Life seems to be a puzzle,
A jumble of a thousand pieces,
Impossible to assemble.
But if you build a frame
(And for me it’s God’s Word,
The Church, family, and friends),
It can be done.
Once the frame is in place,
You can begin to add more pieces,
Some by color, some by shape,
Some seemingly by accident.
I never thought a puzzle
Could mean so much.
(And, you can work on it
With other people.)
Last night I dreamed about a church young adult group I was in, twenty-five to thirty years ago. In the dream I was in the current time and now lived in a huge house, with my kids and grandkids. Someone (I don’t know if it was my daughter or someone else) arranged a surprise party for me, inviting all the people from the young adult group. It was a wonderful time. — End of dream.
When we were both awake, I told my husband about the dream. He asked, “That’s your idea of heaven, isn’t? Lots of people together and getting along.” I answered, “Yes.”
[I saw a white-haired lady at church …]
Sun-wrinkled wisdom,
Silver-haired sense.
Long years of suffering,
Lost innocence.
Growth in compassion,
Mercy matured.
Their passion for praying
Has borne much great fruit.
Closer their souls
To God up above.
May all of us hope
To thus grow in love.
clarakatalin 
Siren Warning
Next to our church building is a building housing the school gym, meeting rooms, and other facilities. On top of the building sits a community [air raid] siren, which is tested every first Wednesday of the month at noon. I believe the main purpose of the siren system is to give warning if a tornado has been sighted in that particular county. Of course, it could be used for other warnings. You’re supposed to have a way (radio or otherwise) to find out what it’s about. I am grateful for those who set up and maintain a system to warn people of danger.
Today (first Wednesday of the month) we were worshiping at the 11:30 Mass in the church, and the siren blasted off at noon, before Mass was finished. The priest just keot going and the people acted like nothing was happening, except little kids who probably got scared by it. It IS quite loud, being perhaps 100 to 200 feet away. The first few times I heard sirens here, they were a bit scary, though I learned that the first Wednesday occurrence at noon is just a test. The real ones are scarier. My first one happened just after arriving home in the dark, under a heavy downpour of rain. I heard the siren and didn’t know what to do, being my first summer in the midwest. I called my son’s mother-in-law (we are quite good friends), and while on the call, I think the siren stopped. But it turns out, you are probably supposed to go to your basement to be safer.
The homily (talk by the priest) included a warning about being in a faction or “tribe” and losing sight of the overall transcendence of God because you’re bogged down in your own opinion, wanting to be right, or boasting about your own “tribe”. (This was inspired by the Scripture text: 1 Corinthians, chapter 3.) Many homilies or sermons, if the church is worth its salt, warn about attitudes and sins that are not pleasing to God, and/or not helpful to the unity of the church. So, be grateful when you are given a warning. It might save you and others a lot of grief.
Category:
Commentary
Tagged with: