July 21, 2016
…”And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Today’s familiar Gospel is filled with the promises of God. How much more will our good and loving God take care of us if we ask, seek, knock and mostly trust? How can we use these summer days to deepen our trust in the Lord so we have the courage and strength to seek, to ask, to knock?
…A few weeks ago, at our Outdoor Mass and Movie night, I ASKED for someone to help cut down some of the dead trees by the grotto. In the pattern of God (and the goodness of our community) THREE people said ‘yes’ and the result is that many of our trees are getting cut/trimmed/cleaned up. There’s always more to do but for me, it was a powerful and clear reminder of the goodness of our members – and even more – the pattern and the promise of the Lord.
…Very special thanks to one of our members, Lyla Wooten. Our incredible bookkeeper, Carol Maline, had some unexpected surgery a few weeks back which left us in great need. Lyla, recently retired with a career in accounting, has stepped in to fill the need. Another example of God’s promises – ask and you will receive. God bless Lyla. One more example of our members constantly responding to the needs of our community. Please continue to keep Carol in your prayers during this time of healing.
…Our Parish Finance Council will certainly affirm the great work done by Carol, Lynn Rogers and Al Becka. We are very blessed. The PFC is meeting again this coming Wednesday. At this time of year, we look to add a few new members to our PFC; if you are interested in learning more, please contact Bob Downs (bobdowns32@yahoo.com) or Mike Mascio (MMascio@StAmbrose.us). We are very blessed with an active PFC that continues to help our parish make wise and good decisions.
…These days of July are a busy time full of fall preparation here at Saint Ambrose. While there are less ‘group meetings,’ there are lots of conversations and planning for the upcoming pastoral year. We are blessed with so many members who make a generous ‘yes’ in service to the Lord and our parish community. We are also blessed with wonderful people who are part of our parish staff who are so generous in sharing their time and talent to help our parish continue the work of the Lord. Praise be God.
…Father Rob and I have been meeting about some of the liturgical and sacramental needs for our parish community. We are working to grow the number of people who help ‘set up and clean up’ from our weekend Masses as well. All training will be provided. So ask and you shall receive….if you can help serve as a ‘sacristan’, please contact Father Rob (RRamser@StAmbrose.us).
…We have a wonderful group of our members who help clean the Church a couple of times a month. It’s so helpful and a great way for us to care for the house of God. One of our Heavenly Angels commented, “I am hoping that God notices how well I clean His house here so that He will want me to clean the ‘big house’ in heaven.” If you can spare an hour or two a month, please let us know. Many hands make for light work. The goal is eventually to have one team per week so that we can help and assist Lisa Beckett in taking great care of our Church. If you can help, or at least want to learn more, please contact Amanda McCrary (ajmm18@aol.com).
…We are working hard to plan for the upcoming PSR and Day School year. Among all the pieces and parts, we are working to make sure we have best experiences of prayer and worship. What would really help us, both for Day School and PSR, is to have some of our parents commissioned to serve as Special Ministers of Holy Communion (Eucharistic Ministers). What a great example and witness for your child(ren) and their friends to see you serving at the Table of the Lord. If you are interested, please contact Father Rob (RRamser@StAmbrose.us) or Deacon Gary (GTomazic@StAmbrose.us). Ask and you shall receive…we really would like to commission about 25 of our parents.
…It’s been inspiring to see so many of our members knocking at the door of the Chapel and stopping by for some time of prayer. We all need to turn to the Lord, especially for the good of our country. As we continue to the process of discerning our next president, please come to the Lord in prayer. May God bless and guide us.
…The FEST is right around the corner. Please plan to join us on Sunday, August 7 for a great day of faith, family and fun – all for FREE. See today’s bulletin for all the details. We are still in need of some volunteers (1400 needed for the day). Check out the website for all the details (www.theFEST.us).
…God bless our Knights of Columbus. This weekend they are calling all of us to reflect on the Holy Family as the model of our own family life. How can we center our lives and our homes more on Christ? In so doing, we will find the blessings of God. How much more will our heavenly Father provide for us in all our need. It’s God’s promise.
…Did you know that the K of C is making it possible for our parish to have a beautiful statute of Mother Teresa (soon to be saint)? The K of C do wonderful things for the men of our parish, along with their families and our parish family. Consider joining them. You will be very, very glad you did. For more information, contact Vince at vberardinelli@vanfin.com.
…Enjoy these summer days. Take some time to reflect and prayerfully ponder on this weekend’s Gospel. God wants to take care of you…we simply and sincerely need to seek….knock….ask…and mostly…trust in the Lord. Have a blessed week.
