Summer Message From Father Peter

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

Glory to Jesus Christ!  Glory Forever!

We have just entered into the beautiful Season of Summer. School is out, the  weather is finally warming up,  and  the hectic pace of life has  begun  to slow down a bit.

For many,  Summer will bring the opportunity for vacationing with our family and friend. Pani Carol and I  just returned from a vacation at the Delaware Shore where we spent a week relaxing at the Beach, soaking in the sun and breathing in the refreshing salt air. This year we were delighted to see for the first time ever, dolphins playing in the sea!

As I gazed at the sea and braved the crashing waves to enter in the clear but cold water, I could not help but call to mind the words of the 104th Psalm  from Vespers which praises the marvels of God’s creation and His Eternal Wisdom in how beautiful and purposefully he created all things, great and small,  the earth and  the sea and that is in it.   The refrain that is sung during this Psalm  says its best:  How marvelous are Your works O Lord, in Wisdom You have made them all!  After a long and stressful year since my last vacation, it was as if I had forgotten how beautiful  God made our world! 

It is sad that in the course of our daily lives and all of the stresses and cares  that we are burdened with, we are far too often blind to the reality of the Presence of God in the beauty of  His Creation.  We are so bent over and consumed with the cares of life that we do not gaze heavenward to delight in the beauty of the clouds , or the Sun setting over the horizon. We are too busy to quite literally stop and smell the roses and pay attention to the beautiful orchestral symphony  offered by the various members of the animal kingdom, each adding their own unique sound and cadence.

I was so grateful for the opportunity to escape if only for a week the unending treadmill of   non stop activity and mental engagement, so that I could find rest in the arms of our loving Saviour. The same Lord  who constantly invites all of us who are burdened and weary from life to Come unto Him, and  find rest.   And rest I found, which brought peace and joy to my heart.

I pray that all of you will be able to take some time to rest in the arms of the Lord on vacation, or even if only for an afternoon in your own back yard, so that you can be  spiritual rejuvenated as you drink in the beauty of the created world.    I caution you, however, not to take a vacation from Church, but to instead find rest in attending Sunday Liturgy and observing the feast day celebrations in our little wonderfully air conditioned , and  beautifully adorned  Church.  Our slice of  Paradise and place of rest and refreshment.

Happy Summer,   See you at the beach  AND at Church!

Fr. Peter