Soul Man Blog Colorado update: #2 September 16th, 2020

Soul Man Blog Colorado update #2
September 16 ^th, 2020

            Hello to our St. Mary’s family from Deacon Joe and Sharon. I hope you all are staying well and loving your neighbor by wearing your masks. I wanted to give you an update on our Colorado adventure and offer some things to ponder.
            We have been watching the very active hurricane season and continue to pray for all those affected by the storms. Some folks have told us that in Colorado you won’t have to worry about hurricanes. While this is true, I think each place we could move has its own natural hazards. Here in Colorado it has been wildfires. We have several big fires burning to the west of us and we have experienced several days with a lot of smoke from these fires. It reminds me of foggy mornings back in Texas City, but it doesn’t lift when the sun heats up and it really plays havoc on folks with breathing problems or allergies.  On top of that, some of the smoke from the California and Oregon fires has drifted our way too.  Please continue to pray for all of those affected by the fires as we pray for all of those affected by the recent storms.
            We did have a recent surprise though. We had the earliest snow during the month of September in over 10 years according to the records. We had about 9 inches of snow where we live in Golden along with temperatures in the 30’s. It only stayed for about a day and half but for us as transplanted Texans, it was pretty and a radical change from what we are used to in September.
            For those of you who are still dealing with virtual learning with your children, we know what you are going through. Sharon and I have been helping our 4 ^th and 2 ^nd grade student grandsons with their schooling, juggling zoom classrooms, video stories, games, reading practice and uploading homework. Not to mention I’ve had to relearn all my times tables again. We won’t be headed back to the classrooms here until October and that may only be for a couple of days a week. This has given me a new perspective for parents and grandparents learning new ways of schooling. It has also given me a greater respect for teachers who are making videos, writing lesson plans and teaching in ways they never thought they would have too. I have been amazed at the creative work that so many teachers are doing to make this “new normal” way of teaching interesting and engaging.  I also deal with my little students telling me “This is so boring!” in our home classroom just like in the school classroom. It is also a challenge to deal with the distraction of toys and online games, while working in their room “office”. Those who have gone back to school in person learning are facing the challenges of new safety protocols to keep everyone safe while learning. We are all in this together to keep each other safe and well. Care and kindness for each other is so important!
            On the church front, I am still prayerfully waiting for a parish assignment here in the Archdiocese of Denver. I have met with the Personnel Board and had a great follow up phone conversation with Deacon Henry who is a board member. My sense is that they are really trying to not only fulfill parish needs, but find a good fit between parish, pastor, and deacon. Please continue to pray for us as well for our future parish and pastor.
          The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has launched a campaign inviting Catholics to model civility and love for neighbor throughout the year.  Civilize It: Dignity Beyond the Debate  will ask Catholics to pledge civility, clarity, and compassion in their families, communities, and parishes, and call on others to do so as well. Find out more information and resources to share with your community at  CivilizeIt.org. 
            Finally, I want to encourage all of us to be informed voters and to read, reflect, and especially pray, during this turbulent election cycle. A great resource is available through the USCCB website which has several videos as well as a booklet called Faithful Citizenship which comes out every four years. These are great resources to help inform all the faithful, to help us form our conscience and gain knowledge independent of endorsing any candidate.  It is way to rise above petty comments, social media rumors, and party-driven cliches.
"We need to participate for the common good. Sometimes we hear: a good Catholic is not interested in politics. This is not true: good Catholics immerse themselves in politics by offering the best of themselves so that the leader can govern." - Pope Francis
I have many friends with varying opinions on politics and politicians. I love and respect even the ones I disagree with. I know they are not “bad people” and they are not my enemy. Part of meaningful dialogue is being able to listen to one another and move toward the common good.  Sometimes that means we will have to compromise . Compromise means a settlement of differences by mutual concessions, an agreement reached by adjustment of conflicting or opposing claims, principles etc., by reciprocal modifications of demands. (Dictionary.com)
Let us pray to be able to see each other as brothers and sisters and not the enemy. Even though brothers and sisters may at times disagree and argue, they are still family and come together as one when the chips are down. May our mutual love in Christ help us to overcome our divisions and move forward together.