Parish Bulletin Article: "Petitions": 3-31-19

One of the most common questions that we priests hear is: “How should we pray?”

Earlier this week we heard a great prayer during a daily Mass (Matthew 20:17-28)—a mother who prayed for her two children to Jesus: “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”  Jesus’ responded which I would like to continue in the prayers in my life and yours’: “You do not know what you are asking.”

When I was in kindergarten—five years old!—I definitely had a crush with one of my classmate gals, and I remember praying to God that someday I could marry her. Then when I really could “fall in love” in high school and college, I continued to pray for a future wife, being able to have children and even prayed for these hypothetically children.

When I grew in my prayerful life, I noticed a quick pivot with my prayer, and while I do not remember precisely when my prayer changed, my prayer ended with, “Let your will be done.”  I also began changing my petition, not necessarily to a future wife and kids, but to hypothetically parishioners.

Today, I am a Catholic priest.  I am not married to a woman, and I do not have children, a prayer that I offered for many years.  While I was praying, I, similarly with how Jesus spoke to that mother, “I did not know what I was asking…”  And, as I had been to International Falls only two times in my life before I was ordained and then shipped up for this assignment as a Pastor, I finally met the parishioners that I had prayed for years earlier.

One part of our prayerful life is actually growing, even when we, “…do not know what we are asking.” 

Yes, as Jesus said in another parable that we should ask, seek, and knock, we should always conclude our prayers for God’s will to be done!  As we do have our desires, thoughts, wants, and needs, we must continue to grow in our relationship and conversation with God because He knows you better than you know yourself.  He loves you more than you can love yourself.  He will give you more peace, joyfulness, peacefulness and a mission that will make more sense to you than any of these be done by yourself!

Ask, knock and seek in your prayerful life.  Then humbly and conclude that prayer, “Let your will be done!” and with your faith, you may receive everything beyond your own dreams.

God Bless!      

Be on your guard for our belief!: Thursday, March 28th, 2019 (School Mass)

Listen to the homily here.

Matthew 5:17 and OT and NT connected through Jesus Christ: Wednesday, March 27th, 2019

Listen to the homily here.

The Old to the New within the Annunciation: Monday, March 25th, 2019 (Annunciation)

Listen to the homily here.

Holy Grounds: 3rd Sunday in Lent

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Holy Grounds

·      “When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely,
God called out to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
He answered, “Here I am.”
God said, “Come no nearer!
Remove the sandals from your feet,
for the place where you stand is holy ground.”

I just wrote about our bulletin article for next weekend, about a question that we priests we receive, “How do we pray”

Here is another question, that I receive maybe even more and sometimes it can be funny: how do you dress?

·      Well, I usually chuckle and say something like, “Well, just like everyone else” or “I don’t think I’d ask you the same question!” but it is an interesting question that goes beyond the question itself

Usually, people are curious what a priest wears and are inquisitive

·      For instance, I typically wear black clothes with a collar, an image of Jesus Christ in the darkness of the world

o   This is usually not for me (though it is perfect!), but for Jesus Christ

·      For instance: truck

·      And there are times I am not wearing my clerics, like running, swimming or fishing

Then, you all know that I am wearing some totally different garments, what I consider these within God’s holy grounds: Mass, a baptism, a funeral 

Now I would like to flip this question to you: what do you wear for God’s Holy Grounds?

·      I’d like to be honest with two questions that can be true, but they can also be different for different people

o   Some people have said, “Wear whatever they can”…well, yes. 

o   Sometimes you may be late (like Fr. Blake Rozier who covered me when I was sick wearing shorts, a t-shirt and sandals)

o   Or, people that are poor, or homeless or aren’t clean, of course, welcome them!

o   But never forget, which I would personally believe, let’s wear the best for Sunday

Finally, Ghana Africa, families wearing their best, and walking for miles

·      I think that our culture has lost some of that beauty for God, His grounds

And every time you come to Mass: “the place where you stand is holy ground”

Parish Bulletin Article: "Praying with the Scriptures in Lent": 3-24-19

            As we continue to walk through the season of Lent, my ears and eyes have been pricked by some nourishment through the Scriptures within our daily and weekend Masses.  These readings definitely helped me to bring some of the following verses to pray, imagine and meditate how important it is to soak in the Bible, the “Word” and Jesus Christ.  Here you go!

·      Isaiah 55:10-11 (Which we heard on Tuesday, March 12^thduring our daily Mass)

o   “Thus says the LORD:Just as from the heavensthe rain and snow come downand do not return theretill they have watered the earth,making it fertile and fruitful,giving seed to the one who sowsand bread to the one who eats, so shall my word bethat goes forth from my mouth;  It shall not return to me void,but shall do my will,achieving the end for which I sent it.”

§  Personally, it was PERFECT timing with the snow and rain!  Also, as we live in northern Minnesota, we understand how important water is in our lives, and the lives of our natural ecosystems.  At the same time, Isaiah was prophesying how the “word” (aka, the Scriptures, and a type of Jesus Christ), that came out of God’s “mouth” (again, God’s WORD for our salvation).

·      Esther 14:3-5 (Thursday, March 14^thwithin our daily Mass and our weekly School Mass)

o   “As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathersthat you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you.  Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,O LORD, my God. ‘And now, come to help me, an orphan.’”

§  Personally, I remember as a child listening to the stories of the Scriptures from my parents. As a young child, I will never forget the stories of Zacchaeus, Bartimaeus, Daniel and more!  To this day, I love imagining the events within the Bible.

·      Jeremiah 1:4-9

o   “Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.’  But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a youth”; for to all to whom I send you you shall go, and whatever I command you you shall speak. Be not afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.’  Then the LORD put forth his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.’”

§  Personally, this passage reminds me how important it is to listen and receive God’s word, and how He has called each of us, even the youth!

I definitely recommend praying with the Bible, and soak in the deeper SON with the WORD!

God Bless!

Chilling passage with Lazarus and the rich, as well as the image of a Tree (Jeremiah and the Psalms): Thursday, March 21st, 2019

Listen to the homily here.

How do we pray? Our question or God's Will?: Wednesday, March 20th, 2019

Listen to the homily here.

Questions for our Students and Adults on a Solemnity during Lent: Tuesday, March 18th, 2019 (St. Joseph and School Mass)

Listen to the homily here.

Be merciful, stop judging, stop condemning, forgive: Monday, March 17th, 2019

Listen to the homily here.

Dark Night of the Soul: 2nd Sunday in Lent

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

St. John of the Cross: The Dark Night of the Soul or 

Image of darkness in our spiritual journey

·     Dusk

o  “As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram, 
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.”

o  “Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,”

o  Detachment from our senses, our possessions, our busyness, our hobbies

o  Leave the earthly world, and enter into a spiritual world

·     Midnight

o  St. Theresa of Calcutta, Dark Night for 50 years

o  This is a process in Lent

o  We can be lost spiritually

§ Where do I go without my media?  Screen time? Hobbies?

o  Right when I am about ready to fall asleep

·     Dawn

o  When we grow to our relationship with God, with Jesus

o  “…but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.”

This is one way to consider your spiritual journey that is not perfect…and we may consider it well for a forward, backward, falling on the ground

Our full process is the direction we should go towards, God

·     Detach yourself from stuff

·     Trust, with faith, in “darkness” in the world

·     And prepare yourself for the light of God for all eternity

Parish Bulletin Article: "Some Hilarity in God's Country": 3-17-18

Through over the last month or so, I have continued to watch a 15-second clip of a weatherman from Arizona dishing out to International Falls four years ago, and I have been laughing over and over and over.  I share this, not being angry or frustrated, but with some hilarity and levity to make some fun with our Icebox, and allow some perspectives from our lifestyle.

Quote (as the weather channel showed cities around the country): “It’s fifteen below in International Falls…why don’t they just abandon that town?  What is the purpose of it?!  Do we need a neon sign that says, ‘Get out!’?!  I don’t; I don’t get it.”  

I hope part of this article adds a bit of humor as many of us are ready for spring, but we can still stand and be proud of God’s country (and add some chuckling with other people around our country). 

I think this clip was hilarious.  The man’s quick litany of questions for life, questioning why people live towards the end of the world, why there was a purpose for someone living (*ahem) “15 below” (which isn’t even close to our record, 55 below zero on January 6th, 1909), let alone the wind chill! 

Also, as many of you have learned my “bloodhound” type of personality, my neurons were fired on with many questions about weather in other places in our country. Let's start, for instance, Phoenix, Arizona.  Does our friend lives in a house with an airconditioner 24/7/365 when its record is 122 degrees?  Were the schools in Pheonix closed on February 2nd, 1939 with 0.4inches of snow? Or, what did happen with that city for Groundhog Day with that chilling snowy day within our history? (https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/06/26/5-extreme-phoenix-weather-days/11432009/) 

Consider natural disasters with tornados, hurricanes or cities below the sea level (aka New Orleans), or even states that could be drifted away from our continent, let alone creatures like poisonous snakes, alligators or tarantula spiders!  

Finally, I am curious about that neon sign with “Get out!”—Would anyone living in “Minnesota nice” write something like that?  Or, could that neon sign even survive through a frozen night in northern Minnesota (as the official thermometer in Embarrass was broken on January 20th, 1996 as Tower took over the record, 60 below zero, [https://blogs.mprnews.org/newscut/2018/04/the-keeper-of-the-embarrass-minn-thermometer-retires/])?

Anyhoo, on forward brothers and sisters in Northern Minnesota—God’s country!—especially as our calendar is moving forward (already into mid-March), and so is Lent!

God Bless!

Stories from our parents, and from our Scriptures: Thursday, March 14th, 2019 (School Mass)

Listen to the homily here.

How do we respond like the Ninevites?: Wednesday, March 13th, 2019

Listen to the homily here.

Perfect Prophesy from Isaiah for Northern Minnesota...snow and rain!: Tuesday, March 12th, 2019

Listen to the homily here.

The Golden Law and Serving the Poor: Monday, March 11th, 2019

Listen to the homily here.

"The WORD is near you, in your mouth and in your heart": 1st Sunday of Lent

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

"The priest shall receive the basket from you 
and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God.”

Almsgiving:

·     Money or food to the poor

·     St. John Vianney: I give all my money to the poor and God’s Church

Let’s go with Mass to start

·     Bread, wine and water

·     In our culture, and other cultures

Then, what about your budget?

·     Tithes, several times in the Old Testament = 10%

·     Can you give that?

·     If not, how can your budget grow via almsgivings, via serving the poor

Finally, some practical support for Lent:

·     Supporting:

o  Food Shelf

o  Operation Rice Bowl

o  Salvation Army

o  Budget: Historical debt for our UCA

o  Roof which is leaking

o  Students and families for our school, teachers

Thursday after Ash Wednesday as Lent begins: Thursday, March 7th, 2019

Listen to the homily here.

Ash Wednesday

Listen to the homily here.

Images in Sirach: Tuesday, March 5th, 2019

Listen to the homily here.

"To the penitent God provides a way back, he encourages those who are losing hope and has chosen for them the lot of truth" (Sirach 17): Monday, March 4th, 2019

Listen to the homily here.

Prep Talk for Lent: 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

This weekend I would like to offer a prep talk for Lent

·     Like sports, fishing, music, singing, a new job, a new baby and more, and I believe we need to do similarly as the seasons come up in our Church’s year

·     Today I would like to share some of my experiences, some invitations, and some challenges for your spiritual journey throughout Lent

First, we have a few days before Ash Wednesday, and it is a great time to begin your ideas, goals and prayerfulness, so you are ready for the starting line

·     Personally, I typically discern about my body, my mind and my soul

·     What can I change to offer my body to God, as I, and you, are really temples of the Holy Spirit?

·     Where should I look for my mind in a world fill of screen time, media, busyness? How can I use more time to God that has given me, and you a brain!

·     Finally, how can I grow in my spiritual journey?

Second, please keep your goals and offerings without telling the whole world!

·      I love Matthew 6:3 which we’ll probably hear next weekend: 

o   “[But] take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. 2When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, 4so that your almsgiving may be secret.”

·      Yes, it may be good to speak with your spouse, kids or a small circle of your best friends to receive encouragement, or countability, but not with the whole world (as that could actually be pride)

Third, I personally can’t stand what typically happens on Tuesday

·      Once again, this is not something to say “yes” or “no” to you, but as before I loved “Fat Tuesday” or Marti Gras 

·      After many years, I realized, should I stuff my stomach (which is actually one of the seven deadly sins called gluttony) to prep for Lent?  Or wake up with a headache (which is beyond enjoying beverages, and could also be called drunkenness, another sin)

·      Over many years, I have tried to change my preparation for Lent, and I hope you can as well

·      For instance, when I prep for a race, a marathon or a triathlon, I must use the right liquids, the right calories and the right balance…this has helped me to move that from my physical world to my spiritual journey

Thus, on Tuesday we will be offering a cool opportunity for all of our parishioners, students, parents and employees beyond “Fat Tuesday”

·      Right after Mass on Tuesday, we will be burning the palms as a family

·      We will then keep them cool

·      After our students lunch and outside, we will have a tray, a sieve/colander and spoons to teach our students (and you!) as we continue to learn where we receive the ashes that would take place on Ash Wednesday

·      And it was pretty cool to listen to our first reading and the responsorial psalm with both the words and phrases: “When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear…” and “The just one shall flourish like the palm tree…”

On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday we are to abstinent (no meat) as well as fasting (two small meals, one normal meal, and no snacks)

I challenge and invite our family with two goals for all of us

·      Please one of our powerful experiences that we will offer to you: like visit on Sunday evenings to watch the Pivotal Players, read a book that you will receive during our 40 hours, spent an hour with Jesus in Adoration, enjoy a trip to Duluth for Chrism Mass, and keep our goals to yourself

Finally, do know that Sunday is technically not Lent, as it is the Lord’s day every day.

Let’s prep for Lent as we prepare for this marathon season!