Catholics love blessings! Blessings are assurances of God’s presence and protection. The Hebrew Scriptures are filled with stories of God’s favor bestowed in the form of a blessing. The Bible begins with God creating the earth and blessing all living creatures. In the gospels, Jesus is often seen blessing others, especially children.

It’s no wonder that our rituals are filled with blessings. One of the first things we do when we walk into church is to bless ourselves with holy water from the baptismal font. This is only one of several blessings we experience at Mass. During the Mass, the bread and the wine are blessed after they are presented at the altar. At the end of Mass, the entire community is sent forth with a blessing.

We even have an official ritual book known as the Book of Blessings. This book contains a compilation of blessings pertaining to people, objects, and various occasions, as well as blessings and services connected with official parish events. There are blessings for students and teachers, blessings for travelers, blessings for homes and offices, even blessings for boats and fishing gear. This tells us that everything, even fishing equipment comes from God and is sacred. Blessings are a way for us to acknowledge this reality.

Who can bless? Certain blessings are reserved for ordained ministers, but many blessings, such as the blessing of children by their parents or the blessing of a meal, may be performed by laypersons because of the priesthood bestowed on them in baptism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “Every baptized person is to be a blessing and to bless.” A blessing is not simply meant to rest upon the person receiving the blessing, but is expected to be shared with others.

As the Book of Blessings reminds us, “Scripture attests that all the beings God has created and keeps in existence by his gracious goodness declare themselves to be blessings from him and should move us to bless him in return.”  

Happy Anniversary!

Love is in the air! No matter where we go, we see red hearts, red roses, and lots of chocolates for sale in preparation for Valentine’s Day. February is a month when love and romance take front and center.

At St. Thomas Aquinas, we will honor many of our parishioners who have been married 50 or more years at the 12noon Mass on Sunday. I polled some of our couples asking, what does it take to create a lasting marriage? Here is what they said:

Faith and forgiveness.

Cheryl and Dennis Fitzgerald

A long and lasting marriage is created by committing to it when agreeing to marry and believing in it through good and bad. Two-way communication at all times is a key ingredient.

Rochelle and Bob O’Hagan

My grandmother told us we'd need a good sense of humor.  She was right! 

Bonnie and Bob Luxton

We learned about the beauty of marriage from two very dear couples who were 20 years older than us … one couple taught us bridge, and one taught us rook. We played those games together and had fun conversations, always laughing … We realized that their marriages were strong because they were very giving to family and friends. These couples did everything unselfishly together, and now in old age they (and now we) still look forward to doing things together, whether it be watching TV, going to lunch, visiting friends and family, etc. 

Mary Ann and Tom Pacer

Courage, flexibility, and selflessness.  

Sharon and John Morgenstern

Our long and lasting marriage can be attributed to love of Christ in our lives, each other, and our children. Secondarily comes patience, trust, understanding of different views, having the same beliefs in life issues, and supporting each other through good times and rough times.

Nancy & Bob Volz

Respect … persistence through thick and thin.

Barbara and Rod Ingebretsen

Laughter and faith. It’s not 50-50. It’s 100% both ways. You’ve got to have the patience to love, honor and respect each other.

Linda and Tom Lattanzio

A shared faith is very important. … Seeing that your children are raised within the faith. … An  understanding in times of crisis.  … It’s constant adjustment, from dating to marriage to children to educating children to being empty nesters to retirement.

Carol and Urban Rump

Being able to step away from an argument not having to be right all the time.

Sheila and Don Nadeau

The first words that came to our minds were patience and forgiveness but communication is impt too.  Our relationship was strengthened by sharing a faith walk—supported by a loving community, years of adult classes together (since 1981) and being active in some of the same ministries.

Jim and Lori Rausch

We give thanks for all these who by their covenantal love witness the power of the love of God.

Communion to the Sick and Homebound

At most Masses, after the community’s participation in Communion, it is not uncommon to see a few people gather at the foot of the altar. These persons are Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and they gather at the foot of the altar to receive the Body of Christ so that they can bring Communion to those who are unable to attend Mass. They receive Communion in a little round container called a pyx, which is Latin for “box.” Many of them wear the pyx around their necks so that it rests close to the heart.

These ministers, commissioned by the parish and the Archdiocese, travel to homes, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and prisons. Currently St. Thomas Aquinas serves the residents at Atria, Cottonwood, Crabapple Manor, Dogwood, JManor, Mayfield Oaks, Roswell Nursing Home, Lee Arrendale State Prison, Hays State Prison, and patients at WellStar North Fulton Hospital. In many cases the request for Communion is short-term, 2-3 weeks following surgery. In other cases the request is for a longer period due to old age or an extended illness.

The ministers not only bring Communion, they also spend time conversing and praying with those they visit. The relationship that forms between the minister and the parishioner is a very special one—often lasting long after the parishioner is able to return to Mass. Claire Dravis, who leads this ministry, understands the bonding that takes place between parishioners. “Fifteen years ago I began visiting a parishioner who was recovering from foot surgery.  I visited with her in her home. A friendship developed and [when she recovered] my husband and I began to take her out to the movies, to shopping or to dinner. Today I still continue to bring her the Eucharist but now the setting is a nursing home.  We recently celebrated her 85th birthday with a party at the nursing home. Another parishioner I visited for just a short 4 weeks while she recuperated from surgery.  She is now fully recovered and attending her favorite mass at STA.”

The ministers say they receive much more from the ministry than they give. For more information or to get involved in this ministry, contact Claire Dravis, clairedravis@yahoo.com.

Processions

On Monday several churches in Alpharetta came together to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. An ecumenical worship service at St. James United Methodist Church took place followed by a unity march from St. James to City Hall in downtown Alpharetta. The unity march echoes the marches held during the time of Dr. King which created awareness of and bolstered support for the civil rights movement. For Dr. King, the marches were a nonviolent way to tell the world what the civil rights movement was about. They demonstrated solidarity, unity, and hope.

Catholics understand the power of a parade! Like unity marches, our liturgical processions do more than help us to get from point A to point B. They tell us who we are and what we’re about. The opening or entrance procession is led by the cross, the symbol of the mystery of our faith. This procession also includes the Book of Gospels, typically held high in the air, a sign of the stories we hold dear. The offertory procession is a sign that we are willing to offer our very lives on the altar along with the sacrifice of Christ. The procession at communion is a sign that we are united--one body in Christ. The procession at the end of Mass tells us that our faith now proceeds from the church into our homes and communities. At times liturgical processions mark transitions. Weddings, for example, mark the transition between being single and being united with another in sacramental love. Funeral processions express the transition from death to new life. 

All processions, whether civil or liturgical, acknowledge that we are pilgrims on a journey who have not yet reached our final destination. Dr. King knew this yet he marched on anyway, taking one step at a time, stepping out in faith, marching forward with hope. 

Epiphany over and over

According to the Gospel of Matthew, magi from the east went in search of the child they believed was the “newborn king of the Jews.” They brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, a bitter extraction from a thorny tree used in perfumes and medicines. The magi didn’t have our contemporary devices used for navigation. They were guided only by a bright light in the sky and the faith in their hearts.

Like the magi, parishioners Nicole and Peter Hartman have been on a journey of faith. They wanted children but could not conceive. With medical treatment, Nicole was able to become pregnant. But at eight weeks, the baby whom the couple named Caine, died. Months later, Nicole became pregnant again, this time with twin girls. But early on one of the girls, named Lea, died in the womb. The other girl, named Cara, survived only until the 16th week. Heartbroken, the couple reached out for help within and outside the church, but didn’t find much support. “We would constantly hear things like, ‘you’re not over that yet?’”, Nicole said. “Our baby was a life, with a soul. If we really believe that as Catholics, then the loss needs to be acknowledged.” That’s when Nicole met with Archbishop Gregory. “I shared with him our pain and that things need to change, and he agreed with me.” Thus, the Embrace Ministry was born, a ministry for families who have lost a child from miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death.

As they were beginning the Embrace Ministry, Nicole and Peter tried to adopt, but after several failed attempts, they gave up. “We realized we were never going to have children, but God still gave us the desire. Does this mean we are supposed to be really good aunts and uncles?” asked Nicole at the time. “Like everything else in life, we laid it on the altar and said, ‘ok God, we’re done.’”

Around the same time an article about the couple and the Embrace Ministry appeared in the Georgia Bulletin. The article ended with a line that said the couple was hoping to grow their family through adoption. A woman whose granddaughter was pregnant read the article. The granddaughter was unable to care for the child and wanted to choose adoption. That’s when the grandmother reached out to Nicole and Peter and eight weeks later, Olivia Joan Hartman was born. Today the Hartmans have their hands full. Not only are they raising their now five-year-old daughter Olivia, they are also foster parents, currently caring for a newborn girl. And they continue to run All Embrace Ministry, which is growing on an international scale.

Like the magi, the Hartmans understand what it means to offer the gifts of bitterness and beauty to God. They continue their journey, not knowing where it will lead, only guided by God’s light and the faith in their hearts. For more information about All Embrace Ministry, visit allembrace.com.