God versus Science

Dear Parishioners,

From time to time, you hear people denying the existence of God. They say, “If God is the is the creator of all things, why did he create evil?” In a book entitled God vs Science, the author answers this way. He begins by talking about heat and cold, and asks the atheistic professor, who has been questioning God’s greatness, “Professor is there such a thing as heat?” The professor answers, “Yes.” “And is there such a thing as cold?” Again, the professor answers “Yes” to which the student answers, “No sir there isn’t.” The student explains “You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super heat, mega heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest 458 degrees.

The student then does the same thing with light and darkness to show that darkness doesn’t exist by itself; it is the absence of light.

Finally, the student asks “Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?” The professor answers “Yes” and then refers to the news saying that you read and hear about all the crimes reported. To this the student replied “Evil does not exist or at least it doesn’t exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.” The professor had nothing to say and sat down.

Fr. Carl

P.S.: The student’s name was Albert Einstein.

God’s Plan For Us

Dear Parishioners,

As I am writing this, I am thinking that this will be my last reflection for the bulletin. I have enjoyed writing these little notes, and I hope they have not been too annoying! 

Our readings today speak about trust in God who quells the storms in our lives (Jb 38:1, 8-11; Ps 107:23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31; 2Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41). I would say that this is perhaps the biggest decision we need to make. Above many things is our need to say to Christ, “Yes, I trust you.” I believe that my move to St. Mary’s will be lead by God. It is my job to listen for what God is offering to me and what He wants from me. My answer will come in the opportunities I am given, the people I meet, the little nudges I get from family, friends, and church. This move, if guided by God, by me allowing God’s will to guide me and the Holy Spirit to inform me, will result in good things. 

Can I say how this will happen? Well, no. Can I tell you how God will use me for His purposes? Well, no. But I need to work at saying “yes” to God and trusting Him with my life. I don’t always follow this wonderful dictate, I sometimes act selfishly and say stupid stuff or do dumb things. I hope that God has a sense of humor. He needs it with most of us! But when I reflect and think reasonably, my trusting God is the only thing that really makes sense. If I try to seek out happiness, that doesn’t work because some circumstances are not happy. If I try to fill up things with money or activity, that doesn’t work for the important things can’t be bought, and sometimes the best reaction is simple quiet. Let us trust in God and be open to His will. Let us know that God will reveal His plan in His time and in His way. Let us listen and keep our eyes open to His presence and His word.

Blessings,
Deacon Steve

Changes and Blessings

Dear Parishioners,

This is the time of the year for changes. As you know, our deacon, Steve House, will be leaving to serve at St. Mary’s in Annapolis, and our music director, Jay Klapka, is retiring after a long career. They will be very much missed. However, the Lord has blessed us and given us two replacements. Deacon Howard Klohr and his wife, Sandy, will be joining us on July 1st. Deacon Howard was just ordained, has lived in Pasadena the last 30 years, is the father of 3 grown daughters and a grandfather of three. Our new Director of Music is Robert Henry and has served as an organist/music director for the past 21 years in different churches in the Archdiocese. I am pleased to welcome both of them on board.

While I am not a fan of modern technology and am frequently frustrated by my computer and the never ending changes, I cannot live without my smart phone. I so much appreciate the information I can get and the tasks it will do for me. Today, we can do so much more with it and all the other labor saving devices on the market, that we are losing the virtue of patience. Our consumerist culture brainwashes us to expect almost instant, visible results. But that’s not how God works. In the Gospel (Mk 4:26–34), Jesus uses the image of the farmer and the seed. It takes a good while for all the seeds planted to grow and become the harvest. It took 600 years for God to plant the seed with Abraham and bring it to fruition in Moses, and another 1200 years to grow into the incarnation of Jesus. Now there are over 1 billion Catholics in the world!

We have had the seed of God’s love planted in us at baptism and are called to grow in holiness. But that takes time—actually a whole lifetime. And so we must be patient with ourselves as we grow. We will make mistakes along the way, so we must be patient with ourselves, because God is patient with us. As Mother Theresa used to say, “God doesn’t ask us to be successful; he asks us to be faithful.”

Fr. Carl

Feast of Corpus Christi

Dear Parishioners,

I was driving to church a couple of weeks ago when my car was hit on Richie Highway. It was totaled, and we had to get a new car. This is what I feared about the trip from Annapolis. So, I am relieved that with my reassignment, I won’t have to regularly do the trip. But the accident also brought home to me God’s protection. Had the car hit my car a couple of feet further to the front, my door would have been hit, and who knows what injury would have occurred. As it was, I was thankfully not injured.  
 
God’s protection and presence in my life is a source of goodness and holiness that I readily acknowledge and seek out. This is a reflection of my faith. Today we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi. This Solemnity recognizes the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It is his body and blood, soul and divinity. It dates back to 1264 and Pope Urban IV, under the influence of St. Juliana of Mount Cornillon, Belgium, a sister who had great devotion to the Eucharist and St. Thomas Aquinas, the great theologian. The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist means that we believe that Christ is truly present, and as we consume the Eucharist, Christ comes to be present in our body, mind, and spirit. The Eucharist is significantly described by the Vatican II Council as the source and summit of our faith. Christ is therefore present in the world around us and in ourselves, having partaken of the Eucharist. We live in him and he in us, in him we have our being. Let us therefore be aware of his true presence and be open to the fruits of his presence and thankful for its benefits.

Blessings,
Deacon Steve

Part Of The Family

Dear Parishioners, 

In last week’s bulletin, Deacon Steve announced that he was being reassigned to St. Mary’s in Annapolis, effective July 1, 2021. While it is sad to see him go, it will be a relief for him and his wife, Rochelle, to serve in a parish much closer to their home. Deacon Steve has been a tremendous help to the parish and me personally. St. Mary’s is getting a choice blessing with him and his wife. We wish them all the best. 

This weekend, we celebrate Trinity Sunday and look to this central mystery of our faith. It’s all about God’s family—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who live in an eternal relationship and community of mutual love and support. It’s a community like no other, for as you travel about, you find many lovely communities. However, the nicest are usually gated to keep out unwanted visitors. The Holy Trinity is an open community where all are welcome. When we were baptized, we were welcomed into this community and given membership privileges to dine with the Trinity at Mass and socialize and converse with them in prayer. At the same time, we are expected to reflect their behavior of love both towards God and neighbor.

May we always strive to make the Trinity proud to call us part of the family.

Fr. Carl

Farewell from Deacon Steve

Dear Parishioners,

It is with sadness that I report that I will be leaving St. Jane Frances Parish in July. I have been reassigned to St. Mary’s Parish in Annapolis, effective July 1st. This past December, 2020, I was asked if I would be interested in joining the staff at St. Mary’s. Because I live in Annapolis, it was an opportunity that was hard to turn down. I went through the process for clergy to be reassigned, and I recently received a letter from Archbishop Lori indicating my change in assignment. 

I have to admit that the drive from Annapolis for St. Jane Frances for activities and Mass can be stressful and tiring. I welcome the loss of an hour trip to make an evening meeting, but I also will mourn the loss of the opportunity to serve the people of St. Jane Frances Parish. In my almost 5 years here, I have developed many wonderful relationships. It has been a pleasure to serve the community. It has been a pastoral assignment that I have enjoyed. I have grown as a deacon through the many communion services, Grief ministry meetings, Marriage prep, Men’s ministry, Adoration, days at NCEON, RCIA and ME time presentations, homilies, baptisms, weddings, and funerals. 

My love of the deaconate comes from the opportunity it gives me to be involved with people and share Christ with them. I thank the staff—Gina, Tracey, Melissa, and Claire—for their dedication and help over these years. I want to especially thank Fr. Carl for his leadership, support, and openness to my activities. I wish also to apologize for my shortcomings and for anything offensive I may have said or done. I keep a prayer list of people for whom I pray, and on this list are several parishes where I have worked during my time as a deacon. Please know that I will also pray daily for the good people of St. Jane Frances de Chantal. Please pray for me and for our church.

Blessings,
Deacon Steve

Heaven On Earth

Dear Parishioners,

As we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus, our thoughts are lifted up to heaven. We might well wonder what it will be like. And if things are not going well in our lives, we might hope to get there soon. However, we don’t have to wait until death to experience heaven. As a matter of fact, every time we come to church and participate in Mass we are joined to the heavenly wedding feast of the Lamb through Holy Communion. Furthermore, we are even more deeply connected to Jesus as we practice the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. And the more we grow in those virtues, the greater our sharing now in the prize of heaven despite our earthly problems.

Fr. Carl