Today I spoke at our local synagogue (Temple Shalom in Oxford, Florida) to a group of about 50 Jewish women. I came not so much as a Catholic deacon but rather as board president of the Wildwood Soup Kitchen. I was there to tell them about this truly ecumenical ministry made up of nearly 150 volunteers from about 30 local churches, and to ask for their support.
They were absolutely wonderful! Interested and enthusiastic, they peppered me with great questions and provided me with a van-full of canned goods for the Soup Kitchen. Many of the women indicated an interest in volunteering at the kitchen and of sending us financial contributions. One woman suggested that they could join together during the Christmas season and fill in at the soup Kitchen so our Christian volunteers could spend more time at home with their families. What a gracious suggestion! I think we'll take them up on it.
Yes, it was a very satisfying day.
The occasional, often ill-considered thoughts of a Roman Catholic permanent deacon who is ever grateful to God for his existence. Despite the strangeness we encounter in this life, all the suffering we witness and endure, being is good, so good I am sometimes unable to contain my joy. Deo gratias!
Although I am an ordained deacon of the Catholic Church, the opinions expressed in this blog are my personal opinions. In offering these personal opinions I am not acting as a representative of the Church or any Church organization.
The very best audience I ever had during my brief lifetime was a reform jewish temple where I gave a talk about "death, dying, and funerals in the Catholic tradition." They listened and ask a lot of questions. I was very impressed.
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