Reflections from Our Pastors

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Only two days ago Israel was attacked by Hamas and in return declared war. How we hate to hear that word, but here it is. So, we are called today to remain aware of that which is difficult; that which brings their pain to us, and that which testifies to our united humanity. They are not alone in the Israeli/Hamas war. Shock, death, pain, destruction, hatred, accumulated generational trauma, stands tall now, again. The Mary of Magdala peace prayer group included a prayer specially for this latest destruction in our hostile environment. We lament with our siblings who suffer this, we grieve and weep with them for the loss of life and love, we remain present to them in our meditation.

May we pray for an end to all war.

May we pray for the innocent who are used as hostages.

May we pray for those who have died and their surviving relatives who mourn.

May we pray for the leaders who make such decisions about the life and death of anyone at any time.

May we pray for an alternative to anger and hate, which slowly weaves its way into the depths of souls, destroying life and light.

May we pray for ourselves that we may see a way to suffer alongside, weep along with, and transcend the fear and anxiety war causes.

May we pray that by helping our neighbor, any neighbor, and looking into their eyes as we together travel along the web of life, engender the hope we all need.

Here is a reflection by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat. Her blog is the Velveteen Rabbi.

MY HEART IS HEAVY

Here's the message I wrote to my community to accompany that prayer:

We woke this morning to the news that Israel is officially at war with Hamas. My

heart is heavy with grief. It’s especially heartbreaking on Shemini Atzeret / Simchat

Torah. Like the Yom Kippur War, almost exactly fifty years ago, this coordinated

series of attacks via land, sea, and air were a shock on a day of national religious

celebration.

How can we rejoice with the Torah at a moment like this? And yet our tradition calls

us to do precisely that. Our ancestors danced with Torah in times of Crusades and

pogroms. We too can find strength in our traditions and in community. And we can

dedicate our grief and our celebration alike to our most fervent prayers for peace...

Let us pray together today with Rabbi Rachel Barenblat:

To our friends and family

From the windswept Golan

To the sands of the Arava:

We hold you in our hearts

We hold your children in our hearts

Our fate is bound up in yours.

And to the parents and children

From Ramallah to Gaza City

Who also do not wish for war --

But we love this land with you

We pray for better with you

And we yearn for peace with you.

God, with all the desperation of our hearts we plead: may it be true that peace will

yet come.

Shalom

Rev. Jane

 Image by David Cloyd

This Week at Mary of Magdala

Commissioning of a New Pastor at Church of the Holy Family

Rev. Jane Reina is now sharing her time with another regional Ecumenical Catholic Community. (Please see announcement sent out Friday, Oct 6.)

Please join Church of the Holy Family for Mass on Sunday at 10:00 am. Rev. Jane Reina will be the celebrant and the homilist.

You can attend via Zoom by using this Zoom link. The landing page will request a passcode (CHF5y9Ak).

ISAAC Reads

• Reconvening on October 17th at 7pm
• Discussing Storming the Wall: Climate Change, Migration and Homeland Security (by Tod Miller) via this Zoom link

• If you feel you don't have time to read, or if you'd like to augment your reading, we have some very short videos you can watch before October 17th. These three videos are 9-12 minutes in length and specifically address the interactions of climate change and migration issues.  

The first video links climate change to the Honduran caravan that occurred in 2019 and which was widely condemned by former President Trump. The second video talks about how climate change is part of the reason people are migrating and seeking asylum; however, there are no asylum provisions that can consider this as a reason for successful asylum appeals. Finally, the third video is more of documentary in nature and connects climate change to migration north from Guatemala.  

Climate Refugees fleeing drought were part of the migrant caravan from Central America

Migrations: A Global Grand Challenge Episode 4

Experts Warn: Climate Change Triggers Poverty and Migration in Rural Central America

Shared Service & Oktoberfest October 22

(no 12:30 Mary of Magdala Mass)

On Sunday, October 22 the 301 Faith Partners will celebrate together!

• Shared Adult Forum beginning at 9:00 am (In-person and Zoom)
• Shared Worship at 10:30 am (in-person and on zoom. (The link will be different from our standard Mass link)
• Noon Oktoberfest!!

The Oktoberfest will include beer, brats, potato salad, and all the best of Oktoberfest! Bring your stein or cup to the celebration. This will also be a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity to help them reach their goal of $100,000.

You guessed it, we need volunteers for food and time, please sign up HERE. Mary of Magdala is in charge of cleanup after the meal. Please scroll down the list of volunteer opportunities and add your name. To submit the form go to the bottom and hit 'continue' to fill in your name. THANK YOU ALL!

Together we can share faith, fellowship, help our neighbors,

and have fun! EIN PROST!

Program for Students with Food and Housing Insecurities

With the shortage of housing for students in our community, a number of them are considered housing insecure or homeless. LuMin (Lutheran Campus Ministry) is working to respond to this need in our community.



For the 2023-2024 school year, they have placed twenty-one financially challenged students in affordable housing and are providing additional assistance with a grant to subsidize the cost of rent. In addition, they will provide mentors from the Fort Collins community, establish peer support groups, and help connect students to other assistance through a social work intern.

Faith communities in Fort Collins are asked to provide food for dinners on Tuesdays when the students gather. Our 301 Faith Partners have helped with this ministry the last 2 years and plan to continue.

What we need: We are asking our 301 Faith Partnership to help with creating a dinner meal on October 10 and assist on October 17th. Typically, 15 students participate. 

Responses to this ministry by the students served has been overwhelmingly positive. They are grateful. In many cases, they would not be able to attend the university without this service.

Questions? Email Weltha at weltha@hotmail.com

If you are interested in helping out, use the sign-up genius below.

Please send prayer requests to marymagdalafc@gmail.com. Prayers will be listed for one month unless requested for longer. Prayers for the repose of souls will be listed for six months unless requested for a longer time.

Celebrating the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Celebrate with Mother Rosean Amaral presiding on October 8th. The video of the homily and readings is available here.

Social Justice Reflection

Tom Moos, Social Justice Ministry



Many of my Social Justice reflections have been somber and negative in tone. So much of the news about racism, gun violence, climate change, and systemic oppression of marginalized peoples is, unfortunately, unpleasant and disturbing. We cannot just sweep ugly truths under the rug. However, today, I’d like to highlight a few technological projects underway at MIT which offer small islands of hope in the midst of the chaos.



MIT engineers are developing a new solar desalination system that takes in saltwater, heats it with natural sunlight causing the water to swirl like thermohaline circulation occurring naturally in the ocean. This circulation, combined with the sun’s heat, causes the water to evaporate quickly, leaving the salt behind. The resulting water vapor is then condensed and collected as pure, drinkable water. In the meantime, another innovative feature allows the leftover salt and byproducts pass out of the device, rather than accumulating and clogging the system. The researchers estimate that the system, scaled to the size of a small suitcase, could produce about 4 to 6 liters of drinking water per hour and could last years before requiring replacement parts. The system could produce drinking water at a rate and price cheaper than tap water and could be life-saving for coastal communities devastated by hurricanes and cyclones.

Another project focuses on developing a device containing an adsorbent material — which collects liquid on its surface — to draw in moisture from the air at night and release it the next day when the material is heated by sunlight. The water is condensed on a collection plate. Potentially, this device could produce drinking water, without a power source other than sunlight, in desert areas with as little as 20% relative humidity, another life-saving technology as climate change scorches areas of the planet.

A third project involves developing a passive cooling system which could be used to preserve food and medications in off-grid locations. The technology incorporates inexpensive insulating material that emits heat as mid-infra-red range light which can penetrate greenhouse gases and pass out into space. Devices wrapped in this insulation are protected from the heat of direct sunlight simply by shading it. This technology is estimated to be able to cool by 36 degrees F in humid locations but by as much as 72 degrees in arid places.

Mass Schedule

Weekly Mass Wednesday, Oct 11 at

11:00 am

• Weekly mass in the Fireside Room
• No Zoom available

Sunday Oct 15 at 12:30 pm

• Father Michael Nicosia is presiding. In-person and with Zoom

Weekly Mass Wednesday, Oct 18 at

11:00 am

• Weekly mass in the Fireside Room
• No Zoom available

Sunday Oct 22 at 12:30 pm

• Clergy from all churches presiding. In-person and with Zoom

Did you miss an article or announcement?

Past e-bulletins posted here



• Ongoing Giving Opportunities in Fellowship hall; see list here

• ECC House of Laity, NEWSLETTER, August 2023, read here

• Dedicating Altar Flowers? Contact Joan Stepleton at JoanStepleton@gmail.com or 864-650-2816. A $25 dollar donation is kindly requested.

• The purpose of the Mary Magdalene Society is to financially support aspiring and current priests and encourage the development of youth in their spiritual journeys. Read more here.

Mary of Magdala Parish Community

Members: Need to view, update information or download a copy of the member directory? Just click here.

If you would like to contribute to Mary of Magdala, here are ways to schedule a single or recurring Sunday offertory.

All are invited and ALL are welcome to join our parish community. Here is the webpage with more information on membership

The ECC Regional Website is now live - View here.

Newsletters of Trinity Lutheran Church and the St. Paul's Episcopal  

Click here for the Trinity Lutheran Church monthly newsletter, "Tidings". And here is St Paul's weekly bulletin.