Love, Patience, Gratitude, and the Blessing of Community

Our Gospel this weekend is familiar to us. Jesus gives us the heart of the Christian life: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind," and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." These commandments are simple to understand but take a lifetime to live. They call us to love God, to care for one another, and to recognize God's presence not only in prayer, but also in the people He places in our lives.

Recently, I have been reflecting on these commandments through two experiences that, at first glance, seem very different. One involves ongoing health concerns and waiting for an upcoming procedure. The other involves our parish's long-awaited parking lot project. Yet both have taught me similar lessons about patience, gratitude, and the love of a community that walks together in faith.

Patience is rarely easy. Whether we are waiting for healing, answers, or the completion of an important project, we naturally want things to move more quickly. In my own health journey, there are days when uncertainty is difficult and when I would prefer immediate answers and immediate resolution. In the life of the parish, many of us have eagerly awaited the completion of improvements that will benefit our community for years to come. Both experiences remind us that some blessings unfold according to God's timetable rather than our own.

Yet waiting has also revealed something beautiful. It has reminded me that we do not walk through life's challenges alone.

One unexpected lesson during this time has been learning to receive the kindness of others. I have often found it easier to be the one helping than the one being helped. Yet friends, family members, fellow parishioners, and healthcare professionals have surrounded me with prayers, encouragement, and support. Their care has reminded me that God's love often becomes visible through the people around us.

The same spirit is evident in the life of our parish. The completion of the parking lot project is not simply the result of machinery and construction. It is the fruit of generosity, sacrifice, planning, and faith. It stands as a visible reminder of the love our parish family has for one another and for future generations. Every gift to the Capital Campaign, whether large or small, was an act of faith and a commitment to the future of our parish community.

The Prayer of St. Francis asks that we seek "not so much to be consoled as to console." Throughout much of our lives, many of us strive to be the ones serving, supporting, and helping others. Yet both personal challenges and parish life teach another important lesson: sometimes God asks us to accept consolation as graciously as we offer it. Sometimes discipleship means receiving as well as giving.

The generosity of our parish family has allowed all of us to experience that truth. We are deeply grateful to every donor who supported the Capital Campaign. We are grateful to the members of the Capital Campaign Committee whose dedication and perseverance helped make the project possible. In a special way, we offer sincere thanks to Paul Knudsen, whose willingness to oversee the project and serve as its trusted "foreman" has been an extraordinary gift. His time, expertise, leadership, and attention to detail helped guide this effort from vision to reality. We are also grateful to Fifth Avenue Paving for their professionalism and excellent work in bringing the project to completion.

And as we reflect on these blessings, we cannot help but thank God for the gift of the beautiful fall weather that accompanied much of the work. The clear skies, crisp air, and vibrant colors of the season seemed almost providential, reminding us that even amid planning and labor, God's goodness surrounds us in countless ways.

This season has deepened my gratitude. I am grateful for medical professionals caring for my health. I am grateful for the prayers and support of others during times of uncertainty. I am grateful for a parish family whose generosity continues to strengthen our community. And I am grateful for the reminder that we are part of something larger than ourselves, a community bound together by faith, hope, and love.

Patience is love stretched over time. Gratitude is love recognized. Generosity is love shared. Together they reveal the Gospel in action.

As I continue to wait for an upcoming procedure, and as our parish celebrates the completion of an important project, I am reminded that God's greatest commandment is ultimately about relationship. We are called to love God and love one another. Sometimes that love is expressed through service. Sometimes it is expressed through sacrifice. Sometimes it is expressed through patiently waiting. And sometimes it is expressed by humbly allowing ourselves to be supported by others.

In all these moments, we discover what Jesus teaches us today: that love is at the center of everything.

Patience is an important part of love, but love also needs a good sense of humor. Life rarely unfolds according to our plans, and sometimes a smile is what helps us remain loving while we wait. I have been reminded of that recently while waiting for an upcoming medical procedure. Some days are easier than others, but I have found that trusting God, being patient with myself, and occasionally laughing at the situation helps lighten the burden. Patience is not just waiting; it is waiting with faith, hope, and, when possible, a smile. So as Donald O’Connor sang in Singin’ in the Rain … “Make ’Em Laugh”, I share a bit of medical humor …. join me in a good laugh or at least a little chuckle!

Studies have demonstrated that rednecks have the lowest stress rate because they do not understand the seriousness of most medical terminology:

Reflection Question

How is God inviting me to express love through patience, generosity, gratitude, or by allowing others to walk beside me when I am in need?

Prayer

Loving God, we thank You for the many blessings You pour into our lives. We thank You for the gift of our parish family, for the generosity of those who supported our Capital Campaign, for the dedication of the committee members, for the leadership of Paul Knudsen, for the work of Fifth Avenue Paving, and for the beautiful fall weather that accompanied this project. We also thank You for the people who support us during times of personal challenge and uncertainty. Teach us to love You with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Like St. Francis, may we be willing both to console and to be consoled. Through our patience, generosity, and gratitude, may Your love be made visible in our parish and in our lives. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Budget Update

The budget for FY 2025–2026, along with an early look at FY 2026–2027, will be published in the bulletin by late November. Thank you for your patience — we’re grateful for your understanding as we finalize these important details.

Diocesan Loan & Parish Progress

We are blessed to share some very good news: the Diocesan Mission Assistance Corporation has approved afive‑year, interest‑free loan of $215,000 to help us meet the increased costs of our parking lot project, including new handicap spaces and improved lighting. A portion of this funding will also support the replacement of the interior lighting in the church.

This loan will be added to our existing roof‑replacement balance of $182,000, and a manageable monthly payment plan will be created. Thanks to your continued generosity, we have already paidnearly $85,000 in long‑standing insurance bills to the Diocese — a tremendous step forward for our parish.

Capital Campaign – Phase One

Phase One of our Capital Campaign is moving ahead beautifully. The parking lot resurfacing, lighting repairs, curb improvements, installation of underground conduits for future perimeter lighting, and full striping are all on track to be completed bySunday, October 25, weather permitting. This work represents a major and exciting improvement to our parish grounds, and we are deeply grateful for everyone who has helped make it possible.

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The Every year, Fall arrives like a gentle teacher. The world around us shifts in color—greens surrender to gold, amber, and deep red. Trees let go of what they once held tightly, releasing their leaves in a quiet, graceful surrender. It is a season that reminds us thatchange is woven into the rhythm of creation, and that change, when embraced, can be breathtakingly beautiful.

And yet, we know how hard change can be. We resist it. We cling to what feels familiar, safe, predictable. But Fall whispers a truth we often avoid:growth requires letting go.

This Sunday’s readings speak directly into that tension between resistance and transformation.

Isaiah presents Cyrus—a foreign ruler, someone outside Israel’s expectations—whom God chooses as an instrument of deliverance. Israel likely resisted the idea that God could work through someone so unexpected. But God insists, “I am the LORD, and there is no other.” Change often comes through people or circumstances we never would have chosen. Like the turning leaves, God’s movements can surprise us, yet they reveal His sovereignty and His desire to reshape our hearts.

Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, praises their “work of faith,” “labor of love,” and “endurance in hope.” These are not passive traits. They are signs of an interior transformation—evidence that God’s grace has taken root and is bearing fruit. Just as leaves shift gradually, a change of heart unfolds through small, faithful choices: choosing patience, choosing compassion, choosing trust when life feels uncertain.

And then Jesus, confronted by the Pharisees about paying taxes, refuses to be trapped. He asks for the coin and poses a simple question: “Whose image is this?” The coin bears Caesar’s image—but we bear God’s.

Fall’s beauty comes from trees revealing their true nature. They let go so they can rest, renew, and bloom again. Jesus’ teaching invites a similar revelation: if we bear God’s image, then our hearts, our choices, our priorities must belong to God. This is the deepest change of all—moving from fear to trust, from clinging to surrender, from self‑preservation to offering ourselves back to the One whose likeness we carry.

We resist change because it feels like loss. But Fall shows us that letting go is part of God’s rhythm of renewal. The readings show us that God is already at work—through Cyrus, through the Thessalonians, through Jesus’ challenge to give God what is God’s. Change becomes grace when we allow it to reshape our hearts.

As the leaves turn and the air shifts, we might ask ourselves:

What am I holding onto that God is inviting me to release?

Where is He calling me to trust more deeply?

How is He asking me to live more clearly as one who bears His image?

May this season of Fall—and this Sunday’s Word—lead us toward achange of heart that reflects God’s beauty, God’s truth, and God’s claim on our lives.

Pax et bonum,
Fr. Jim

Miscellany …

The renovation of the Main parking lot continues this week, with its being repaved and being striped. (Weather permitting). In the late Spring we will start work on the new handicap parking area as well as the remaining areas of the parking lot. I’d like to point out as well that the Northern and Southern entrances are now both entrances and exits, so please be aware of the new signage and follow the arrows.

We will be hosting a Parish ‘Town Hall Meeting’ on Sunday October 25^th at 12:30pm in the Fr. Ted Howard Parish Center, to discuss the possibility of erecting a Cell Tower on the property, as a source of income to help meet Diocesan assessment bills. The meeting will take place with representatives from the Elite Cell Company, who will address our concerns as well as members of the PAX Committee (Parish Trustees, Finance and Advisory members) and members of the Parish Staff. Please come with open minds and hearts -and know that if the parish family agrees with the PAX Committee’s recommendation for the Cell Tower, it then goes on to the Diocese for approval and public hearings sponsored by the Town of Brookhaven; if not, the process will end there. Wine and cheese will be offered.

Fr. Jim will be offering a class entitled theBaltimore Catechism 2026 Revisited. Our first meeting will be Tuesday October 13^th from 12noon to 1:30pm in the Fr. Ted Howard Hall and then weekly on Mondays from October 19^th to December 14^th from 12noon to 1:30pm. All are welcome. There is a $20 book fee - for those that can afford it.

Monday we will honor the courageous vision of Christopher Columbus, that the world was a globe and not flat; who set sail under the patronage of Spain to find a quicker way to India.  Unfortunately, a strip of land, aka - the Western Hemisphere was in the way, and he was credited with ‘discovering’ a ‘new world’, aka - the North and South American continents.  While we need to give just praise to his vision and bravery, we also need to remember, that not but by design, but by default, the European encounter with a pristine people by Europeans was followed by disease and death.  And following later still, political greed and colonization took root on both continents.  Hence, therefore, many celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day and not Columbus Day.  History, is ever unfolding with new insights, wider implications and deeper appreciation of the moral implications of past actions, demands that we look honestly and objectively at it, easier said than done!  Yet so we must!  Otherwise, we come to the wedding feast without the customary garment - whether due to our arrogance or self-righteousness to find ourselves- at a loss of the full experience.  So, As with so many historic events, we can celebrate the ‘discovery’, the innovation, and the awakening that leads us in time to discover the less than ideal, and at times even the destructive and even unintended lethal nuances of our ‘discoveries’ and innovations.  The challenge is always to seek the TRUTH, which in its scales, must hold … both / and … and to be truthfully balanced in her historical narrative.  Thus, to all who celebrate Christopher Columbus, especially those of Italian descent - Happy Columbus Day and those who embrace the Indigenous Peoples’ of the America’s, celebrate their culture, their achievement, their memory; for in time, all will fall into the dust bin of what was … remembering it is only with the Lord, who is our Shepherd, that are we lead through the valley of death into the verdant pastures of Life and eternal truth of the wedding banquet.

Pax et Bonum,

Fr. Jim