One of the best parts of July for me is that I have time to catch up on some reading! I've just started, "small great things," but I've finished "THE BOY, the mole, the fox and the Horse"; "CREATION and the CROSS"; "INSPIRED", and just this morning I cried through the ending of "The Book of JOY!" Seems a little ironic that I cried at the end of a book about "joy" but it's just so darn hopeful and inspirational!! His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have collaborated on this amazing project! If I win the Michigan vaccination lottery I'm buying EVERYONE in our parish a copy of this book! Yes, it's that good! These two men, one a Buddhist and the other a Christian, who have been or are exiles and have known true terror and sadness, have at the very center of their being a well of joy that they share with the world. If we want more joy in our lives, first and foremost, we have to stop thinking about ourselves and instead reach out to others with love and compassion. I think Jesus would agree!!
Sooo, I'd love to know what you are reading this summer! Feel free to leave a comment with the title of your favorite summer read!
Back in the Swing of Things Weekend
August 28/29
Picnic after 5:00 Mass Saturday
Coffee & Donuts after Sunday Masses
Golf Scramble on Sunday Afternoon
Faith Formation Registration
Remembrance Altar Cloth
A Blessing from Bishop Tutu
"Dear Child of God, you are loved with a love that nothing can shake, a love that loved you long before you were created, a love that will be there long after everything has disappeared. You are precious, with a preciousness that is totally quite immeasurable. And God wants you to be like God. Filled with life and goodness and laughter- and joy.
God, who is forever pouring out God's whole being from all eternity, wants you to flourish. God wants you to be filled with joy and excitement and ever longing to be able to find what is so beautiful in God's creation: the compassion of so many, the caring, the sharing. And God says, Please, my child, help me. Help me to spread love and laughter and joy and compassion. And you know what, my child? As you do this-hey, presto- you discover joy. Joy, which you had not sought, comes as the gift, as almost the reward for this non-self-regarding caring for others."
Page 298
I'm sure that some of you giggle at me when you feel like I am reducing faith and religion to "GOD LOVES YOU," but seriously, if we really understood what that meant to be known and loved and accepted just as we are, and if we embraced it and realized that God loves EVERYONE and every part of creation that way, wouldn't it change how we cared for our world, ourselves, and one another? NONE of us is perfect which means we need to be gentle with each other's shortcomings. I believe the message is simple and inclusive, just not easy. I think it's worth the struggle. I believe our faith in Jesus helps us to see this and live it out.
So feel free to giggle if you like...I'm always happy to spread a little joy!
Here is a song about LOVE, of course!
I'm looking forward to seeing what you are reading this summer. If you aren't a reader, you might consider watching THE CHOSEN. It was a slow start for me, but now I'm hooked! I hope that you spread joy this weekend in little ways and that your heart expands in new and unexpected ones!!