Dear People of St. Catherine’s,
During July I will have my cataracts removed. A sure sign of getting old! On July 6 my right eye is being fixed and on July 20, my left eye will get a new lens. Suddenly the relentless barrage of news, propaganda, silly stuff that floods over the internet and even the regular media begin to fade away and I am more aware of fundamental gifts – being able to see, hearing with the aid of my hearing aids, walking better because I have a titanium knee.
We are both very strong and very fragile, we human beings. Just in our fellowship, we have friends who cannot see, cannot hear well, deal with chronic back and joint problems, suffer from Alzheimers, ALS, diabetes, and other reminders of mortality and fragility. This morning in the office I spent several hours calling the parish to see how people are doing. We all are weary of the long Covid year. And some of us are still struggling to stay healthy and to hold on to the gift of life which has blessed us so.
On the last Sunday in June, we sang a great hymn by Isaac Watts, surely one of the best hymn writers in Christian history. Remember: “When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the prince of glory died.” Or “O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come.” How about “Joy to the world! The Lord is come.” Surely we are lifted when we sing, “Jesus shall reign where’er the sun doth his successive journeys run.” That man sure could write! On Sunday last, we sang the great communion hymn, “My God, thy table now is spread.” I always look forward to the last stanza:
Nor let thy spreading Gospel rest
till through the world thy truth has run,
till with this Bread shall all be blessed,
who see the light or feel the sun.
We can’t help being drawn to light and warmth. Isabel Wilkerson entitled her brilliant story of the great African American migration from south to north, “The Warmth of Other Suns.” So many images of light filter through our Christian faith tradition. Baptism is often imagined as illumination, seeing without the “cataracts of sin” blocking our vision.
So, I wish you a blessed July, a time of sun and rain in Florida. I’m looking forward to being able to see more clearly, and never taking that gift for granted. And notice the real joy of the last stanza of Isaac Watts’ great hymn. The good news of God and God’s grace is intended to bless all people, all who “see the light or feel the sun.”
Yours in Christ,
Allen W. Farabee, Interim Rector
Posted in Newsletter