Stars and Stripes

Happy Feast of St. Thomas!

Grant, almighty God, that we may glory in the Feast of the blessed Apostle Thomas, so that we may always be sustained by his intercession and, believing, may have life in the name of Jesus Christ your Son, whom Thomas acknowledged as the Lord. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Two days ago I watched the Fifa World Cup game between USA and Belgium.  It was an exciting game, and we had a few chances to win it, but in the end, it did not go our way.  However, it was pretty great to see how well USA’s goalie Tim Howard played.  The teams certainly put a lot of time and hard work practicing and preparing for these games.

Many of the monks who were on vacation, assisting in parishes, or giving retreats have returned these past couple of days.  The weather has been extraordinary.  Yesterday it was mostly sunny and we had a high of 68.  The low was 56, not too far from the record low of 50 in 1959.  The windows on the monastic residence floors were wide open to let in the nice cool breeze.

Occasionally the monks celebrate July 4th with a picnic outdoors.  Since the weather is so pleasant, I am hoping we will be outside.  While Fr. Xavier is away, I have Mass at MIR House Friday evening (First Friday).  MIR House is a house of prayer on the east side of St. Joseph, about 45 minutes from the Abbey.  I have never been there before, but I am looking forward to celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Eucharist there.

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