From the Pastor&

     The monks of Mount Athos (Greece) believe that the only reason why our world has not already disappeared in dust and ashes is that people continue to pray all over the world and that not a single moment passes without someone addressing God in prayer--Anselm Gruen in Building Self-Esteem

??? Are you doing your part to hold up the world???
     Last summer, the widow who lived next door to me sold her home to a young couple with two small children.  When your neighbor decides to sell his/her home, you can get a little nervous.  What will the new neighbors be like?  Will they keep up the yard and house?  Will they be loud?  Will they be nosey?  Will they be friendly?  Will they be busy-bodies?  Will I like living next door to them?
     I have no complaints about my new neighbors and I hope they can say the same about me and my dogs.  They have a dog who does her "duty" in my  yard, so I don't get worried when Izzy and Teddy go next door!  Both my neighbors and myself have been reported to the police for our dogs by a cranky neighbor.  Would you believe it!
     Every Friday night when I come home, I see the candles burning on my neighbor's dining room table.  My neighbors are Jewish and observe the Sabbath with the Shabbat meal.  On Saturday they go to their synagogue for services and join other young families who are trying to raise their children as religious Jews.
     Can you imagine making Friday night and Saturday a day of rest, a family day, a day devoted to your religion?  Our culture does not make any day of the week a day for families to eat together.  Don't you envy people who are grateful for the rest/the Sabbath?  Do we have to fill up the Lord's Day with brunches, movies, shopping, television, etc.?
     I usually make Monday my Sabbath rest.  Over the last decade I have come to see the value of a day of rest.  It's a good thing to be well rested, well fed and well organized.  But there is more to a day of rest.  A day of rest helps clear my mind and heart for the coming week.  I am thankful to go back to work as a parish priest.  As I rest, be it doing yard work, reading, walking, or just sitting, I believe I am doing what God wants me to do, and I feel a sense of gratitude.  We need to be grateful if we are going to be able to pray. 
     "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,"  we read in the Book of Exodus.  For centuries Jews and Christians observed the Sabbath.  Do you see the wisdom of resting on the Sabbath... one day a week?  What about a mini-sabbath everyday of the week... maybe a half-hour or an hour to rest in the Lord& to express our gratitude... to do our part to hold up the world?
     The Book of Genesis tells us that the world was created in six days, with the seventh set aside for rest.  Are we called upon to be grateful for the rest, or for the rest of the week, or for the people we share with as a result of our Sabbath rest?  All I know is that I am grateful to God for a day of rest, for the rest of the week, and for sharing a restful day with family or friends.
     Gratitude is important for any spiritual life.  Gratitude calls us to prayer.  Make time for a little gratitude everyday, and then watch out.  Prayer helps change us into true human beings.

     Fr. Bill