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October 16, 2020Ugh, from a health perspective, I’ve had better weeks. From Monday afternoon until Wednesday morning I had to quarantine until Ryan Beke’s CoVid test came back negative. A cold has had its way with the Beke family and out of an abundance of caution, Ryan got tested. I know all who were praying for Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. Colds aren’t much fun, but they’re more better than a deadly virus.
Now, when I talked to my dear brothers on Tuesday, they were more concerned about the possibility of not having Ryan’s music for the live-streaming of the Mass this weekend than me being in isolation and facing the possibility of being infected. Ugh! I don’t get no respect!
And on Friday afternoon, my good friend, Fr. Dave, took me to see an Oral Surgeon in Evans where I had two teeth extracted. Double ugh! With an abscess, two root canals, a tooth disintegrating while replacing the crown, its been a long journey so far. It will be at least another 7 months before the implants are in place. I’ve never worn negativity very well, so even though I am temporarily two teeth short of a full smile, I am going to keep on smiling because I’ve been so very blessed. I am blessed by such caring friends and a great faith community and a mostly compassionate family. And this weekend we are blessed once again by the preaching of Deacon Hosea Bennett.
I hate nickel and diming folks to death with special collection after special collection, but the two I mention today are important and the first ultimately doesn’t cost you anything more than the taxes that you already owe to the State, which can be redirected to support Catholic education. All of a sudden our little parish has about a dozen students in Catholic schools. This is wonderful because as Cardinal Dolan reminds us graduates from Catholic schools “are and will be our leaders in church and society.”
All of us can support Catholic education through GRACE Scholars. GRACE was founded by former Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta and Bishop J. Kevin Boland of Savannah in 2008 to take advantage of the SSO/tax credit legislation. The mission of GRACE Scholars, Inc. is to provide children from families with financial need throughout the State of Georgia with greater opportunities to secure a quality PK-12 Catholic education.
If you anticipate having to pay Georgia taxes, GRACE Scholars is accepting pre-registration for 2021 tax credits. Please visit www.gracescholars.org to complete the on-line pre-registration. You’ll receive a dollar for dollar tax credit on your state of Georgia tax return; Catholic school students receive life-changing scholarships. In a year when many are experiencing economic distress due to the pandemic, this program is more important than ever.
The second special collection is for the Southern Cross. Thanks to all who have already paid the annual subscription fee. I was starting to think that as with many newspapers, our Diocesan paper had seen its days, but with the addition of Donal Suggs’ reporting and other great writers, it has returned to being a vital tool for evangelization and formation in the faith. Please return your Southern Cross envelope if you have not already done so. Thanks!
Bringing the Gospel home. Read MT 22:15-21 “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."
Wow in this divisive political season, this is an important Gospel to wrestle with. Pope Francis says Caesar’s image is on the coin, but we are all created in the image and likeness of God. To whom do we all ultimately belong? How would a Christian illuminate the world’s human and social problems with the Light of the Holy Spirit? Do God’s and Caesar’s worlds have to be separated? “Can we divorce spiritual obligation from political policies … or social issues?
