A visit to the Hot Shops

The Christian Prayer class visited the Hot Shops in Omaha to experience artists and artisans in action. The Hot Shops is so named because the anchor tenants are those craftspeople who deal with heated materials to shape their products. The shops include welders and metal shapers, glass blowers, potters, paintings, weavers, digital artists, and sculptors.

Some of the take-aways from the visit are:

• Every thought we produce is an act of creativity. Our minds must be open enough to consider the possibilities, even if we are not the actual builder of the results. The artists must lead the way in society - in words, in expression, as a community, but first and foremost, in thought.
• We exists within and for community. An artist in isolation is not fed new ideas. Being together produces new imagination.
• We have to ask 'why' we are doing something. Then we pay attention to our desires and passions.
• One artist began with an idea to create funky looking, stylish glasses. Six months later, optometrists were intrigued with his ideas and he was able to retrofit his glasses for those children with facial and cranial abnormalities. Children are able to see because of his idea, and his patents are creating new technological advances - in only nine months.
• Art is an economic driver and it appeals to different people in distinct ways. Cities are investing in the arts as a way to make themselves distinctive so that they represent the identity of the residents. Sometimes art shapes and forms the identity of the residents.
• The class was able to identify city benches and artwork created by Hot Shops in other areas of town.
• Art is to be shared. Many artists are not self-indulgent and concerned only about their craft. They are expressing thoughts and feelings that result from interactions with others.
• Art lifts the spirits of people and helps them reconnect with a larger world, a larger message. We feel because of art, and the forces of social control often want us to feel a certain way.
• Have fun. Playing and leisure time is undervalued and we have to make our passions concrete.
• Style defines us. Who are we? 
• Life is much more fun when we become word artists. Leave vulgar words out of your vocabulary and think of a new way to choose words.

The Church

• For the church, if we want priesthood to be a certain way, we have to lead the way forward with our new thoughts and ideas, while maintaining continuity with our existing traditions.
• Architecture represents our theological perspective. Many of us operate within classical church structures that beg for us to think from a classical worldview. Our prayer is shaped by our worship space.
• What would a contemporary church look like? What statement is needed to see faith and culture intersect. For instance, would we have candles? Candles were once needed because we did not have lighting or electricity. How could a contemporary mindset shape our experience and imagination about church? What does church represent for us?
• A smile is a great symbol. What can a smile from a priest mean to the People of God?
• How can our homilies, our actions, our behavior convey both the sense of the sacred and secular at the same time? 
• Are homilists word artists? We need to ask the People of God if our homilies inspire.
• Music is crucial, and the lyrics reveal our worldviews. We do not leave church humming the homilies, so is our music good?
• How can our symbols, signs, our priesthood convey new thoughts to the people. What do the people need? What do they want? This involves dialogue.
• Dialogue in and of itself is art. How successful are our dialogues and conversations, most especially in times of conflict.

The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ

Corpus Christi

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June 23, 2019

Genesis 14:18-20; Psalm 110; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 9:11-17

Today, we celebrate the centrality of the Eucharist as that action of Jesus that nourishes and sustains us. It is a symbol of our unity, and it is far more than a symbol because it is the reality of our unity. After we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus, we not only experience union with God, we are to experience union with our brothers and sisters in the faith. That union is an experience of increased compassion and concern for each other. We are assured that when we gather, Jesus will feed us with the Bread of Life and from the Cup that saves us.

I have a question for you: In our current context within the church, how well is the church feeding you? Is the quality of worship we provide like a good nourishing, rich, tasty meal or is it much more like empty calories from a fast food joint? I need you to tell me what you want from the church that will be satisfying for you as you face a turbulent, sometimes confusing world, and I want you to let me know if we are performing to the standards you need for an engaging worship atmosphere, for an inspiring education, for moral guidance on complex decisions, and for providing hope to carry on for just one more week. If we are not inspiring you and providing you with spiritual consolation, then we are failing, and we need to do better.

We need you to assess our styles of worship and spiritual leadership, the music we choose to enhance the celebration, the words we use in our homilies that are designed to raise your spirits and put you in contact with God. If we are flat or emotionless, then teach us to mirror the styles of the congregation. You should not leave mass just having visited the service. We have to give you more because it is about the salvation of souls.

Mostly, we need to care for you appropriately, the same way that God cares for us. If we are people of prayer who care for the Lord and work to improve our relationship to the Lord, then it also has to translate to how well we care for you. Your stories of loss, suffering, and grief should break our hearts as we behold your stories in reverence. We ought to celebrate your joys and big moments with you. We are to be in your lives as because we give glimpses of God’s mercy when we show up for those big moments.

Liturgy is about taking all the stuff of our week, the highs and lows, the shadows and darknesses, and bringing them into church so God can sanctify them. We present them to the Lord in our prayer, who hears us and blesses our offerings. Our offerings are our prayers, silence, inward groaning, petitions, and our actions for the whole week. When we offer the Lord our gifts, which include the bread and wine, the Spirit descends upon them, and makes them more than what we offer. He makes our offerings into the Body and Blood of Christ, which we then consume. After we eat, we give thanks and praise as we are fortified to go out into the world because our body and soul has been renewed by God. In this way, the Eucharist is first and foremost an action. We are fortified to face the world with renewed vigor.

What are we sent to do? To bring others to Christ, to see God’s action in the world, to bless and sanctify those whose lives we encounter, and to give others a glimpse of salvation. We seek union with our brothers and sisters and union with God. We seek those who are yearning for God’s place in their lives. The Eucharist we consume connects us to the larger world around us, and through our actions, that come from a power greater than us, we behold God’s mysterious ways to reconcile and restore us to God’s own heart.

        

Scripture for Daily Mass

First Reading: 

Monday: (Isaiah 49) The LORD called me from birth, from my mother's womb he gave me my name. He made of me a sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm. He made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me.

Tuesday: (Genesis 13) So Abram said to Lot: "Let there be no strife between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land at your disposal? Please separate from me. If you prefer the left, I will go to the right; if you prefer the right, I will go to the left." Lot looked about and saw how well watered
the whole Jordan Plain was as far as Zoar, like the LORD's own garden, or like Egypt.

Wednesday: (Genesis 15) When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch, which passed between those pieces. It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River the Euphrates.

Thursday: (Genesis 16) Abram's wife Sarai had borne him no children. She had, however, an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. Sarai said to Abram: "The LORD has kept me from bearing children. Have intercourse, then, with my maid; perhaps I shall have sons through her.

Friday (Matthew 7) When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

Saturday (Acts 12) n those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the Church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword, and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews he proceeded to arrest Peter also. –It was the feast of Unleavened Bread.

Gospel: 

Monday: (Acts 13) John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; and as John was completing his course, he would say, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.'

Tuesday: (Matthew 7) Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces. Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets.

Wednesday (Matthew 7) A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Thursday (Matthew 7) When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

Friday (Luke 15) What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'

Saturday (2 Timothy 4) I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.

Saints of the Week

June 24: Nativity of John the Baptist (first century) was celebrated on June 24^th to remind us that he was six months older than Jesus, according to Luke. This day also serves to remind us that, as Christ is the light of the world, John must decrease just as the daylight diminishes. John’s birth is told by Luke. He was the son of the mature Elizabeth and the dumbstruck Zechariah. When John was named, Zechariah’s tongue was loosened and he sang the great Benedictus.

June 27: Cyril of Alexandria, bishop and doctor (376-444), presided over the Council of Ephesus that fought Nestorian the heresy. Cyril claimed, contrary to Nestorius, that since the divine and human in Jesus were so closely united that it was appropriate to refer to Mary was the mother of God. Because he condemned Nestorius, the church went through a schism that lasted until Cyril's death. Cyril's power, wealth, and theological expertise influenced many as he defended the church against opposing philosophies.

Friday: The Sacred Heart of Jesus is set on the Friday following Corpus Christi. The heart of Jesus is adored as a symbol of divine, spiritual, and human love. Its devotion grew during the Middle Ages and was transformed in the 17th century when Mary Margaret Alocoque and her Jesuit spiritual director, Claude La Colombiere, reinvigorated the devotion.

June 28: Irenaeus, bishop and martyr (130-200) was sent to Lyons as a missionary to combat the persecution the church faced in Lyons. He was born in Asia Minor and became a disciple of Polycarp who was a disciple of the Apostle John. Irenaeus asserted that the creation was not sinful by nature but merely distorted by sin. As God created us, God redeemed us. Therefore, our fallen nature can only be saved by Christ who took on our form in the Incarnation. Irenaeus refutation of heresies laid the foundations of Christian theology.

Saturday: The Immaculate Heart of Mary began as a devotion in the 17th century. In 1944, the feast was extended to the Western Church. Her heart signifies her sanctity and love as the Mother of God.

June 29: Peter and Paul, apostles (first century) are lumped together for a feast day because of their extreme importance to the early and contemporary church. Upon Peter's faith was the church built; Paul's efforts to bring Gentiles into the faith and to lay out a moral code was important for successive generations. It is right that they are joined together as their work is one, but with two prongs. For Jesuits, this is a day that Ignatius began to recover from his illness after the wounds he sustained at Pamplona. It marked a turning point in his recovery.

This Week in Jesuit History

·      Jun 23, 1967. Saint Louis University's Board of Trustees gathered at Fordyce House for the first meeting of the expanded Board of Trustees. SLU was the first Catholic university to establish a Board of Trustees with a majority of lay members.

·      Jun 24, 1537. Ignatius, Francis Xavier, and five of the companions were ordained priests in Venice, Italy.

·      Jun 25, 1782. The Jesuits in White Russia were permitted by the Empress Catherine to elect a General. They chose Fr. Czerniewicz. He took the title of Vicar General, with the powers of the General.

·      Jun 26, 1614. By a ruse of the Calvinists, the book, "Defensio Fidei" by Francis Suarez was condemned by the French Parliament. In addition, in England James I ordered the book to be publicly burned.

·      Jun 27, 1978. Bernard Lisson, a mechanic, and Gregor Richert, a parish priest, were shot to death at St Rupert's Mission, Sinoia, Zimbabwe.

·      Jun 28, 1591. Fr. Leonard Lessius's teaching on grace and predestination caused a great deal of excitement and agitation against the Society in Louvain and Douai. The Papal Nuncio and Pope Gregory XIV both declared that his teaching was perfectly orthodox.

·      Jun 29, 1880. In France the law of spoliation, which was passed at the end of March, came into effect and all the Jesuit Houses and Colleges were suppressed.

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi

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23 de junio de 2019

Génesis 14: 18-20; Salmo 110; 1 Corintios 11: 23-26; Lucas 9: 11-17

Hoy celebramos la centralidad de la Eucaristía como la acción de Jesús que nos nutre y nos sostiene. Es un símbolo de nuestra unidad, y es mucho más que un símbolo porque es la realidad de nuestra unidad. Después de recibir el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Jesús, no solo experimentamos la unión con Dios, sino que debemos experimentar la unión con nuestros hermanos y hermanas en la fe. Esa unión es una experiencia de mayor compasión y preocupación por los demás. Estamos seguros de que cuando nos reunamos, Jesús nos alimentará con el Pan de Vida y de la Copa que nos salva.

Tengo una pregunta para ti: En nuestro contexto actual dentro de la iglesia, ¿qué tan bien te está alimentando la iglesia? ¿Es la calidad de la adoración que brindamos como una buena comida rica, rica y nutritiva o es mucho más como las calorías vacías de una comida rápida? Necesito que me digas lo que quieres de la iglesia que te satisfaga cuando te enfrentes a un mundo turbulento, a veces confuso, y quiero que me avises si estamos cumpliendo con los estándares que necesitas para un ambiente de adoración atractivo. , para una educación inspiradora, para orientación moral en decisiones complejas, y para proporcionar esperanza para continuar por una semana más. Si no lo inspiramos y le proporcionamos consuelo espiritual, entonces estamos fallando y debemos hacerlo mejor.

Necesitamos que evalúes nuestros estilos de adoración y liderazgo espiritual, la música que elegimos para realzar la celebración, las palabras que usamos en nuestras homilías diseñadas para elevar tu espíritu y ponerte en contacto con Dios. Si somos planos o sin emociones, enséñanos a reflejar los estilos de la congregación. No debes salir de misa solo habiendo visitado el servicio. Tenemos que darte más porque se trata de la salvación de las almas.

Principalmente, debemos cuidar de usted adecuadamente, de la misma manera que Dios se preocupa por nosotros. Si somos personas de oración que cuidamos al Señor y trabajamos para mejorar nuestra relación con el Señor, entonces también tiene que traducirse en lo bien que cuidamos de usted. Sus historias de pérdida, sufrimiento y pena deben romper nuestros corazones mientras contemplamos sus historias con reverencia. Debemos celebrar tus alegrías y grandes momentos contigo. Debemos estar en sus vidas porque damos un vistazo de la misericordia de Dios cuando nos presentamos para esos grandes momentos.

La liturgia consiste en tomar todas las cosas de nuestra semana, los altibajos, las sombras y las tinieblas, y traerlos a la iglesia para que Dios pueda santificarlos. Los presentamos al Señor en nuestra oración, quien nos escucha y bendice nuestras ofrendas. Nuestras ofrendas son nuestras oraciones, silencio, gemidos internos, peticiones y acciones durante toda la semana. Cuando le ofrecemos al Señor nuestros regalos, que incluyen el pan y el vino, el Espíritu desciende sobre ellos y los hace más de lo que ofrecemos. Él hace nuestras ofrendas en el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo, que luego consumimos. Después de comer, damos gracias y alabamos a medida que somos fortalecidos para salir al mundo porque nuestro cuerpo y alma han sido renovados por Dios. De esta manera, la Eucaristía es ante todo una acción. Estamos fortificados para enfrentar al mundo con vigor renovado.

¿Qué nos mandan a hacer? Para traer a otros a Cristo, para ver la acción de Dios en el mundo, para bendecir y santificar a aquellos cuyas vidas encontramos, y para darles un vistazo a la salvación. Buscamos la unión con nuestros hermanos y hermanas y la unión con Dios. Buscamos a aquellos que anhelan el lugar de Dios en sus vidas. La Eucaristía que consumimos nos conecta con el mundo más grande que nos rodea y, a través de nuestras acciones, que provienen de un poder más grande que nosotros, contemplamos las misteriosas formas de Dios para reconciliarnos y restaurarnos al corazón de Dios.

Escritura para la misa diaria

Primera lectura:
Lunes: (Isaías 49) El SEÑOR me llamó desde el nacimiento, desde el vientre de mi madre me dio mi nombre. Me hizo una espada de filo cortante y me ocultó a la sombra de su brazo. Me hizo una flecha pulida; en su carcaj me escondió.

Martes: (Génesis 13) Entonces Abram dijo a Lot: "Que no haya conflicto entre tú y yo, o entre tus pastores y los míos, porque somos parientes. ¿No está toda la tierra a tu disposición? Por favor, sepáralos de mí. Si prefieres la izquierda, yo iré a la derecha; si prefieres la derecha, iré a la izquierda ". Lot miró a su alrededor y vio lo bien regado.
toda la llanura del Jordán estaba tan lejos como Zoar, como el propio jardín del SEÑOR, o como Egipto.

Miércoles: (Génesis 15) Cuando el sol se había puesto y estaba oscuro, apareció una olla de fuego humeante y una antorcha encendida, que pasó entre esas piezas. Fue en esa ocasión que el SEÑOR hizo un pacto con Abram, diciendo: "A tus descendientes les doy esta tierra, desde el Wadi de Egipto hasta el Gran Río el Eufrates.

Jueves: (Génesis 16) La esposa de Abram, Sarai, no le había dado hijos. Ella tenía, sin embargo, una sirvienta egipcia llamada Agar. Sarai le dijo a Abram: "El SEÑOR me ha impedido tener hijos. Tener relaciones sexuales, entonces, con mi doncella; tal vez tenga hijos a través de ella.

Viernes (Mateo 7) Cuando Jesús terminó estas palabras, las multitudes se asombraron de su enseñanza, ya que les enseñó como alguien que tiene autoridad, y no como sus escribas.

Sábado (Hechos 12) En esos días, el rey Herodes echó mano a algunos miembros de la Iglesia para hacerles daño. Hizo matar a James, el hermano de John, por la espada, y cuando vio que esto era agradable para los judíos, también procedió a arrestar a Peter. –Fue la fiesta de los panes sin levadura.

Evangelio:
Lunes: (Hechos 13) Juan anunció su venida al proclamar un bautismo de arrepentimiento a todo el pueblo de Israel; y cuando John estaba completando su curso, decía: '¿Qué supones que soy? Yo no soy el He aquí, uno viene por mí;
No soy digno de desabrocharme las sandalias de sus pies.

Martes: (Mateo 7) No le des a los perros lo que es sagrado, o arroje sus perlas a los cerdos, para que no los pisoteen, y se convierta en pedazos. Haz a los demás lo que quieras que te hagan a ti. Esta es la ley y los profetas.

Miércoles (Mateo 7) Un buen árbol no puede dar frutos malos, ni un árbol podrido puede dar buenos frutos. Todo árbol que no dé buen fruto será cortado y arrojado al fuego.

Jueves (Mateo 7) Cuando Jesús terminó estas palabras, las multitudes se asombraron de su enseñanza, ya que les enseñó como alguien que tiene autoridad, y no como sus escribas.

Viernes (Lucas 15) ¿Qué hombre entre ustedes que tiene cien ovejas y pierden a una de ellas no dejaría las noventa y nueve en el desierto y perseguiría a la perdida hasta que la encuentre? Y cuando lo encuentra, lo pone sobre sus hombros con gran alegría y, al llegar a casa, reúne a sus amigos y vecinos y les dice: 'Alégrense conmigo porque he encontrado mi oveja perdida'.

Sábado (2 Timoteo 4) Yo, Pablo, ya estoy siendo derramado como una libación, y el momento de mi partida está a la mano. He competido bien; He terminado la carrera; He mantenido la fe.

Santos de la semana

24 de junio: la natividad de Juan el Bautista (primer siglo) se celebró el 24 de junio para recordarnos que era seis meses mayor que Jesús, según Lucas. Este día también sirve para recordarnos que, como Cristo es la luz del mundo, Juan debe disminuir a medida que disminuye la luz del día. El nacimiento de Juan es contado por Lucas. Él era el hijo de la madura Elizabeth y del estupefacto Zechariah. Cuando Juan fue nombrado, la lengua de Zacarías se aflojó y cantó el gran Benedictus.

27 de junio: Cirilo de Alejandría, obispo y médico (376-444), presidió el Concilio de Éfeso que combatió la herejía nestoriana. Cirilo afirmó, contrariamente a Nestorio, que dado que lo divino y lo humano en Jesús estaban tan unidos que era apropiado referirse a María era la madre de Dios. Debido a que condenó a Nestorio, la iglesia sufrió un cisma que duró hasta la muerte de Cirilo. El poder, la riqueza y la experiencia teológica de Cyril influyeron en muchos cuando defendió a la iglesia contra filosofías opuestas.

Viernes: El Sagrado Corazón de Jesús se establece el viernes siguiente al Corpus Christi. El corazón de Jesús es adorado como un símbolo del amor divino, espiritual y humano. Su devoción creció durante la Edad Media y se transformó en el siglo XVII cuando Mary Margaret Alocoque y su director espiritual jesuita, Claude La Colombiere, revitalizaron la devoción.

28 de junio: Ireneo, obispo y mártir (130-200) fue enviado a Lyon como misionero para combatir la persecución que la iglesia enfrentó en Lyon. Nació en Asia Menor y se convirtió en un discípulo de Policarpo que fue discípulo del apóstol Juan. Ireneo afirmó que la creación no era pecaminosa por naturaleza, sino simplemente distorsionada por el pecado. Como Dios nos creó, Dios nos redimió. Por lo tanto, nuestra naturaleza caída solo puede ser salvada por Cristo que tomó nuestra forma en la Encarnación. La refutación de Ireneo de las herejías sentó las bases de la teología cristiana.

Sábado: El Corazón inmaculado de María comenzó como una devoción en el siglo XVII. En 1944, la fiesta se extendió a la Iglesia occidental. Su corazón significa su santidad y amor como la Madre de Dios.

29 de junio: Pedro y Pablo, apóstoles (primer siglo) se agrupan para una fiesta debido a su importancia extrema para la iglesia primitiva y contemporánea. Sobre la fe de Pedro se construyó la iglesia; El esfuerzo de Pablo por traer a los gentiles a la fe y establecer un código moral fue importante para las generaciones sucesivas. Es correcto que se unan ya que su trabajo es uno, pero con dos puntas. Para los jesuitas, este es un día en que Ignacio comenzó a recuperarse de su enfermedad después de las heridas que sufrió en Pamplona. Marcó un punto de inflexión en su recuperación.

Esta semana en la historia jesuita

• 23 de junio de 1967. La Junta de Síndicos de la Universidad de Saint Louis se reunió en Fordyce House para la primera reunión de la Junta de Síndicos ampliada. SLU fue la primera universidad católica en establecer una Junta de Síndicos con una mayoría de miembros laicos.
• 24 de junio de 1537. Ignacio, Javier Javier y cinco de los compañeros fueron ordenados sacerdotes en Venecia, Italia.
• 25 de junio de 1782. La emperatriz Catherine permitió a los jesuitas en la Rusia blanca elegir a un general. Ellos eligieron al padre. Czerniewicz. Tomó el título de vicario general, con los poderes del general.
• 26 de junio de 1614. Por una artimaña de los calvinistas, el parlamento francés condenó el libro "Defensio Fidei" de Francis Suárez. Además, en Inglaterra James ordené que el libro se quemara públicamente.
• 27 de junio de 1978. Bernard Lisson, mecánico, y Gregor Richert, párroco, fueron asesinados a tiros en la Misión St Rupert, Sinoia, Zimbabwe.
• 28 de junio de 1591. p. La enseñanza de Leonard Lessius sobre la gracia y la predestinación causó gran emoción y agitación contra la Sociedad en Lovaina y Douai. El nuncio papal y el papa Gregorio XIV declararon que su enseñanza era perfectamente ortodoxa.

• 29 de junio de 1880. En Francia, la ley de expoliación, que se aprobó a fines de marzo, entró en vigor y todas las casas y colegios jesuitas fueron suprimidas.

Photo: Creation

Prayer: Teresa of Calcutta

Jesus, though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, the exacting, the unreasonable, may I still recognize you.

Photo: The Vine and the Branches

Prayer: Thomas Aquinas

If you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, because he is the way. It is better to limp along the way than stride off the way. For one who limps along the way, even if only slow progress is made, comes to the end of the way.

Photo: Indoor Mall

Prayer: Let Your God Love You (by Edwina Gateley) Be silent. Be still. Alone. Empty Before your God. Say nothing. Ask nothing. Be silent. Be still. Let your God look upon you. That is all. God knows. God understands. God loves you With an enormous love, And only wants To look upon you With that love. Quiet. Still. Be. Let your God— Love you

Be silent.
Be still.
Alone.
Empty
Before your God.
Say nothing.
Ask nothing.
Be silent.
Be still.
Let your God look upon you.
That is all.
God knows.
God understands.
God loves you
With an enormous love,
And only wants
To look upon you
With that love.
Quiet.
Still.
Be.

Let your God—
Love you.

Happy Father's Day

Many blessings on this Father's Day!

Prayers and blessings on all Dads. Thanks for all the effort you give in raising and nurturing our young ones, or children of any age. Thanks for looking our for our safety, giving us shelter, food, and life's necessities. Thanks for your advice and counsel. Thanks for your friendship and words of encouragement.

Blessings to all men whether they be biological dads, uncles, grandfathers, brothers, priests, or mentors. We know not all men are called to be or can be biological fathers, but you still contribute greatly to the care of others. Thanks for the stepdads, the steady voices, the stable partners, or the inspiring teachers of life. Thanks for all who lend a hand.

Thanks for the many women who are single-parents for the maternal and paternal voice you are to children. Thanks for all who make life bearable because you care for us.

Thanks for anyone who increased the charity in this world by your care and concern. Today is our day to honor you. Enjoy.