Thursday, August 18, 2016

God's Adventure Story: Thursday, August 18th, 2016

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

God’s story
“…the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD, when in their sight I prove my holiness through you.  For I will take you away from among the nations, gather you from all the foreign lands…”

“I will sprinkle clean water upon you”
·      Purify idols, sins, vices
·      Baptism, forgiveness

I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins.

The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.
·      King (Father) with His Son (Jesus)
·      Many chose not to go to the Feast (Heaven)
·      Others beat the kings servants (Apostles, disciples, persecution)
·      The king asked for the good or bad
·      One individual with totally different

That is a quick story from God with a tiny percentage of the Bible

·      That’s how deep His Word is

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Jesus teaching about money and sheep: Wednesday, August 17th, 2016

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Awesome parable which I think about our Catholic family
·      Some come in born, others in high school, as adults, at the end of life
·      The goal is the same for each of us…saints

‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?’

“For thus says the Lord GOD:
I myself will look after and tend my sheep.”

Who are the lost sheep that Jesus is seeking today?  I do not know this answer, but here is my imagination
·      Who are Catholics that we can’t stand?
·      How about “sinners worse than me”
·      Politicians that “our country is going to hell” by x or y?
o   By the way…look at the plank in your own eye
·      ISIS?
o   St. Paul helped destroy Stephen’s life and many families
·      Jesus always went to the sinners…not the perfect
·      Jesus forgave sins and asked people “sin with no more”

·      How do we assist Jesus with this?

All things are possible with God: Tuesday, August 16th, 2016

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

“For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible…”

Jesus was teaching what we can do versus what his Father can do

I mean, God is: omnipotent (powerful), omnipresent (everywhere), omniscient (knows everything)

We are weak, we are in one place in time, our brains/thoughts are darkened
            Like a Psalm verse said, we are worms compared to God


That’s why we seek God for his extraordinary gifts, love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, savior

Joy in Mother Mary: Monday, August 15th, 2016 (Assumption)

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.”

Joy from Mother Mary:
·      Visiting Elizabeth
·      “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.”

Joy is deeper than the surface
·      Joy can even be with challenges
·      For instance: parishioner getting ready for his funeral


Let us continue to ask Mother Mary for our prayers—good or bad, healthy or sick, rich or poor

God is the BEST even if life is tough: 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Last weekend I shared about faith after my stroke last year
·      I offered a few ways to grow in faith:
o   Praying
o   Bible
o   Sacraments
Here is another way to share some random thoughts of my experience last year…the race from this morning makes this my “year”
·      Last year I left the race, felt worse and worse, went to the hospital, went to the helicopter, went to surgery and had a vacation
·      Today I feel great, no hospital, no helicopter, no surgery, but I continue to work
·      Last year I could not go to Mass with you…you prayed the rosary and Fr. Nick Nelson offered you for Mass
·      Today I come to our family and our house to walk with the Word, Body and Blood
·      Last year I missed Sunday as well
·      Today I am blessed to walk again
Brothers and sisters…God is the BEST
God is the BEST…even if life is challenging places
·      I continue to walk in my life
o   Surgery, PT, OT, Speech Therapy
o   It felt like I was born again in the level of speaking…days, weeks, months and I still use speech therapy to continue to learn writing, speaking, reading etc.
·      Each of us know tough stuff, either for someone, yourself, your family
o   Injuries, surgeries, mental illness, drugs, alcoholism, pornography, abuse, poverty, homeless
o   Life is tough
·      But God is the BEST
Two readings today for tough stuff:
·      Jeremiah was put in a well: “There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.”
·      Jesus said, “From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three…”
·      But God is the BEST
Listen to our other readings…these our powerful words for us when we have tough times:
·      Jeremiah 38: some that we heard and some which were glossed over:
o   Ebed-melech went there from the palace and said to him, ‘My lord king, these men have been at fault in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah, casting him into the cistern. He will die of famine on the spot, for there is no more food in the city.”
o   Here is how Ebed-melech added: “[he] took the men along with him, and went first to the linen closet in the palace, from which he took some old, tattered rags…Then he said to Jeremiah, “Put the old, tattered rags between your armpits and the ropes.”
§  That is service…a friend!  Not just doing something, but do it well
o   Responsorial—Psalm 40: “Lord, come to my aid!”
§  Pray this one during bad times
o   Hebrew 12:1: “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.”
Brothers and sisters…God is the BEST
My prayer is that you grow in love with God, with prayer, with your family, with your friends, with our saints
·      And do this for other people!
·      Our prayer, our Bible, our sacraments, our family, our friends, our saints will walk with you in all of the junk!
·      I know all of these have been done to me.
It will do the same to you

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Parish Article: All Class Reunion: 8-14-16

Praise God for the fifth All Class Reunion in International Falls! 

Welcome home to many people and those who live in “God’s country”. 

I did not grow up in this area; I went to school for K-12 in McGregor, Minnesota.  (Go Mercs!)  This was the only school in town and my Mom and Dad were both teachers in health and physical education.  I was also taught from my parents both at home and in school.  They were awesome teachers.  (And yes, my Dad was my driving teacher and my Mom taught my 8th grade with “Values and Choices”…you can figure out what class that was!).  

I had some tremendous teachers, coaches and employees in McGregor and I still remember them in my life.  I guess that as you gather, you may do the same.

This weekend I would like to say “thank you” to all teachers, coaches and employees at Falls School during this cool reunion.  
I also say the same to our other schools in the area: St. Thomas Aquinas, Indus, Littlefork/Bigfalls and home schools.  (By the way, did you know that we have parishioners that work in each school in this area?).   

Thank you for a vocation—a call—for children in education. 
Education is an important issue for students as they grow up as kids to adolescents to young men and women.  These students are our next generation as citizens in our community, towns and cities in Minnesota, our country and around the world.  I hope that these students can learn from Jesus Christ, their parents and their teachers.  

I hope that this weekend is a blessing opportunity to renew families, friends and relationships in this town.  As brothers and sisters in our Catholic family, let us pray for these students.  Let us work together.  Let us continue to discern the ways we can support this community and area, especially for our students.
Know of my prayers during this great weekend for many of you.


God Bless!

Friday, August 12, 2016

101 Bible Class: Thursday, August 11th, 2016

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Forgiveness
·      “Faith, forgiveness, persistence, Jesus”
·      Well, here is forgiveness
You have probably heard this several times
·      Peter: Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?  As many as seven times?  Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” 
·      Forgiveness of the master to the one who had a huge debt
·      This man did not forgive a debt to him
Classic 101 levels of our Bible
·      Literary
o   Narrative of Peter and Jesus
o   A parable of Jesus to teach Peter
o   Debt, money, master, servers
·      Spiritually
o   Forgiveness
o   Compassion

o   In our soul, how do we forgive others when we receive what we have from God

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

"...turn and become like children": Tuesday, August 9th, 2016

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

JP
·      “Mass”
·      Bow
·      “Through my faults, through my faults, through my faults”
·      Kiss the Gospel
·      Peace
·      Blessing

“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.  Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.  And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.  “See that you do not despise one of these little ones…”

Some ways we must be like children:
·      1.)  Our stuff is not our stuff…it is God’s
o   Like a child, we must follow God, not ourselves, to learn what we need versus what we want
·      2.)  Their world is innocent
o   Who have better thoughts?
o   Kids playing with sticks or adults watching TV?
·      3.)  Eating
o   Children must be taught by their parents to eat well

o   Do adults eat well?

Bishop Barron's 4 ways to Pray: Monday, August 8th, 2016

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Bishop Barron’s homily
·      4 ways to pray
o   Faith
o   Forgiveness
o   Persistent

o   The name of Jesus

Faith through a stroke story: 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

This weekend I would like to share two things: faith and my experience of faith after one year of my stroke
·      One year…praise God
·      I still remember an idea from a deacon that visited here: “Your parish love you, and you love them…and together you walk to Jesus”
o   That is a family in our Catholic Church
o   That is what I would like to speak about today
A great verse in Hebrew today:
·      “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen…”
o   Faith = realization…believing…see through our spiritual lives
Faith during this year?
·      Praying
o   In my own heart without words
o   With parishioners here…around our diocese…our state…our country…in the world
o   Faith grows for many people that work together for each member
o   “what is hoped…evidence of things not seen…” to serve
o   Liturgy of the Hours
§  Again, people read it to me…priests, parents, friends, nurses!
o   Rosary
§  A priest prayed it with me because I did not know the prayers “Our Father” or “Hail Mary”
·      Bible
o   Within a few days, I pointed my Mother through the 73 books in the Bible…I started in Genesis, pointed to it and went to Exodus
o   I didn’t know the words or names
o   CD on the Bible
o   Listening from someone reading it to me
o   Beginning to read
·      Sacraments
o   Anointing of the Sick
§  Wasn’t awake for it
§  Anointing on the back of my hands…our hands were ordained on my palms
o   Eucharistic Body
§  Day #6
o   Mass on day #7
§  Fr. Rich told me, “You are a priest, and you will put on your stole on concelebrate Mass”
§  And I didn’t know the words!
o   Confession
§  I couldn’t even say the whole words for my sins!
Your faith must be important…your faith must be important
·      Please…grow in your prayer…in the Bible…in the sacraments of the Body and Blood and confession
·      I share this as my family
·      I share this as a gift that came from God to us which I believe calls us to serve our parishes, our school, our diocese, the poor and the sick

Praise God in this last year…very weird, scary but also awesome, powerful, relationships and FAITH