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Jesus said “I CALL YOU MY FRIENDS” (John 15:15b)

One of the greatest gifts we can receive is friendship. Throughout Creation beings of all sorts have a need and desire for like creatures to share life with. Above are Socks and Velvet, two of my kitties who have been friends for over nine years as they lived out their lives with me and our family. Socks is the beautiful Maine Coon type kitty on the left. He was as sweet as he was beautiful. He and Velly loved to cuddle and just be together. Socks went home to our loving God last week after an illness with me and Velly at his side and other kitties near. Velly has been lost without him. So have I. Our beloved pets can also be our closest friends. I am so thankful for their time with us.

I have been thinking about friendship lately, probably because it becomes more precious as life goes on and we have fewer friends surviving and fewer opportunities to make new friendships. Friends move away, to return to their home States or to be closer to family; and friends, like our pets, get sick and go home to God, their Creator. I have lost many friends and each one takes a piece of my heart. In the past two years two more close and special friends have gone home to God, one from my childhood, Jean Tracy Forman whom I lost and found again, and one from my young adult years, Jean Cornella Bauer who has remained near and close over the decades despite geography intervening. I can still hear their voices and sometimes forget that they are gone. I so want them to still be here so I can call them up and laugh and cry with them and feel close again.

Friendship has been an important theme in popular culture and in the Holy Scriptures. Proverbs 18:24 says that “there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother”. Friendship is celebrated in song and in poetry and we are so blessed to have it in any measure. And when our best friends are also our loves we have the most special blessing. I am so thankful for this joy in my life especially as losses are par for the older years- and for all of us.

Songwriters Simon and Garfunkel sang of “Old friends, old friends, sit on the park bench like book ends….memory brushes the same years, silently sharing the same fears….” As Simon and Garfunkel did not get along very well I wonder if they came to know in older years what they wrote about as young men. I hope they did. There is a closeness that needs no words, just proximity. And it is that proximity that I miss most now with loved ones far away yet close in heart.

Bill Withers sang “Lean On Me” – “Lean on me when you’re not strong, I’ll take your side, I’ll help you carry on….” That “leaning on” quality of friendship is very important and often a life saver. Carole King wrote that when you’re down and troubled and need a helping hand, “You’ve Got A Friend”. How reassuring that is. Stevie Wonder and also Dionne Warwick sang that when there are troubles “That’s What Friends are For”. How true that is. Cole Porter wrote “Friendship”-“If you’re ever in a jam, here I am…It’s friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship…” And indeed it is.

Take a moment and reflect on your friends here. Friends from long ago, friends from your job or your school or church or place of worship, or your neighborhood. Old friends and new friends. They are very special, indeed! Friends who are loyal and present and friends you may have lost over time one way or the other. Friends who are lovers and lovers who are friends. Friends who are also family members, and friends who have become family. Friends who are near and far, and friends who have gone home to God. I am doing that now and saying thank you to each one. I hope they hear me. And if you want, reach out to a friend and share this with them, telling them how important they are to you. You don’t have to lose friends out of life’s busyness or benign neglect, you can be the one to reach out, and with the Golden Girls theme song say: “Thank you for being a friend!”

What A Friend We Have in Jesus

The above heading is also the title of an old hymn-an old hymn that simply writes the profound truth of our lives. “Are we weak and heavy laden? Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior still our refuge….In His arms he’ll take and shield us…We will find a solace there”…”take it to the Lord in prayer”. And that is what I want you to know- you are never alone although life can get pretty lonely. Jesus has called us friends as we seek to follow him in his Way of Love. He has promised us his Spirit to stay with us forever.

It is amazing to me that Jesus calls us friends. Some see the loving marital relationship as a paradigm of our relationship to God- but others, including myself see loving friendship as that paradigm. Jesus, in John 15, much of the chapter but particularly verses 9-17 talks about seeing us as beloved friends who share the work of the kin-dom of God with him.

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends….” (John 15:13)

“And you are my friends…I no longer speak of you as subordinates, because a subordinate doesn’t know a superior’s business, instead I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learned from Abba God….” *John 15:15 (TIB) (Abba is akin to “Daddy”.)

We do not have a distant God, we have a God who shares with us, who loves us and who gave everything for us. We have a God who wants to communicate with us, to be near us, and to share the work with us.

I am so thankful for having a Divine Friend who is here when no one else is, who is always near, and who loves me and calls me friend! This amazes me and gives me both hope and comfort.

Bless you, my friends,

Pastor Judy Lee, RCWP,

Good Shepherd Ministries, Fort Myers, Florida

8/4/2023

Trip to Maryland

A beautiful time with special people in a magical and peaceful place ! Thanks be to God!

Sunday

Went to Marilyn’s church at Harriet Chapel in Thurmont where she preached to an appreciative and warm congregation. Then accompanied by John Harmonson, a church member, we went to Mary’s Grotto in Emmitsburg. This was a beautiful and spiritual experience as well.

This one (below) says “Virgin of the Poor” and indeed the paths were filled with a diversity of people, many from other cultures and places who sought the peace and blessings of the Mother of the poor” We were blessed by our time there.

I am the Mother of the Poor

Monday, Funday

Blessings to all!

Finally some rest!

Tuesday

Amen! It restores our souls to be Close to our loving God through the gift of nature and all creation! From today’s Scriptures: “ Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:15). “ Those who sew in tears shall reap rejoicing”(Psalm 126). “Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant…Just so the Beloved of God did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28). As l reflect on service it is and has been no burden at all but the greatest joy and privilege to share in God’s precious kindom on earth and to see it spread and grow where the seeds fell is the most amazing foretaste of heaven. For thereby the word is spread where we could never go ourselves. Oh, yes, it is a time of rejoicing-Thanks be to God! !

AMEN!

Wednesday and Deer and Visits

Today we start the day with seeing the deer in the background outside and visiting with Jo and then go to see Cousin Marianne SMYTH in Silver Spring, Maryland with Cousin Jackie.

Three Cousins/ Marianne, Jackie and Judy

It was a great joy for us to visit Cousin Marianne SMYTH who is also a Roman Catholic Woman Priest with ARCWP.

Thursday- one more day to go…

Last day in style

Jesus told his followers: ” I was a stranger and you invited me in” and you gave me food and drink and clothing and looked after me…so you are the ones who are blessed and will inherit the kingdom prepared for you. Those who fail to enact this justice and mercy to the “least of these” fail to do it to him, and are not inheriting the eternal life Jesus offers. ( Matthew 25: 31-46).

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is crystal clear on so many things yet we who claim to follow it are often not getting it. Growing out of God’s love and the letter and the spirit of the laws of Moses we are clearly told to care for and not to oppress the stranger, the “alien” among us. The writer of Exodus reminds us that we are not to mistreat or oppress strangers in our land as we too were once aliens and we should know how it feels (Exodus 22:21; Exodus, 23:9).

On Saturday June 28, 2023 there was a major march of migrant workers and their supporters here in Fort Myers, Florida. CBS News reported that “Thousands of marchers walked four miles from the downtown Centennial Park to Palm Beach Blvd. area to protest the new Senate Bill 1718″ that is more repressive than ever in denying the rights of the migrant workers who do the work no one else wants to do, and do it well. Employers who hire more than 25 workers are subject to high daily fines and imprisonment for hiring those without legal papers.

Marchers who were interviewed said that many migrants are already leaving Florida. Who will pick the crops will be a new problem to solve. One respondent, Brianda Tapia, said “we’re all equal”. And another’s sign said “Nuestro Trabajo Merece Respeto”- our work merits respect! Indeed! The showing of thousands of marchers was more than anyone expected. It was a great showing of solidarity and , yes, hope that their voices could be heard and respected. We can only hope, for our own sake as well as theirs, that this is so. That this can really be so in this land of the free.

Below is a poem that I wrote in 2006 about a Protest March for migrants that took place then. The words ring true now, and even more so for little has changed except to get even worse for the “Strangers in our land”.

JUDGE FOR YOURSELF HAS ANYTHING CHANGED?

t

The Silenced

have come

forward and

claimed their

rights to assemble

and speak freely

From The FlameKeeper and Other Poems , Judith A B Lee, pp. 235-238 ( 2007, PublishAmerica, Baltimore).

Let us join in protest and in prayer for the plight of the immigrants in this land of hope and glory.

Let us pray for the respect the worker deserves no matter where he or she came from and how they are here. Jesus said: when you welcome the stranger, you welcome me. Let us welcome Jesus today.

Blessings and prayers,

Pastor Judy Lee RCWP

The Good Shepherd Ministries of Fort Myers, Florida,

July 7, 2023

“If you really knew me you would not love me”. I have heard this many times in my life, especially as a Pastor. And I think there are times that many people may feel this way. A young person said it to me recently as she made some career oriented decisions that upset her parents-and angered them. It is a feeling of “not enough” or even “not acceptable” or “self-doubt” or even self-hate or at least discomfort. Yet, because of the feedback often received by LGBTQIA folks the sentiment is sometimes hard for us to shake. We may doubt the goodness that we are and are meant to be as others, often religious others trying to quote the Bible, or even family members and friends struggle with our gayness.

When I first came out, as late as in my thirties, my best friend would not speak to me for over two years. Finally we talked and she was able to become her usual loving and loyal self again. My dear Mother was also hurt by the news and felt it may be “her fault”. Yet, assured nothing is wrong with me, she too went on to love me as she did before. I follow a Gay Chat list on Facebook and I am so often in pain by the stories of others who finally risked coming out and faced total rejection. And yet I am heartened as the many gatherings and shows on PBS, and parades, and the positive sharing of so many tells us that being who we are, being gay, is also a source of pride. Pride, not boasting- but Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Diversity and Excellence-PRIDE as our hallmark. And so I want to say as we come to the end of PRIDE month, God truly knows us and loves us- and that is all we, and our detractors, need to know. I will share here some of my favorite Scriptures affirming that our loving God knows and loves us fully.

Psalm 139

I remember my 16th summer, long before I connected with who I was, aside from being a Christian who was called to follow Jesus from my early years. The teens who attended Summer Church School taught the younger grades in the morning and had our own class in the afternoon. We studied Psalm 139 all summer with a faith filled man named Hugh Thomas. The words and the spirit of that Psalm filled our lives and made it possible for me to deal with difficult times to come in my early thirties when, after ten years of marriage, I discovered that I would love both men and women in my life.And, if there really is a continuum of sexual orientation and loving I would slide over to loving women with all my being. This earned me painful rejection from some of my fellow Christians, one, a beloved leader from my youth, who said to me that I could not love women and remain a Christian and definitely not be a Pastor. The Pastor we both loved told her strongly that she was wrong, but the hurt lingered on almost until she passed and thought better of what she said. And yet, I knew all along that she was wrong. I know the love of God in Christ and it has made all the difference. So I will share some of the words from the Scriptures that helped me to know this here. There are so many affirmations of God’s love and knowledge of us but I will share my favorites here: Psalm 139; Matthew 10: 28-32 and I John 4:7-8.

Psalm 139: 1: “Oh Lord, you have searched me and known me…” went the words of Psalm 139 in the King James Version we studied.

Or in The Inclusive Bible (TIB): “YHWH you’ve searched me and you know me….You are intimate with all my ways. A word is not even on my tongue, YHWH, before you know what it is….(you are) shielding me with your hand. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,a height my mind cannot reach!

“….You created my inmost being and stitched me together in my mother’s womb. For all these mysteries I thank you–for the wonder of myself,for the wonder of your works–my soul knows it well…. How precious your thoughts are to me, O,God! How impossible to number them!…but suppose I could, you would still be with me!…. guide me in the way that is eternal”.( 139:1,4,6,13-14, 17-18, 24).

How wonderful it is to know that our Creator God fashioned us and knows us from the womb -to the tomb! And, knowing us intimately, is with us to the very end- such is God’s love for us. ALL of us without exception.

And Jesus said:

” Are not the sparrows sold for pennies? Yet not a single sparrow falls to the ground without your Abba God’s knowledge. As for you, every hair of your head has been counted. So don’t be afraid of anything –you are worth more than an entire flock of sparrows”. Whoever acknowledges me before others,I will acknowledge before Abba God in heaven… (Matthew 10:29-32).

How wonderful it is to think God , the Creator of the cosmos and of us has even the hairs on our heads numbered-knows us that well..and loves us even more. I love sparrows, all birds and all creatures great and small. But as the love song says: “I love how you love me!” Dearest God, I love how you love me, and ALL of your children no matter how different each one is.

I John 4: 16-18,21- What is love? Who is love?

” We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God,and God in them….there is no fear in love, for perfect love drives out fear….anyone who is afraid is still imperfect in love. We love God because God first loved us. If you say you love God but hate your sister or brother, you are a liar….If we love God we should love our sisters and brothers as well- we have this Commandment from God. ”

Indeed Jesus said, summarizing the Law and the Prophets in Matthew 27:37-40- Love God with all of your being and love your neighbors as yourselves. And that is the commandment John is citing here.

Let us not be afraid– let us believe the Holy Scriptures and let us hear Jesus and affirm that our loving God knows who we are and loves us fully-we are KNOWN and LOVED. My brothers and sisters, gay and straight and anywhere in between, we are known and we are loved. If anyone has a problem with that it is indeed their problem. And, yes, we will love them too.

I am so happy that I have lived most of my life now with women of deep faith who loved me and served God with me. Such love is the most beautiful gift and I thank God for it, and for them and their love.

THANKS BE TO GOD!

Bless you as you grow in love,

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH !

Pastor Judy Lee, RCWP

Rev. Dr. Judith lee, Good Shepherd Ministries, Fort Myers, Florida

6/28/2023

On June 24, 2023, we congratulated Carmella Cicirelli who was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest in Westland, Michigan! She was a Deacon with the Great Waters Community and our blessings and prayers rest with her as she takes this step of faith and courage and responds to God’s call to serve as a Priest.

By July of 2023 Roman Catholic Women Priests will have ordained 5 new priests and 5 new deacons throughout the United States. All are well prepared and well educated for their duties. As of now, 3 priests and 5 deacons are already ordained this year. We are on a roll and nothing can stop us now. We have almost 290 members world wide since our beginning on the Danube river in 2002. ( Please see https://www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org/). More are on their way. Women are being chosen by their faith communities to serve them as ordained clergy. Women are called and women are ready,and women are being blessed with the support of their communities.

These are the women who have responded to God’s call and their community’s call thus far this year:

Priests: Eileen Mary Matley ordained on June 4, 2023 in Urbana, Illinois, and Carmella Cicirelli ordained today, June 24, 2023 in Westland, Michigan, both of the Great Waters Roman Catholic Woman Priest Community. Susan Russell also of Great Waters will be ordained a Priest on July 8, 2023. Bishop Mary Keldermans presiding.

Andrea Grace Weaver of the ARCWP Community will be ordained a Priest on July 22nd in Lincoln , Mass. Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan presiding. Amina Wolf of Northern California was incardinated on June 4, 2023, RCWP Bishop Jane Via Presiding. .

Deacons

Mary Pretorius Murphy was ordained Deacon on April 16, 2023 in Weston, Massachusetts. Bishop Jean Marchant of the Eastern Region of RCWP was presiding.

Karla Jenson was ordained a Deacon in Los Gatos , California of May 6th, 2023. Bishop Suz Thiel was presiding.

Susan Knapp and Adina Myer were ordained Deacons on June 4, 2023 in Northern California, Bishop Jane Via presiding. And Andrea Grace Weaver was ordained a deacon on June 10th in Lincoln, Mass with ARCWP Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan presiding.

We offer our deepest blessings and Congratulations to these courageous and called women who are now ordained clergy in the roman Catholic Church.

Saluting Some of Our Priests

We have the opportunity to recognize some of our priests each month. This month, we

wish to salute Rev. Josie Petermeier for her priestly service and for the financial services role she has so well and selflessly offered to RCWP. While this is a behind the scenes role, we could not function without it! And we also offer her love and prayers as she battles with cancer.

We recognize the years of faithful Priestly service of Rev. Marty Meyer-Gad and we join her in her hope that one day there will be no need for priests as the laity will carry on all tasks given our equal call to love and serve Christ Jesus.

We also recognize the priestly service and service as an ARCWP Bishop in Colombia, South America of Rev. Olga Lucia Alvarado. She has been a priest since 2010.

We especially thank + Rev. Suzanne Thiel, Bishop, for her careful record keeping and her passion for promoting RCWP over the years. I am indebted to her for this and for the information in this report though I am totally responsible for its content. I ask all of you who read it to pass it on- YES, there are women who are Roman Catholic Priests, and YES, we are growing and continue always to love and serve God’s people.

May our Loving God Bless and Keep you,

Pastor Judy Lee, RCWP

Rev. Dr. Judith Lee, Pastor The Good Shepherd Community in Fort Myers, Florida

June 24, 2023

On June 24, 2023, we congratulated Carmella Cicirelli as she was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest in Westland, Michigan! She was a Deacon with the Great Waters Community and our blessings and prayers rest with her as she takes this step of faith and courage and responds to God’s call to serve as a Priest.

By July of 2023 Roman Catholic Women Priests will have ordained 5 new priests and 5 new deacons throughout the United States. All are well prepared and well educated for their duties. As of now, 3 priests and 5 deacons are already ordained this year. We are on a roll and nothing can stop us now. We have almost 290 members world wide since our beginning on the Danube river in 2002. (See http://www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org ) More are on their way. Women are being chosen by their faith communities to serve them as ordained clergy. Women are called and women are ready,and women are being blessed with the support of their communities.

These are the women who have responded to God’s call and their community’s call thus far this year:

Priests: Eileen Mary Matley ordained on June 4, 2023 in Urbana, Illinois, and Carmella Cicirelli ordained today, June 24, 2023 in Westland, Michigan, both of the Great Waters Roman Catholic Woman Priest Community. Susan Russell also of Great Waters will be ordained a Priest on July 8, 2023. Bishop Mary Keldermans presiding.

Andrea Grace Weaver of the ARCWP Community will be ordained a Priest on July 22nd in Lincoln , Mass. Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan presiding. Amina Wolf of Northern California was incardinated on June 4, 2023, RCWP Bishop Jane Via Presiding. .

Deacons

Mary Pretorius Murphy was ordained Deacon on April 16, 2023 in Weston, Vermont. Bishop Jean Marchant of the Eastern Region of RCWP was presiding.

Karla Jenson was ordained a Deacon in Los Gatos , California of May 6th, 2023. Bishop Suz Thiel was presiding.

Susan Knapp and Adina Myer were ordained Deacons on June 4, 2023 in Northern California, Bishop Jane Via presiding. And Andrea Grace Weaver was ordained a deacon on June 10th in Lincoln, Mass with ARCWP Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan presiding.

We offer our deepest blessings and Congratulations to these courageous and called women who are now ordained clergy in the roman Catholic Church.

Saluting Some of Our Priests

We have the opportunity to recognize some of our priests each month. This month, we

wish to salute Rev. Josie Petermeier for her priestly service and for the financial services role she has so well and selflessly offered to RCWP. While this is a behind the scenes role, we could not function without it! And we also offer her love and prayers as she battles with cancer.

We recognize the years of faithful Priestly service of Rev. Marty Meyer-Gad and we join her in her hope that one day there will be no need for priests as the laity will carry on all tasks given our equal call to love and serve Christ Jesus.

We also recognize the priestly service and service as an ARCWP Bishop in Colombia, South America of Rev. Olga Lucia Alvarado. She has been a priest since 2010.

We especially thank + Rev. Suzanne Thiel, Bishop, for her careful record keeping and her passion for promoting RCWP over the years. I am indebted to her for this and for the information in this report though I am totally responsible for its content. I ask all of you who read it to pass it on- YES, there are women who are Roman Catholic Priests, and YES, we are growing and continue always to love and serve God’s people.

May our Loving God Bless and Keep you,

Pastor Judy Lee, RCWP

Rev. Dr. Judith Lee, Pastor the Good Shepherd Community in Fort Myers, Florida

June 24, 2023

As Christians- Christ followers- we ponder on what “being a Christian” and “loving justice” means in our lives and we know that those who follow Judaism and other religions also seek to live just lives. In following the commandments of Jesus, “to love God with all of our beings “and “to love our neighbors as ourselves” (Matthew 22: 37-39) there are two critical themes. One is to attend to justice-that if we truly love our neighbors- all of them everywhere- we will work to make sure that all are treated with full equality and justice. And, we also need to open to loving all of God’s marvelous creation. For God’s love is for all of creation-all living things and the total beauty of the earth. And, this brings us great joy!

The Psalms are wonderful as they often capture all of the themes that guide our lives.

Psalm 33 begins:

“Sing out your joy to YHWH, you who love justice-praise is fitting for loyal hearts….Sing God a new song….everything God does can be trusted. YHWH loves justice and right and fills the earth with love” (The Inclusive Bible TIB: the First Egalitarian Translation) .

We note that the Hebrew people were hesitant to call God by any proper name as doing so is so powerful that it is a “God-perogative” to call by name. So some older translations say “the Lord”-“Rejoice in the Lord…” while the one I used above uses YHWH, the Hebrew acronym for God. Still another translation by Nan C. Merrill “Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness”, 2008, Continuum) uses the word Beloved or Love for God: “Rejoice in the Beloved, O you holy ones!” I do prefer to call God Beloved and Love and I recommend Merrill’s book of Psalms to you. But the important thing is not the name but the essence of the God who loves us, and what this God asks of us.

As Psalm 33 says above: “YHWH” 0ur God, loves justice and right and fills the earth with love.” How wonderful is that! Yet, we look around and also see injustice and evil. The King James says instead of “fills the earth with love” “the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord”. Indeed, we can see and feel goodness and love all around us and all around the world. But we also can see and feel the evil and injustice everywhere. We see that most of the world’s resources are still lodged firmly in the hands of a very wealthy few who do not really share it. And we see the greed of those who have and yet want more, but not to share with those who do not have. We see the poor blamed for being poor so the wealthy can feel justified in hoarding most of the wealth. We see nations where this is the rule and people escaping to go to where they can make a living, yet are sometimes stopped at the doors and not let in. We see so-called Christians and religious others keeping the wealth to themselves and not really addressing how to spread it around so all may eat, all may have shelter and all may live.

Indeed the first church discussed in Acts shared all goods and “no one was poor”(Acts 2:44-45). Not so these days, at least in the major and dominant Christian churches. Now we emphasize belief and not actions. When we do teach and preach on actions it is a nice Sunday Sermon- for we still do little to share the resources that we have-as churches and as individuals who attend them. When we do this, as individuals we are at least on the road of creating the kingdom of God that Jesus preached about here on earth. So, indeed if we all lived this truly sharing kind of love it could make a difference.

Take Care of God’s People

Psalm 33:12 says “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord”(KJV) or “Happy is the nation whose God is YHWH (TIB), or “Blessed are all people who respond to Love’s Way”( Merrill translation). Indeed this Psalm reminds us that to be happy in God as nations and as individuals we need to love and revere our loving God and also “respond to Love’s Way”. We need to LIVE the commandments of love. We need to LIVE Jesus and to Live Love’s Way. That is to work to make sure everyone has what they need to live, especially the basics of food and shelter, and clothing, and love. We are clearly to welcome the poor person and the immigrant and praise God with and next to him or her. That is our job as those who hear the words of God in the Psalms, the Scriptures, Hebrew and Christian ,and the words and life of Jesus.

Take Care of God’s Creation- Of all Living things

And, we are to also take care of God’s beautiful creation. In Genesis we are put in charge of the earth: “”God blessed humankind and said “…Fill the earth and be responsible for it!…Watch over all living things on the earth….” (Genesis 1:28 TIB). Psalm 33:6-9 (TIB) says ” By your word, Yhwh, the heavens were made, by the breath of your mouth all the stars. You gather the seas together and control them, putting the Deep into its vault. Let all the earth revere YHWH…” and “Through Love Consciousness the heavens and earth were created….All creation, from the distant stars to the depth of the seas, Is held together by the Oneness of Love” (Merrill Translation). Indeed then, we are to thank our God of love for this world and do all we can to care for all of God’s people and creation. We are to ask God to teach us to love as God loves.

There is so much pollution and lack of care for the environment that climate is changing as it never has before. We must attend to our air, our water, our forests and our seas that are becoming full of plastics. There are so many species that are in danger of disappearing from the face of the earth because of our greed. Once again elephants are in danger as we plunder them for their ivory, for example. And our animal shelters here are full of abused and neglected and unwanted pets. Yes, some are there because people who loved them died or became ill but so many more are there because no body cares. One of my friends , Carol Schauf, volunteers in an animal shelter. It is a good one where animals are lovingly cared for until they are adopted. Yet, there are other shelters nearby where animals are killed for overcrowding and for the least thing that justifies the word “unadoptable”. The same pet if sent to the no-kill shelter would be adoptable until adopted. Recently a local government official suggested money be diverted from shelters to parks and recreation as pets the shelter could become a kill shelter and save money. I was heartened to see the uproar about this and the plan was shelved. Indeed, this was a good example of caring for God’s creation. My cousin Jackie Marion gives a good part of her life to publicizing animal issues in shelters- if she could all would be adopted and she fights for this. Another good example of caring for God’s creation- to care for those who can not speak for themselves, right here in the USA and world-wide. Below is Pippa, adopted by my friend and neighbor Doris from our local shelter.

So our beautiful Psalm today tells us about God’s love for God’s precious people and God’s creation and it asks us to do the same. Perhaps you can look around your world and see how you can do this . Our Psalm asks us to sing a new song and to sing to God with joy. God loves justice and fills the earth with love. Let us do the same with joy. Let that joy be the joy of helping those who do not have, both human and animal and caring for the earth itself -for this is Love’s Way.

Love and blessings Pastor Judy Lee,RCWP

Good shepherd Ministries, Fort Myers,

June 23, 2023

Happy Father’s Day: Reflections of a Roman Catholic Woman Priest