Dear Friends,
Happy Fourth of July weekend. As I write this (on Tuesday 6/29), the long-range forecast is for a fantastic weekend, so it looks like the barbeques, games, parade, fireworks, and everything else imaginable for celebrations of the nation’s birthday will come off without a hitch. As usual, I will attempt to march in the parade twice, once in the beginning with the Fire Department, of which I have the honor to be the Chaplain and again toward the end with the Knights, of which I also have the honor to be the Chaplain. I hope to see you all along the route.
Of course, not every part of the nation will celebrate with the same enthusiasm. I’m thinking of the Gulf States, now so marred by the drilling disaster and its after-affects not only on the environment but on the economy and the people left in its wake. And I’m thinking of the families whose sons and daughters are far from home this weekend, in defense of the very freedoms we are celebrating. And I’m thinking of the millions who are still unemployed (some very near to home), casualties of the Great Recession, and in some cases, of the excessive greed that is a constant reminder of our weakness as human beings. And I could go on. But I only mention these to remind us that we still have work to do as a nation to ensure that the blessings of our freedoms promise a better life for all and that, as we celebrate, we also re-dedicate ourselves to finding common solutions to our common problems and challenges, both locally, nationally and internationally, for the sake of a better future for our children and their children. Happy 4th!
I also want to make you aware of a problem which we are experiencing here at OLMC lately. As the men were cleaning the church after this past weekend, they found two hosts on the floor. And this is not the first time. One appeared to have been placed in the mouth and subsequently taken out. I must assume that both had been consecrated and so, this becomes a question of sacrilege. We cannot tell when it actually happened because, in addition to the weekend masses, there were three weddings and so it could have happened at any of those times. But it is disturbing and the bigger challenge is how to prevent it in the future. We may have to make some kind of announcements at mass but in the meantime, if non-Catholic friends come to church with you, please remind them they should not receive communion. If they wish to come forward for a blessing, they should cross their arms over their chests, or they can always stay in their places. I know it may be awkward, but if you should see someone walking back to their place with the host in hand, please remind them of the need to swallow it or, if they don’t want to, to offer to take it yourself and communicate with it. I know none of this works out easily and without some confusion, and some worry how it will be understood and taken, but I need to do something to try to stop this desecration of the Sacrament. If you have any other ideas, please feel free to email me. All suggestions will be gratefully considered.
Finally, as will become my custom, a plug for both joining parishpay and for planning to attend the 50th Anniversary celebration on Oct. 16th.
God Bless,
Fr. Ron
