Mary, Star of the Sea 

   Church

One look at the daily news reminds us: It’s a cold, cruel world out there. Innocence is slaughtered every day. The harshness of the world can make us tough, self-protecting, and cold at the center: “Not my job. Not my problem.” But the violence of this generation is our problem, and he job of responding to it can only be ours. We have one great weapon in the war against cruelty. Today, unwrap the gift of kindness. Use it liberally, especially with those who “trespass against you.”

We are all proud of our work ethic - perhaps too proud. We tend to value our work and busyness so much that we forget how to be still enough to hear God’s quiet voice. We need leisure — not frenetic vacationing or compulsive recreational activities, but simple rest when we can unplug and think. Jesus says, “I will give you rest.” We may think he means eternal rest, but we don’t have to wait until we’re dead to enjoy it! Why not today? “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

July 4th, Independence Day, is an American national holiday. This holiday gives us time to thank God for the birth of our nation, and give thanks for gift of life and petition God to preserve our country and rid it of its evils. This is a great day for picnics and spending time with family and friends. This month holds for Americans the celebration of our glorious Fourth, Independence Day, a great national holiday not connected with the feast of a saint (as is Saint Andrew's Day in Scotland and Saint George's in England), or with a festival of the Church. And yet can it be said that the anniversary of the birth of a nation is ever an entirely secular affair? In this case we do not believe it is so. In man's aspirations for freedom, there is always a spiritual element, and this was especially true in the thinking of the American signers of the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. On Thanksgiving Day we give thanks to God that He has provided our citizens with food for the body; at this other particularly American celebration we give thanks that He has allowed our spirit to live. God bless us all, and God bless America!

Did you know our Parish will soon offer Confirmation prior to First Holy Communion? Indeed, all parishes within the Diocese of Honolulu are restoring the Original Order of the Sacraments of Initiation between 2018-2020. In the early Church, the person was immersed into the waters of Baptism, anointed with chrism, and shared the Eucharistic meal as part of a single event. Over time, and for many reasons, the celebration of these three sacraments became separated from one another. In the renewal stemming from the Second Vatican Council, the Church was asked to more clearly set forth the intimate connection of Confirmation with the whole of Christian initiation. This original order also helps us recognize that sharing in the Eucharist completes our initiation into the Church and that it is Eucharist which is the “source and summit of our faith.” For more information go to: http://catholichawaii.org/media/646012/instruction-for-the-transition.pdf for more information on

God our Father, we give you thanks and praise for fathers young and old. We pray for young fathers, newly embracing their vocation. May they find courage and perse- verance to balance work, family and faith in joy and sacrifice. We pray for our own Fathers around the world whose children are lost or suffering. May they know that the God of compassion walks with them in their sorrow. We pray for men who are not fathers, but still mentor and guide us with fatherly love and ad- vice. We remember fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers who are no longer with us, but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love. Amen!