September 11-12

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This time of the year and in particular this weekend our minds turn to the horrific attacks of 9/11.  We mark the 20th year since our nation and our world has been so radically altered and the feelings and emotions are still, and will probably always be, so raw and sorrowful.  There is however, a resilience that is part and parcel of our American spirit and our Faith sustains us and helps us not to be paralyzed but continue to affect good in spite of evil.  This is the grace of God at work in us. 

The state of the world today may cause us to lose hope.  Tragedy in Afghanistan, especially the 13 service men and women who lost their lives in trying to do good for people they did not know; hundreds of innocent Afghans seeking freedom from cruelty and oppression whose lives have been lost; an uncertain future for many stranded behind enemy lines; and the most recent loss of Navy personnel off the coast of California, can not only weary us but make us numb to one bad thing after another.  There is indeed the temptation to lose hope and cry out, “where are You Lord?”  Despair is anathema to the spirit of Christ within us.

It is not always easy to foster hope if we only set our eyes on the things of this world.  Always, always we must keep our focus on Jesus.  Especially when life gets out-of-sorts, our gaze must not turn from the Crucified One.  We live in the shadow of the Cross – the great sign of contradiction, which restores our hope in ourselves, our humanity and our world.

We keep ever in our prayers those who make the ultimate sacrifice to guard us and keep us safe from those with evil intent.  Make God watch over them always and let no harm come to them.  We are grateful for their service.

 Are sincere gratitude to all who made our annual flea market a great success.  We are indeed grateful to all who made contributions and it seems that this year there were more than usual amount of donations.  Thanks to Martha Bergesen and all the’ busy bees’ that put together and helped to sell those beautiful items.

Blessings on all of you,

Father Langan