This Sunday’s second reading is the rock of stewardship. It begins with the above foundational statement, moves on to “Welcome the Word,” and ends with an exhortation to action.
Our Stewardship Prayer moves through the same themes:
Dear Lord God,
You alone are the source of every good gift
and the mystery of each human life.
We thank you for creation
and for your tender, faithful love.
Fill our minds with the Gospel of your son Jesus
and fill our hearts with his compassion.
Send your Spirit to grant us wisdom,
that our gratitude may bind us together
into a community of faith and a caring people.
Give us the courage
to express our gratitude first
as we discern how to be good stewards
of the gifts entrusted to us,
that we may do the work for your Kingdom.
In your son’s name we pray, Amen!
And speaking of “doing the work for your Kingdom,” an e-blast is coming to your inbox next week concerning how you can participate in parish ministry. Please read it and reply to Diane Figaro regarding how you would like to support your parish with your time and talents.
September 1 is the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical
Laudato Si’, On Care for Our Common Home. After reviewing the horrid environmental state of the world, Pope Francis discusses “Ecological Education and Spirituality” in Chapter Six:
When people become self-centered and self-enclosed, their greed increases. The emptier a person’s heart is, the more he or she needs things to buy, own and consume. It becomes almost impossible to accept the limits imposed by reality. In this horizon, a genuine sense of the common good also disappears.
Let us take some time on September 1 to pray about how we can live simpler lives, consume less and grow our sense of the common good. Let us let God fill our hearts with his compassion and let us find ways to express our gratitude first and our own desires second.
There is a roundtable discussion of Laudato Si’ by Archbishop Paul Coakley, Bishop Robert Barron and Bishop Robert McElroy at https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/environment/.
Ministry Opportunities To help run our livestream equipment, contact Nicole St. Hilaire at nicoles@st-therese.cc.
If you are interested in seeing, tending or advising on the Parish garden, feel free to stop by or contact victoria.ries@comcast.net or 206-915-3479. We would be especially helped by another experienced vegetable gardener.
Parish Collections Collection so far this fiscal year July 1, 2021 – August 26, 2021.….... $51,761
The budget….…. $55,161
Last year at this time….…. $61,501