Jim Galvin called to ask if they could start signing again.  They'll be at the 6 PM Mass on Saturdays and have a class on Tuesdays at 10:30 AM in the Parish Center.  It's great to see more and more groups becoming active again.

     Priests are required to do a five day retreat every year.  I picked next week, Monday through Friday, 7/26-30.  It's likely to be the quietest week of the year around here.  I couldn't find a retreat house to go to during July or August.  Hopefully, I'll be able to go away on retreat next year.  This year, I'll be quiet in the rectory.

     The big truth I want to ponder is how to put God first in my life.  With the pandemic, social unrest, and all the crazy and/or evil things going on in the world, we need God.  Putting Him first is always the answer.  Do we do things that get in the way of us being loved by Him and loving Him in return?  How does putting God first make it more possible for us to love our neighbor?

     New cases are going up fairly quickly.  Even with the vaccine, we're at levels similar to late September of last year.  I can't tell if hospitalizations are up.  Deaths have increased from one every ten days to about one every other day in Ocean County.

     I rely on the doctors that EWTN News interviews rather than those chosen by the secular media.  On last night's EWTN News Nightly, a NJ doctor said that vaccinated people could transmit the delta variant.  He didn't give any indication about how likely that would be.  If true, then I could see government officials asking even the vaccinated to wear masks.

     I don't know how things will develop, but it looks like we may need to make some adjustments in two to four weeks rather than six to eight weeks.  Currently at St. John's, we're more careful than needed.  I hope we won't have to do anything more.

     I won't be tracking the pandemic next week during my retreat.  I'm glad I'm doing my retreat now because life could get interesting again in the not too distant future.

     Let's pray...

1)  For an end to the pandemic.

2)  For those newly contracting the coronavirus.

3)  For all health care workers, that they be kept safe and given all the ability they need.

4)  For freedom and the common good in Cuba.

5)  For freedom and truth in China.

God love you,

Fr. Jim