At one of our social justice and charitable outreach commission meetings, a discussion was held about the "crosses for life" which are about to appear once again on the front lawn of the church. The crosses, for those who don't know, represent the lives of children who have been aborted from their mother's womb and have been denied the opportunity and "right" to come into this world and come to know, love and serve God! The allowance and even promotion of abortion in our life-times, is one of the most abhorrent of realities that we have lived through and led the late Pope (and now) Saint John Paul II to call our times a culture of death, rather than a culture of life. Add to this the senseless and ongoing killing of people that continues to happen through gun violence and other means and we have to say that the killing of people (especially those innocents inside and outside of the wombs) keeps us in a darkness that we must decry and combat through the light and life that is Jesus Christ! Getting back to the crosses for life, there was discussion about whether the crosses are necessary any more given the overturning of the Roe v Wade decision by our Supreme Court which was a huge legal step, but unfortunately did not speak of every human being's "right to life" which is so foundational for a society to be moral and obedient to a God who creates life and NOT death! While at this point, (and hopefully in the future) abortions are now illegal in Arkansas, given the efforts of our state legislature and governor to establish such laws, we are still facing the possibility that an amendment to our state constitution might still appear on the ballot this November which would, if passed, allow abortions to happen legally in our state for years to come. If anything, we should not only put up the crosses this year FOR SURE, but cooperate with efforts to defeat that amendment at the ballot box (if God-forbid it is on the ballot) and elect people on the state AND national level who are truly and fully pro-life, protecting and promoting human life from the womb to the tomb. The reality is that the pro-abortion supporters are strong on the national level and have been spurred on rather than deterred (or even converted) since the overturning of Roe v Wade. We have to be even stronger in speaking up for the God-given right to life, over those who would WRONGLY put the right to liberty first and give it free reign to decide which lives should be protected and which shouldn't. It goes without saying that prayers need to be prayed daily for strength and courage for those who are striving to protect and promote the gift of human life AND conversion especially in those who implicitly or explicitly are promoting its destruction!

It is normal (and I say wonderful) each week to have flowers donated to add to the beauty of our altar area, from at least one couple who is celebrating a wedding anniversary sometime around that weekend. Last weekend was NOT normal in that we had four couples celebrating anniversaries that were significant. Two were celebrating fifty years of marriage, one sixty, and another sixty-six years! While there are obviously many blessings associated with marriages that are so long-standing, these and other couples can tell you there are challenges as well, especially declining health in mind and/or body. Sometimes the decline is more pronounced in one than the other, sometimes both have some serious issues. One version of the Catholic wedding vows says, "I promise to be faithful to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and honor you, all the days of my life." I will comment on the last part of those vows at another time. Right now, I want to address the promise to be faithful "in sickness and in health". What is the commitment to be "faithful" to one's spouse when the other is sick (or in declining health). More often than not, the healthy (or healthier) spouse does their best and in more than a few instances is heroic in taking care of their spouse on their own twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Over time, this can be overwhelming to the caregiver and start taking a toll on their mental and physical health. While seeking to care for the couple's spiritual needs, which I'm confident is a blessing for them (and for me), I sometimes urge the healthier spouse to look into getting some help for the sake of them, the caregiver as well as the one who is in a situation of sickness or decline. When one promises to be faithful to one's spouse in sickness or in health, in my opinion, that does NOT mean being the one (especially the sole person) who cares for them. I am so happy when I find out that a couple has agreed to have home health, or some kind of home care come in regularly to help. At times I have also been pleased (and even relieved) when a couple makes a difficult, but good decision to move into an assisted living place where one or both of them has help daily and someone (including a nurse) 24 hours a day whenever a need arises. Sometimes such a move is local and sometimes it takes a couple closer in proximity to a child or other family member.

I pray that all of you who are in such a situation now or will be in the future, will be open and will act sooner than later to get help for one or both of the spouses who have needs that are not realistic for them or their spouse to satisfy 24/7. If you are not sure where to start call one of our Helping Hands coordinators, Cathy Wedwick (501 915-8456) or Pat Widlowski (501 922-1395) and they will give you some helpful contacts to try.

Please know, as well, that I and this parish community want to support our couples AND single people in any way we can! You are brothers and sisters in the Lord and we want to help!

"Variety is the spice of life".  This saying is something that many people take to heart and live by it,
counting and giving thanks for the blessings that come from it.  Our V.I.Ps for the month of August,
Gary and Ruth Wolfer are good examples of parishioners who have gotten and still are active in a
variety of ministries.

Ruth has been a parishioner here for 19 years. She got involved early on (through invitation) in the All
Saints Guild and became an active member, serving in 2008 as president of that guild.  She also became involved with the larger group of ladies in the Ladies of the Sacred Heart and participated in their many activities and fundraising endeavors.  She was elected to the pastoral council, was a member of the liturgy commission, and served as pastoral council president in 2012.  She has been a regular Eucharistic Adorer since the inception of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in 2013.  As the wife of Gary (October 6, 2012) she has supported Gary's active involvement in the Knights of Columbus and has volunteered to help at many Knights' fundraising events. 

Speaking of the Knights of Columbus, Gary, in sharing the variety of ministries and activities he has been and still is involved in, listed a litany of positions of leadership and accomplishments that have come through his membership in Council 10208.  He has been the Grand Knight twice which has led to numerous awards on the state level including receipt of the "Star Council" award.  He served a term as faithful navigator of our fourth degree assembly (the Father Victor A Bieberle Assembly) and has been serving as the color guard commander for a number of years now.  He is a member of the Sacred Heart Men's Club, works with parishioners on obtaining a niche in our columbarium, and is the lead person on our parish disaster relief team.  He serves in our liturgies as an altar server and Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

Needless to say, Gary and Ruth have both stepped up to the plate in more than a few instances and ways and have blessed our parish, our parishioners and others in countless ways over the years! They serve the Lord and others with a smile and don't hesitate to say yes when new needs arise!  A BIG thank you and God bless you to Gary and Ruth!