July
1
Nevertheless, do not rejoice
because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names
are written in heaven. ~Luke 10:20
A dear friend of mine, told me that Jesus
gave him two words to tell me. They were "sequel" and "sequoia." I
immediately thought about the word "sequel," because just recently the
Board of Trustees and I were talking about how many more years will
Sanctuary of Hope have. We are hoping that since we have completed 10
years, we could focus on the next 10 years. I even spoke with my
archbishop about this as well. So the sequel could be the next ten
years of growth at Sanctuary of Hope.
This is doable. There will be great
challenges, but these are just part of the history of Sanctuary of
Hope. But there are also great blessings to be harvested too. One of
those blessings are the people who make Sanctuary of Hope possible. I
continue to see this place as a meeting ground for others to come to
know each other (even if just for a short time) and learn more about
each others faith and dreams. It gives us a more complete awareness
of the immensity of God and God's care for us all.
The second word, "sequoia," was revealed to
me two days later at the National Cursillo Encounter in Arlington,
Texas. The last speaker ended his presentation with the image of the
sequoia tree…Wow! He said that like the sequoia which has roots that
go deep down into the earth; so must our roots go deeply into Christ.
And also the roots expand and entangle with the others. So must we
"entangle" with each other as a living body. This is why the sequoias
and us can stand fire and storms in life, because we are so connected
to God and each other. Then another friend of mine, who took me to
and from the airport, said: "Fr. Dennis, do you know what kind of car
you are riding in:..a Toyota sequoia." And then I looked and sure
enough this is what the decal said, but also in gold letters. Wow! I
remembered the scripture that our names are written in heaven: Luke
10.
So be that strong and sturdy sequoia which
creates its own sequel of success!
Thanks and God bless You!
Padre Dennis
