Fr. Ron's Ramblings
Third Sunday of Lent
February 28, 2016

Last week we mailed out our annual appeal for the fuel collection. When I originally wrote the letter the winter had been pretty mild. Then we had days like Valentine’s Day weekend when the temperatures dipped well below zero! Typical New England weather. That does underscore the importance of this collection each year. As I have mentioned previously, we skipped this collection last year because of the expense of painting the church. By fall, our cash flow was suffering. This collection then is important to help us stay solvent each year. Thank you for your continued generosity!

Beginning on Valentine’s Day I began to have heating issues in the rectory – little if no heat for three days! It WAS cold. It is a big house to warm up once the cold settles in. When one wakes up to the cold it sure heightens our awareness of those homeless people who live and sleep on the streets throughout these cold winter months.

Periodically we read an article in the newspaper or hear a story on TV about the homeless and homeless shelters. Usually they talk about the need for more and improved places for people to get warm overnight.

While these stories generally come when the temperature drops, the reality is that there are many, many people who are cold every single day.

When we stop to be grateful, we can certainly be grateful for so much that we tend to take for granted. Something as important as a warm house to shelter us from the elements is at the top of our list.

The corporal works of MERCY this Lent encourage us to reach out to those in physical need and to share whatever we have!