Dear Parishioners,
I hope you enjoyed the Fourth of July Holiday with family and friends. I spent it at my sister's home in Saratoga, NY. It was a great family get-together and celebration.
Summer is in full swing, and as Gershwin lyrically says, "Summertime and the livin is easy." Yes, it's summertime, and it's time to travel, vacation, go to the beach, golf, or boat, spend time with family and friends, enjoy the weather, and generally rest from the regular routine.
Summer seems to move quickly after the Fourth of July, so schedule some rest. Pope Francis reminds us: "Rest is so necessary for the health of our minds and bodies, and often so difficult to achieve due to the many demands placed on us. But rest is also essential for our spiritual health so that we can hear God's voice and understand what he asks of us."
I hope you can get some rest, even if it's sitting under a tree out back or just on the porch or patio in the summer sun. Of course, summer is also a time to do a little more reading and catch up on the reading we've been too busy to do all year! I read various lists of recommendations for Summer Reading every spring. I find a few books that sound good and are very good, while others aren't always finished, as they aren't too good. So this summer, I've compiled a list I hope to read on the patio or the beach with a good cigar!
Two books I recently finished and highly recommended to parents, grandparents, and educators are Family-Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be by Timothy P. Carney and The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt.
Carny, a father of six, contends that today's culture is unfriendly to good parenting and offers advice for better parenting. He suggests giving kids space to fail and succeed, having more adventures, enjoying unscheduled time, strengthening community ties, and having more fun. It is truly a thought-provoking book that every parent should read.
Haidt suggests that there should be no smartphones before high school, no social media before age sixteen, phone-free schools, more unsupervised play, and childhood independence. It, too, is a book well worth reading.
Another good read is a new book, Character Matters: And Other Life Lessons from George H. W. Bush, by Jean Becker. It is a series of inspirational reflections by those who knew and worked with the late President Bush and offers insight into good character.
For my historical reading this summer, I am reading two books. No Bullet Got Me Yet: The Relentless Faith of Father Kapaun by John Stansifer. It tells the true story of Fr. Emil Kapaun, the most decorated chaplain in U.S. military history, who was awarded a Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Legion of Merit.
Fr. Kapaun distinguished himself in combat by helping medics rescue and treat wounded soldiers and administering last rites. During lulls in the fighting, he also ministered to the troops' spiritual needs. He died in the hands of the Chinese as a Prisoner of War in a North Korean Prison Camp.
In light of our bitterly divided nation, I am reading Mansfield and Dirksen: Bipartisan Giants of the Senate by the historian of the U.S. Senate. It examines the turbulent 1960s with its battles over civil rights and the Vietnam War, an era where bipartisanship often prevailed. It was an era when Congress actually got things done thanks to men like Mansfield and Dirksen. I recommend every member of Congress read it!
I also recommend God Is Ever New: Meditations on Life, Love, and Freedom by Pope Benedict XVI for a spiritual read. Drawn from talks, lectures, speeches, homilies, and writings throughout Benedict's papacy, it provides powerful insights into daily Christian living. A good read for the summer as we listen for God’s voice.
It’s summertime! Turn off the TV, silence the cell phone, and switch off the computer and iPad. Take some time with God and rest. Perhaps sit on the beach or the patio. Read and rest in the summer sun. Shakespeare said: "Summer's lease hath all too short a date." So enjoy the summer while it lasts!
Thank you for your generous support of the Xaverian Missionaries. Be well. Do good. God Bless.