Flocknote

"In baptism we use your gift of water, which you have made a rich symbol of the grace you give us in this sacrament. At the very dawn of creation your Spirit breathed on the waters, making them the wellspring of all holiness. The waters of the great flood you made as a sign of the waters of baptism, that make an end of sin and a new beginning of goodness."

(RITE OF BAPTISM Blessing and Invocation of God over Baptismal Water)

For the month of October we are going to be "diving" into the sacrament of baptism. To get us started, let's see what Bishop Don Hying has to say about the importance of baptism. I particularly like his description of "original sin" which is a concept that many of us struggle with. I hope that you find this 150 seconds a great reminder of the power of baptism:

AND HOW ABOUT A FEW REMINDERS ABOUT ALL OF THE GREAT THINGS WE HAVE GOING ON:

Let's Walk

I hope that ALL of you will join me on Sunday for the 50th Anniversary of the Midland Area CROP Hunger Walk. The weather is looking great and the cause is AWESOME!! Walking to help end hunger sounds kind of Matthew 25-ish to me... feed the hungry!! The walk begins at 2:00 but our team will meet at the Farmers Market Plaza at 1:45.

For all the details or to make a donation, click the button!

The Mass Unwrapped

October 18 and 25

7:00-8:30

Join me as we unwrap the four movements of Sunday Mass and the meaning behind the rituals, signs, and symbols. Based on Bishop Ken Untener’s “Teaching Mass,” this time together will help us experientially gain a deeper love and appreciation for this great gift we call the Mass. For more details and to register, well, you know what to do:

Why do we do what we do?

Water is essential to our spiritual life as well as our physical well being. It seems a good time to remember that our Common Home, the Earth, is having all kinds of difficulties because of our neglect and consumerist tendencies. Now seems a very good time to gather with Peter Sinclair, a nationally recognized specialist in environment and energy issues, when he presents at Blessed Sacrament on October 27

7 pm – 8:30 pm.

and shares how Central Michigan is becoming an integral part of new energy technologies and what we can do to make a difference for our world.

(Brought to you by the Social Justice Awareness Committee)

More Info and Sign Up

We started this note with water so let's end it on a "watery" musical note with an updated version of a classic tune...

I love that phrase from the blessing of the water, "a new beginning of goodness." I feel like every day is an opportunity for a new beginning of goodness! The book of Lamentations tells us that God's mercies are new every morning. And in Psalm 23 we read, "Surely God's, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." Every day God renews his promises to us, and every time we make the Sign of the Cross, we renew our promise to God, but more about that next week...

Wishing you all a new beginning of goodness each day,

lyn