Dear Parishioners and Friends,
“Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever. Mountains and hills, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. Everything growing on earth, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. You springs, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. Seas and rivers, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.”
These verses from the book of Daniel (3:74-78) complement the readings from today’s Mass in which we hear the story of the prophet Elijah being called by God to go to Mount Horeb where the Lord would pass by. But the Lord wasn’t in the wind, earthquake or fire; Elijah heard the Lord in a “tiny whispering sound.” In the Gospel, Jesus went up a nearby mountain to rest and pray after feeding the five thousand. Later, Peter and the other disciples experienced the saving presence of Jesus amid the turbulence of the storm on the Sea of Galilee.
Mountains and the sea figure prominently in our Scriptures today. After having spent a week at the Jersey shore and experiencing again the powerful beauty of the Atlantic Ocean, I appreciate even more how the created world speaks to us of the majesty of God. Sometimes we hear the question: where would you prefer to spend your vacation – at the seashore or in the mountains? I’ve been to both, and either environment suits me equally well. I’ve been awed by the Alps in Europe as well as the Berkshires in Massachusetts.
Theologians speak of the immanence and transcendence of God. The seashore, with the endless movement of the ocean’s waves and the distance of the horizon, speak eloquently of the immanent and transcendent nature of God. The ocean’s endless movement speaks to me of the constant movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our world; the endless horizon speaks to me of the unreachable and eternal Creator of all existence. I am reminded of the famous legend of St. Augustine and the boy he encountered at the seashore who helped the saint appreciate the mystery of the Holy Trinity with which he had been wrestling. “I will sooner empty the sea into this pool than you will manage to get the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity into your head!” the boy told him. Makes sense to me!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.Pastor
2nd Collection on August 20, 2023
Mission Co-Op: Little Sisters of Mary Immaculate of Gulu
Who we are: The Little Sisters of Mary Immaculate of Gulu (LSMIG) is an indigenous Congregation of Catholic Sisters founded in 1936 in the Archdiocese of Gulu in Northern Uganda( East Africa).
Our Mission: The mission of the LSMIG is to witness the love of Jesus Christ to the most vulnerable, especially women, children, youth and the aged. The LSMIG live their mission through: Catholic education, health, pastoral and social services to the poor and the most vulnerable in the society.
Our Strategy: to break the cycle of pregnancy among youth. As Catholic Sisters, we have devised two strategies to break the cycle of sexual violence, early marriage and child motherhood in the refugee & internally displaced peoples camps and the host community:
1. Catholic community sensitization against sexual violence, early marriage through safe home visits, local radio station programs and youth mobilization.
2. A stigma free Catholic education environment that empowers the child mothers to gain self confidence and to fight for their right to a violence free society.
We kindly invite you through your Pastor and Parish to kindly consider :
• financial support for the mission of the Little Sisters of Mary Immaculate of Gulu towards child mothers in the refugee and the internally displaced peoples camps in northern Uganda. You can make your gift in cash or check to your Parish for the LSMIG.
• Keeping the LSMIG and the mission to the child mothers and the refugees in your prayers.