First, I would like to thank all the people of Resurrection Parish for your generosity.  As you know, Bishop O’Connell asked for a special collection at all Masses during Labor Day Weekend to assist the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas.  The Bishop pointed out that after Superstorm Sandy, we in the Diocese of Trenton received $670 million from the dioceses in the United States, so it was fitting for us to “pay it forward” by collecting for those adversely affected by the hurricane.  Here at Resurrection Parish we raised over $4200.  Thank you so much.
    Unfortunately, Harvey was only the first of what is turning out to be a busy hurricane season.  As I write this column, Hurricane Irma wreaking devastation in Florida after killing dozens and leaving thousands homeless in the Caribbean.  And Hurricane Jose is coming.
    I have already seen some comments on Facebook and the media saying this is all a punishment because our society seems to have turned away from God.  After all, since God is all-powerful, natural disasters must be part of God’s will.  But are they?  It is true that God permits these disasters, but that is different than saying that He intends it.  In other words, God is not punishing us with natural disasters.  After a series of earthquakes and other natural disasters hit Italy, Fr. Raneiro Cantalamessa, OP, the Preacher to the Papal Household, said in a homily, “Earthquakes, hurricanes and other disasters that hit guilty and innocent alike are never a punishment from God,” to say otherwise, he added, “means offending God and man.”
    However, the papal preacher continue, natural disasters can be taken as a warning against complacency. In this case, he said, they can be seen as “an admonition not to delude ourselves that science and technology will be enough to save us.” In fact, Father Cantalamassa continued, the reliance on science and technology can become a problem in itself. “If we fail to impose limits, they themselves may become--as we are experiencing--the greatest threats of all.”
    So what should we do in face of natural disasters, like the hurricanes?  We can do what so many of you have already have been doing:  first, pray for all those affected and all the emergency workers.  Second, we can be as generous as possible, sending money to rescue agencies, collecting needed supplies, and if we are in the position to do so, volunteer to help those in need.
    We can also turn to St. Medard, the patron saint for protection from bad storms.  St. Medard, whose feast day is June 9th, was a bishop in the 6th century from what is present-day France.  St. Medard was known for his love for the poor.  As a child, an eagle hovered over him to protect him from the rain of a bad storm -- hence he became the patron saint for protection from bad storms.  He is a prayer to St. Medard:

Saint Medard, patron saint for protection against bad storms, we ask you to intercede for us during the storms of our lives as well as the storms in nature.  

Protect our families and our homes.  We pray for assistance for the victims of hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters.

Loving God, send in more helpers, and multiply resources and supplies for the aid of those in need.
    
You calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee; deliver us from the storms that are raging around us now.
    
Saint Medard, pray for us!