BEND — I would rather be out enjoying the various displays of Fourth of July fireworks but duty constrains me to complete a weekly task before engaging in those recreational pursuits. In truth, I have grown a bit more sedate in regard to Fourth of July celebrations and they certainly do not hold for me the same level of excitement which they held for me as a child. We must not forget, however, that this day holds for the children of today the same kind of thrill and excitement which it held for us in decades past.

I was looking forward to a bit of quieter time at home after completing all of the various youth camp activities over the past couple of weeks. Fortunately there were wonderful volunteers from the area who did a lion’s share of the work and worry. I cannot even begin to recount the various ways in which these devoted adults were of service to the youth of our diocese. I commend and thank you for all that you did over these past weeks. We were also blessed with the presence of three different Reach Teams who did a great job of teaching, entertaining and wearing out the youth at each of the camps. Recalling my childhood pyrotechnic interests I especially enjoyed the evening campfires. I even had the opportunity to revisit the nearly-forgotten summer adventure of roasting marshmallows. Somehow those faded memories of roasting marshmallows around a country campfire were once again rekindled and I recalled with great delight that I had long since forgotten. The remembered delight was not necessarily flaming marshmallows waved like Fourth of July sparklers nor even the crispy combination of charred outside and creamy nougat inside. The memory was rather of the warm glow of the fire the occasional lofting cinder, the calm tones of conversation, the reflective prayerful mood. The memory was one of having been loved.

I cannot help but believe that many things about this year’s camps will be fondly and joyfully remembered by our youth but I hope that the overall recollection is one which allows the youth to say, “You know what? While we did not necessarily recognize it, the camps were really a wonderful expression of the Church’s love for us! Wonderful expressions of God’s love for us!” There is a phrase, which I believe to be true, “Work is love made visible.” Perhaps we could say of our Diocesan Camp efforts, “Camp is love made visible.” Pope Benedict says in Deus Caritas Est that the Incarnation of Jesus Christ is God’s love made visible. In paragraph 12 he writes: “The real novelty of the New Testament lies not so much in new ideas as in the figure of Christ himself, who gives flesh and blood to those concepts — an unprecedented realism, in the Old Testament, the novelty of the Bible did not consist merely in abstract notions but in God’s unpredictable and in some sense unprecedented activity. This divine activity now takes on dramatic form when, in Jesus Christ, it is God himself who goes in search of the “stray sheep,” a suffering and lost humanity. When Jesus speaks in his parables of the shepherd who goes after the lost sheep, of the woman who looks for the lost coin, of the father who goes to meet and embrace his prodigal son, these are no mere words: they constitute an explanation of his very being and activity.”

Our love, our concern, our hopes for the children of the diocese need to somehow “take flesh.” The camp program, while far from perfect, strives to provide a faith‑based, joyful and enriching experience for the youth of the diocese. The young people not only enjoyed meeting one another, they enjoyed sharing experiences, they enjoyed praying together, they enjoyed adoring together and they enjoyed going to Mass together. They also enjoyed the campfire and the roasted marshmallows. These all create positive memories and when those memories are linked with a particular ecclesiastical venue then the associated feelings are likewise linked to that ecclesiastical venue, to the Church herself. There is certainly much that we need to do to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Faith but there is nothing contradictory in doing so within the context of a joyful, relationship‑based program. I am reminded of the little anecdote about the holy man who was asked whether it was permissible to drink coffee while one prayed. His definitive answer. “Absolutely not!” After a bit of reflection the questioner asked, “Is it permissible for me to pray while I drink my coffee?” To this the holy man answered with the same degree of definitiveness, “Absolutely!”

I have discovered anew that I really do like roasted marshmallows but I do not think I would ever eat a marshmallow by myself or start a fire for the simple purpose of sitting by that fire and roasting one marshmallow. Yet, when we were gathered at the fire and the chatter was rapid fire and there was an abundance of enticing roasting opportunities then the prospect of roasting a marshmallow and savoring it became very attractive, nearly irresistible. I hope that the Faith and the things of God become a little bit more attractive because at camp they are presented in a heart-appealing fashion.

In a letter to Abigail Adams in 1776, John Adams wrote very prophetically, if a bit inaccurately as to the date: “The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable (day) in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore.”

I would not be so bold as to make a similar claim for this year’s campers but I would be very comfortable in, attesting to my belief that the camp experience for a significant number of them had some potentially life changing effects. If nothing else, I pray they carry fond memories, as do I, of roasting marshmallows at the home of the Bishop at a fire which he kindled.