…”While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?” In our Gospel Jesus poses a very good question to his early disciples and to us, “Why are you troubled?” So often we get ‘worked up’ and ‘worried’ about big and small things. When we walk with the Lord, we find the deep peace and abiding presence of God. There is no need for worry or fear or distress. God is with us. Open your heart each day to the abiding presence and peace of Christ.
…This weekend we are blessed to bring the comfort and peace of Christ to so many of our members through the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Aged and Infirmed. Christ wants to enter into our lives, especially in those troubling and difficult moments of life, to bring us the peace and mercy of the Lord. To those who present themselves for this Sacrament at Mass, this weekend will find that it is the Lord who will come and “stand in their midst” and say to them, “Peace be with you.”
…We are blessed with so many who, faithfully and lovingly, bring the presence of Christ to our members who are homebound, hospitalized and in care facilities. Our “Good Sams” come in the name of the Lord and bring our members the presence of Christ and the assurance of our care and prayer. If you know someone who would like to receive Communion each week at home, or someone who needs to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing, please let us know. We are here to help and to extend the care and compassion of Christ. Please call the Parish Office to arrange for a visit.
…We are always in need of a few more members who will take a little time in the course of the week to visit our members in need. If you can help or want to learn more, please let us know (rramser@StAmbrose.us or bstec@StAmbrose.us).
…This weekend is a very special time for our community as we welcome Bishop Roger Gries to Saint Ambrose for the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation. We are blessed to have over 130 young adults who seek to be ‘confirmed’ in their faith and seek to conform their lives to become more and more like Christ. Please keep all those to be Confirmed in your prayers. May the Spirit of God bless them with the gift of Christ’s peace. Many thanks to the Confirmation and FIAT Team for all their work with our young people.
…Many thanks to those who have taken the time over the past month to come and learn more about the needs and opportunity we have as a community to repair and renovate our Church. The Church, at 36 years old, is clearly in need of some major repair and updating. If we work together, we can all walk into the renewed House of God literally one year from this weekend. In order for this to happen, we are going to need all of our members to prayerfully consider making a generous pledge (over the next five years) to the Generations of Faith capital campaign. The insert in today’s bulletin gives more information and also clearly demonstrates the goodness and generosity of so many of our members who want to give this gift to God and to our community. This is clearly the most important thing we can do as a community – to care for the House of God where so many every day and week come to find God’s grace, strength and peace. Please take some time to review the material. We need to hear from all of our members as soon as possible. We need your help.
…This past week one of our young dads with school kids shared the following with me. He and his wife had just made a generous pledge to the Church appeal. He said this quote really helped put their gift to God and investment to our community into perspective, “1. God owns it all. 2. We are managers of His possessions. 3. We are responsible and will one day give an account to Him for the way we used His resources….True financial security comes only when we use God’s money His way for His purpose.”
…Next Saturday is our annual Community Service Day. It’s an experience of ‘church’ at its best….so many of us coming together, working together, serving together in the name of the Lord, to create a better world for so many in need – and for our entire community. There’s plenty of ways that all of our members – young and senior alike – can find a way to help and get involved. A few hours….by many people….will allow us to tackle over 50 projects across the Brunswick area. Want to help? Go to: www.stambrose.us/service to sign up and/or to learn more.
…Speaking of next Saturday – It’s Bob Howski’s birthday. Many of our members know Bob who served our community for so many years on our maintenance team. He now is so actively involved with our Building and Grounds Team and Community Outreach efforts. God bless Bob!!!!
…If you are looking for a fun night out for a great cause, next Saturday we are hosting our Mission Gala at Progressive Field. Come and see all the ‘behind the scenes’ of the stadium, take some batting practice, and mostly help us in raising funds to support our efforts to care for some of the poorest of the poor in our world. Check out all the details at www.MissionPossible.us. Make plans to join us. It’s a great night out…lots of fun….and really makes a difference.
…Speaking of fun…the Summer Festival is coming soon – June 21-24, 2018. We can use your help in a few ways: the festival raffle has GREAT prizes and is a great way to support our efforts to renovate the Chapel. We also are going to need lots of volunteers. Make plans to lend a hand. And finally, spread the word. We need to get everyone talking about our summer festival. It will be a great part of the summer.
This week, open your heart to the Lord, let go of your troubles and find peace in the presence of God.
