True Freedom
The Fourth of July is fast approaching; I know that teachers hate to hear that because it is a harbinger of the fact that their summer is half over. With the upcoming celebration of Independence Day, our national mindset naturally turns to the notion of freedom. In this Sunday’s second reading, St. Paul tells us “for freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” Greater than freedom from excess taxes and non-representation in government imposed on our forebearers by the British Crown, this freedom spoken of by St. Paul is the freedom from sin. This is the true and highest form of freedom, and, like any true freedom, it calls us to responsibility.
To enjoy this freedom given by God, we are called to detach ourselves from the things of the world because attachments, as good as they may seem, have a way of leading us into sin; with attachments come disordered affections: the need for more, the need to control, or the need to have it all. If we find ourselves with a “need” from someone or something, we need to look within ourselves to see if something is off balance. Wanting something is not necessarily bad nor is the desire to have people in our lives; the danger with “needing” something or someone can lead to the compromising of freedom, both ours or another’s. Our Lord’s words in the Gospel may sound harsh but it is how the disciple must live. The Lord is reminding us that nothing can come before our answering our Lord’s call to discipleship.
Eucharistic Procession
Some may be wondering why we didn’t have a Eucharistic procession on Corpus Christi like some other parishes did. I had planned on it but there is something that is needed for it: a canopy to be carried over the Blessed Sacrament and CTK doesn’t have one. I ordered one but the canopy is coming from Poland and the poles for the canopy are coming from India, and when it was clear that neither would not be arriving on time for the feast day, I did not move forward with announcing/coordinating the procession. However, just because we did not have a procession for Corpus Christi does not mean that we cannot have one at another time during this time of the Eucharistic Revival, especially with our parish feast day and the 50th anniversary of the dedication of our church in November. More to come.
Off to the Holy Land
This Monday, June 27th, I will be departing with 36 other pilgrims for the Holy Land. We will return on July 8th. Please know of my prayers for you and your intentions during this time. Please pray for the safety of our pilgrimage group.
Blessings to you and yours for the week ahead!
Father Chris House