Pentecost V Sermon The Reverend Emmanuel Ato Mercer Today’s gospel begins with a story of a helpless man whose daughter was seriously sick and at the point of death. His desire was for the daughter to be made whole. And so as any parent would do, he reached out to Jesus with these words “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” Come and make her whole for me. The cry of helpless Jarius reminds me of the words of the psalmist “Out of the depths have I called to you, O LORD; LORD, hear my voice; let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication. That was Jarius’ prayer and it should be the prayer of any person of faith. Jarius knew that for his daughter to be made whole, he had to take that one step that placed his faith squarely in the hands of one man. Upon hearing Jarius’ plea from the depth of human helplessness, Jesus listened to the voice of his supplication, made a turn, and walked with Jarius to his home. The savior hears us and will walk us home to make us whole, but would we take that first step of faith? On the way, something strange happened. There was a woman among the crowd who had been dealing with an issue of blood for twelve years. She has seen all the experts. She’s been to Mayo Clinic, she’s been to Hopkins, and she’s seen the best doctors around. And yet no one could help her. She is helpless. She is desperate. You can possibly hear her cry of agony and desperation from the depths in which she found herself. She faces the horror of her illness each morning. She is supposed to be unclean and therefore should not be around other people. But no one in the crowd knows what she is dealing with and so no one can show her any sympathy nor can anyone be her advocate. She is her own advocate. She sees the crowd and is intimidated by it. She wonders to herself, how can I get this man’s attention? I know he can heal me, but considering all the people milling around him, how can I tell him what my problem is? This was her breakthrough moment, she said to herself, if only I can touch the hem of his garment, I will be made well. If only I can overcome my fear and touch him, I will be made whole. And so she did. And immediately her hemorrhage stopped. Her desire was to be made whole. She knew her moment of wholeness was near, her moment of restoration was now, and so she reached out with faith and touched the clothes of the one man who makes us whole. She didn’t let the crowd be an impediment to her desire for wholeness. She had to take that one step, that step that recognizes obstacles and yet is ready to overcome them in order to be whole. The disciples didn’t understand why Jesus would even complain that someone had touched him. Look at the crowd!! They said. How can you possibly say that someone touched you? But he was the one who had felt power leave him and so was unwilling to let that power go without any acknowledgment. And when he asked the question, ‘who touched me?’ the woman came forward and confessed. She knew that to own and confess is life. To deny and disown is death. She had hoped to leave unnoticed. But her confession freed her soul because wholeness begins with a confession. The good news is that Jesus claimed no credit for the healing. He gave her the credit. Your faith has made you whole. Not mine, but yours. The empowering part of Jesus’ interaction with the woman was the affirmation of her faith. The only way we can be empowered is when our fragile faith is affirmed. When our faith overcomes all obstacles to stay true to itself and God, that faith is affirmed. But the affirmation only happens when we take that first step, the step that recognizes obstacles and yet is willing to overcome them in its desire to seek wholeness. What obstacles do you see standing in your way and hampering your desire to be a person of faith? How can you be made whole? It isn’t the case that you are at the cusp of death. No. It isn’t the case that you are hemorrhaging blood. No. You and I know that we need to be made whole but we have not as yet taken that first step. That first step that recognizes obstacles and yet with faith is willing to overcome them in its desire to seek wholeness-not for itself alone, but for others, as well. We have been tested over the past several months by the Corona Virus. We have been tested over the years by some of the challenges that our country has faced. The divisions within our society and politics. The divisions within our homes. The divisions within our churches. Sometimes it feels like our society is like the sick daughter of Jarius lying in bed and on the cusp of death. Sometimes it feels like our society is dead. Sometimes it feels like there is no life or even if there is, there are a good number of us who are like Jarius’ daughter-we are dead. The tragedy is that we sometimes act like the crying crowd near Jarius’ home who told Jesus not to bother himself. Don’t bother yourself, the girl is already dead. Don’t bother yourself the community is dead. Don’t bother yourself there is no life at Lake Elkhorn Middle School. Don’t bother yourself because there is no value in any new initiative. Don’t bother yourself. If the community is dead, why bother to advocate for life? Why bother to make it whole? But you and I know that our society needs more than healing, it needs restoration. It has to be restored like the woman who had been hemorrhaging blood for twelve years. It has to be given new life like Jarius’ daughter. It has to be made whole. The good news is that you and I know the part we can play to make ourselves whole and to advocate for wholeness for others. In a few days, our country will be celebrating its independence anniversary. Our country has come a long way. From the mosquito-infested shores of Jamestown to the dreary winter of the pilgrims at Plymouth, our country has come a long way. Imagine the patriots who had to take up arms to defend themselves against a system that subjugated them and took as much from them as possible-they wanted to be whole. Imagine the African American Slave who labored from dawn to dusk under harsh and brutal conditions, and never got paid for all the work. Imagine this man or woman, arguing against the incoherency of slavery and the American Creed that all men and women are created equal-they too wanted to be whole. Imagine the woman who for reasons of being a woman was denied the right to vote. She could do any and all things but was considered inferior to the man, and she didn’t possess the capacity to make self-determining decisions-they too wanted to be whole. Imagine having to hide your sexuality. Imagine being so afraid of even your parents and loved ones that you have to hide who you are, hide your sexuality because of the possible hostility that you could face-our Gay and Lesbian brothers and sisters also wanted to be made whole. Imagine knowing that you couldn’t go to certain places or sleep in certain hotels. Imagine knowing you can only live in a particular area because of redlining. Imagine knowing that you cannot drink from certain water fountains or sit on a particular seat on a bus-the freed Slave desired to be whole. Wholeness doesn’t usually come on a silver platter-there is both joy and suffering. Joy carries us but we must carry suffering. We must carry the cross, bearing in mind that wholeness is possible when we take that step, the one step that sees and recognizes obstacles, and yet is willing to interrupt the supposedly usual way of doing things to ensure that there is wholeness in the land. Remember, it is your faith that can make you whole. And so the burden is on you to be rich in nothing but only in faith. That is the one gift that is acceptable to God and which you can also have in abundance. Are you ready to take that first step of faith-to cry out to God? To reach out from your depth and cry out to God. Wholeness may be yours if you can dare to live in the power of the cross. Amen.

Today is the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost. Collect of the Day: Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Readings for today: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 Psalm 130 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Mark 5:21-43 Today's Sermon: Father Manny's sermon can be read here. Today's Worship Livestream: Today's service bulletin can be found here.

We welcome you to Sunday morning worship at Christ Episcopal Church. There's an 8 a.m. Eucharist in New Brick and outdoor worship (weather permitting) on the main lawn at 10:30 a.m. Please let us know which you'll be attending at https://www.christchurchcolumbia.org/attend We'll have refreshments on the lawn after the 10:30 service - our first for 2021! - and will check in on Zoom with those of you at home. If you're interested in helping us prepare for this brief fellowship, please call the church office. For those of you who wish to worship online, we'll always livestream our 10:30 service on our website, Facebook, and YouTube, so join us there. And if you'd like the Zoom link for fellowship after the 10:30 service, email us at info@christchurchcolumbia.org No matter which you choose, we are always happy to have you at Christ Church.

Children Whose Families Are Suffering in the Opioid Crisis Anticipate a Healing Week at Claggett’s Camp Spirit Song Thanks to parishioners at Christ Church, a young person whose family life has been upended by the nation’s opioid crisis will spend a week in early August at Camp Spirit Song at the Claggett Camp and Conference Center. As the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland said in a news release: “The Claggett Center partnered with the SpiritWorks Foundation to provide children an opportunity to lay down some of their heavy burdens and just be kids for a week.” This is the second year of Camp Spirit Song and the first camp program of its kind on the East Coast. After its first season in 2019, BBC America featured it during Part III of a documentary series on struggles with opioid addiction in the United States. (View at 0:47 to 5:33 minutes and from 43:55 to the end for a look at the camp in-session.) The diocese describes camp as a “safe space created for children to have fun while surrounded by caring, compassionate staff and peers who can relate to their experiences.” How do our parishioners play a role in helping this healing to occur? It’s three-fold. At a recent Outreach Commission meeting, we approved a $1,000 donation to Claggett to cover the expenses of one child for the Aug. 1-6 camp. That includes room and board, program materials, and staff fees. The funds come from the commission’s Vestry-approved budget for 2021 which is derived from your pledges and contributions. So, thanks to all on behalf of our camper and the child’s extended family. The second way that parishioners can be involved is to reach out to friends, relatives, and people whom you may know in the Mid-Atlantic region whose lives are touched by opioid addiction. Recommend a child or siblings, preferably entering grades 4 to 8, who could benefit from a week of fun and more. The activities include swimming, games, crafts, canoeing, a ropes course, and chapel. The healing includes daily small-group sessions led by Spiritworks Foundation counselors. Or recommend a potential camper’s older sibling or another worthy teenager who could become a junior staffer. Or suggest an adult volunteer who has a background in addiction and recovery services. Please make your recommendations by email to Lisa Marie Ryder, Co-executive Director of The Claggett Center, at lmryder@claggettcenter.org or you can call her at 1-301-874-5147 Ext. 6388. The Claggett Center is located at 3035 Buckeystown Pike, Adamstown, MD 21710. Thirdly, consider making an individual donation. Claggett is still accepting donations with the expectation of providing a camping experience for at least 30 children from Province III of the Episcopal Church. That is made up of a group of dioceses in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. Given the aftermath of a tragic overdose or the other ways that children can be harmed by their loved ones’ addiction, the motivation is simple. Provide children “an opportunity to meet God through the support of a Christian community, fellowship with peers who share a common experience, and time to rest and play away from the distractions of everyday life,” Claggett says in its 2021 Camp Spirit Song description. A Follow-up on Fathers’ Day Supporters of Columbia Community Care At Christ Church, our Racially Aware Group of Episcopalians (R.A.G.E) and the Outreach Commission ask parishioners to support Columbia Community Care (CCC). Some heeded the call by pre-ordering a Father’s Day meal for takeout at Bonheur Deli, which pledged to benefit CCC by donating a meal for every pre-order. On Wednesday, the restaurant prepared 19 hot meals for CCC’s three distribution sites, which are located at Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, 10431 Twin Rivers Rd., Oakland Mills Middle School, 9540 Kilimanjaro Rd., and at Long Reach Village Center, Suite 9, 8775 Cloudleap Court, all in Columbia. Another one-time opportunity to support CCC is to continue collecting diapers, baby wipes, sanitary and personal care items as well as adult diapers. Put them in the yellow bin marked “CCC” inside the Christ Church Parish Hall door. You can drop off items on weekdays until 2 p.m., but please call the church office at (410) 381-9365 ahead of time. Donate Toiletries, Cleaning Supplies for FISH in its Yellow Bin Organizers for FISH of Howard County request household cleaning supplies such as liquid dish soap, bleach, and cleanser. Also, the families who call on FISH during times of crisis could use personal items such as deodorant, shampoo, and bath soaps. At the present time, the pantry has an adequate supply of groceries. SEAFARER’S Donation Requests We could use your help in gathering the following items. Delivery is made and the date announced when the number of collections gets reasonably accumulated. Contact Carolann Sawyer with any questions. Bible in modern English (or Tagalog, Russian, or Chinese) Times/Newsweek/etc. up to 3 months old Sports Ill/People/etc. up to 6 months Cars/Computers/Consumers up to 1 year Reader’s Digest up to a couple of years National Geographics post-2000 Books (except for Bibles) are less often requested, but some seafarers do appreciate action novels, as well as picture books about Baltimore or the U.S. Action/adventure DVD’s. Recent popular CDs. Religious books (in easy English), DVDs, CDs; rosaries. Clothing - men’s jeans, other sturdy pants (no bigger than XL) or shorts, T-shirts, warm outerwear, and non-skid shoes/boots (in good condition only), and gloves, hats, scarves, and warm socks In general, if you have suggestions about ways to help the community, if you want to get involved, or if you need assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

With the last day of a challenging, sometimes surreal school year in our rearview mirror, our children can finally take a breath. Some are looking forward to family vacations. To spending time with friends (and in-person!). To enjoying time at the pool, on the basketball courts, and at camp. To a time of quiet—a rhythm of rest and respite. Though my own children are now young adults, I can still recall the breathless excitement of that last day of school. I also remember the anticipation of the first day of school each fall (at least before adolescence hit and they began dreading returning to the classroom). When my daughter Jordan was in grade school, back-to-school planning became a ritual of sorts. Methodical by nature, Jordan enjoys the detailed work of organizing. Each fall would bring a flurry of preparation: Showing up for the long-awaited posting of class assignments. Clothes to shop for. Forms to fill out. And, of course, school supplies to purchase, sort, and tuck into a new backpack. Jordan relished all of it. Somewhere around the 1st of August, we would make our way to Target, amid throngs of other parents and their children, to pick out school supplies. Not just any supplies: Jordan was adamant about securing each and every item on Howard County’s long list. This was well before Amazon entered our lives, so if an item was missing from Target’s shelves, it would go on a special list to hunt down later at other stores. Selecting those items that could be tailored to taste—backpacks and binders and lunch bags, for example—would be the highlight of our shopping ritual. In the first grade, Jordan’s color preference was bright pink. When she laid all her supplies on her bed that fall, it looked a bit like a bomb exploded in a bubble gum factory. This fall Jordan moves into her own apartment, and her ritual for preparing to enter the classrooms of Virginia Tech will look quite different. But I cherish the memory of her childhood ritual with no small amount of nostalgia, even as I know many families in our community do not have this sort of back-to-school experience. Instead, many parents will worry about how to provide these essential supplies to their children, among their other financial obligations. When you’re worried about how to pay for rent, utilities, and groceries, things like notebooks and pens take a back seat. Under Christ Church’s ongoing partnership with Lake Elkhorn Middle School, principal Melissa Shindel has asked for our support in providing school supplies for 125 children for the upcoming school year. Why does the school need our help with this? With more than 50 percent of LEMS students qualifying for free and reduced meals—the highest percentage amongst Howard County middle schools—families are stressed. And with the lowest discretionary budget in the county (a mere fraction of that of many schools), LEMS is not positioned to help provide supplies to its students. Additionally, our own LEMS Ministry’s current budget goes primarily to our ongoing support to the Weekend Food Program, where, with your generous support, we provide groceries to 10 families each month who are experiencing food insecurity. No parent should have to decide between buying groceries and supporting their child’s educational needs. And no child should walk into school without the essential resources for learning: pencils, pens, notebooks, folders, rulers—the mere basics our children need to be able to focus on their education. These are the children of our community, and in supporting them, we live into our baptismal vows to seek and serve Christ in all people. To love our neighbors as ourselves. To strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being. We request your generous support now for this important effort. The school wants to distribute the supplies the week of Aug 16th. With the tight timeline, rather than trying to manage the complex logistics of collecting supplies from parishioners, we will need to rapidly raise funds to purchase exactly what’s needed. To meet this goal, we need to raise $5,000 by mid-July. As your Deacon now for just under a year, I’ve learned much about the generous nature of our parishioners in helping those underserved in our community. I’m also well aware that we ask for support for many different ministry efforts—and that some of us may find our own personal budgets stretched this year. Please know that Father Manny and I are truly grateful for your giving spirits. Any amount you can contribute to this effort would be greatly appreciated. This year, two parishioners have graciously stepped up to lead this initiative: Cathy Whittaker and Onyx Williams. We are grateful for their commitment to this cause. If you’d like to help them with shopping and bagging supplies, we hope to purchase the supplies between July 11-24 and fill the bags on a morning between July 25-30. If you have questions or would like to help, let us know at lemspc@christchurchcolumbia.org Contributions for this effort can be made via check, online, or via text. If you’d like to write a check, please make sure you indicate “LEMS School Supplies” on the memo line. If you would like to give online, please also write "School Supplies" in the Memo line. For giving via computer/tablet: you can find our "Support Christ Church" button at the top of every page on our website, or you can click here. On the form, choose "LEMS" from the Fund drop-down menu. To give via text: text CECGIVING to 73256 to give using your mobile device.** You'll immediately receive a link to our form. Click the link, then choose "LEMS" from the Fund drop-down menu. Please also write "School Supplies" in the Memo line so that your donation is used as you wish. My brothers and sisters, may we bear in mind the words of our great teacher Jesus: “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” (Matthew 19:14) May we walk in love and Christ loves us. Thank you for all you do for Christ Church, for our community and to lift up all of God’s beloved children. ~ Deacon Denise **(Note: This number will never send you unsolicited texts. To cancel further messages, text STOP. If you need assistance with text giving, text HELP. Standard text message & data rates may apply.)

This evening, Christ Church's Spiritual Life Commission is having an important gathering on Zoom and everyone is encouraged to take part in this discussion. The SLC is a vital component of life at Christ Church (you can learn more about the SLC at https://www.christchurchcolumbia.org/spiritual-life...), and this virtual gathering will center around ideas for our next Spiritual Life Theme. Each year, this theme represents the focus of our parish and plays a vital role in guiding many Christ Church activities. Examples include the popular Wednesday Lenten Supper Series, various daily and weekend retreats, and the widely-read Lenten Meditation Book. Whether this is your first time or you've been a part of the SLC in past years, we hope that you'll come and join us. We sent the Zoom details earlier this week, or you can contact us at info@christchurchcolumbia.org.

Today is the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. Collect of the Day: O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Readings for today: 1 Samuel 17: (1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49 Psalm 9:9-20 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 Mark 4:35-41 Today's Sermon: Father Manny's sermon can be read here. Today's Worship Livestream: Today's service bulletin can be found here. Sheet music for today is found here.

Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being? Love incarnate, Fountain of Mercy and Justice In a world of inequity and pain May our actions be our prayer. We cry out for Shalom, fullness of life to all. Let the Spirit of Truth guide us. Let the Spirit of Love free us. Give us the compassion, courage and resolve to become the light, we seek that many may see life and their dignity restored Inspire us to embody a world without injustice and prejudice Form us into channels of your love and peace Let the river of justice and mercy flood our imperfect world Quenching the thirst of parched souls and lands. Abide in us o Liberator that we become the Word so that the world may have Life, Life in all its abundance. Amen A prayer written by Anderson Jeremiah Taken from the book Rage & Hope: 75 Prayers for a Better World Juneteenth, also known by other names (Freedom Day, Emancipation Day), is an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. It is now recognized as a federal holiday, and this year takes place this Saturday. You can learn more about the history of Juneteenth here, here, and here. May we give thanks in our prayers every single morning for the beauty and diversity of God’s creation and may we remember the love that God has for every single one of us. He is “God and Father of all” and we truly are all brothers and sisters, called to love one another and care for one another. Help us, Father God, to live into this truth, every moment of every day of our lives. Amen

Thanks to All whose Donations to DRC Have Helped the Homeless and to All in Planning a Grassroots Meal Dropoff next Monday, June 21st Once again, parishioners and volunteers who join their efforts are looking ahead to the monthly meal that we provide at Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. Save the dates: June 21 and July 19, arriving between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. at the parking lot outside Old Brick. Plan to bring a side dish, a dessert, or items for their pantry to be enjoyed round-the-clock by the 50 residents of the live-in facility on Freetown Rd. To sign up, use our electronic registry no later than noon on the Sunday prior to the meal on Monday. Click on the Christ Church Grassroots Meal link on SignUpGenius to view requested items and to tell coordinators what you’ll bring. As usual, co-coordinator Nancy Winchester acquires fried chicken at Weis and meets the other volunteers (see photos). Nancy then transports the hot or cold foods to Freetown Road for handoff to the staff of Grassroots. Christ Church continues to support Grassroots’ Day Resource Center (DRC) at the Dorsey Center. The DRC has not yet resumed the hot meals that Christ Church had helped serve prior to the pandemic, but it fulfills other needs of our homeless friends. To get ready for summer, we responded to a request for socks, underwear, and sports drinks to beat the heat. Outreach Commission member Dione Mahoney turned to parishioners' donations that had been designated for the DRC, spending $420 to buy the goods and, with the help of her husband, Jim Mahoney, delivered them to Grassroots staff members in Jessup, Md. Thanks to one and all who contributed! Grassroots lists some other needs for curbside distribution at the DRC or for the pantry at the Freetown Road facility. Look for its attached file at our sign-up link. For any questions contact Nancy or co-coordinator Shahra Toth or email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. To further help our neighbors in need, some parishioners take it upon themselves to provide the evening meal for the 50 adults and children at Freetown Road. It’s your choice to provide an entree and side dishes, or just the entree. Cook in your own kitchen, or order out. Grassroots encourages an order of 12 pizzas — four with cheese and the rest with meat (any kind), or rotisserie chickens (12 to make a meal) — but discourages lasagna or other pasta entrees. Here is a link to the sign-up list that has openings through July 31st. A Couple of Ways to Support Columbia Community Care At Christ Church, our Racially Aware Group of Episcopalians (R.A.G.E) and the Outreach Commission ask parishioners to support Columbia Community Care (CCC). One way is to pre-order a Father’s Day meal for takeout at Bonheur Deli, which has pledged to benefit CCC by donating a meal for every pre-order from its special menu (choice of meals for two featuring crab cakes, steak or shrimp). Listed on Facebook as Bonheur Deli, the restaurant is located at 7106 Minstrel Way, Columbia, MD, 21045. Pre-orders must be phoned in at 410-290-7755 by 8 p.m. this Friday, June 18th, or sent by text to 443-538-8229 by 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 19th. Orders may be picked up from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 20th. Another one-time opportunity to support CCC is to continue collecting diapers, baby wipes, sanitary and personal care items as well as adult diapers. Put them in the yellow bin marked “CCC” inside the Parish Hall door. You can drop off items on weekdays until 2 p.m., but please call the church office (410) 381-9365 ahead of time. Donate Toiletries, Cleaning Supplies for FISH in its Yellow Bin Organizers for FISH of Howard County request household cleaning supplies such as liquid dish soap, bleach, and cleanser. Also, the families who call on FISH during times of crisis could use personal items such as deodorant, shampoo, and bath soaps. At the present time, the pantry has an adequate supply of groceries. SEAFARER’S Donation Requests We could use your help in gathering the following items. Delivery is made and the date announced when the number of collections gets reasonably accumulated. Contact Carolann Sawyer with any questions. Bible in modern English (or Tagalog, Russian, or Chinese) Times/Newsweek/etc. up to 3 months old Sports Ill/People/etc. up to 6 months Cars/Computers/Consumers up to 1 year Reader’s Digest up to a couple of years National Geographics post-2000 Books (except for Bibles) are less often requested, but some seafarers do appreciate action novels, as well as picture books about Baltimore or the U.S. Action/adventure DVD’s. Recent popular CDs. Religious books (in easy English), DVDs, CDs; rosaries. Clothing - men’s jeans, other sturdy pants (no bigger than XL) or shorts, T-shirts, warm outerwear, and non-skid shoes/boots (in good condition only), and gloves, hats, scarves, and warm socks In general, if you have suggestions about ways to help the community, if you want to get involved, or if you need assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

It wasn’t your usual classroom, but each kid in the class had his or her own chair. There were none left to spare. Of the twenty-something kids in the class, I was the only one who had a companion. He didn’t belong to that class nor was he even enrolled in the school, but he was there anyway, and no one asked him to leave because there was always a seat for him on my chair. At the end of the semester, he took a test, just like every other kid in that class and he did extremely well. Eventually, he had his own chair. If you can imagine with me for a second, just for a second, what if I refused to provide a seat for him on that chair upon which I sat? What if I had asked him not to walk to my school again? What if...? Providence has a peculiar way of opening our eyes to see the past. And the gift of being able to see the past doesn’t open anyone up to entertain or perpetuate any act of revenge for wrongs done. This is because there’s never been any revenge that offered some sort of healing or reconciliation. The reality is that those who have the capacity to look back can always see the invisible hand of Providence - guiding, prodding, and directing. Providence has always been there! You cannot see Providence’s hand at work if you can’t look back. Looking back offers the opportunity for gratitude and humility because you come to appreciate that nothing was ever done by yourself alone, but that Providence has always been there as that invisible hand, guiding, prodding, and directing your life. The past several weeks have been one of my proudest moments for my brother, to whom I offered a seat on my chair. Looking back, I really don’t know what would have happened to him if my dad - who didn’t even know that my brother had been running away from his nursery school every morning to join me at my school - had asked him to go back to his nursery school, or if I hadn’t offered him a seat on my chair. One of the most empowering thoughts I ever heard from my father after he received our report card was that if he (my brother) wasn’t supposed to be in the class, but had done so well, then he deserves to stay in the class. As a result, my brother became my classmate all through high school. The real challenge came when we lost our father, ten days before enrolling at Adisadel College in Cape Coast. Because we were classmates, each decision regarding every bit of our lives had to now be made for two and not one. I have a sister who missed more than an academic year of school because of a dispute, and so I shudder to even contemplate on what would have happened to my brother if we had not been classmates. Was it destiny? What was it? How does Providence make life patterns fit so well? How does Providence ultimately help us find meaning in our individual stories? Pondering over these helps in finding that sense of gratitude that creates a humble disposition towards life itself. Without ever saying so, we loved each other deeply and looked to the other for solace, strength, and the comfort that none other could ever provide. We disagreed and fought a lot, but that’s what siblings do. Beyond that was the sheer belief in offering a seat on any chair upon which each sat, whether literally or metaphorically, to the other. I look at our story not as a David and Jonathan kind of story, although it has traces of it, but more as emblematic of the story of Moses and Aaron - where mutual dependence made possible the successful liberation of God’s people from slavery in Egypt. In that story, God calls Moses and charges him with the liberation of the Israelites from slavery. Moses is hesitant about undertaking the task and so floods God with all the possible excuses - one of which was that he wasn’t articulate enough. God responded that his brother Aaron would do the talking on his behalf, and so he did. In spite of the hiccups, their frosty relationship, and disappointments along the way, their mutual dependence on each other was more than enough to accomplish God’s purpose. My brother and I have come a long way. Life often felt like walking from the bondage of Egypt through the wilderness of scarcity to the Promised Land that flows with milk and honey. Although the journey has been long, the joy for me is the gift of being able to look back with a sense of gratitude and pride - not for being on the Promised Land itself, but for being so close to the land that we each can freely taste the milk and honey that God richly provides. An unknown author once wrote that “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” Provide a seat on a chair for the other, for you may never know what destiny has in store. Manny.

I am incredibly excited about the new vaccination. I had the opportunity of being vaccinated a few days ago, and encourage you to please get vaccinated when you get the opportunity. ~Fr. Manny