Our 2018 Parish Block Party is now less than a month away.
I hope you have received the mailing t
hat was sent to all registered parishioners inviting you to purchase Block Party Raffle Tickets. The second and final
early-bird raffle drawing is going to take place on Friday, August 31. Raffle tickets are to be returned to the Parish Office. Block Party tickets are also available online as well as at the Parish Office. The St. Mary's Parish Block Party is open to friend
s, family, neighbors, parishioners, and guests.
I had the chance to do some reading ove
r the summer. Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB writes in her book,
The Breath of the Soul: Reflections on Prayer
,
perspectives and insights on having an Alleluia Heart:
"Gratitude is not the only posture of praise but it is also the basic element of real belief in God.
When we bow our heads in gratitude, we acknowledge that the works of God are good. We recognize that we cannot, or ourselves, save ourselves. We proclaim that our existence and all its goods come not from our own devices but are part of the works of God. Gratitude is the alleluia to existence, the praise that thunders through the universe as tribute to the ongoing presence of God with us even now.
Thank you for the new day.
Thank you for this work.
Thank you for this family.
Thank you for our daily bread.
Thank you for the storm and the moisture it brings to a parched earth.
Thank you for the corrections that bring me to growth.
Thank you for the bank of crown vetch that brings color to the hillside.
Thank you for the pets that bind us to nature.
Thank you for the necessities that keep me aware of your bounty in my life.
Without doubt, unstinting gratitude saves us from the sense of self-sufficiency that leads to forgetfulness of God.
Praise is not an idle virtue in life. It says to us, "Remember to whom you are indebted. If you never know need, you will come to know neither who God is not nor who you yourself are."
Need is what tests our trust. It gives us the opportunity to allow others to hold us up in our weakness, to realize that only God in the end is the measure of our fullness.
Once we know need, we are better human beings. For the first time we know solidarity with the poorest of the poor. We become owners of the pain of the world and devote ourselves to working on behalf of those who suffer.
Finally, it is need that shows us how little it takes to be happy.
Once we know all those things, we have come face-to-face with both creation and the Creator. It is the alleluia moment that discovers both God and goodness for us.
Learn to come to prayer with an Alleluia Heart so that prayer can be sincere."
You are once again encouraged to pass on an invitation to neighbors, family, and friends who have expressed an interest in becoming a member of the Roman Catholic Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) here at St. Mary's. To inquire more about the opportunities offered through the RCIA you can contact either Fr. Mark or myself. May our parish be a living witness of faith to one another, neighbor and guest sparking and creating a deeper desire to join the Catholic Church.
Monday, the
School of St. Mary
opens its doors for another year of academic and spiritual growth led by
Mr. Dave Wieters
,
Mrs. Kathy Thompson
, and a dedicated staff of teachers. May the new year be one of many graces for the staff, administration, students, and families of St. Mary's.
God bless you with an
Alleluia Heart
this day.
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