What are your habits!

When was the last time you …

- thanked someone in your household for the regular tasks they do?

- prayed the Rosary?

- read a favorite book from your childhood?

- powered down your smartphone?

- went for a walk in the woods?

- made a donation to a favorite charity?

- paid for a family’s meal at random in a restaurant?

- visited a cemetery to pray for family members or friends who are buried there?

- hand-wrote a card or letter of encouragement to someone?

- looked up at the stars?

- spent quiet time in prayer in church?

- cleaned out a closet and gave unneeded clothes or shoes to charity?

- let someone merge into traffic ahead of you?

- politely challenged someone’s gossip?

- visited someone in a nursing home?

- listened to classical music?

- went to confession?

- read a chapter of the Bible?

- asked an older person for a story from their life?

This is not a “guilt list” but an encouragement. Habits are formed by repetition. We can form the habit of having good intentions – good in itself – but so many responsibilities and distractions can block us from following through. Today is a good day to choose one of these, or one of others that are on your own “to-do” list, and simply do it.

We recently heard from the Book of Wisdom: : “In secret the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice and putting into effect with one accord the divine institution.” The author is referring back to the Old Testament preparations for the Passover in Egypt. But that line also speaks about what we do in our own lives of faith: to create a kind of quiet and humble network of goodness, sowing the seeds of love and mercy in the world for a better future we may not see in this life.

They may seem trivial against the significant troubles around us, but each one matters.

Today can be the day you add to the goodness in the world.

On another note: please plan to join in one of the four Town Hall meetings to hear more about the All Things New planning process in our Diocese, and how it will affect our One in Christ ACC. We have one Town Hall in each of our four parishes; the content will be the same, but the conversation with ideas, questions, and discussion will naturally differ. You can go to any session. We will compile those comments when the Town Halls are all complete, and the Planning Committee will review them carefully as we compile a strategic plan for our ACC.

The Town Halls will be:

Tuesday, August 19 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Francis Xavier

Thursday, August 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Annunciation

Tuesday, August 26 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Stephen

Thursday, August 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart