August is the best month of the year. That long-held conviction of mine was borne
out again this year, as one splendid day followed another. It was nothing like July, which was
unbearable. Everybody is in a better
mood in August, not least because they are either on vacation, or enjoying the
reduced traffic and agitation because so many people are away on vacation.
Even the last week of August, taken over now by the
return to school of almost everybody, is still pleasant. Kids are actually excited to be in
school. Parents are deeply excited that
they are there, too. Little siblings,
well, they feel left out – but they are beginning to realize what a good deal
they are getting! And as I sped around
the Beltway during rush hour this week – yes, veritably raced, during rush
hour! – it became apparent that while many of us local types are back to
business, the political, journalistic, and lobbying folks are all
elsewhere. That is a not unpleasant
thing for the rest of us.
But the bell rings, the page turns, a day marked for
Labor comes, and it all ends. Sigh. It is time to get out those dress shoes and
put away those flip-flops. The latter
are some of the least functional and least attractive footwear ever, so it is
no great loss in my book. Maybe there
are some upsides to this change of season after all.
It is also time to go to confession, not because
Labor Day is a holy day, but because this turn of the seasons and turning of
our attentions is a natural time for review, repentance, and renewal.
Come on, really – are you going to remember the
failures, faults, and fumbles of June or July until December, when Advent and
the coming of Christmas draw your attention to preparing for Christ? No.
And you shouldn’t! The autumn
will bring sufficient evidence of our being marked by the Fall. Cleanse your hearts and your consciences of
the times you relaxed into negligence, or rejoiced with recklessness, or sought
solitude out of selfishness. The summer
has its characteristic sins that are different, but worth identifying, owning,
and unloading. Jesus looks at us all as
we try to pull ourselves together and get serious again, and just says, Bring it. With His merciful help, both our consciences
and our notebooks can be clean, fresh, and ready for the new projects the
cooler weather brings.
Our own school opened with a shout this week, as we
welcomed back many energetic sons and daughters, along with new teachers, new
students, and whole new families from many sources, including a number from our
neighbor, Saint Michael, who closed their school this summer. These folks are dedicated to Catholic
education no less then the standard bearers of our own venerable community, and
we are pleased to be able to bring them into our strong tradition to help them
fulfill theirs.
Meanwhile, many folks from our own parish are hitting
major obstacles on the road to fulfilling their hope of a Catholic education
for their kids. After years of
faithfully paying tuition, several families have fallen on sudden hard times
for reasons that would be familiar to most of you. They are convinced they will bounce back, but
in the meantime they need the strength of our parish community to help carry
them across this rough patch. So, if you
did not spend it all on vacation, consider making a contribution to our tuition
assistance program. Your boost can help
someone promising reach the heights of achievement.
Because August is over, but when we help one another
in Christ, September brings sweet fruit as well.
Monsignor Smith
