Since I've been to a Chiropractor ("ice it") and my MD ("keep heat on it")
and have begun gobbling pain killers and muscle relaxers 3 times daily with
very little easing of the pain. In what I hope will be a gross overkill,
I'll have an MRI on Wednesday morning before heading back to Chautauqua for
Pat's Social Security eligible birthday and a few more days.

On the "Virtual" front, my computer took this opportunity to compound my
mental pain by shutting down irradicably. I've since been on the phone
with the Dell Doctors (in Panama City) who cannot find a hardware cure and
have recommended that I back up everything, empty my computer and reinstall
Windows XP. Hours later, I'm still far away from being completely backed
up.

On the positive side - things can only get better.

I'm including last week's homily and pdfs of last week's and this week's
bulletins.

Blessings to all . . .

The bulletin for July 10 can be accessed by clicking the image to the right. . Click the image to the right for our printable column (Adobe PDF file, plugin needed)

The bulletin for July 17 can be accessed by clicking the image to the right. . Click the image to the right for our printable column (Adobe PDF file, plugin needed)

July 17, 2005

My July 10th Homily on the Parables of the Good Seed:

Pumpkin Seeds & Grape Seeds
A Short Homily - A15ORD

On October 5, 2002, during the pumpkin weigh-off at the Topsfield Fair in
Massachusetts,
the world's largest pumpkin weighed a little over - 1,337 pounds.

From one seed, that was a good harvest.

But pumpkins only get one chance to yield.

Grapes can yield year after year.

A vine planted in 1842 in Carpinteria, California, was, by 1900, yielding
nearly 10 tons of grapes in peak years.

By the time it died in 1920 at the age of 78 years, that one vine had
produced over 600 tons of grapes.

That's a really rich harvest.
_________________________

Every day, Farmer God is planting Seeds in the hearts of people.

Farmer God hopes that these seeds fall on good soil
. that will accept them,
. nourish them . . .
. and eventually, bare fruit.

Again this week, we were reminded that -
God's seeds of hope do not always land on good soil . . .
for there are people in our world who are intent
on using terrorism and hatred in the name of religion.

In some cases they live among the good soil - like weeds growing up with
wheat.

But in the end, Farmer God will always prevail
- as long as there are people who live as good soil - nourishing hope.
______________________________________

Last weekend, the organizers and performers at
Live 8 Concerts around the world, used the power of television to . . .
. plant seeds of information concerning the extent of poverty in the
World,
. and plant seeds of hope - Seeds that would convince young people and
world leaders
that it was possible to "Make Poverty History.

The timing of the Live 8 concerts and marches
was meant to coincide with the G8 Summit of World Leaders who met this week
in Scotland
to find solutions to the issue of African poverty.

Tony Blair and others had planted seeds among the leaders of the world's
wealthiest nations
To encourage them to do more to "Make Poverty History."
_____________________

Locally seeds of hope were also being planted.

They were planted by St. Mary's Relay for Life team -
organized by young Maria Carisetti
and hundreds of others whose teams spent the night
walking to "Make Cancer History."

Maria and millions of others remind us that there remain many people of
good-will . . .
- who like Good Soil - nurture seeds of hope
and devote their time and money to make our community and our world a
better place.

Working toward that end day after day is not easy,
but we are called to that task.

For at the end of the liturgical year -
on the Feast of Christ the King,
we will hear again the words of Matthew 25
in which the king says,

"I was hungry and you gave me food, thirsty and you gave me drink, sick and
you cared for me"

Already, the invitation to make the kingdom real
is being planted.

Will it fall on soil that will not only hear it,
but nourish it . . . and in do time . . .
bring forth the fruit of the kingdom of God?
___________________________

If you are the one seed that Farmer God has sown,
. What kind of ground are you in today? . . . and
How much will your life - yield for the kingdom?

Have a good week. Serve one another well.

I pray that you will enjoy this visit, and if you like,
                                          E-Mail me with your comments

.