Tuesday, August 29, 2017

St. John the Baptist's teaching and death against evilness: Tuesday, August 29th, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

John the Baptist

"It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

“Herodias' own daughter came in
and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.”

She went out and said to her mother,
"What shall I ask for?"
She replied, "The head of John the Baptist."

John the Baptist was beheaded

Herodias received his head on a platter.  Herod, while he was distressed and perplexed by the man, John the Baptist was executed


And then Jesus Christ, not only died, he rose from the dead!

The rock in Caesarea Philippi vs. the rock of our Catholic Church: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

In 2011 my seminary class was able to go to the Holy Land
·      Caesarea Philippi
·      It was powerful
·      I looked up and down a massive rock structure—100 feet high and 500 feet wide
·      We were also taught about four historical facts on this rock
First
·      The bottom opened a cave
·      This area was a place to worship Pan—a god Greek mythology
·      Also a place between earth and hell
Second
·      In the Jewish family, they did not go to this rock
·      Polytheism with many gods
·      Atrocities, evil, prostitution for worship
Third
·      The Romans took over this rock
·      They put up an idol statue for one of the emperors and it was called “the son of God”
Then Jesus brought his disciples
·      "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 
o   Pan?  Emperor?
o   Nope…they guessed John the Baptist…Elijah…Jeremiah…prophet
·      They were on track
·      Then Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 
o   This was the God!
·      Jesus answered, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.  And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.  I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.  Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
o   The real God
o   Peter = rock = were the Church would be built
o   The keys to the kingdom goes to Peter, not “gods” who persecute humans or care for humans
o   Jesus Christ called Peter and his church with power between us and God
At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus brought them to face evil, to destroy evil, to show the power of God and gave it to our Church




Caesarea Philippi
·      Rock
·       In the Gospel, Jesus takes his disciples to Caesarea Philippi and Peter utters his famous proclamation: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus then gives Peter his name (until this point he was referred to as Simon) which actually means rock and gives him the keys of heaven and earth.  This whole sequence took place beside a massive rock structure—100 feet high and 500 feet wide.  (No, Fr. Rich, this is not a monadnock).  Jesus uses this tangible image of strength and endurance to show how His Church would be established on Peter, the rock.
·       
Isaiah:
·      “I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim's shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut
when he shuts, no one shall open.
I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot,
to be a place of honor for his family."
Gospel: Matthew 16
·      dkd
The “gods”
·      Pan = a god controlling hell and earth
·      The community was filled with atrocities and Jews would not go to it
·      Jesus did…face to face with evil
·      And starting our church on the rock of Peter


Parish Bulletin Article: "Parents and 168 Hours a Week": 8-27-17

            Here are some thoughts for parents in our parishes.
            As our students begin the new school year, I am always proud and grateful for you great Moms and Dads.  You brought life into the world.  You raise up your children.  You feed them, shelter them, protect them and provide them in their lives.  Your work offers your, and our, generation in our community, our towns, our schools, our state, our country and even our Church.
            As you parents offer a ton of work to lead your kids in life, know that we at St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Columban support both you and them in our spiritual lives.
            Here are two questions for you parents.  First, while I am curious (as I am not a Dad), this might be an interesting discernment for your mission.  The question is: how much time do your children experience in their life?  (Education?  Homework?  Health?  Sports?  Hobbies?  Television?  Social media?  Friendships? etc.).   
Second, how much time will you and your children experience this year with God?  (Baptism?  Confession?  Mass?  Confirmation?  Prayer?  Faith formation?  Personal, public, parish and Diocesan education?).
I have mentioned before that we have 168 hours in a week.  I hope that we can all come to Mass each week as this is 0.59% of a week that will change you and your children’s’ lives.  Also, Sabrina Ettiene, myself and volunteers will always serve to sustain your family through faith formation. 
Please check out the bulletins, letters and conversations as some new information will becoming out soon as this is also a new year for our Catholic love, mercy, compassion and education in our parishes.
God Bless!


"Come here and see...": Thursday, August 24th, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

“The angel spoke to me, saying,
"Come here.
I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."”

Jesus said to Bartholomew: “And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

We too are called from God, “Come here…see”


Awards?: Wednesday, August 23rd, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Awards
·      The two sides of the coin
·      Championships
o   Superbowl, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup, World Series
o   The winner (which sometimes can look like the golden calf)
·      On the other side, sometimes our culture says, “Everyone wins”
o   Participation ribbons
Gospel today with something was the same for each person
·      The payment after their work, each were there for different times
·      With the same money
Our Catholic Church believes this!


Jesus frequently teaches about money: Tuesday, August 22nd, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

"Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.

Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God."
·      Needle as a small opening to protect your life, possessions as a camel backed up into it

"For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible."


And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.

God tells us to worship to Him and to serve the poor: Monday, August 21st, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

God and service

Judges
·      “The children of Israel offended the LORD by serving the Baals.”
·      Idolatry
·      What passes God in our daily life?

“Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me."”



How our family grew through the Bible: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

This weekend I would like to explain how God’s family grew through the Bible
·      One of a great teacher, speaker and writer that I have learned from is Jeff Cavins
·      The Great Adventure: A Journey in the Bible
Through his adventure in the Bible I enjoyed a key to learn our family and God’s mission
·      Adam and Eve: one holy couple
·      Noah: one holy family
·      Abraham: one holy tribe
·      Moses: one holy nation
·      David: one holy kingdom
·      Jesus Christ: one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church
For instance:
·      Isaiah:
o   The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
ministering to him,
loving the name of the LORD…”
o   People joining the Jewish family
·      Responsorial: Psalm 67
o   O God, let all the nations praise you!”
o   Nations that God is finding
·      St. Paul in Romans 11
o   I am speaking to you Gentiles.”
§  Gentiles were anyone that was not Jewish
§  The door was opened to many, many people!
·      Jesus speaking with a Canaanite women (not Jewish)
o   A test, not a chastening or punishment for this woman
o   "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, "Lord, help me." 
o   “O woman, great is your faith! 
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
·      Then Jesus opened the gates for all people when he died on the cross
How should our families grow?
·      Your family, your parish family, your diocesan family, your Catholic family (1.2 billion) around the world…different places, culture
·      We should also never be racist or judgmental

As God grew His family, we must serve, invite and welcome God’s family like a kingdom on earth to be prepared for His family in heaven

Parish Bulletin Article: "Serve": 8-20-17


This last weekend we had a fun event in our community: the Backus Community Center Rainy Lake Triathlon. This race occurs with a swim (.25m), a bike (11m) and a run (5K) and it can be attempted as an individual or with a team. I love exercising, competition, and races, but I mention this triathlon as a demonstration of one of our many relationships with our neighbors. The Rainy Lake Triathlon was supported by organizers, volunteers, and participants, several of which are both involved with Backus and our parishes. It was exciting to look around during the event and see so many familiar faces from our parishes.
Additionally, a few articles ago, Backus wrote a cool letter in the Journal thanking us for a $1,000 gift for the Community Café. This was a result of the funds raised from our churches for Operation Rice Bowl last Lent. Brothers and sisters in our parishes and those who serve the Backus community worked together to support our community.
As I continue to serve our parishes and our community, I am inspired by how many parishioners have worked in both our parishes and the Backus Community Center.
Thank you, brothers and sisters, for your passion to serve in multiple capacities for the betterment of our communities and our county.
I am also proud of so many parishioners who work with Backus. What an amazing team and beautiful neighbors!
God Bless! 

How awesome our Bible is!: Thursday, August 17th, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

How do we forgive in our parishes?: Wednesday, August 16th, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

The Assumption of Mother Mary: Dogma and Relics: Tuesday, August 15th, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

St. Maximilian Kolbe gave his disciples like Jesus did: Monday, August 14th, 2017

Listen to the homily here.


Monday, August 21, 2017

Listen and see God: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Parish Bulletin Article: "Two Cool Prospects: 8-13-17

            We have two cool prospects in the next month or so.
            First, I am excited to watch the process for our next directory.  If you have not signed for your photos yet, please do so.  Each family or individual will receive a free directory and an 8x10 photo.  The more parishioners, the more depths of our family and it will be cool to see the final product for each of us.
            Second, we are also discerning a type of mission during mid-September.  At now we are organizing for a picnic at St. Thomas Aquinas and will be inviting all of our parishioners.  (Please pencil Sunday, September 10th as we are confirming this date with several of our groups).
            We will also listen, focus and serve, as Nic Davidson will be speaking to us on Wednesday, September 13th.  The two weekends—both before and after Nic’s talk—will help us to encourage each other to work together for our parishes and grounds, grow in relationships and fellowship and grow in faith. 
            The goal is to produce joy, fruit and service to the gifts that God has given us.
            As one idiom said, “Many hands make light work.”  I believe that we can support our parishes as a family, our own time, talents and treasure and growth in both our individual and communal spiritual lives.
            Keep your eyes on the bulletins and your ears to more information for a cool mission together!

            God Bless!

John 12:24 and St. Lawrence: Thursday, August 10th, 2017 (St. Lawrence)

Listen to the homily here.

Do the job that you are called to do: Tuesday, August 8th, 2017

Listen to the homily here.


Moses and Jesus: Monday, August 7th, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Moses
·      "Why do you treat your servant so badly?"  Moses asked the LORD.  "Why are you so displeased with me
that you burden me with all this people?
Jesus
·      “When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.”
·      "This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves."
He said to them, "There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves."
·      “…he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples…”


Transfiguration: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
·      Egg on the leaf
·      One apple
·      Two pears
·      Three plums
·      Four strawberries
·      Five oranges
·      One piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake and one slice of watermelon
·      One green leaf
·      Not hungry
·      Cocoon
·      Spoil alert!  It became a butterfly
Metamorphosis: a change from one nature into a totally different one
·      And the same word in English?
·      Transfiguration
Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, 
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them; 
his face shone like the sun 
and his clothes became white as light.”
·      Jesus Christ was like us as a human, but also as God
·      One analogy is that Jesus was like us like caterpillar…but he is also God
And are we not hungry?
·      Physically and spiritually
·      And we must eat! 
o   We are fed spiritually with Baptism
o   We are nourished with confession
o   We received Jesus’ Body and Blood in Eucharist
o   We are strengthened by Confirmation
o   We are encouraged with holy Marriage or the ordination
o   We are give confidence with Anointing of the Sick
And we can be transfigured—changed—to a different life in heaven—saints
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.”