Here's Mud in Your Eye

Own A Father Augustine Original
Outreach is planning on purchasing a bus to be used for transporting Senior Citizens. To fund this project, we’ve been selling mugs. Did you know that the artwork on the mugs (a drawing of St.Brigid’s church) is the work of Father Augustine. Though he has returned to India, his legacy lives on here. You too can own a “Father Augustine” original -- or share this little work of art with others by including it in an Easter basket or two!

Have You Pledged?
We're still collecting pledges for our Bishop's Annual Appeal which supports the work of the church throughout Long Island and in our parish. To pledge online
CLICK HERE!

Contacting Father Augustine
Father Augustine is in Madras City where the seminary is.
He is going to be there till the end of May and then will proceed to
another place to commence a six months spirituality program. His new e-mail addresses are:
varimu@xlweb.com
amuthu13@yahoo.com

Painting Party
At St. Brigid’s Well we help folks applying for Social Services,registering children in school,
advocating for people with other agencies,
FEMA applications,
literacy, translating and learning English as a second language.
The Well could use a fresh coat of paint in the front office. So if you’d like to help organize a “painting party”, contact Father Ralph.

Post Valentine Love
Have you visited our interactive “Love Quiz”? It’s based on St. Paul’s letter where he talk about love being “patient and kind, etc.” It’s packed with many spiritual and bible insightsinto the different aspects of love.
Just click here.

Cool Way to Pray
If you’d like to try out a new interactive prayer site online, go to the St. Brigid’s home page and click on the “Church Interactive” link.

Away at College?
If you know of a St. Brigid parishioner who is away at college, you can help us stay in touch through our parish’s weekly “letter from home”. Send in their name and e-mail address
just click here.

Today’s Bible Quote
““Brothers and sisters:
You were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light,
for light produces every kind of goodness
and righteousness and truth.”
-Ephesians 5

Technology Ministry
If you’d like to givee your time and expertise at helping our parish connect its telephone systems or develop its computer networking or work on its website, you can let us know by filling in our
online form

El Salvador Trip
If you’d like to see the parish’s mission trip to
El Salvador online, you can see photos and a travelogue by
clicking here.

Want to e-mail Father Ralph?

Past Columns:
Feb 24: Welcoming Bishop Murphy
Feb 17: We Will Rise Again
Feb 10: Very Good Now
Feb 3: The Multi Cultural Church
Jan 27: Appealing Words
Jan 20:Our Wonderful School
Jan 13: Changing Times
Jan 6: Farewell Father Augustine

Columns from 2001


		March 10, 2002 Here's Mud in Your Eye
Own A Father Augustine Original Outreach is planning on purchasing a bus to be used for transporting Senior Citizens. To fund this project, we’ve been selling mugs. Did you know that the artwork on the mugs (a drawing of St.Brigid’s church) is the work of Father Augustine. Though he has returned to India, his legacy lives on here. You too can own a “Father Augustine” original -- or share this little work of art with others by including it in an Easter basket or two! Have You Pledged? We're still collecting pledges for our Bishop's Annual Appeal which supports the work of the church throughout Long Island and in our parish. To pledge online CLICK HERE! Contacting Father Augustine Father Augustine is in Madras City where the seminary is. He is going to be there till the end of May and then will proceed to another place to commence a six months spirituality program. His new e-mail addresses are: varimu@xlweb.com amuthu13@yahoo.com Painting Party At St. Brigid’s Well we help folks applying for Social Services,registering children in school, advocating for people with other agencies, FEMA applications, literacy, translating and learning English as a second language. The Well could use a fresh coat of paint in the front office. So if you’d like to help organize a “painting party”, contact Father Ralph. Post Valentine Love Have you visited our interactive “Love Quiz”? It’s based on St. Paul’s letter where he talk about love being “patient and kind, etc.” It’s packed with many spiritual and bible insightsinto the different aspects of love. Just click here. Cool Way to Pray If you’d like to try out a new interactive prayer site online, go to the St. Brigid’s home page and click on the “Church Interactive” link. Away at College? If you know of a St. Brigid parishioner who is away at college, you can help us stay in touch through our parish’s weekly “letter from home”. Send in their name and e-mail address just click here. Today’s Bible Quote ““Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.” -Ephesians 5 Technology Ministry If you’d like to givee your time and expertise at helping our parish connect its telephone systems or develop its computer networking or work on its website, you can let us know by filling in our online form El Salvador Trip If you’d like to see the parish’s mission trip to El Salvador online, you can see photos and a travelogue by clicking here. Want to e-mail Father Ralph? Past Columns: Feb 24: Welcoming Bishop Murphy Feb 17: We Will Rise Again Feb 10: Very Good Now Feb 3: The Multi Cultural Church Jan 27: Appealing Words Jan 20:Our Wonderful School Jan 13: Changing Times Jan 6: Farewell Father Augustine Columns from 2001	Lent began, as it always does, with our smearing ashes on our foreheads. Throughout this Lent, people have been picking up stones from the pile of rubble surrounding the cross outside the church and carrying these reminders of hurts and difficulties with them. (I even know of people who keep coming back for more as they grapple with the rubble of their lives.) And now we see in today's gospel that in confronting the blindness of a man who was without sight from birth, Jesus spits onto the ground, makes mud with his saliva and smears that mud into the eyes of the blind man. Lent is turning out to be this ashy, dusty, rocky, muddy, gritty time when we confront those things that keep us from seeing clearly. I’ve listened to people who survived the World Trade Center collapse and they tell the story of being caught up in blinding ash -- the ash was so thick that they could not see their hand in front of their face. The ash of our lives can keep us from seeing. The natural temptation is to run from the ash -- and while this is exactly what we ought to do in the face of a physical disaster, when it comes to our spiritual blindnesses, healing and sight comes from confronting, not running from the ashes. Jesus goes so far as to smear the blind man’s eyes with the gritty mud and this leads the man to sight for the first time. Perhaps this week of Lent is a good time to confront the stuff that is “in our face”, to pray about it, to see how Jesus is with us and helping us to see. There may be some aspects to our lives that we’ve been avoiding (doctor or dentist visit, returning a difficult phone call, forgiving someone, celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation, etc.) and now we meet Jesus who helps us to face these situations with new sight. After applying the mud paste, Jesus tells the man to go and wash. Then the man starts to see. So too with us, once we’ve confronted the difficult parts of our lives up close, then we can start to wash away the hurts, the angers, the depressions, the things that keep us from seeing. Easter is coming, with its refreshing waters, with its new light and peace.



You are person to visit this page