Hail and Farewell

“Ave atque vale.” That’s Latin for “Hail and farewell.” This month we say “Hail” to Joanne Haney who joins us as our new Director of Faith Formation or DRE. She will also be our new Youth Minister. Joanne comes to us with vast experience in both ministries, and we are blessed to have her join our staff.

At the same time, we say “Farewell” to Melissa Boyle who has been our Youth Minister for the last seven years, and has been involved in extensive volunteer work for many more years. She will be teaching religion at Seton Keough High School where I know she will do a fantastic job. However, Melissa will not be leaving the parish; she will continue to volunteer here wherever her talents are needed. We wish her all the best in her new career as a teacher and as a mother when her baby arrives this fall.

Finally, we say “Farewell” to Father John who leaves for a new assignment at Sacred Heart Glyndon. Fr. John stepped in and kept the parish running smoothly in the interim between Fr. Cunningham’s departure. He was also a tremendous help when I arrived, providing wisdom and insight into the parish operations and personalities. I wish him all the best in his new assignment.

There will be a farewell reception with light refreshments to honor and thank Fr. John on Saturday, August 28th after the 5:00 p.m. Mass in our Parish Hall.

- Fr. Carl

Antidote for Greed

Last Sunday we heard the story of the rich man whose crops yielded such a rich harvest that he had to build bigger ones to store the extra grain. Jesus said he was foolish because he thought only of himself. He was a poor steward of God’s material blessings because he did not share with the poor and needy, nor did he give anything to support the temple. He was a greedy and selfish steward. This week Jesus gives us the antidote for greed. He tells us to give alms to the poor, for in giving our money to those in need, we gain a treasure we cannot lose, a treasure that cannot be destroyed, a treasure that will last for eternity. All we have to do is be generous stewards of God’s gifts.

- Fr. Carl

Be Both Wise and Happy

The other day on the radio, I heard that many of us are not saving enough money for retirement. We are spending but not saving. In short, we are very foolish, for the day will come when we find ourselves in a financial crunch. We are very unwise.

In today’s Gospel, we hear the story of a rich man who does just the opposite. He saves and he stores away tremendous wealth for the future. Yet Jesus calls him a fool. He is a fool because he saves his wealth for himself only. He was selfish. He should have spent some of his wealth on the poor and the needy. Had he been generous with his wealth, he would have been storing up riches in heaven. He would have been a wise man and a good steward of God’s gifts.

Let us pray for the grace to become better stewards of God’s gifts. Certainly we have to save for our future financial needs and not waste money on frivolous pleasures. But we also need to be generous in giving of our time, talent, and treasure to God. Then we will be both wise and happy.

- Fr. Carl

Appreciate the Giver

Near the end of World War II, my father’s ship was in Shanghai, China for some time. One day he came upon a beautiful cedar chest with all kinds of figures and scenes carved into the wood. When he approached the man who carved it, the man asked for more money than my father could afford. So each day my father went back to bargain, and each day the price dropped a little. Finally, after a week the price came down enough to where my father could afford it, and he bought it. His persistence paid off.

Today’s scripture lessons teach us a similar lesson with regard to prayer. Abraham’s persistence delayed the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham’s bargaining with God would have spared these two cities from destruction if only 10 good men could be found. Unfortunately, there were not even 10 good men, and those two cities were destroyed. In the gospel, after Jesus gives his disciples the Lord’s Prayer, he reminds his disciples to be persistent in their prayers. Basically the God to whom we are praying is a loving God who wants to give us what is good for us. However, he wants us to appreciate what he gives, and if we get what we want too easily, we neither appreciate the gift nor the giver.

-Fr. Carl

Be Present to God

This week’s readings deal with the theme of hospitality which was so very important in the mid-East. As a matter of fact, it still is today. A number of years ago I was on a tour of Egypt and the Holy Land. On a free day, my aunt and I hired a car and took a drive to that part of Israel called Samaria. I wanted to see the place where Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, and Mount Gerizim where Joshua called upon the Israelites to choose between their God or the gods of Canaan. After we visited the well which is very deep, we went up to Mount Gerizim where some Samaritans live today and sacrifice a paschal lamb each year. Our guide introduced us to the high priest who invited us into his house. He was very friendly and gave us a banana to eat. He apologized for not being able to offer a meal because it was the Sabbath and no work could be done. He was as hospitable as the law would allow.

Because Abraham showed such wonderful hospitality, he was rewarded. Yet when Martha showed great hospitality to Jesus and complained that Mary was not helping, Jesus seems to rebuke her. Perhaps he is letting us know that while hospitality is important, being present to God is more important. After all, love of neighbor is second to love of God. Let us try to improve on both loves – of God and of neighbor.

- Fr. Carl

Who is the head of the Catholic Church?

If you were to ask the average man or woman, “Who is the head of the Catholic Church?” most would probably answer, “the pope.” But they would be wrong as we hear in today’s second reading. Here is what St. Paul says, “He is the head of the body, the church.” The “He” St. Paul is talking about is Christ Jesus. The Catholic Church has always believed and taught this. The pope is simply the “vicar of Christ.” He stands in the place of Jesus here on earth as a sign of unity and protector of the faith and its truth.

Today many are cynical when they think of institutions like the government and banking institutions. They have not always lived up to the faith people placed in them. The Church, too, as an institution has failed in some instances especially in the area of clergy abuse. Right now she is trying to correct past mistakes made by a few of her members. However, the Catholic Church is more than an institution; it is the mystical (spiritual) body of Christ with Jesus as the head, the Holy Spirit as the heart and soul, and we the people in heaven, purgatory, and on earth. Our country just celebrated its 234th birthday while the Church has been around for 2000 years because God is ultimately in charge. Let us pray that God will always be in charge of our lives and have a greater influence on our governments.

- Fr. Carl

Happy 4th of July!

As we celebrate our country’s birthday, we rejoice in its many blessings and the freedoms we enjoy. Our freedom was won after a long war for independence, liberty, and justice for all. However, we did not win all these rights when Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in 1781. Our immigrant forefathers from Ireland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, etc. encountered discrimination and harsh treatment afterwards. Our African brothers and sisters came to America as slaves and did not become free until the Civil War. Women were denied the right to vote until the 20th century. Children and women worked in sweat shops during the industrial revolution until labor laws were enacted well into the 1900’s. In the west, Chinese coolies labored in the cities to eke out a living and on the prairies, building the railroads in difficult and dangerous lands. We Catholics, too, suffered discrimination and harsh treatment, even in Maryland. Arthur Schlesinger Sr., the eminent Harvard historian, said that anti-Catholicism is the longest, most persistent prejudice in the history of our country. Today there is another class of people who enjoy no freedom and have no rights. They are the unborn in the wombs of their mothers.

This weekend as we celebrate, let us be thankful for the blessings and freedom we enjoy and the many who worked and fought for our country. Let us also be grateful for the men and women in uniform who protect our freedoms. But let us also pray for those helpless, unborn children that one day they may be granted the most basic of human rights – the right to life.

- Fr. Carl