Drive by Communion at 9am this Sunday following 8am Mass on Lovell Ave.
Next Sunday, August 9^th, it will include a Food Drive for the Social Apostolate
 
Lydia Porro Milham died this past Monday.  At 89 years old the Coronavirus hit her hard and quickly took her life.  Lydia was a concert pianist who fled the brutal Castro regime in Cuba.  From time to time, I’d gather a few priest friends at the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Annie and Jim Purcell, and Lydia would play for us.  I’d ask that you offer a prayer for Lydia and her family.  Please, also keep my friend Tom Wiedmeier in your prayers.  He’s been hanging between heaven and earth for the last three weeks.  He is a fighter and loves his wife Kelly and their children for whom this isolated vigil is just brutal.  Tom’s Dad is also battling the virus and was just returned to the hospital but hopefully will be released in a few days.
 
We stand together
We pray for all who are suffering and bereaved.  At this time of uncertainty and sorrow, we stand together.  In this crisis, we pray for God’s mercy and healing for the sick and for health and strength for all who care for them.  Amen.
 
As the pandemic is getting closer to “home,” I find myself getting a little anxious with the uncertainty of it all, and my push back on that anxiety is to give in to a mild case of OCD.  You got to control what you can control.  There certainly can be a shadow side to OCD but there are definitely some good things about being obsessively compulsive -- like being more intentional about the rhythm of my prayer. 
 
When the world seems totally out of control, prayer helps to deepen our trust that God is still in control and stands with us.  So, let me suggest to you a few good prayer opportunities:
 

1. On Friday we celebrated the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola who besides my Mom has had the greatest influence on my prayer life.  https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ is a great resource for a robust prayer life.  Try learning the Daily Examen from that site.
2. On Tuesday we will celebrate the Feast of St. John Vianney who was one of the greatest confessors of the 19^th century.  Folks flocked to the tiny village of Ars, France to make a good confession.  You can control some of the craziness that’s been welling up in you by turning to God’s merciful love.  Give me a call and we’ll set up a time – 706-267-1073.
3. On Saturday, Aug. 8th Tasha Beke will be starting her Prayer Movement on the beach.  Plan to join her.  Prayer, exercise, and yoga in the fresh air is a great way to renew your spirit.
4. Tragically, the opportunity to attend a Catholic school may be denied to thousands of children as Catholic schools across the United States fall victim to the Covid-19 pandemic.  Administrators are between a rock and a hard place.  Schools that turn to distance learning risk closing permanently because parents can’t afford to pay tuition and keep their kids home.  While schools that do open risk closure as they put their students, faculty, and staff at risk of being infected.  Margaret Dorroh suggested at our School for Disciples that we offer a novena for our Catholic Schools.  So, for the next 9 days as our Catholic Schools begin to open, I’d ask you to say an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be for the well-being of all who are involved in Catholic Education.
5. Finally, we’ll never be able to personally experience the love of Jesus if we are not rooted in his Gospel.  So, Taking the Gospel Home will become a regular feature of this space.  Read the Gospel for this Sunday and reflect on these questions: What do you think God wishes to tell you through this story of the multiplication of the loaves?  Jesus provides food in abundance. Do you trust in the providence of the Lord? What does it mean for you to trust in providence?