Aware of God’s Presence Through Prayer

Dear Parishioners,

The awareness of God’s presence, every day and throughout the day, may be the very “thing” most needed in our lives. Prayer offers an oasis in the desert of a crowded calendar. Prayer can intentionally shut out the other voices as we open our hearts to hear the voice of the One who loves us most. Prayer can become God’s punctuation marks in the writing of our life story, pausing for a comma, taking a deep breath with a semicolon, celebrating with an exclamation point, or just coming to a full stop before a tiny dot at the end of the day. Such is the gift and blessing of prayer.

- Deacon Robert

“What does freedom mean? It is certainly not doing whatever you want, allowing yourself to be dominated by the passions, to pass from one experience to another without discernment, to follow the fashions of the day; freedom does not mean, so to speak, throwing everything that you don’t like out the window… Let us not be afraid of life commitments, commitments that take up and concern our entire life! In this way, our life will be fruitful! And this is freedom: to have the courage to make these decisions with generosity.”
~ Pope Francis

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

Dear Parishioners,

There’s a big difference between giving directions and following directions. I’m not just talking about parents and children. As a parent, you know what you want your child to do, but he/she may not want to do it or not understand how to do it. Between two adults, it is not easy, even when one wants to follow the directions of another. It’s very easy to get confused or lost. The best directions I ever received were when I arrived in Munich, Germany. I was looking for a famous restaurant and asked two men for directions. They replied that they had just come from there and then said they would lead me there. That’s what Jesus does when he says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:1-12) He literally leads us to the truth and life (eternal life), because he is also the way. When we get confused or lost in life, we have no one to blame but ourselves, because we have turned away from Jesus, the way. It’s very simple, but it’s difficult because all too often, we want to have it “our way.”

- Fr. Carl

“A humble person, if his opinion is asked, gives it in all simplicity
and then leaves others to give theirs. Whether they are right or
wrong, he says no more.”
~ From “Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars”

The Fullest Experience In Life

Dear Parishioners,

This Sunday is called “Good Shepherd Sunday,” because each year, the gospel comes from John 10 and shows Jesus as that “good shepherd.” (John 10:1-10) However, there is a variation on that theme, because Jesus also refers to himself as a “gate.” When shepherds were out in the country, they would herd the sheep into a walled enclosure that had one entrance but no door or gate. After herding them inside, he would lay across the entrance so that the sheep couldn’t get out and no wolves could enter. Then in the morning, he would lead them out to eat. Thus, the shepherd would protect them by night and feed them by day. That is what Jesus does for us, if we let him. He wants to protect us from the forces of evil and feed us with his grace through the sacraments. Why? Because as Jesus says, “I came that they might have life and have it to the full.” If we want the fullest experience in life, we can’t get it from power, pleasure, money, possessions, or honor. We can only get it through Jesus.

- Fr. Carl

“An undertaking, to be pleasing to God, must have three conditions:
It must be sincere, selfless and persevering.”
~ From “Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars”

The Stranger Traveling With Us

Dear Parishioners,

Could it be that on our way today or tomorrow, the risen Lord might travel with us first as a stranger and then as living Lord? (Luke 24:13-35) Might he come and join us where we are? I think so. In fact, I know so, because he has joined me and you along the road and now nourishes with his very life. We know he travels with us, because we could not have made it this far without his guiding, loving presence. We know he goes with us. May God give us the grace to go with him wherever the road may lead.

- Deacon Robert

“Every time we are able to give up our own
wishes in favor of those of other people, so long as it
is not contrary to the will of God, we acquire great
merit.”
~from “Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars”

Whom Can You Trust?

Dear Parishioners,

What can we take away from today’s Gospel about Thomas? (John 20:19-31) If we read the story again, we see the risen Lord who meets us where we are. No matter where we are today, whether in depths of doubt or skimming the peaks of joy, the risen Lord meets us where we are.

The longer we live, the more we find our weary souls drifting away from trust. Our childhood naïveté seems forever lost in the rubble of life’s disappointments and betrayals. Like those disciples wilting in fear behind closed doors, we fear many things, chief among them that no one can be trusted anymore. The risen Lord comes to us to show us he is worthy of our trust We can cast all our weary, dreary, even teary fears on him.

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

- Deacon Robert

“Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My
mercy. They have the right before others to trust in
the abyss of My mercy. … Souls that make an appeal
to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even
more graces than they ask.”
~ Jesus’ words to St. Faustina as recorded in her Diary
(1146)

ALLELUIA! He Has Risen!

Dear Parishioners,

ALLELUIA! He has risen as he said he would (Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9). Today we celebrate our Lord’s victory over Satan, sin, and death. But it is our victory as well, for the ransom has been paid and we have been set free and rise above sin and selfishness. No longer are we slaves to sin; no longer are we subjects to Satan. We are destined for a different kingdom—God’s kingdom of peace, light, joy, and truth. Jesus’ resurrection is a sign that we are once again God’s beloved children bound for eternal glory, if we follow Jesus. ALLELUIA!

- Fr. Carl

“Pay attention, my young friends: to go against the current; this is good for the heart,
but we need courage to swim against the tide…. We Christians were not chosen by the
Lord for little things; push onwards toward the highest principles. Stake you lives on noble ideals, my dear young people!”
~ Pope Francis

Holy Week

Dear Parishioners,

Out of the fifty-two weeks each year, we call this week “holy.” Without what happened during this week (Matthew 26:14-27:66), Christianity might have become just another branch of Judaism, and we might be still waiting for the Messiah. This week becomes holy for us in ways we do not expect. We may not want this, and it may be painful, but it is always important.

We cannot come to Palm Sunday and Holy Week as spectators. The point is not to observe history but to discover the many ways this story is about us. We, too, have lauded Jesus one day as the king of our lives and then proceed to live in ways that deny him and betray him. We are not to stand in judgment on the characters in this drama, but to see ourselves in them.

Let us stay in this week. Don’t deny your presence here or your part in what happened. Stay until the end. Then come close, and hear Jesus say the strange, improbable words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Maybe Jesus prayed these words because he knew that what we thought we had done to him, we had actually done to ourselves.

Even this, however, is not the end of the drama of Holy Week. Do you like surprise endings? Then stay in the story.

- Deacon Robert

“In the life of the body, a man is sometimes sick, and unless he takes medicine, he will die. Even so in the spiritual life, a man is sick on account of sin. For that reason, he needs medicine so that he may be restored to health; and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance.”
~ St. Thomas Aquinas