As I sit down to write this column we are still working on completing the church interior renovations. These is a lot yet to be done this week. Hopefully our remaining items will be completed and as you read this you are admiring all the improvements inside the newly refurbished church. I’m going to wait on another column to give you a run-down about all those who contributed their time and talents to bringing all these wonderful improvements to us.
You may have seen in recent bulletins that we’re planning a fun night of music and munching on the plaza after the 5pm Mass on Saturday August 26th. “Gaucho” is a playful, talented jazz combo who will offer their upbeat music for us while various food vendors provide tasty food. It will be a summer night to just relax and enjoy the music, surroundings, each other and, of course, the food. I hope you’ll join us.
You’ve been hearing quite a lot about our free parish gift to you: a subscription to online Catholic movies, programs, books and audio content at Formed.org (see our website on how to subscribe). Several of our parishioners have shared on these pages their experiences and praise for Formed. It’s brought them to a deeper understanding of God’s Word and our faith through the rich assortment of great content for adults, young adults, teens and children.
I want to join them in praising and recommending to you the Formed audio book entitled, “A Song for Nagasaki.” Since I worked for the Toyota-GM car making joint venture before discerning my call to the priesthood I have had a fascination with things Japanese. The word “Nagasaki” in the title got me interested and so a recent Saturday evening after Mass I decided to pull up the audio book and listen. The book is written by Paul Glynn and is based on the life of Takashi Nagai. A Catholic deacon beautifully narrates the book, so all you have to do is sit back and listen.
It is the story of a Japanese man born about the time of WWI. His father was a doctor and his mother a housewife. He is a popular kid; inquisitive, good at sports and a natural leader. As he matures he, too, finds himself wanting to pursue medicine. He goes off to college and quickly makes friends; enjoying the esteem and respect of his peers, pursuing sports, studies, women and parties. As a young man he accepts the western philosopher’s arguments that there is no God, it is up to humanity to find meaning in life and, after death, there is nothing at all.
One day he receives an urgent message to return home to the bedside of his dying mother. He gets there, just in time to gaze into this mother’s eyes before she passes away. Looking deeply into her eyes, he receives and understanding that completely shakes up his preconceptions. He knows for certain that her spirit will live on even after her body dies. Applying his mind to this astounding new knowledge he begins to question all that he thought he knew.
This book is beautifully written, inspiring and true. I can’t recommend enough, “A Song for Nagasaki.” Listen to it wherever you have your computer, tablet or phone. I recommend listening to it with your family (I’d recommend ages 10 and up). I’m quite sure that you will find this compelling story well worth your time. Check out “A Song for Nagasaki” through Formed.org and if you really like it, do like I plan to do and purchase the book. It’s a gem!
Be assured of my prayers for you.
In Christ,
Fr. Lawrence