Dear family:
Today’s Responsorial Psalm is reminding us that, “The hands of the Lord feed us; he answers all our needs,” and St. Paul is urging us to live in a matter worthy of the call we have received, and he says, “with humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father for all, who is all over all and through all in all.”
These past weeks, our world in South Florida has been put to the test, first with the collapse of the building in Surfside, then with the fatal attack to the president of Haiti and his family, bringing chaos to an already impoverished country, and lastly, to the cry for liberty and freedom of our brothers and sisters in Cuba who remain in a state of constant oppression from a communist government, maintaining the people of Cuba in hunger, illness and constant desolation.
These are the moments in which we need to be more united that ever; these are the times in which the words of St. Paul echoed that perfect calling from God to each and every one of us: to remain in humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love. Therefore, I invite all of us to remain always in prayer remembering those who have lost their life at Surfside, the first responders and all volunteers helping in the recovery effort; for the people of Haiti and Cuba, that the Holy Spirit will bring them peace in times of trouble, oppression and despair; that Jesus will bring them hope in their forever suffering who seems hopeless; and that our heavenly Father will look upon us all with compassion and love, helping us in striving the unity in the one Spirit, one Body, one faith and one baptism that makes us all brothers and sisters.
This coming Thursday, we will get together as a family to pray to our heavenly Mother, the Virgin Mary, the Holy Rosary at the Grotto in the rectory at 7:30 pm. We must be united as one in prayer. Our Lady of Charity: pray for us!
On another subject, I would like to give thanks in the name of our Pastor, Fr. Manny and in the name of all of us at Little Flower, to Adam Cahill, seminarian in residence during this summer in our Parish. He is heading back to St. Vincent de Paul Seminary to continue his journey into the priesthood. We promise our continued prayer for him and all men in formation at our local seminaries; we will certainly miss his wonderful voice and great assistance at the altar of the Lord during this past two months.
Finally, I encourage us all to remain alert and cautious in front of what also seems to be lingering among us: COVID-19; we must remain prudent with this virus. The Archdiocese of Miami mandate of wearing a face mask while we are in church remains in place. Please make sure you bring your mask and wear it at all times. Remember, “The hands of the Lord feed us; he answers all our needs.”
Peace and blessings to all!
Fr. Omar