Mary’s Corner

Hello, dear family and friends of the church,

I am profoundly grateful for all of you and for the outpouring of love on Sunday. You always know the right things to say, or not say. Grief is a hard thing to handle alone, but it does not require a lot of words. Just making space for someone to feel what they are feeling is enough. We are programmed to “do” the gospel, bring food, clothes, water, give money and time, volunteer at the church, sing in the choir… But walking with someone through grief only requires presence. I can confidently say that you are all skilled at conveying your love with your eyes, your hugs, and your presence. You bring me great comfort. I talked to someone on Sunday about a grief support group at the church. Nothing formal, and we can offer a virtual option along with the option to meet at the church. Please let me know if you are interested and we will find a day/date that works.

Don’t forget our concert on June 29th! The doors open at 6:30 pm and the music will begin at 7:00 pm sharp. Get there early for a seat. Bring a friend. Our musicians, Nicholas and Cassandra, will be singing music in honor of LBGTQ+ Pride month. It will be a great time. We will fellowship for a short time afterward with light refreshments, aka “snacks.” 😊

The funeral mass for Ronnie’s mother, Crispina Monrrial, takes place on Monday, July 1st at 10 am in Abilene, Texas at Saint Vincent Catholic Church, 2525 Westview, Abilene. Crispina’s daughters make our Eastside Community Assistance enchilada dinner every year in December to raise money for outreach. Please do not feel obligated to travel to Abilene. Just your thoughts and love are greatly appreciated.  Ronnie will be back in church when she is ready to see everyone. She sends thanks for your prayers and support through this difficult time. 

May the Lord be with you, Mary

Kids’ News

Our lesson Sunday was one of my favorites from when I was a child. I can remember my Mom reciting it to me. It represents God as a shepherd who is always with us. He protects the sheep and keeps us on a proper path in God’s good name. When we are in distress, God uses his rod and staff to protect us as he uses these to protect the sheep as a shepherd. This reminds us that God is always with us, even in times of trouble. God cares for every one of us and will always be with us.

We had a wonderful craft ready for Father’s Day, but to our dismay, we were missing kids! I enjoyed having Bridget there to help us with our craft. Hopefully, we will see you in church on Sunday. Blessings…

Accept No Substitutes

Steven Weinberg said, “Without religion, good people would do good things and bad people would do bad things.”

“It takes religion,” he said, “to make good people do bad things.”

The late Nobel laureate was a renowned physicist and devout atheist.

I don’t often agree with him. But I agree that religion can make good people do bad things.

Nonbelievers are often kinder toward people with differences than Christians.

They are often accepting of gay folks and advocate for equal rights for women and people of all races and religions.

Give me a gracious atheist over a mean Christian any day.

But what makes some Christians mean?

The Bible.

That is, the Bible read by people who don’t know how to read it.

People who absolutely refuse to put Jesus first.

There are Old Testament passages that say people with disabilities must be kept away from worship.

A blind or a crippled person will defile a holy place. They don’t count as people.

Paul tells women to be submissive to men and to be quiet in church. They have a second-class existence.

The Book of Revelation paints God as warmonger, bloodthirsty, and vengeful.

In reading the Bible, we must always turn to Jesus for the final answer.

If we put Jesus first, we will know when Paul gets off track. We will know when a passage of scripture falls short.

Jesus is the standard.

He tells us that God loves all of us equally and unconditionally.

If Jesus is Lord, let him be lord of the scriptures also. Accept no substitutes.