and on the point of burnout, so he did what any wise individual would do. He prayed. He took a break and went to God. He didn’t act impulsively or emotionally, quitting or doing something else. He brought his struggle to the Lord and asked for help.
The Lord helped. Did all the problems go away? No. That wasn’t the help God gave. Rather, God told Moses to get help from people. He inspired Moses to select seventy elders to help him in the governance of the nascent nation.
Moses trained these men. He taught them how to pray and how to discern. He taught them how to go to God with their problems and how not to be overcome by infighting and seemingly insurmountable issues; not to be deflated by the drama. There is always hope, always a way forward. Moses gave this spirit to his leadership council and the nation prospered in the desert.
We can see the lessons. First, don’t give up when you have a problem or are feeling overwhelmed. Take your issues and your weary heart to God. Second, the help God will give you won’t be to simply remove your problems, but generally something that will mature you and bring you closer relationships. Third, be a mentor to others. Give them your wisdom and teach them to do likewise in the face of their own adversity. Then our nation too will prosper.
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Our parish school held its annual Fun Run this past Friday. A special thank you to all those who organized the event and those who contributed to the fundraiser. It was another great success. This upcoming Friday the school will have the Parent Social, “Funtober” in the safezone from 6pm-8:30pm.
We included in the last two bulletins renderings of our new proposed capital campaign projects: the parish center annex and outdoor Stations of the Cross. We are including again in this bulletin a campaign pledge card along with a letter from Cardinal Cupich about the campaign. If you are ready to make a pledge, please cut out the sheet and return to me. You don’t necessarily have to include any payment with the card. As the Cardinal writes in the letter, you can make your contribution all at once or make it a pledge over five years. The five year pledge allows for a more substantial donation. Our goal is $2.7 million, so we need the support of everyone if possible. If you would like to meet with me to discuss your donation, I am more than happy to do so. Thank you again for your support. We are hoping to reach out goal by the end of this month.
We are looking to expand the open hours of our Adoration Chapel, but we are in need of committed adorers. Please consider signing up for an hour-time slot, or signing up as a substitute, if you aren’t already, or at least spreading the word to people you know. I’m grateful to all of our committed adorers and the Adoration Chapel Team. We are blessed to have the Adoration Chapel in our parish.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. James Wallace
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