Who Knows What Is Good Or Evil?

Dear Parishioners,

The great Anglican writer C.S. Lewis once wrote, “There are two kinds of people in the world – the proud who think they are humble and the humble who know they are proud. In other words, we all suffer from the sin of pride. After all, wasn’t that the problem of Satan who said “non servan” – I will not serve. And while Adam and Eve were not so bold as to refuse to serve, they wanted to be like God and so know what was good and bad so as to be like gods. Only God knows what is good or evil, and only by entering into a relationship with Him, can we know what is good or evil. Our modern culture wants to decide for itself what is good or evil without reference to the guidance of God. As a result, the world seems to be spinning more and more out of control. So, too, do our lives when we try to make decisions and act without God’s guidance and wisdom. It is good to be proactive in life, but it is wise to humble ourselves before Christ and the Church for guidance in our plan of life.

- Fr. Carl

“With Christ, the heart never grows old!”
- Pope Francis

Who Will Be Saved?

Dear Parishioners,

When we ask that question, we face the stark but amazing answer that all of us have an invitation (Lk 13:22-30). Engraved with our name on it, addressed to our heart of hearts, delivered by nail-scarred hands. God says the likes of you and me can be saved if we will simply stop trying to be saved. So stop trying to be saved, walk through the narrow door of simple faith and say “Yes” to God’s invitation to the Kingdom.

- Deacon Robert

“Wisdom is like a good wine that improves with age.”
  - Pope Francis

The Communion of Saints

Dear Parishioners,

Sometimes people ask about the communion of saints and where the Catholic Church got this notion. This week’s second reading from the letter to the Hebrews gives us a clue—“Since we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses…” This surrounding cloud of witnesses refers to the heroes of the Old Testament and those of the New Testament, and those holy ones living afterward, i.e. the saints. It’s so fitting that this reading from Hebrews always takes place in August. Of all the months, August celebrates the feasts of more saints than any other.

We have an apostle (Bartholomew), 3 popes (Sixtus II, Pius X, Pontian), 3 doctors of the Church (Alponsus Liguori, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Augustine), 1 king (Stephen of Hungary), 3 martyrs (Lawrence, Teresa Benedicta, and Maxmillian Kolbe), a mystic (Rose of Lima), 2 founders of religious communities (Dominic and our own Jane Frances), a long suffering mother and wife (Monica), and one parish priest (John Vianney). As if that were not enough, we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration, the Assumption, the Queenship of Mary, and the Passion of John the Baptist. None of these people had an easy time of it, but they all followed the advice of St. Paul as he likened the road to holiness to a race where perseverance is the key to victory. As St. Paul reminds us at the end of today’s reading, “do not grow despondent or abandon the struggle.”

- Fr. Carl

Looking Ahead

Dear Parishioners,

The letter to the Hebrews described faith as the willingness to keep looking forward (Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19). That is, Abraham and Sarah did not get bogged down looking around at their circumstances or comparing their lives to others… they looked ahead. They did not get lost in nostalgia, looking backward over their shoulder at an idealized past, those “good old days” gone by, as if the path to happiness and fulfillment was behind them… they looked ahead. They did not get to see the fulfillment of all that they hoped, not during their lifetimes. But even at the end, as they drew their final breaths, they were looking forward, believing that the best was still coming, that God’s goodness was just getting started. And that, the writer of Hebrews said, is what faith is all about.

- Deacon Robert

“My child, we must not be afraid of doing good,
  even if it costs us something.”
- Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Capital Campaign goal reached! Thank you!

Dear Parishioners,

WE DID IT!!! We finally reached our goal for the Archdiocesan/Parish capital campaign, Embracing Our Mission, Shaping Our Future. I am very pleased to announce that we have received pledges of $1,035,557 which is $557 over our goal. The pledges will be collected over the next five years. Thank you all for your support—be it prayers, donations, or both. I am very grateful. Our share is 20% or $207,000 which will be used to repair the church gutters and downspouts, retile the parish/school hall floor, and renovate the kitchen in the school/parish hall. Already we have begun on the church gutters. If you have been observant, you might have seen around the church the big lift to access the high gutters and the men on the sacristy/chapel roofs working on the lower gutters. Hopefully, the rain will hold off until the work is finished. As for the kitchen renovation and new tile for the hall floors, we need to wait for more of the pledges to be paid to the Archdiocese before receiving our rebate. I hope to start the remaining projects next summer.

Again, I thank everyone for their support especially those of you who worked on the campaign committee. It would not have succeeded without you!

God Bless,
Fr. Carl

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

Jesus used an intimate word in the prayer we know today as “The Lord's Prayer” or “The Our Father.” He used the word “Abba” which is a word a child uses when calling out to a loving Daddy.

But the prayer also recognizes God’s holy name and exalted place. God is not our buddy, just because Jesus taught us the intimate relationship of Fatherhood. God is still the God, the sovereign Lord of all creation and all history. The prayer gives us permission and instruction to go to God continually in a spirit of confession, petition, dependence, and hope. This model prayer gives guidance to our spirit that it is God to whom we can go with our worship, our physical needs and our spiritual failures.

The most mature Christian follower still recites and prays this prayer as part of a daily discipline. It is the starting place for prayer but also the finish line of life’s prayer marathon.

- Deacon Robert

“The heart is drawn towards what it loves most. The heart of a good
  Christian turns towards Heaven, where God is, who is his treasure.”
- The Cure D’Ars

Are You Paying Attention?

Dear Parishioners,

The other day as I was taking a walk, I noticed two girls walking down the street, and they were talking. However, they weren’t talking to one another. They were talking on their cell phones to two other people. Today we are plugged into cell phones, the internet, iPads, and various other electronic devices. But the one thing we are not plugged into is real, personal relationships with God or one another. Have you ever been having a conversation with a friend and he/she gets a call on their cell phone? What do they do? The considerate thing to do would be to ignore it or turn it off and check for a message later as we give our full attention to the friend.

The sacred scripture readings (Genesis 18:1-10a; Colossians 1:24-28; Luke 10:38-42) are about paying full attention to the other person. Abraham stops what he is doing right away and makes them welcome by attending to their needs. When Jesus visits Martha and Mary, they both pay attention to Jesus in different ways. Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to his words, while Martha is busy with the details of hospitality. While it is important to meet the physical needs of others, it is also important to meet their spiritual and emotional needs by listening to them attentively. As for God, not only do we care for him when we help our brothers and sisters, but he helps us when we listen to him in prayer and worship.

- Fr. Carl