Dear friends in Christ,
This, That & the Other ... I’m willing to bet you’ll recognize the first line from the first reading this Sunday: “Vanity of vanities,” says Qoheleth, “vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” It’s one of the verses of Sacred Scripture that has made it into the popular lexicon and it’s not uncommon to hear it used in everyday conversation. My mother, like most Catholic mothers, I suppose, was famous for saying to us children whenever we got a little too full of ourselves. … While we most often use the word vanity to mean excessive pride in oneself, it actually comes from the Hebrew word “hebel,” which means vapor or puff of wind, signifying something fleeting or insubstantial. The writer of the Book of Ecclesiastes from which it comes was aiming to help others see that this world is transitory and we would be best advised not to get too caught up in ourselves but rather keep our hearts fixed on the Lord. It was an odd way to convey his message, but you have to admit he came up with a memorable phrase nonetheless. ... Hearing this famous passage is an opportunity for us to reflect on the fleeting nature of our life. What are we obsessed with? Is it all about me, and my wants and desires? Or can I work to cultivate a more worldly view, one that keeps the Lord in proper relationship with my heart? To live with true happiness we should strive to look to that which lasts and is not that which is gone with a “puff of wind.”
… It looks like many of you have already been hitting the sales at the local stores as we are off to a fine start with Operation Backpack. Thank you! It will continue for a few more weeks so please remember to bring school supplies and/or clear backpacks to drop off at Mass. You’ll see the big bins in the narthex as you enter. We distribute the supplies to students in need here in Cypress and also at Our Mother of Mercy parish in Houston. Also, remember as this is the first weekend of the month, it's also our chance to help stock the food pantry at CAM.
… We’re just about three weeks away from our big summer extravaganza entitled “Back to School, Back to Jesus” featuring Fr. Jim Sichko. It’s set for Sunday, Aug. 25 from 12 – 2 pm under a big tent that we’ll have set up at the Redeemer Activity Center. The highlighted link has all the details, but in short, it’s a kickoff for a parish mission that week with Fr. Jim as our featured speaker. He’s inviting us to spend “60 minutes with Jesus” three nights that week (Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday, Aug. 26-28 at 7 p.m.) Fr. Jim is masterful speaker – highly engaging and sure to touch your heart. You’ll hear from him at all the Masses that weekend, but put it on your calendar now and make plans to join us.
… The mission week gets started with the Party Under the Big Top on Sunday, Aug. 25 for all ages – families, young adult, Classics – everyone is invited to join us for a way to come together to close out summer and ready ourselves for the coming school year. Given our size, it’s not easy for the parish to all come together often outside of the Spring Festival. The Party Under the Big Top will be a way for us to celebrate our community with food, entertainment, and fraternity among one another. Again, more details to come, but all are invited to join us for a fun afternoon celebrating our oneness in Christ!
… As the calendar has turned to August several of our parish groups and organizations are ramping back up for the fall. This Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 6 p.m. in Room 111 the American Heritage Girls are hosting a parent meeting for perspective families. If you have a daughter between 5-18, bring her and yourself to this informative night to learn about AHG, which is a Christ-centered character and leadership development program for girls dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country. I’ve been impressed with the growth of our AHG troop at CtR the past few years. They are doing great things to bring young girls closer to Christ and the Church. I highly encourage parents to check it out. … Also this week, our adult choir is hosting a workshop and social as they return after the annual summer break. Consider using that voice that God gave you to be part of our outstanding choir that sings each week at the 9 a.m. Sunday Mass. The workshop is a wonderful opportunity to “come and see” (or “come and sing!”) what the choir is all about. They’ll meet Thursday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. in Room 111.
… Lastly I turn your attention to what I write about in this week’s bulletin, namely the ongoing efforts of creating a safe environment for all of God’s children in the Church. There have been some significant developments in the Church’s response to the crisis of abuse that shook us all to the core the past few years. I write about it more fully in the bulletin (and will continue to keep you updated in the coming months), but I want to highlight a very fine new website that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have developed that speaks more to the accountability efforts. It has a wealth of information to bring you up to speed on the real changes that the Church is putting into place. … We can be proud of the Safe Environment practices that have been enacted (and all employees and volunteers in the Church who work with young children must be in compliance with these norms and we check regularly to see that they are), but we must not grow slack in our zeal to see that our parishes, schools, and homes are places where all of God’s children are protected and kept safe. May God bless us in our efforts. For more information on the norms and what is being done, please visit the USCCB’s new website dedicated to these efforts at www.preventionusccb.org. … Lastly, and most importantly, God loves you! See ya’ at Mass!
This, That & the Other ... I’m willing to bet you’ll recognize the first line from the first reading this Sunday: “Vanity of vanities,” says Qoheleth, “vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” It’s one of the verses of Sacred Scripture that has made it into the popular lexicon and it’s not uncommon to hear it used in everyday conversation. My mother, like most Catholic mothers, I suppose, was famous for saying to us children whenever we got a little too full of ourselves. … While we most often use the word vanity to mean excessive pride in oneself, it actually comes from the Hebrew word “hebel,” which means vapor or puff of wind, signifying something fleeting or insubstantial. The writer of the Book of Ecclesiastes from which it comes was aiming to help others see that this world is transitory and we would be best advised not to get too caught up in ourselves but rather keep our hearts fixed on the Lord. It was an odd way to convey his message, but you have to admit he came up with a memorable phrase nonetheless. ... Hearing this famous passage is an opportunity for us to reflect on the fleeting nature of our life. What are we obsessed with? Is it all about me, and my wants and desires? Or can I work to cultivate a more worldly view, one that keeps the Lord in proper relationship with my heart? To live with true happiness we should strive to look to that which lasts and is not that which is gone with a “puff of wind.”
… It looks like many of you have already been hitting the sales at the local stores as we are off to a fine start with Operation Backpack. Thank you! It will continue for a few more weeks so please remember to bring school supplies and/or clear backpacks to drop off at Mass. You’ll see the big bins in the narthex as you enter. We distribute the supplies to students in need here in Cypress and also at Our Mother of Mercy parish in Houston. Also, remember as this is the first weekend of the month, it's also our chance to help stock the food pantry at CAM.
… We’re just about three weeks away from our big summer extravaganza entitled “Back to School, Back to Jesus” featuring Fr. Jim Sichko. It’s set for Sunday, Aug. 25 from 12 – 2 pm under a big tent that we’ll have set up at the Redeemer Activity Center. The highlighted link has all the details, but in short, it’s a kickoff for a parish mission that week with Fr. Jim as our featured speaker. He’s inviting us to spend “60 minutes with Jesus” three nights that week (Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday, Aug. 26-28 at 7 p.m.) Fr. Jim is masterful speaker – highly engaging and sure to touch your heart. You’ll hear from him at all the Masses that weekend, but put it on your calendar now and make plans to join us.
… The mission week gets started with the Party Under the Big Top on Sunday, Aug. 25 for all ages – families, young adult, Classics – everyone is invited to join us for a way to come together to close out summer and ready ourselves for the coming school year. Given our size, it’s not easy for the parish to all come together often outside of the Spring Festival. The Party Under the Big Top will be a way for us to celebrate our community with food, entertainment, and fraternity among one another. Again, more details to come, but all are invited to join us for a fun afternoon celebrating our oneness in Christ!
… As the calendar has turned to August several of our parish groups and organizations are ramping back up for the fall. This Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 6 p.m. in Room 111 the American Heritage Girls are hosting a parent meeting for perspective families. If you have a daughter between 5-18, bring her and yourself to this informative night to learn about AHG, which is a Christ-centered character and leadership development program for girls dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country. I’ve been impressed with the growth of our AHG troop at CtR the past few years. They are doing great things to bring young girls closer to Christ and the Church. I highly encourage parents to check it out. … Also this week, our adult choir is hosting a workshop and social as they return after the annual summer break. Consider using that voice that God gave you to be part of our outstanding choir that sings each week at the 9 a.m. Sunday Mass. The workshop is a wonderful opportunity to “come and see” (or “come and sing!”) what the choir is all about. They’ll meet Thursday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. in Room 111.
… Lastly I turn your attention to what I write about in this week’s bulletin, namely the ongoing efforts of creating a safe environment for all of God’s children in the Church. There have been some significant developments in the Church’s response to the crisis of abuse that shook us all to the core the past few years. I write about it more fully in the bulletin (and will continue to keep you updated in the coming months), but I want to highlight a very fine new website that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have developed that speaks more to the accountability efforts. It has a wealth of information to bring you up to speed on the real changes that the Church is putting into place. … We can be proud of the Safe Environment practices that have been enacted (and all employees and volunteers in the Church who work with young children must be in compliance with these norms and we check regularly to see that they are), but we must not grow slack in our zeal to see that our parishes, schools, and homes are places where all of God’s children are protected and kept safe. May God bless us in our efforts. For more information on the norms and what is being done, please visit the USCCB’s new website dedicated to these efforts at www.preventionusccb.org. … Lastly, and most importantly, God loves you! See ya’ at Mass!
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