06.18.2025 | Ordinary Wednesday

It is humid out in the Carondelet Garden on this mid-week Wednesday morning.  We may see some isolated thunderstorms developing later in the day with a few storms becoming severe.  The high should be in the mid-80s with winds out of the SW at 20 to 30 MPH.

Yellow seems to be the color of the day here in the Garden.  Everywhere I look I can see the beautiful yellow blossoms welcoming Summer to Carondelet.  It is difficult not to smile see these blooms burst forth into all of their glory!

Yesterday’s reading rolled in like a summer storm—thunderous, electric, impossible to ignore.
Matthew 5:43–48 stirred the air:

"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you... so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good..."
Then comes the lightning strike: “Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”

That hit hard.

It’s not easy to hear a call to love in a world crackling with hatred, tension, and pain. The demands are high. The clouds feel heavy.

And yet… summer storms have a purpose.
They drench the soil.
They bring relief.
They wash away dust and reveal new life.

Maybe we’re called to be like that—like a summer storm of grace. Bold enough to shake the skies with love. Gentle enough to soak dry ground with kindness. Persistent enough to keep showing up, even when the wind howls loudest.

Imagine a world where hatred is dissolved into mercy,
Where gentleness falls like rain,
And forgiveness flows like rivers through the fields.
​
Let’s begin there--
In our own hearts.
In our daily storms.
With one small, prayerful downpour of grace.
Let us rain love.
Let us pray.
Amen.