Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Genesis 3:9-15) “My Impact”.
Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Genesis 3:9-15) “My Impact”.
Eighteen seconds. If we consider how long that the earth has been around, which is 4.6 billion years, if we ponder the fact that Homo Sapiens have been on the earth for 300,000 years, if we equate 4.6 million years with a 24-hour day, human beings have been on this planet for 18 seconds. Now that isn’t very long. But religious tradition tells us that we are the most important creatures in the cosmos. We might think that can’t be true.
We always try to understand our place in history, but it’s hard to process this. We have scientific facts, but those are so sterile. We seem to relate better to mythology to explain what happened at the beginning of time. Every religion has its own religious myths that seek to explain human origins. Myths aren’t fairy tales, but they contain information that we know in our heart is true.
As Judeo Christians we explain how our earth started through looking at stories in the book of Genesis. We read from that scripture this weekend. Genesis explains how God is the creator of the world. Also, it tells us about the creation of humans. Genesis says human beings were made in the image and likeness of God. We also are told in the first lesson about how sin entered the world. Human beings ceased to trust in Gods care. We wanted control. We started to distrust the idea that God loves us and wants only what is best for us. When distrust entered the world sin entered the world.
Another part of the story of Genesis explains that humans are the stewards of creation. We see this portrayed when all the creatures of the world are brought to Adam to be named. Adam and Eve live in a beautiful garden where they have everything required for life. But they want more. When sin entered the world then the earth became something to be exploited.
Sometimes humans are good stewards. Other times we aren’t. In a very practical way, we had an exercise in stewardship this week. We had our secondhand sale. We brought in the things we didn’t need. We sold them for a nominal price. A lot of these things would probably have been thrown away. The people who bought them at a greatly reduced price would probably have gone to the store to buy similar items. To manufacture the new items would have used up more of the world’s resources. Reduced need for manufacturing is helpful to preserving our planet. Recycling anything is an exercise in being good stewards of creation.
Sometimes we are gentle with our planet. Other times we aren’t. If we consider the story of one of God’s creatures, we are reminded of how much power we have. Once there was a bird called a Dodo bird. The bird lived on an isolated island named Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Because the island had its own eco system the Dodo Bird didn’t have many natural enemies. The bird which was about three foot tall didn’t fly. And it laid its eggs on the ground. The Dodo Bird was not very fast because it didn’t have anything to run from. When Portuguese sailors arrived at the beginning of the 17th century, they found it easy to kill the ugly birds. Humans also brought pigs that loved eating the eggs of the Dodo Birds. Within 70 years the Dodo Bird was extinct. All that remains to show they existed are a few bone fragments. Unfortunately, this isn’t an unusual story. Scientists say that wherever humans have gone, for 50,000 years large numbers of animals have become extinct.
We could reflect this Sunday on the fact that we live in different environments including the natural environment, our household, our local community. Part of our environment is our church community. Our parish needs good stewards. We need members who will unselfishly serve others. Every quarter we have a Stewardship Sunday. We ask for people to volunteer for ministries where we have needs. We are constantly having a turnover. We especially need liturgical ministers: Readers, Eucharistic Ministers and servers. Another ministry that constantly touches people’s lives has to do with funerals. To bury the dead with dignity is a corporal work of mercy. Could you help minister to our parish family? We are once again putting forth a call today. Your sharing of time could be a gift you give to God and to your neighbor. And that makes everyone’s life better.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do I take care of the natural environment? Do I consider this a religious question?
2. How do I volunteer at the parish? What more might I do?
Dear Parishioner’s,
Saturday the 22nd of June we will be having what we are calling the Sacred Heart Reunion. We are inviting people back for a night of games, food and drink. We are even having a special beer brewed for the occasion. This is in keeping with our Belgium origins. We would like to see this event grow over time, but it will depend on all of you. It is mostly a social event, but it is also a fundraiser. The price is $10 a ticket for all you can eat.
We will have many baskets that people can bid on and a 50/50 raffle. There will be a bouncy house for children and other activities.
The main thing we want everyone to do is to invite back family members and friends who have moved away. Parishioners grew up with people in the parish and these people were our extended family. How wonderful it is to connect to people we have not seen in years. Unfortunately, it seems like we only see old friends when we see them at a funeral or run into them in passing. This is a chance to take time to enjoy memories and have extended conversations. It’s also a chance for new members of the parish to get involved.
I hope to see you all at the Sacred Heart reunion on Saturday June 22nd starting at 4 p.m.
May Our Lady of Peace pray for us,
Fr. Mark