Five Ways – Aug 25

August 22, 2025

Many thanks to those who commented on the July 22 Five Ways e-letter. First, let us smile at a child’s seriousness. On Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church looking up at a large plaque.

The six-year old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, “Good morning Alex.”

“Good morning Pastor,” he replied, still focused on the plaque.

“Pastor, what is this?”

The pastor said, “Well son, it’s a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service.”

Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque.

Finally, little Alex’s voice, barely audible and trembling with fear asked, “Which service, the 8:30 or the 10:45?” (My thanks to my brother Mike Winter for finding this on the internet).
Secondly, Pope Leo contacted astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin on the July 20 anniversary of the first mission landing on the moon, 1969. Aldrin had taken the consecrated bread and wine from his Webster Presbyterian Church near Houston, TX and consumed it as the first food and drink on the moon. Wikipedia notes that he is now conflicted, feeling non-Christians were excluded “and we had come in the name of all mankind.”
During the flight back to earth, Aldrin read 2 verses of Psalm 8 from the King James version of the Bible in a radio communication with NASA’s mission control, saying “When I consider thy heavens, the work of they fingers, the moon and the stars, which thy has ordained; What is man that thou are mindful of him?”

The Wikipedia article is very full about Aldrin’s attitude regarding Communion on the moon.

Pope Leo and Aldrin together “reflected on the mystery of creation, its greatness and its fragility,” the Vatican Press Office said July 20, 2025, releasing a photo of the pope and Aldrin with his wife, Anca Faur, taken during their video call.
Finally, August and September are full of celebrations of Mary, Mother of Unity and Evangelization. Her Assumption into heaven on Aug. 15, her Immaculate Heart on Aug. 22,her birthday on Sept. 8 and her feast of Sorrows on Sept. 15 remind us of her place in the mission of Jesus. See the website Mission-Unity-Dialogue, http://www.harrywinter.org, click on Mary and Unity on the right.

May the final weeks of summer bring us all closer to our loving savior.

Fr. Harry Winter, O.M.I.

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