Happy Independence Day!!
As I have been getting things ready for our week-long "Birthday Bash" with my family, I've been thinking about how lucky we are that we can get together, all 19 of us, to celebrate my parents' 80th birthdays, all of the nieces' and nephews' birthdays, and the birthday of the United States. I am so very happy that I live in the United States because I can travel freely, and worship freely, and speak freely, and celebrate freely! HOWEVER, because we do enjoy so many freedoms, we are often quick in the U.S. to speak about "our/my rights," but as Catholic Christians these rights come with responsibilities. Each of us is more than a citizen of the United States. Most importantly, we are citizens of the Kingdom of God, and it is in Jesus Christ that we have our true identity and freedom.
So this weekend as we remember with gratitude all the rights that we enjoy as citizens of the United States, let's take a few moments to consider our responsibilites to the whole human family as we pray this prayer from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
"God, source of all freedom, this day is bright with the memory of those that declared that life and liberty are your gift to every human being. Help us to continue a good work begun long ago. Make our vision clear and our will strong; that only in human solidarity will we find liberty, and justice only in the honor that belongs to every life on earth. Turn our hearts toward the family of nations: to understand the ways of others, to offer friendship, and to find safety in the common good for all. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen."
While we are feeling "free," please feel free to put the following fun things on your calendar:
Saturday, August 27 after 5:00 Mass
and...
Our Second Annual Back in the Swing of Things Golf Scramble
Sunday, August 28
Keep an eye out for details in upcoming Parish Flocknotes and the Bulletin.
Though things are kind of quiet around the Parish Center during the month of July, please know that we are planning many wonderful opportunities for the upcoming catechetical year. We are focusing on all things "Catholic" for our 2022/2023 Adult Faith Formation offerings including the Mass, the 7 Sacraments, a "thanksgiving dinner" with a Eucharist talk by Father Rob, the Saints, and the Creed (s). And of course, we will be continuing with all of our "regularly scheduled" programming including a Men's Christ Renews Weekend in September and a Women's Christ Renews Weekend in April. We are also looking to reinvigorate our Small Faith Groups and some of our Lay Ministers are currently working on that initiative.
Our theme across all areas of Faith Formation is "We're Home," and we will be offering WHOLE PARISH FAMILY opportunities: Movie/Discussion Night, Advent Wreath Making, Gingerbread House Creating, Game Night with a Euchre Tournament, Bingo, and Board Games.
Rest up this month because we are in for a full year of Blessed Sacrament Family Fun and Formation!
WE’RE HOME!
When we think about the word “house” a building comes to mind, but the word HOME brings to mind and heart so much more than just a building. HOME is where we experience a sense of belonging. A place where we are known, accepted, loved, and forgiven even when we struggle. It provides a shelter from the storms of the world where we can find a little bit of the peace that Jesus promises. It’s also a place of shared responsibilities and accountability where we learn how to care for others and where we encourage one another to grow and use our gifts.
No earthly home is perfect and not all of us have grown up in or currently live in a home where these qualities exist, but all of our hearts desire to find a place where they feel “at home.” And as a faith community, Blessed Sacrament strives to provide a place of belonging for everyone who comes through the doors, a place where people are greeted by smiling faces, where they can relax and “sit a spell,” hear the best stories, and share a meal at the family Thanksgiving table; a place where they can say, “We’re Home!” It takes each of us to create this home by being a community of love, acceptance, and forgiveness, sharing responsibilities and being accountable to one another so that when we say WE’RE HOME, we mean so much more than this place feels like home, it means that WE ARE HOME for each other.
So let's finish this note up with a song about Independence Day that fits perfectly with our upcoming year theme of We're Home. This one is by Dierks Bentley and it's simply called HOME:
Wishing you all the joy of knowing that we have the freedom to disagree and still love one another because God loved us first! Let's not "lose sight of who we are" because this is the place "that we call home."
With fireworks, joy and hope,
lyn