Thank God

Dear Parishioners,

At Mass we sometimes pray that we have an “attitude of gratitude” for God’s plentiful gifts. I am feeling that attitude as we close out Thanksgiving week and begin Advent. 

Our faith is like an anchor that helps to stabilize us when the ship of our life is rocked to and fro. I am thankful for my faith that I can rest my fear upon, that can hold my sadness, that counteracts my worry. When I am tossed about by insecurity, by loss, and by tragedy, God’s word leads me to the warmth of His light. God’s peace gives me reassurance that his presence in my life is the real truth I should attend to. His love offers a quiet repose from the hectic and unstable movements of the world. The love of Christ tells me that I am not alone nor am I drifting aimlessly, but that I have a strong relationship with the King of the Universe who will not allow me to be lost. 

I am grateful for the people that God has put in my path, good people, caring people, honest and supportive people. They create a strong fabric that holds me against the rips and frayed ends that naturally occur in this life. God has been a gift in the churches I have attended, within whose walls exist a shared beauty, a lived faith, and a powerful history of service, witness, and sacrament. I am grateful to my God who has offered hope when it was not readily felt. My God has come through with love and support when it was not expected. My God has given me the wonderful example of His Son, whose suffering and pain are lessons but whose salvation releases me from my own weakness. I thank God for the strength to continue on in the face of adversity and doubt, for the knowledge of His goodness, and for the blessings He offers in family and friends, in work and in joy. I thank God in gratitude for all that I have been given.

May you feel God’s care and blessing,
Deacon Steve

Sheep and Goats

Dear Parishioners,

What a nice surprise I had this morning. Joe DelSignore, the Grand Knight of our local council of the Knights of Columbus, met with me and presented a $5,000.00 check to pay for an upgrade to our live streaming video service. The sound and picture quality is vastly improved over what we had at the beginning of the pandemic. It should benefit St. Jane Frances for many years to come. Thank you Knights so much.

This past week, you should have received a letter from me with a summary of our annual report. Thanks ever so much for your financial contributions during the past year. So many of you mailed your envelopes in, and many others signed up for the online giving. Both helped us to do better than expected. Still our income was down 8%, and we had an extraordinary expense when we spent $338,618 to replace our 60-year old Church roof. We are recouping some of that thanks to donations to our monthly roof collection.
This Fall, the Church needed some masonry work. Some of the mortar around the bricks required replacement, and the limestone around the windows, doors, and railings had to be power washed because it was so filthy. Just see the before and after pictures on our website at stjane.org. Furthermore, the rectory roof was leaking and needed to be replaced. These additional costs are in the vicinity of $130,000. Fortunately, your past generosity provided the necessary funds for these expenses, but our bank balance is a matter for concern, especially with the pandemic still unsettled.

This weekend’s gospel (Mt 25:31-46) describes the final judgement where Jesus separates the sheep (those going to heaven) from the goats (those going elsewhere). The determining factor is generosity to those in need. Our parish is in need of more financial support. If you are able, I ask you to prayerfully consider increasing your support to the parish.

May God bless you and keep you safe.

Fr. Carl

Striving For Higher Things

Dear Parishioners,

I was hoping that after the election, things would settle down. However, the political convulsions continue, and normalcy is still far away. Both in the church and without, there is tension and agitation. In my morning prayer, what does provide relief from the pangs of the world is God’s steadiness. God’s creation in the form of a beautiful sun, warm temperatures, bright, colorful trees, and a constant of love and grace continue to signal to us that while human agitation is still present (and probably always has been), we are loved. Even in the thick of it, God wishes to enter our hearts with his steady and joy-filled presence. As Philippians 4 tells us, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” God has not abandoned us or left us to fend for ourselves. Will he ever? We can easily think so and convince ourselves that we are in charge, and it is all up to us. But no, God’s guiding and steady hand is on our shoulders. His law of love is written on our hearts, and no matter the problems of the day, His will urges us to continue to walk in goodness. Can we fail and succumb to the dark powers of the day? Can we give in to our base desires for control, power, and selfish fulfillment? Of course we can, and we will be the less as a result.

We must strive for the higher things of God, those things that are promised by the Holy Spirit. The clouds of human expectations can blind us to believe so strongly in our own plans that God’s light cannot be seen, and we are left lost and wandering. Now is the time to pray for guidance. Now is the time to pray for God’s divine inspiration. Now is the time to call forth from our hearts that we need God’s presence and guidance. We need God’s steady hand on the tiller of our lives. Our impulses, agitated by the politics of our day, lead us to seek some human recourse, when what we need is the great wisdom of God, guiding us in a great arc of love and peace.

Blessings,
Deacon Steve

Remembering Our Dearly Departed

Dear Parishioners,

Today, November the 2, is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, better known as All Souls’ Day. It’s a day when we remember our deceased family and friends. But we also pray for them and all the others who have died and might be awaiting entry into Heaven. Not all the good people go there immediately. For the Bible, in talking about heaven, says “nothing profane shall enter it” (Rev 21:27) as well as Is 35:8 and Is 52:1. You see, while God forgives us in the Sacrament of Penance, we have to make up for our sins. An Our Father or Hail Mary, although a sign of repentance, doesn’t really make up for all the damage our sins have done. That’s why it is a good idea to do additional almsgiving (donations to the poor), fasting, and praying. Some good people do enough and go right to heaven, while other good people need some purgation or cleansing in Purgatory. That’s where we come in as our prayers and sacrifices shorten the time of our loved ones in Purgatory.

As we remember our dearly departed, it would be wise to think about our end here on earth. Have you made a will, and is it up to date? What about your funeral? Have you left instructions to have a funeral Mass? A funeral Mass is infinitely more effective than many rosaries in compensating for our sins. If you are considering cremation, the Church encourages the cremation take place after the funeral Mass, and the cremains be treated as a body and buried in the ground or placed in a mausoleum or columbarium at a cemetery. Keeping the cremains on the mantle over the fireplace doesn’t show the respect the deceased deserves.

Finally, we are having a novena of Masses for the dead during November; it would be an act of charity to attend one. You can find the times in the church bulletin, online, or call the parish office. Finally, finally, it would also help your loved ones to visit a cemetery, any cemetery, and pray for your loved ones. Finally, finally, finally it would be good to talk to your family, so that they remember to pray for you when your time comes.

 Fr. Carl 

These Most Difficult Times

Dear Parishioners,

As I write this, there appears to be a surge in Covid 19 cases in a number of states. What does our faith tell us about where God is in all this? I believe that God causes the rain to fall upon the good and the bad, but I think he is saddened by the suffering that is happening. He hears the cries of those who are in pain. He gave us marvelous bodies that have great ability to protect us against various illnesses and diseases. He gave us reasoning with which to reason out problems and create solutions in the form of medicines, procedures, actions, and great knowledge. God gives us each other to support and love each other but also to use our gifts to aid others, to comfort others, and bring hope and care. God gave us his Son as a shining sign and presence that we are not alone, but that He is with us. 

I believe that God is in the hearts of the medical personnel who are working long hours. I have a friend whose daughter is an intensive care nurse in Kentucky. My friend prays that God is with her as she begins another shift, applying her skills to care for her patients. I pray that God protect my brother in Tennessee who works at Home Depot. I ask God to take away his anxiety about bringing home the virus to his wife who has medical complications. I pray for my Mom who is in a nursing home in Pennsylvania. At one point she had a roommate who had Covid, but she herself did not. I pray for the Michigan facility where my mother in law resides. She is weak and declining, and an added illness would probably overwhelm her fragile body. I ask God to strengthen those who work at jobs that keep the shelves filled and the doors open. I pray that God give courage to the many millions who are unemployed and not sure about next week’s food or mortgage payment. I thank God that my sons have jobs that allow them to do their work online with minimal visits to the office and so support their families. I pray daily that my granddaughter who is immune compromised, will stay safe as she goes in person to her special school. I pray for God’s consolation for my friend whose older co-worker passed quickly away from the virus a few months ago.

We call on God in our prayers, in our actions, in our love for each other. Let us fall on our knees for his mercy, consolation, and protection in these most difficult times.

Blessings,
Deacon Steve

Loving Your Neighbor

Dear Parishioners,

As the days become fewer and fewer leading up to the coming election, so many of us look forward to the end of the most contentious one of our times. Voices on the right and the left have been so mean and vicious that it has been difficult to say, “I’m proud to be an American.” Hopefully, the election will settle angry attitudes, so that once again different factions will be able to disagree more agreeably. 

Last week we saw opposing factions join together to trap Jesus and get rid of him (MT 22:15-21). But Jesus was brilliant and disarmed them with the words, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s but give to God what is God’s.” This week, some other enemies of our Lord’s, the Pharisees, try again to trap Jesus (MT 22:34-40). In asking Jesus which of the commandments is the greatest, they hope Jesus will make a mistake. After all, there were 613 commandments in the Jewish law. How could one be more important than the others? But, of course, there is one, and Jesus tells what it is: “Love God.” And even though they haven’t asked him, Jesus tells them the second greatest commandment: “You shall love your neighbors as yourself.”

Let us pray that all political factions may be able to adhere to the second commandment up to and following the election. But they better start with the first one. For if you can’t love the loveable (God), how can you learn to love the unlovable (your neighbor)?

Fr. Carl

Giving To Caesar

Dear Parishioners,

We hear today in our Gospel reading Christ say, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” (Mt 22:15-21) We are in a political season of great import but also, great tumult and intensity. Political debate is not so much debate as it is an argument. There is, at times, little dignity given to one’s opponent and insult added for good measure. For me, I am sickened by this level of acrimony. And here comes Jesus asking us to differentiate where God is in all this. It is a good question.

Where are we as far as the guidance our faith can offer? What does my Christianity, my Catholicism, call for in this situation? I refuse to fall for the call to hatred of the other that seems to be present. I refuse to see others as enemies or somehow less than full human beings. I want to keep hold of my peace that comes from Christ, my confidence in his Resurrection and Salvation. I must remind myself of his call to love one another, and—amid all the noise—to love God with my mind, heart and strength.

All of this will pass as will the virus. There may be rancor over these divisions that last for a while. The virus may leave its imprint on us for a while. But my faith is my anchor. It is the thing which I must protect and hold onto, no matter the circumstance, no matter the issue, no matter the current state of affairs. My faith is the light that will brighten my way when all this darkness engulfs me. Yes, I will vote, and I will participate in this fragile democracy. I will do my social duty. But I will also not forget the teachings of my Lord, the teachings of my Church, the wisdom of scripture. I will hold onto the stability and dignity of my faith that will, no doubt, still carry me long after November!

Blessings,
Deacon Steve