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July 11, 2024Dear friends in Christ,
This 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time we hear in the Gospel of St. Mark of two very specific actions that Jesus initiates with his disciples. First, he “summoned” them. Sometimes, we say that Jesus “called” his disciples, but I like how St. Mark uses the word that is translated for us in English as “summoned.” A summons carries with it some weight or stamp of official business. It’s done for a specific purpose, and you best answer a summons. A call can easily be ignored (I get perturbed whenever someone calls my cell phone - how dare they call me when a text will suffice!), but a summons requires a response. And the disciples respond beautifully to that summons of Jesus.
Having thus been summoned, the disciples are quickly met with the second action of Jesus – he “sends them out.” Again, there is movement. Being a follower of Jesus is never a static proposition. We are summoned, and we are sent. We are to be in motion to bring the Good News to others. Notice how the disciples were to travel. They went in pairs, not alone, and they were instructed to travel light with “no food, no sack, no money in their belts.” Nothing is to encumber them in their mission to the world. The same is true for us. Listen for the “summons” of God in your prayer. He’s calling each of us by name. And then go to make his mercy known as one sent in his name.
I’m writing this bulletin letter on Wednesday from, as they say, “an undisclosed location.” But I’ll give you a hint – the predominant color around me is green and they serve coffee. Lots and lots of coffee! Like so many of you, we are without power on our parish campus from Hurricane Beryl that barreled through early Monday morning. I hope it will be fully restored by the time you read this over the weekend, but who knows at this point? I know the crews are working overtime to get everyone up and powered throughout the city, but we all want it back sooner rather than later. It’s a good test of our patience, though I wish the Lord wouldn’t test us so often in Houston!
I pray you and your loved ones have power by now and that the impact of the storm on your person and property was not too great. It’s heartbreaking to see the damage some homes received from fallen trees, and I pray all will be able to rebuild quickly. I’ve seen quite a bit of damage all over town, especially from the trees and branches and assorted debris that is seemingly everywhere. I’m sure the cleanup will take months.
Our campus had minimal impact from the storm. We lost a large branch from one of the old trees by the entrance to the Community Center and prayer garden, but other than a few assorted leaks in the church, some old, some new, the rest of our campus came through it fine. We lost several days of work and had to cancel our Genesis Early Childhood Program Summer Fun Camp and our CtR Catholic School Camp Invention, but I hope we can make it up to the kids and their families in the near future. Please let us know if we can be of assistance if you need assistance getting back on your feet from any damage, and let’s pray for a quiet Gulf of Mexico the rest of this hurricane season.
Every year, and only once a year, there is a collection made throughout every parish in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston that is dedicated to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP). These funds play a crucial role for SVdP to fund all of its programs that feed, clothe, provide dignified living, and help people find their way to self-sufficiency. This annual appeal taken up next weekend at all masses, known as the Black Bag collection, supports the work of one of the oldest organizations in the Catholic Church and its outreach to the poor and disenfranchised. And while we don’t have a St. Vincent de Paul Society at CtR (because Cypress Assistance Ministry fills that role for us), we are happy to assist the good work that it does throughout our Archdiocese and the world. Additionally, while SVdP is closely tied to the Archdiocese, it is not part of the Diocesan Services Fund distribution.
The work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society has been active in our Archdiocese since 1871, and it continues to be a powerful and personal response to those on the peripheries. In 2023, more than 98,000 individuals received direct aid worth more than $12.9 million, including $7.1 million in food assistance. SVdP truly does what it intends, too. Last year 94 cents of every dollar donated to SVdP went to provide assistance with food, clothing, household needs as well as financial help for rent, utilities, transportation, medical and funeral expenses.
The history of the Black Bag collection is interesting. In 1833, Frederic Ozanam (founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul) and six friends from his university heard God calling them to serve the poor. They met with Blessed Sr. Rosalie Rendu, who taught them how to visit the poor in their homes – to help them fully experience the pain and suffering these people were experiencing. After visiting the poor, the students decided they needed money to continue this work. They decided to pool their resources together; however, so as not to embarrass each other as to how much each could afford to give, they elected to take a secret collection using a common black bag.
Today, using the Black Bag enables everyone to give what they can afford without being judged. I find it heartwarming that something so simple as a black bag from the early 1800’s still continues to this day to provide the resources needed to care for the needs of the poor and marginalized in our community. The passing of the Black Bag from person to person brings the Body of Christ together in the mission of caring for our neighbors. As we act, one in the spirit of giving, the lowly cloth bag is transformed into something beautiful and deeply spiritual among friends. May God continue to bless the good work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
In other news, remember that we will soon start collecting school supplies for the annual Operation Backpack. Hard to believe, but school starts in just over a month. Please bring school supplies that we will distribute to children in our local community through Cypress Assistance Ministries and Assumption Catholic Church, our partner parish in the inner city. I’ve seen flyers for many of the local stores advertising great buys on school supplies so keep that in mind when shopping. We’ll have collection boxes in the narthex over the next several weeks.
Peace,
Fr. Sean