Sufferings and Drudgery

Dear Parishioners ,

Job had it all—500 yoke of oxen, 500 she-asses, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, and 7 sons and 3 daughters. But one day tragedy struck. First, his 500 yoke of oxen and 500 she-asses were stolen. Then his sheep were killed by lightning. And then his camels were stolen. Finally, his sons and daughters were all killed when the roof collapsed while they were eating together. Nevertheless, Job remained faithful to God. The next day Job was covered from head to foot with painful boils, and still he remained faithful to God.

None of us ever went through anything like Job experienced. Still most of us have suffered disappointments, frustrations, and setbacks in life. Perhaps we have felt like echoing the words of Job in today’s first reading, “Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery?” (Job 7:1-4, 6-7) And if we are not careful, those feelings can lead to discouragement and depression. However, if we have faith and hope in Jesus, we realize our sufferings can’t compare with Job or Jesus. We can use our sufferings as a prayerful offering to God in imitation of St. Paul who said, “I rejoice in my sufferings, for I fill up in my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the good of his body, the Church.” (Col 1:24) When looked at it in this way, our difficulties and discouragements lose their intensity and fade into the background as we recall the glorious resurrection of Jesus and Job’s restoration of blessings at the end of his book.

Father Carl

“We have nothing of our own but our will.
  It is the only thing which God has so placed in
  our own power that we can make an offering of it to him.”
  ~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

The Broken Among Us

Dear Parishioners,

What if in our midst right now, there are more broken lives around us than we might imagine? And what if your life and my life and our lives collectively have more than a few unhealed broken places? Like a hairline crack in poured concrete brought on by the settlement of time and the continuous shifting of the ground, our lives develop stress fractures, small creeping lines that tell us life shifts and brokenness shows up unexpected. Only in moments when we are silent, when we recognize Jesus in our midst are we able to face the brokenness within us.

When we do, when we find the courage to let our Lord be among us in deep and revealing ways, we see what may have been there a long time. We see the brokenness within us and then recognize the brokenness among us. It is then that we cry out asking God to heal us and make us new. When such awareness awakens within us, we might be able once again to hear good news and receive God’s healing gift through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

- Deacon Robert

“We ought to pray like little children   of four years old, who have no guile.   They tell their Mother everything…”
  ~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Good News

Dear Parishioners,

Mark begins his story of Jesus as “good news,” because God is at work in Jesus of Nazareth, showing us God’s life, speaking God’s love, demonstrating God’s mercy and living God’s promise. The Gospel of our Lord is the story of God who refuses to leave us to our own designs, who knows we are laden with so much bad news it would crush us, and yet who never gives up on us, loving us back to God’s heart.

We can find assurance in the promise that Jesus will be with us all the way. Today’s story (Mark 1:14-20) tells us of fishermen who dropped their nets and immediately followed Jesus. What they will come to learn as disciples is that the One who called them will never abandon them to their fears or their own confusions. And so it is with us. What God calls “good news” is the promise that Jesus who calls us to follow will take us on a journey and never let us go. Such a promise is nothing less than good news… then, now and always. Such is the story Mark begins to tell and the good news we are invited to believe.

- Deacon Robert

“Let them say all they have to say. When
they have said all they have to say, there will be no more to be said and they will be silent.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

Dear Parishioners,

“Eat, drink, and be merry.” That’s an old saying I heard many years ago. It’s the philosophy of those seeking pleasure and an escape from the sometimes harsh reality of living a meaningful, productive life. As Catholics, we believe in the goodness of creation and the things of life. However, we believe in moderation as the Old Latin phrase wisely reminds us, “Omnia in moderatio”—all things in moderation. The created world is not the end, but rather a means to the end—namely God. Today’s second reading (1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20) points this out when St. Paul tells us, “The body is not for immorality; it is for the Lord.” St. Paul goes on to warn the Corinthians, who were known to have rather low morals with regard to sex, that sins against chastity are particularly offensive to Christ. The Holy Spirit inhabits our bodies as a Temple. Therefore, we should not desecrate our bodies through sexual sins, nor by immoderation of food, drink, and drugs. The Lord wants what is best for our souls, of course, but he also wants what is best for our bodily health as well.

- Father Carl

Baptism of the Lord

Dear Parishioners,

This second Sunday in the season of Epiphany always finds us coming to the water as we remember and celebrate the baptism of the Lord (Mark 1:7-11). All four gospels tell us that Jesus came to John the Baptist at the Jordan River. And though John’s Gospel does not tell us of his baptism, we know from all the gospels that the Spirit descended on our Lord empowering him for his mission. It is the water, however, that seems to have some spiritually magnetic pull on our Lord and all of us. Jesus comes to the Jordan, drawn there by John’s preaching, to identify fully with our humanity. What if God is inviting us again to come to the water and rediscover the very basic realities of our faith? To come to the water, following our Lord, is to come again to who we are, born of God’s Spirit and made a child of God.

- Deacon Robert

“If we could only see the joy of our guardian angel
when he sees us fighting our temptations!”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

A Star Is Born

Dear Parishioners,

“A Star Is Born” was a movie with Judy Garland and James Mason that came out in 1954. It was the story of a young girl getting into show business who was befriended and mentored by an aging star who was declining. He was tired, worn out, and had a drinking problem. At the end, the young girl became very popular and became a star as the aging actor faded away. Today, we have a celebration of the birth of another star 2,000 years ago (Matthew 2:1-12). The star that led the Magi to Bethlehem is no longer to be seen. However, the new star, Jesus Christ, looms as bright as ever, and he will never fade out of the picture. He may become dimmer in our hearts as the year and its happenings draw our attention to themselves. However, every year that star returns shining brilliantly as our hearts and souls are led by the story of the Wise Men and the star to Bethlehem. May the star of Jesus continue to burn in our hearts during the coming year. He will bring joy to our lives even in the midst of whatever dark problems come our way. God bless and Happy New Year!

- Father Carl

“What happiness do we not feel in the
Presence of God, when we are alone at His
feet before the Sacred Tabernacle!…
Redouble your fervour; you are alone to adore
your God; His eyes rest upon you alone.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

A Holy Family

Dear Parishioners,

Mary and Joseph began from the first day to provide for and guide the spiritual direction for Jesus while in their home. Before he could walk or talk, they brought him to the temple (Luke 2:22-40). They brought him there, because they knew to thank God for him and to ask God for help raising him to adulthood. They knew that Jesus was a special child, but I believe they would have done the same for any child, even if that child had not been specially conceived by the Holy Spirit. They are excellent role models for us to this very day. They knew, and we can know, the responsibility and great joys to raise children in the faith. Teaching our children about God in their lives will not only enable them to survive in the world, we will enable them to thrive in the world. How are you doing with your own holy family?

- Deacon Robert

“When we pray with attention and humility of
mind and heart, we quit the earth and rise to Heaven.
We reach the outstretched arms of God. We talk with
the angels and the saints.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars