We worship a god who loves us so much that he became human, preached love of God and neighbor, healed the sick of body and soul, and was executed in an intricate dance between religious authority and authoritarian state in the most demeaning way possible, stripped of all dignity and power. Yet his power was made perfect by his crucifixion.
I don’t have any scientific basis for saying this, but I suspect that this verse would rank near the top of least popular Bible verses. (OK, OK, it is way below Paul’s admonition to wives to obey their husbands. But still . . .) The world operates on the accumulation and exercise of power, and we need to live in the world and earn a living. Jesus never seemed to have a problem with people making a living. He did, however, ceaselessly warn those who are very good at it to care for those who are not. Our souls are, however, in danger when we, like Job, credit our success to our virtuous living to the point that we think we have God figured out. We need to keep our communion prayer in mind constantly, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you but only say the word, and I shall be healed.”
Danny Westneat’s column on Joe Martin’s retirement and his life-long advocacy for the working poor and homeless is at https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattles-chief-proletarian-says-goodbyeas-the-city-goes-back-to-the-future-to-house-the-homeless/
Our
Annual Catholic Appeal progress is at about 80%. The Archdiocese of Western Washington has been a leader in developing safe environment and stewardship practices for over thirty years. It manages health insurance, retirement and other benefits for staff and provides payroll services. It oversees the financial practices of parishes and advises on the management of facilities. It advises on religious education curricula and runs one of the largest education systems in the State of Washington. It recruits, educates and manages the retirement funds of priests. It contributes to the retirement and health fund of Sisters.
If you haven’t made a gift, please go online at st-therese.cc, click on the ACA in the photo scroll or scroll down the page to the “Donate Now” button. Either way, you end up in the ACA window; click on the bold heading of your choice under “Ways to Give”.
Ministry Opportunities To help run our
livestream equipment,
contact Deacon Greg at deaconmcnabb@gmail.com
To make and deliver
lunches for the Matt Talbot Center, contact Ellie Wakefield at
ellieawake@gmail.com.
Collections July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021 $413,907
Where we need to be: $390,174
Last year at this time $375,961