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Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 2, 2025 -- THREE Spiritually Speaking ~ Letters to the Editor ~ Father Thankachan Joseph The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the following criteria met: letters submitted to the newspaper will need to have the name of the sender along with a legible signature. We are also requesting that you provide your address and a phone number where you can be reached. The address and phone number will only be used for verification and will not be printed in the newspaper. Letters may not be libelous. The GT reserves the right to edit. The GT is not responsible The Catholic Church is back to the “ordinary Sunday for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks celebrations,” and in the last few weeks we were celebrat- will be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $16 ing the Solemnities of Our Lord in the Church and of Peter Email to editor@rapidserve.net or upload to Heppner.net. The Task & Mission of a Follower of Jesus and Paul, the main pillars of the Catholic Church. In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, the Lord is giving a guideline for us to have a rich harvest through our life with Him. The first reading from the book of Prophet Isaiah brings the message of joy and gladness (Is. 66:10-14). Can you imagine the happiness of Christopher Columbus when he discovered the new world, as he went about telling his friends, acquaintances and strangers about the new world he had discovered? Can you picture the joy of the founding fathers, George Washington and others, as they began to realize the dreams of establishing a land of the free? And yet what was the joy of Columbus and of the founding fathers when compared with that of the Disciples of Christ? They communicated to the world the Good News of eternal freedom and the Kingdom of eternal life. The Gospel this week from Luke (10:1-12, 17-20) calls us to reflect on the theme of radical renunciation and discipleship. The Evangelist warns each of us in these words: If you want to be a disciple of Christ, ready to walk to Jerusalem willingly and freely, nothing to sever you, no detours are allowed, no vengeance, God loves a cheerful giver. The Gospel leaves us with the idea of the goal of discipleship or the mission of the seventy-two disciples called by the Lord for a particular cause. From the teachings of Christ, it is truly clear what the selected must do for Christ. a) Christ wants us to be determined: “Salute no one on the road,” (Lk10:4), that is, do not get distracted from your work, and do not miss an opportunity to take Christ into the hearts of people. Robert Schumann’s middle finger became paralyzed and his future as a pianist seemed at an end. However, many people were thrilled by the beautiful melodies which he produced despite this tragedy. b) Jesus wants us not to put our trust in human means: “Carry no purse...!” (Lk 10:4). That is contrary to what we are often led to believe; neither money, nor hu- man power, nor human learning is really needed to bring people to Christ. What is really needed is the example of a truly Christian life. The beautiful prayer taught by Jesus to His disciples is a beautiful example: instead of accumulating, try to look out for the daily bread. c) Christ wants us to be messengers of peace and love: “Whatever house you enter, let your first words be, Peace to this House!” (10:5). When the Bible uses the word “peace,” it uses it in four different senses. First, it uses it in a military sense—to indicate an absence of war between nations. Thus, we say, “The nations are at peace.” Second, it uses it in a personal sense—to indicate a feeling of personal well-being. Thus, we say, “We are at peace with ourselves.” Third, the Bible uses it in a religious sense—to indicate a right relationship between God and us. Thus, we say, “We are at peace with God.” Lastly, the Bible uses the word “peace” to indicate a state in which everyone on earth is at peace with God, neighbor and self. This is what we mean by the “peace of Christ.” d) Christ wants us never to lose courage: “When they do not receive you in a place...go to another” (Lk 10:10). We should never get tired, never lose courage; God wants us to try and try again, just as He does; the person who rejected us yesterday might accept us today. Courage: It is not the size of the dog in the fight, but it is the size of the fight in the dog that counts. Kites rise, not with, but against the wind. In George Bernard Shaw’s play there is a scene in which Saint Joan knows that she has been abandoned by the men who should have been her supporters and that from now on she is alone. As she leaves them, she turns and says, “It is better to be alone with God than to listen to jealous little counsels. His friendship will not fail me, nor His counsel, nor His Love. In His strength I will dare and dare and dare until I die.” Dig It I’ve always wanted a yard. Brilliant green grass glistening in the sun, with just a hint of dew and a spattering of four-leaf clo- vers. I can smell the freshly mowed grass and see that white picket fence. Little children are busy playing tag in their little grass- stained jeans. One would think that a woman of my advanced age would have had a plethora of fine yards in my lifetime. Not so. Yes, I have had areas around various houses that might qualify to some as a “yard”…but not in my book. A real yard should be green, not brownish-mud colored. And it should not look like a scene from Meerkat Manor. I happen to have a member of the Farm Fam- ily who doesn’t share my admiration for beautiful lawns. What she does have is a desire to dig…inces- santly. Her name is Lady, and she is supposed to be a “cow dog.” While she does enjoy annoying cows and horses now and then, her main goal appears to be making my would-be yard look like a minefield. She’s tried hard to convince me that she has the good inten- tion of ridding me of any dangerous yard varmints. She’ll stand over a newly discovered un-dug spot, stare at the ground a few seconds, cock her head a little as if she hears some sinister activity going on beneath her, then pounce… and dig. Then a full-nose- in-the-hole sniff…and more furious digging. This ritual will be repeated several times until she is either distracted by some form of livestock in need of annoy- ing or she discovers another un-dug spot. One morning, I saw Lady trotting across the pasture with something that looked like it might be a real gopher dangling from her mouth. Yes! Finally! “Good job girl! Lemme see what you got there…” False alarm. No dead gopher. Dead stuffy. At the time of this writing, she has not retrieved one dangerous varmint…dead or alive. I’ve concluded that the only way I’ll ever have my dream yard is to have one less dog. Finding a home for a digging dog might be a bit of a challenge. But maybe some creativity is in order. “Nice dog. What kind is she? Looks like a Blue Heeler.” “ N o … N o p e . S h e ’s what they call an Amish Tiller. “ “Really? Never heard of those.” “I’m not surprised. They’re pretty rare. They use ‘em in Ohio to clear their fields. They can take care of a whole acre in a couple hours.” “Wow. I bet they’re pretty pricey pups.” “Yeah…not cheap. Hate to part with her.” “Might be interested. Does she catch gophers?” Ya know, honesty has a price to pay sometimes. I have a rancher friend whose cow dog catches gophers…. “Oh, lookie here…. pup got another gopher. He usually just leaves ‘em on the porch for me. Gets most of ‘em from the pasture. Never digs in the yard.” Braggart…and he got the pup from me. Stings a little. Susie Crosby Prineville, OR MoCo Republicans raffle hunting rifle Schlaich qualifies for Junior NFR in Las Vegas this December Heppner girl Jaylee Schlaich, along with trusty partner Sti- letto Biankus, presses toward her goal of qualifying for pole bending at the Junior NFR this December. -Contributed photo by Boaz Dov Elkes L o c a l 1 0 - y e a r- o l d Jaylee Schlaich set her heart on qualifying for the Junior National Finals Ro- deo (NFR) in 2025 aboard her trusty equine partner and best friend, Stiletto Biankus. Jaylee just took over the reins from her mom (who raised and trained Stiletto) in April 2025 and knew right away she had something special. The pair qualified in barrel racing in Hermiston, OR this May and then set their sights on a pole bending qualification, which Jaylee accomplished a few weeks ago in Powell Butte, OR. The qualifiers are held all over the map throughout the year. The top two times in each event at each qual- ifier get to move on to the Junior NFR in Las Vegas. Jaylee qualified in the Junior (12 and under) barrel racing and the 17 and under pole bending; not an easy feat for a 10-year-old, as the competition at these events is fierce. The YETI Junior NFR will host more than 700 contestants within the Wrangler Rodeo Arena over 10 days in December. Celebrating its 10 th Anni- versary, this premier event takes place in the heart of Las Vegas, where each con- testant competes at the Las Vegas Convention Center. These young athletes will vie for more than $1 million in combined cash and prize payouts as they chase a coveted Montana Silversmiths championship buckle and a national title. Jaylee will be looking for two business sponsor- ships that would like to have their ad put into the official program of the Ju- nior NFR. This program will reach hundreds of thou- sands of people over the 10 days in Las Vegas. A full-page sponsorship is $195 and a half-page spon- sorship is $125. If you feel your business could benefit from this and would like to support Jaylee at the Junior NFR, please contact Amber Schlaich before the end of July. Jaylee says she is very thankful to have this op- portunity and the chance to represent Heppner at the Junior NFR this December. Over the Tee Cup It was a beautiful day for ladies’ golf on June 24. The field of eight played Bad Cards for Good Golfers for a change of pace. Low gross was Pat Dougherty with 39. Betty Carter had a chip-in on hole 15, and Karen Wolff had a chip-in on hole 12. The morning was deemed a success and good fun was had by all. Ione library’s Summer Reading Program kicked off on June 24 The Morrow County Republicans are raffling off this custom Howa 1500 hunting rifle this summer. -Contributed photo Ione Public Library’s Summer Reading Program kicked off on June 24 with a visit from the University of Oregon’s Mu- seum of Natural History. Designing and testing wind wagons was popular among the hands-on activities. The program for children ages 5-12 continues on Tuesdays from 10:30-12 throughout July, ending with another special program on July 31 from Eastern Oregon University. The program is free of charge. Contact the library at 541-561-9828 for more information. -Contributed photo The Morrow Coun- ty Republican Party 2025 Rifle Raffle tickets are on sale now. T5 Firearm Solution, LLC has put together a custom Howa 1500 hunting rifle with a Pendleton com- posite long-range hunter stock. The gun features a tungsten cerakote finish and is equipped with an Arken EP5 5-25 scope. T5 Firearm Solutions, LLC will hold the gun until the drawing and then cus- tom-load it with 7mm PRC ammo upon pickup by the winner. A limited number of raffle tickets will be avail- able to those 18 years or older for $25 each or five for $100. Those interested in pur- chasing raffle tickets for this hunting rifle can do so by contacting a local Republican Precinct Com- mittee Person (PCP). The south county PCPs are Jack Meligan (Heppner), Sam Bellamy or Corey Miller (Lexington), and Clint Carl- son (Ione). Or, visit the Morrow County Republicans’ booth at the Fourth of July cele- bration in Ione on Friday. Raffle tickets will be on sale there as well as at the other summer community events throughout the county. 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