Fr. Frank wanted to share the following with you.
 
Touch of Green
One neighbor’s lawn was a disaster last summer. By the time we noticed it, the entire lawn was golden brown. Not the patchy brown of a grub infestation or the tired brown of a summer drought, but something dismally sterile as if it had been drenched in toxic chemicals that killed all hope of revival. Not a blade of grass or even a sprig of dandelion offered any hint of green. To make the situation even more pathetic, the owner started to water it. It was hard to know whether to laugh or cry to see the sprinkler soaking this depressing patch of straw. We tried not to stare, tried to be casual as we passed by the same comical sight every night on our evening stroll. It was probably a week before we saw a few green shoots, two weeks before the green began to hide the brown, and a month before it became the richest, lushest lawn in the neighborhood. It didn’t just revive, it flourished. Evidently all along, invisible to our critical eyes, there was life in the roots. There was stubborn life waiting to be believed in, waiting to be nourished, waiting to be called back, waiting to fulfill the expectations of any gardener patient and trusting enough to give it a fresh start.
And so let us pray together.
Jesus, in every family, in every parish, in every diocese, there is life in the roots.
In the oldest of religious communities, in the most ancient of our traditions, there is life in the roots. In the mind of the most disconnected believer, In the memory of the most forgetful disciple, there is life in the roots. In the soul of the least repentant sinner, in the heart of the most hardened disbeliever, in the conscience of the most devious deceiver, there is life in the roots.
Jesus, as you look at our own weakness and inconsistency, as you see our feeble efforts and missed opportunities, as you hear our excuses and apologies, let us know as you know, that there is life in the roots. We ask you, gentle gardener, to continue to drench your church with the saving waters of Your love. Let the flourishing of goodness in Your Church be so obviously the work of Your Spirit that all praise and glory will be Yours. And may each of us be some small sprout in the greenness you restore. Amen
Office of Catechetics and Initiation
Portland Diocese, Region III
Jim and Agnes Dinn