On the love of God

If someone helps an elderly person cross a river, that is a fine act of charity. The politician, on the other hand, builds a bridge, and that too is an act of charity.

(Digression on “charity”: those who know their catechism - or can use Google - know that “charity” is an English translation of “caritas” as in “Deus caritas est,” commonly translated as “God is love.” It is preferred to “love” in some translations because in English “love” has too many meanings and connotations, the least of which is a gift of God which enables us to love God for God’s own sake and love others for God’s sake. The Great Commandment, the Second Commandment and the Good Shepherd are about charity.)
 

True charity can employ all the resources that the institutions of an organized, free, and creative society are capable of generating. Even the Good Samaritan, for example, needed to have a nearby inn that could provide the help that he was personally unable to offer. Love of neighbor is concrete and squanders none of the resources needed to bring about historical change that can benefit the poor and disadvantaged.

Pope Francis ends with a series of questions for politicians to consider, which are also good questions for the rest of us. Here are a few:

How much love do I put into my work?

What do I do for the progress of my people?

What real bonds do I create?

Ministry Opportunities
Victoria Ries has volunteered to continue the garden in support of St. Mary’s Food Bank! Yea!!! She had begun tending and caring for it on Friday afternoons with the help of a couple of volunteers. But she needs your help! If you’re interested, contact her at victoria.ries@comcast.net.

We need someone with a modest familiarity with computers to help Nicole run our livestream equipment. Although we are now celebrating two Masses on Sunday, we still are at less than capacity, and many parishioners are still staying away because the COVID danger is still with us. The livestream is our best way to keep our parish vibrant. If you are able to watch Mass on your computer, you are computer-savvy enough to help. Contact Nicole at: nicoles@sttherese.cc.

Ellie Wakefield is seeking help making lunches for the Matt Talbot Center. The goal is to provide 30 lunches once a month for the center. She needs three volunteers to make ten lunches each and drop them off at the house of a fourth volunteer who would then drive them downtown to the Matt Talbot Center. Depending on how many people sign up, you may only need to volunteer once every 3-4 months. If you can help, contact Ellie at ellieawake@gmail.com. (My all-time favorite email address!)

For you newcomers, the MTC ministers to individuals who want to recover from addiction. It was engendered by the Holy Spirit at the same 1981 Cursillo retreat where the Gospel Choir was rooted and is led by former St. T parishioner Greg Alex.

Collections July 1 - April 22, 2021 $343,198
Where we need to be:                   $318,137
Last year at this time:                     $301,150

To support our many ministries, please click on Give on our website. We appreciate your generosity during this