Dear friends in Christ,
This, That & the Other ... On this 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the first line from the 2nd reading from the Letter to the Hebrews strikes me as one of the most beautiful in all of the Sacred Scriptures: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” I always read it aloud a few times when I come across it. Try it: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Powerful, isn’t it? … As the great Lou Reed once sang, “You need a busload of faith to get by.” May we hold on to that hope that comes from God alone, even in the midst of the difficulties of life. Sometimes we can’t see the way forward, but our faith in God is evidence that He walks with us always.
… Remember that next Thursday, August 15, is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a holy day of obligation. Our masses will be Wednesday, Aug. 14, at 7 p.m. and Thursday, Aug. 15, at 6:30 a.m., 9 a.m., and 5 p.m. All masses will be in the main church. I encourage you to make every effort to attend as we honor Our Lady’s assumption into the heavenly realm. … With the start of the school year just around the corner it presents an excellent opportunity to come give thanks to God for the gift of Mary and to invoke her intercession upon all students and teachers in this coming year.
… Speaking of school starting up again, our CtR Catholic School resumes on Wednesday, August 21 and the local Cy-Fair schools begin the following Monday, August 26. Our many teachers in the parish community are already back to work with their in-service days, and parents are gearing up with back-to-school shopping and maybe squeezing in one last trip family to the beach before the cycle of the school year starts again. In short, it’s a busy time for many. … It’s in the context of that busyness that we invite you to consider “60 Minutes for Jesus.” That’s going to the focus of our upcoming parish mission with Fr. Jim Sichko. Fr. Jim is an engaging presenter who I guarantee will you get your attention. You’ll hear from him during all the Masses the weekend of August 24-25, and he’s challenging us to offer an hour of time each night August 26-28 to spend reflecting on the love of Christ.
… We purposely timed Fr. Jim’s mission to start just as the school year is beginning, knowing how hectic it can be for everyone. If we wait for the “perfect time” we’ll never do anything. There is no perfect time! Rather, the Lord invites us amidst the busyness of our life and schedules to reflect on what it means to be a disciple. We can’t put our faith on a schedule. Rather it should saturate everything we do at all times – especially when we have a lot going on. So let’s plan to make time for the Lord!
… A highlight of the weekend will be our “Back to School – Back to Jesus” parish-wide Party Under the Big Top on Sunday, Aug. 25 from 12 – 2 p.m. at the Redeemer Activity Center. We’ll have hot dogs, popcorn, Kona Ice, a DJ, games in the gym and soccer field, and a few other surprises on hand for one last “summer blowout” before everyone heads back into the school year. All families, young and old, are invited for this fun end-of-the-summer fling. There’s no charge – just come and spend some time winding down the summer and celebrating our faith and friendship in Christ who is with us always. It promises to be a special afternoon leading into a spirit-filled week so put it on your calendar now and make plans to join us!
… Our annual Women’s ACTS Retreat is planned for the October 10-13, and while that may seem like a ways off, it’ll be here before we know. We’ve got a terrific core group of women meeting weekly in preparation for the retreat, and a more dedicated and spirit-filled group of women you’ll never meet. They’ll be available after all masses this weekend with registration information for the women of the parish. … I highly encourage the ladies of the parish to consider signing up to attend the retreat. ACTS retreats (we hold one each year for men and women, respectively) have been a true blessing for hundreds of parishioners at CtR over the year and thousands and thousands across the country. It’s a special 72-hour in prayer and reflection of God’s infinite love supported by fellow travelers along life’s road. If you’ve never attended a retreat or if it has been several years, give the ACTS retreat some prayerful consideration. The team will be happy to answer any questions you might have this weekend and register you to attend. … (Note to husbands – it’s a wonderful gift to give to your spouse. Mark your calendars, too, so you can hold down the fort that weekend and thus free your wife to attend! She’ll love you for it!) … There will be no This, That, & the Other next week. I'll be escaping Houston's heat for few days off before school starts. Fr. Jonathan Mitchican from St. John XXIII High School will be with us this weekend in my absence. Please welcome him back to CtR. ... Lastly, and most importantly, God loves you! See ya’ at Mass!
This, That & the Other ... On this 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the first line from the 2nd reading from the Letter to the Hebrews strikes me as one of the most beautiful in all of the Sacred Scriptures: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” I always read it aloud a few times when I come across it. Try it: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Powerful, isn’t it? … As the great Lou Reed once sang, “You need a busload of faith to get by.” May we hold on to that hope that comes from God alone, even in the midst of the difficulties of life. Sometimes we can’t see the way forward, but our faith in God is evidence that He walks with us always.
… Remember that next Thursday, August 15, is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a holy day of obligation. Our masses will be Wednesday, Aug. 14, at 7 p.m. and Thursday, Aug. 15, at 6:30 a.m., 9 a.m., and 5 p.m. All masses will be in the main church. I encourage you to make every effort to attend as we honor Our Lady’s assumption into the heavenly realm. … With the start of the school year just around the corner it presents an excellent opportunity to come give thanks to God for the gift of Mary and to invoke her intercession upon all students and teachers in this coming year.
… Speaking of school starting up again, our CtR Catholic School resumes on Wednesday, August 21 and the local Cy-Fair schools begin the following Monday, August 26. Our many teachers in the parish community are already back to work with their in-service days, and parents are gearing up with back-to-school shopping and maybe squeezing in one last trip family to the beach before the cycle of the school year starts again. In short, it’s a busy time for many. … It’s in the context of that busyness that we invite you to consider “60 Minutes for Jesus.” That’s going to the focus of our upcoming parish mission with Fr. Jim Sichko. Fr. Jim is an engaging presenter who I guarantee will you get your attention. You’ll hear from him during all the Masses the weekend of August 24-25, and he’s challenging us to offer an hour of time each night August 26-28 to spend reflecting on the love of Christ.
… We purposely timed Fr. Jim’s mission to start just as the school year is beginning, knowing how hectic it can be for everyone. If we wait for the “perfect time” we’ll never do anything. There is no perfect time! Rather, the Lord invites us amidst the busyness of our life and schedules to reflect on what it means to be a disciple. We can’t put our faith on a schedule. Rather it should saturate everything we do at all times – especially when we have a lot going on. So let’s plan to make time for the Lord!
… A highlight of the weekend will be our “Back to School – Back to Jesus” parish-wide Party Under the Big Top on Sunday, Aug. 25 from 12 – 2 p.m. at the Redeemer Activity Center. We’ll have hot dogs, popcorn, Kona Ice, a DJ, games in the gym and soccer field, and a few other surprises on hand for one last “summer blowout” before everyone heads back into the school year. All families, young and old, are invited for this fun end-of-the-summer fling. There’s no charge – just come and spend some time winding down the summer and celebrating our faith and friendship in Christ who is with us always. It promises to be a special afternoon leading into a spirit-filled week so put it on your calendar now and make plans to join us!
… Our annual Women’s ACTS Retreat is planned for the October 10-13, and while that may seem like a ways off, it’ll be here before we know. We’ve got a terrific core group of women meeting weekly in preparation for the retreat, and a more dedicated and spirit-filled group of women you’ll never meet. They’ll be available after all masses this weekend with registration information for the women of the parish. … I highly encourage the ladies of the parish to consider signing up to attend the retreat. ACTS retreats (we hold one each year for men and women, respectively) have been a true blessing for hundreds of parishioners at CtR over the year and thousands and thousands across the country. It’s a special 72-hour in prayer and reflection of God’s infinite love supported by fellow travelers along life’s road. If you’ve never attended a retreat or if it has been several years, give the ACTS retreat some prayerful consideration. The team will be happy to answer any questions you might have this weekend and register you to attend. … (Note to husbands – it’s a wonderful gift to give to your spouse. Mark your calendars, too, so you can hold down the fort that weekend and thus free your wife to attend! She’ll love you for it!) … There will be no This, That, & the Other next week. I'll be escaping Houston's heat for few days off before school starts. Fr. Jonathan Mitchican from St. John XXIII High School will be with us this weekend in my absence. Please welcome him back to CtR. ... Lastly, and most importantly, God loves you! See ya’ at Mass!
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