Wednesday – 13th Week in Ordinary Time

1st Reading – Amos 5:14-15, 21-24

Stormy Weather – Round 2

Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem

Continuing my stormy weather story from yesterday!  With all the heavy rain and flooding, getting to church on Sunday was a bit nerve-racking!  We left early just to be safe and arrived at St. Joseph’s without any major problems.  But what happened next was completely unexpected!

I got out of the car and raced around to help Ginger. By the time I got to her side of the car, one of our Mass greeters came out with this huge umbrella, met us at the car and ushered us, safe and dry, into the church.  I saw that act repeated dozens of times before and after Mass.  Our Greeters stationed themselves at all the entrances to the church and shuttled parishioners back and forth to their cars before and after Mass!  Wow!  What service!  What hospitality!  What a wonderful act of kindness!  (I should add that, in spite of the storms, the church was full!)

It calls to mind the words from today’s First Reading from the Prophet Amos:

Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
Then truly will the LORD, the God of hosts,
be with you as you claim!
Hate evil and love good,
and let justice prevail at the gate

I certainly saw justice, not to mention love and compassion, prevail at the ‘gate’ on Sunday!  Maybe that is our challenge today.  How often do we actually SEEK good?  How often do we LOVE good?  Not just good for ourselves but good for others, even if it’s a simple assist in sheltering them from the storms of life!

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