Note: I attempted to publish this post last night but ran into technical difficulties with the new system I’m using. If you received this post already I apologize and I’d like to hear from you. Thanks for your patience.
Welcome back to This and That. I hope you’ve had a good summer with plenty of rest and relaxation. I know it’s been hot up there because Connie and I were there until mid-July.
You may recall that when you last heard from me we were preparing to move to the Auburn Alabama area for retirement and to be closer to family. I’m glad to report we survived the move and have started to spend the time with family that we hoped we’d spend. It’s been crazy hot and humid here but we knew what we were getting into since we both grew up in the South.
You’ll notice This and That looks different than it did in the past as well. For many years I wrote in a system called Flocknote, created to help churches communicate better. Now that I’m on my own as a blogger so to speak I have started using a system called Word Press. It’s very popular with bloggers and has a lot of features I may eventually find useful. For now let’s just say it’s different than Flocknote though I hope you find it easy on the eyes. I’ll keep learning about the features of Word Press and you can help by giving me feedback about how it looks to you.
To get my wheels turning again I want to comment on a few items from around the Catholic world as I ease back into this weekly space.
First, Pope Francis just returned from a trip to Mongolia. If I read correctly Mongolia only has about 1400 Catholics so his effort to engage them was significant given the relatively small number he was going to be able to reach. I think that’s a signal to all of us that numbers don’t matter much, it’s about individuals. We make Christ present to one person at a time. We just need to be present to that one person when we’re with them and not be thinking about other things or thinking about those who aren’t there. Here’s a link to the Pope’s post meeting thoughts on this trip: https://www.usccb.org/news/2023/pope-recounts-joy-goodness-humility-he-saw-mongolia
In October the Vatican will host the next synod, considering what was learned during the listening sessions that occurred around the world’s dioceses the last two years. I read this big picture as being an effort to keep the Church connected to the concerns of everyday Catholics. I think that’s a laudable goal though it may end up being difficult to actually do as opposed to talking about doing. I hope I’m wrong about this. If you’d like to read the questions that are to be considered, this October as well as October of 2024, here is a link: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2023/06/20/230620e.html
Closer to home it’s good to remember the Springfield diocese will be hosting a Eucharistic Congress at BOS Center on Oct 28th. Blessed Sacrament parishioners who are interested in attending are asked to sign up on the church web site at https://bsps.org/.
Finally, a short comment about this Sunday’s psalm (95). This is a special psalm of praise. While we don’t hear all of it today it’s worth reading it in it’s entirety. In the Liturgy of the Hours, which is prayed by the ordained and those under vows such as Religious Men and Women, and by some laypeople, this psalm is prayed daily, with some exceptions. We could all do worse than to begin each day by praying this psalm. Try to pay particular attention to the words of this psalm this weekend.
Finally, tomorrow is the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01. It’s a good time to pray in a special way for all those affected by those attacks. On that date I worked for a Japanese company whose American HQ was, and is, located in the NYC metro area in NJ. My workplace was in the suburbs of Chicago. I know many of my coworkers in NJ were deeply affected by the attacks and many knew people who died in the WTC attacks. Recently, while looking for an old picture in some photo albums (from the old days before digital cameras) I came across a couple from a trip we took to NY in 1998. The World Trade Centers were right there standing tall. It’s a stark reminder of what happened on 9/11.
Of course Washington was attacked as well as NYC on 9/11. I have a close relationship with DC as well. Friends and family have lived there and Connie and I have been there many times.
My point is 9/11 has an effect on all of us, in different ways, but rare would be the American adult who wasn’t affected in some way by the events of that day. I think Michael Beschloss is a great historian. A few days ago he asked his followers on Twitter, or X as it’s called these days, to post their memories of hearing the news that Tuesday morning. That was emotional reading but it’s important that we keep the pain alive if you will. We have to remember this was not just a historical event but that 3000+ of our fellow citizens were murdered that day and countless others were, and still are, affected by these events.
You might ask how we, as people of faith, should interpret 9/11. I suggest it is proof positive of the presence of evil in our world, in case there was any doubt. As Fr. Jeff likes to say the presence of the light always overcomes the darkness. We have to make sure we’re that light for the world as hard as it may be at times. That may be the best legacy of the events of 9/11. If we realize we have to be that light, proactively, and we take steps to love one another as we love God, we will change the world. You might think, what can I do? It’s all of us together that have the potential to change hearts and minds. It happens one person at a time but it adds up.
As I said, I hope tomorrow you’ll pray in a special way for the victims, their families and all affected by the awful events of 9/11/01.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.
It’s great to be back with you, even from a distance. I hope you have a great week.
Peace, Bob
This and That BLOG 