Message from our Pastor
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 5, 2020
This past Wednesday, July 1st, our parish celebrated 43 years. Divine Word has received the hard work and dedication of so many people and families from the time our parish was established. When the parish began, I was only fourteen years of age and our family had just moved from Cleveland, Ohio to Augusta, Georgia. This was the fifth time in just ten years that our family had made a major move. I was going into the eighth grade and that first year in Augusta I was introduced in a serious way to the sport of basketball and golf. I am still passionate about both sports, but I stopped playing basketball about twelve years ago. I am still trying to perfect my golf swing and will have to wait until the next life for this to happen!
In just another month on August 2nd, I will be here at Divine Word for sixteen years. I have now spent more than half my priesthood in Kirtland and have learned more than you can imagine about God, faith, and the Church. I still have profound memories of my installation here back in 2004. I have certainly aged since then and hopefully have grown in wisdom. I consider myself incredibly lucky to be your pastor and I know I will continue to grow as a person of faith no matter how long God will allow me to be here!
I know celebrating forty-three years is not a significant number, but I honestly believe that God is in the heart of this parish community. His presence here is felt in so many ways: liturgical celebrations, sacramental celebrations, parish ministries, parish gatherings, and the relationships and encounters of everyday parish life. I pray that I never take God’s presence for granted in all that we try to do for Divine Word.
If I were a parish historian, I would mark this 43rd and 44th year of parish existence as different from all previous years. The COVID-19 virus has changed the way of life for all of us, and Divine Word is not exempt from the list. Depending on the duration of the virus, it will continue to affect the way we live, and the way ministry happens. I hope when we return to what will be “normal” for us that we can see how we have grown and how priorities have been altered.
In the meantime, pray for two virtues to take hold of us as we endure the difficult and challenging days ahead. The first virtue is patience. As Americans and in our technological and digital age we strive for efficiency and getting things done yesterday. How do we cope with having to wait for the virus to stop? Patience is not only necessary, it is essential for all of us. The second virtue is perseverance. Place what we are going through in comparison to the Cross of Christ. Honestly, unless you have lost a loved one or have someone suffering from the virus, there is little comparison. Perseverance requires that we place all in God’s hands and trust that despite many unknowns we will survive and even come out better than when the virus first started.
One of the greatest challenges for all churches the past three months has been maintaining financial standing. I cannot say “Thank You” enough for your generosity that has kept us in the best financial situation. As I said before, I am lucky to be here as your pastor and a good reason is the way you support the parish with your time, talent and treasure. You have been amazing in your financial assistance throughout these difficult days. Thank you for your kindness to our community.
As we have announced the last several weeks, our Saturday Vigil 5PM Mass will officially become the 4:30PM liturgy on Saturday, August 1st (four weeks from now). This will make a big difference especially when the time changes and we will have more daylight after Mass to allow people to arrive back home before it is too dark outside. Thanks for answering the poll we sent out a few months ago. This helped determine the time change would be beneficial to most who attend the Saturday evening Mass.
Look to purchase the book, “The Great Divorce” by C.S. Lewis for our Four Seasons Book Club. This is truly a classic by a classic author. C.S. Lewis is the author of the Narnia Tales, which many have read or seen the adaption on the “Big Screen.” The book can be purchased online. Please read it and join us on Tuesday, August 11th at 7PM via Zoom. A link will be sent out several days ahead of time so you can join us. Hope to see you there with reflection and insight.
Finally, on this July 4th weekend my prayers to you, your family and especially our nation. The pandemic and the civil unrest the nation and world have experienced these past several months cause me to pray that somehow God will bring peace and tranquility to his people and land. This might sound like “pie-in-the-sky” thinking, but the impossible can happen. My hope is that we can become better people through all the adversity so many are facing. Have a great week.
