Angels on the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael: Thursday, September 29th, 2016 (School Mass)

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Archangels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael

What is an angel?

·      A messenger

·      A spirit

Are we angels?

·      Actually, no!

·      We have a body and a soul (spiritually)

·      Frog

·      Angels are soul, spiritually

·      Bird

Here is a prayer that many of you know already

·      Angel of God, my guardian Dear

·      Angel of God, my guardian dear, To whom God's love commits me here, Ever this day be at my side, To light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

"Homeless Jesus": Wednesday, September 27th, 2016

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

In 2013, Pope Francis prays at a model of the Homeless Jesus sculpture in St. Peter's Square.

“the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

Jesus did not have a house…a bed…many of our brothers and sisters today do not have the same

As we spoke about the poor this weekend, how can we pray to continue to serve the homeless?

Motto for Jesus' Mission?: Tuesday, September 27th, 2016

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Through marketing and advertisement, I am learning about a slogan or motto

·      St. Thomas Aquinas Saints

·      Aquinas Café

Pope Francis

·      Motto and Coat of Arms: “To be shown mercy and chosen”

Bishop Paul Sirba

·      Coat of Arms: “Your will be done”

One of my favorite “slogan” of Jesus is in Luke

·      “When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem…”

·      7 words…know it, memorize it

What do you hear for Jesus’ “slogan”

How about you following Jesus?

Read the book of Job: Monday, September 26th, 2016

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

The book of Job

·      One of the oldest books

·      Great reading for suffering

Narrative between God and Satan or adversary

·      The first conversation

·      “Is it for nothing that Job is God-fearing?...But now put forth your hand and touch anything that he has, and surely he will blaspheme you to your face.”

The first challenge for Job

·      1.) Sabeans steal oxen and ass

·      2.) Lightning kill sheep

·      3.) Chaldeans steal the camels

·      4.) His children died

“Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I go back again.  The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!”

"One More" to serve the poor: 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

2016 is a big year for our country

·      A big year for voting

o   Next president

o   Senates, Congressman

o   Our community

·      There is some big issues

o   Poor

o   Racism

o   ISIS

o   Military…on and on and on

o   As I try to pray, discern our faith as well as our country I just listened and read about some awesome ideas in our country

Benjamin Watson a professional athlete in the NFL at the Baltimore Ravens team

·      And he spoke about a great thought:

o   “Obama can’t save us.  Ms. Clinton can’t save us.  Mr. Trump can’t save us.  The only one Who can save the heart of man is the Lord.”

o   And this was cool in our national media

·      And he does this to serve the poor

Like I have said several times already, the Bible teaches us about the poor against those who do not serve the poor

·      It is everywhere in the Bible

o   Today the focus is on the rich that do not help the poor

·      Amos

o   “Woe to the complacent in Zion!  Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches, they eat lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall!”

o   “Therefore, now they shall be the first to go into exile, and their wanton revelry shall be done away with.”

o   Wow

·      Luke 16

o   “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day.  And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table.”

o   “When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.  The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment…”

o   Wow

Back to Benjamin Watson

·      I was inspired by his mission: “One More”

o   Gifts, yes

o   Other ways, yes

·      His mission is to serve one person everyday

This is one of many ways to serve the poor

Today: through one mission: “One More” can you serve one person each day?

Parish Bulletin Article: Ringing the Bells: 9-25-16

            I am proud and I am excited to fix the bell in our steeple!

            I just spoke with your last pastor, Fr. Kris McKusky and I asked him a question: “When did the bell stop working?”  It turns out that the bell system got quirky with the timing.  This occurred at the very end he served at St. Thomas Aquinas and right before I entered.  Since then, we didn’t use the bell on a system; in a couple of occasions we used it manually.

            Now we are practicing how the older system could work and eventually buy a system through an electronic and technological system to use this beautiful gift.

Thank you for several parishioners who are studying, testing and offering time and talent for this opportunity for our Church and community.  Thank you also to the Knights who just added “Breakfast for the Bells” on the last Sunday of several months.  Any donations from our parishioners, brothers, sisters and families in our community can assist this process.  We can also have an awesome brunch!

Bells have a rich history in our Catholic Church.  They can be used either in the steeple, musical choirs or those used for Mass (ex. right after the consecration of Jesus’ Body and Blood).  They offer another sense to grow praying and worship through hearing their musical art.

Next week I will share another connection between our bell and a prayer called The Angelus Prayer.

            In the meantime, please continue to pray for this beautiful art to serve us!

            God Bless!

This is God's house: Thursday, September 22nd, 2016 (School Mass)

Listen to the homily here.

St. Matthew who was a sinner: Wednesday, September 21st, 2016

This is the first time that I wrote my homily on my blog!  This writing helps me to learn again how to write well.  This recommendation was from my speech therapist and I will strive to add homilies as I continue to grow.  (Thank you for Sarah Monahan SLP-CCC at Rainy Lake Medical Center).          

             It is a great feast for St. Matthew today.  Matthew was one of the twelve apostles for Jesus Christ.  He was one of the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  He was one in our first group of martyrs. 

            This morning, we listened how St. Mathew wrote about himself.  “As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.  He said to him, ‘Follow me.’  And he got up and followed him.”

            I wonder what Matthew was thinking about when Jesus met him.  What he recorded was a simple conversation—“Follow me…he got up and followed him”—while Matthew might have had many thoughts, or simply one.

            I spoke recently about Jesus’ relationship with sinful brothers and sisters; he always visited the sinners.  Matthew was not only a sinner but also a tax collector.  These men were brutal to the Israelites, as they stole money for themselves, lied, collected the taxes and were crooked.  Yet Jesus went to Matthew’s house!

            Matthew continued to write his experience: “The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’”  Jesus’ answer: “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.  Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice.  I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

            The readings today came from the lectionary through the feast of St. Matthew.  St. Paul wrote a similar line from Jesus: “But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”  Jesus calls whom he wants to call.  These sinners followed him and continue to today.

            Paul continues in his writing to the Ephesians: “And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ…”  Matthew was an apostle and an evangelist.

            Jesus calls each of us for a mission.  Perhaps this means apostles, prophets, pastors or teachers.  Perhaps it is what we are called today as families, parents, employees or volunteers.

            Jesus began with a few apostles and disciples.  St. Matthew changed as a sinner and tax-collector to an apostle, the writer of the Gospel through Matthew, which our world reads to this day.  Now we have 1.2 billion brothers and sisters around the world.

            How has Jesus called you to follow him?  What must you leave behind?  What is your mission?  Today, continue to follow our savior, especially like the life and vocation from St. Matthew.

Listen to the homily here.

Proverbs: Tuesday, September 20th, 2016

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Proverbs: Wisdom books in the OT

Proverb = “collections of sayings”… A proverb is a simple maxim that can be easily memorized to enhance learning for wisdom

“All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes,

but it is the LORD who proves hearts.”

“To do what is right and just

is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.”

“He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor

will himself also call and not be heard.”

Check out the book of Proverbs

Show the Light of Jesus Christ: Monday, September 19th, 2016

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

The Easter Candle on the Easter Vigil

·      One candle in darkness

·      Then the servers

·      Then parishioners

“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.”

We must have confidence to show the light of Jesus Christ everywhere

·      Grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, hospital, clinics, events

·      Do not hide your light under a bed or covered

·      Do not keep it “private”

·      Bring it out to the world!

“For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.”

Attention for our Body and Soul: 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Here are some attentions in our lives

·      Some are normal

o   The alarm clock in the morning

o   A yellow light as driving

o   A menu

·      Some are exciting

o   The National Anthem

o   The starting gun or horn in a race

o    Dropping the puck to begin a game

·      Some are annoying

o   Warning lights in our vehicle

o   A cough or sneezing

o   A flight tire

·      Some shake our lives

o   A heart attack

o   Cancer

o   Mental illness

o   Rock bottom of alcoholism or drugs

o   Injures of our bones, joints or brain

What about these attentions in our lives?

·      Both our bodies and souls can be waken up

·      We are, as C.S. Lewis called us humans as “amphibians”

·      We are both body and soul

·      We live in the material world and spiritual world

·      And sometimes, some times, attentions give us body and soul

Our bodies were need big decisions

·      A doctor

·      A psychology

·      A counselor

·      A program

·      Medicine

·      God gives us gifts for our body

How about our soul?

·      Matthew 16:26: “For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?”

o   Family, profits, fame, power…but our soul?

·      Our soul contacts us to God

·      Our soul contacts us to the spiritual life

·      Our soul gets us in shape for the dimension life

·      We must act and move

Listen to St. Paul to his first letter to St. Timothy (a young disciple/priest)

·      “Beloved: First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.  This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God.  There is also one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all.”

Pray with Matthew 16:26 and the 1^st Timothy 2:1-8 for your soul

Act, move and grow for your soul…your spiritual life