August 8th, 2004
Do It Anyway
Church
Theft
A story in the media this week reported that an arrest was made because
of theft of collection money from St. Brigid’s. I am truly saddened
by the theft and concerned for the person who committed this crime and
his family.
I don’t think it’s important for me to talk publicly about
the person involved - he will be facing the legal ramifications of his
actions. I do want to tell you that much of the money was recovered
and that any funds that are not recoverable are insured. Thus, from
a financial point of view, the donations of parishioners have not been
lost. We learned a few things in the investigation (e.g. how wonderful
and trustworthy our ushers are) and we were urged by the police to change
a few procedures to make things even more secure in the future. (I’ll
be meeting with the ushers on this soon.)
Sommer
in the Summer
Got some things you’d like to ask a priest? Want to have a nice
conversation about God, the church, the world, the future? Like hosting
gatherings in your home? Got dessert? Then you’re a candidate
to host one of this year’s Sommer in the Summer sessions. Father
Ralph Sommer wants to visit folks throughout the parish throughout the
summer for as chance to hear what people are thinking, wondering about,
or questioning. The process is casual and simple. Pick a date with Father
Ralph (during the day...or evenings). Then invite friends or neighbors
to come. (Twelve people is a good number for this.) Tell them to prepare
some questions or topics they’d like to talk about. Get dessert.
This is a good way for a pastor to get to know folks in an informal
setting.
E-mail or call Father Ralph if you’d like to host.
At
College?
At St. Brigid’s we like to stay in touch through
e-mail “letters from home.”
Once a person has an e-mail address at school (or if he/she uses a personal
address), please let us know what it is so we can include them when
we write.
Here's a handy college link so you
can send this info online.
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past Columns:
August 1: Parking Lot Joys!
July 25:"Doh!"
July 18: Taking Church Home
July 11: Seven Eleven
July 4th: Independence Day
June 27: God Bless Father
George
June 20: Our New Priests
June13:Missing you
June 6: Farewell Father
Leonard
May 30: Going & Coming
& Going
May 23: P.O.P.S.
May 16:
Celebrating
Our Parish
May 9: Facing the Future
May2: Resurrection Sequel
April 25: Chapel Design
April 18: Oh what a week!
April 11: Easter Life!
April 4: Palms & Passion
March 28: Plenty Good Room
March 21: More Passion
March 14: Reconciliation
March 7: A sequel from Mel?
Feb 29: Come to
Life!
Feb 22:
An Adventure to Life
Feb15: A rose
by another name?
Feb 8: If at first...
Feb 1: Our Patron Saint
Jan 25:A View From Inside
Jan 18: Our School
Jan 11: Baptism with Fire
Colums from 2003
Columns from 2002
“Much
will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will
be demanded of the person entrusted with more” So says Jesus in
the gospel. But isn’t that the equivalent of saying “No good
deed goes unpunished?” In other words, if you’re the kind
of person who is pleasant and caring and helpful at work, you’ll
get more worked dumped on you than the person who is grumpy and lazy.
That’s unfair.
Yet, if Jesus is saying that the
better we do, the more God will expect of us, could we really say that
he’s being unfair?
Or is it that Jesus’ dream
that each of us give selflessly without counting the cost? Mother Theresa
hung a saying up in her orphanage in Calcutta that perhaps points out
one response to this gospel:
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish
ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and
true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas
can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you
do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get
kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
(The Paradoxical Commandments by Kent M. Keith )
You are Person
