Who would believe that at the All-Star Break the Pirates would be alone in first place. Let’s pray they are there in October!
This week Vacation Bible School returns to Holy Cross. We have a nice group of children registered and a nice group of youth and adult volunteers. A special thanks to Dawn Tedrow for coordinating VBS. You can still register your child through Monday morning! The week will conclude with Mass and a family picnic on the Rectory Lawn on Thursday from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The theme for VBS is "SKY, Nothing is Impossible with God!"
As always in Ordinary Time, the first reading from the Old Testament prepares us for the Gospel. In today’s first reading the Lord calls Amos and “missions” him to bear prophetic witness. Jesus gives instructions to the Twelve and to us about the “mission.” Some of the instructions are easily grasped; we “get” them. For instance “walking stick” and “sandals” keep us moving along, but “no food, no sack, no money? These we translate figuratively as a reminder not to let possessions weigh us down, to remember our dependence on God’s providence. May our worship here at Holy Cross both conform us in faith and prepare us for mission.
Monday is the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The Carmelites have celebrated their patronal feast on this day since the 14th century, for according to tradition Saint Simon Stock was given the brown scapular by the Blessed Virgin Mary on this day in 1251. The Order of Carmel dates back to a group of Western hermits, who in the 12th century settled on Mount Carmel, overlooking the plain of Galilee, in imitation of the Prophet Elijah (see 1 Kings 18:19-46 and 2 Kings 2:25). They grouped themselves around a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady. In the 13th century, the Order of Carmel as we know it was formed, retaining the twin devotions of the early hermits: to Elijah and his solitary prayer, and to Our Lady under the title of Mount Carmel.
Our Responsorial Psalm this week, "Lord, let us see your kindness and grant us your salvation, reminds us to look for the hidden blessings of each day!"
