A covenant between God and Abraham: Wednesday, June 28th, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Covenant from God to Abram

·      Abram was asking for a child

·      God said, “"No, that one shall not be your heir;
your own issue shall be your heir."
He took him outside and said:
"Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.”  Just so," he added, "shall your descendants be."

·      When the sun had set and it was dark,

·      It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram

Covenant = a promise (oath) between two parties

Gifts to find the narrow gate: Tuesday, June 27th, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Readings have been focusing to Abram (Abraham) in Genesis and the Sermon on the Mount

"Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,
and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few."

·      Maps, directions, GPS

Mass, Bible, Prayer

Why do we treat others worse than we want to be treated?: Monday, June 26th, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Gossip, forgiveness, judging

"Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”

Wooden beam vs. the splinter in your brothers eye

Face what you fear: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Our readings this weekend have a wide theme: fear

Today, it is important to face your fears

·      Here is one of mine when I was a young child

o   We lived in a house kitty corner McGregor school

o   I used to play at the playground

o   Sometimes there was a dog and I sprinted back to our house and shut the fence door to beat it

o   One time I did not

o   I remember being tackled by this dog and then dogs feared me!

·      What is your fear?

o   Bats?  Snakes?  Robbers?  Death?  Public speaking? 

§  Sins: addiction, pornography, stealing

§  Anxiety, depression, suicide, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia

Three thoughts this weekend

·      First: our mind

o   Not a psychologist!

o   There are 20 million people in our country that have social anxiety

o   Please check out the gifts that God has given for our mind, counseling, therapists or even medicine

·      Second: God Himself

o   Listen again some great verses in your back pocket

o   Jeremiah: “But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion…”

o   Jesus Christ: "Fear no one.”

o   Jesus Christ: “So do not be afraid;”

o   God said and continues to say to you these words!

·      Spiritually

o   “What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;”

o   Pray to God for your fear

o   Do not keep what scares you: your loved ones, friends, teammates

o   Bring your soul to the light: Mass, prayer, Confession, Eucharistic Adoration

2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

·      And to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated.  Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me; but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Parish Bulletin Article: "New Directory!": 6-25-17

            In six weeks we will be having a cool process: a new parish directory! 

            I love looking through the two directories that I have.  One is from St. Thomas Aquinas in 1988 and another with both STA and St. Columban in 2005.  While I enjoy seeing how families grow through decades in our history, it also helps me, and you, to remember names, phone numbers and relationships for today.

            During my first semester in seminary, we new members literally had a test.  In our largest room, we “freshman” sat at the tables with a paper and a pencil.  Everyone else stood around the room.  With 15-20 seconds, our rector pointed to each seminarian as he raised his hand.  We had to write each name and diocese. 

This was one of the best tests that I had in seminary.  It showed how important it is to meet people, converse with them and memorize their name.  Our names are powerful and a new directory could support our relationships with each other.

            Now don’t worry—we will not have a test here.  At the same time, I still recall this test in the seminary and our directories help me as your pastor. 

And I believe that this new directory could support the relationships between our brothers, sisters and families. 

            While we will share more details in the future, I do know four points for this process: it will be led by a Lifetouch directory business; our photos will take place between August 21^st-30^th; these pictures will take place in the Aquinas Hall at St. Thomas Aquinas; the directory itself is FREE.

            Please read the bulletin to receive the information on the way for a cool gift!

            God Bless!

Anniversaries: Thursday, June 22nd, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Majesty and glory are his work,
and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.

Wondrous deeds from God to you:

·      Your birth

·      Your baptism

·      Your first confession

·      Your first communion

·      Your confirmation

·      Your wedding

·      Next generation with your child

·      Also the loved ones who have passed away from here to the next place

Remember your anniversaries because “He has won renown for his wondrous deeds…”

"God loves a cheerful giver": Wednesday, June 21st, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Alms, pray, fasting

Stewardship: time, talent, treasure

·      

     “…whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

·      

    “God loves a cheerful giver.”

How do we love our enemies?" Tuesday, June 20th, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

“Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,”

·      That is a revolutionary belief

·      Jesus Christ showed his love for those who killed him

·      Jesus taught and teaches us today

“that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.”

·      God created everything

·      He allows us to have our will

·      Which means each of us are sinners

“For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?”

·      Love is what is different

·      In the first centuries, love is what allowed pagans and enemies to know who they were

“So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Salvation history taught in Mass: Monday, June 19th, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

“Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.”

“The Lord has made known his salvation.”

Salvation history

·      God’s plan to save the world

The story of salvation

·      4^th Eucharistic Prayer

Parish Bulletin Article: "Support our Vision with our Pastoral Councilors": 6-11-17

            In my vision as a pastor with an assignment for you, I believe that we must support our vision.  God has given many of you gifts, charismas and talents that can support our church family.  I praise God for many parishioners who focus to different spots for our churches, like our liturgy, cleaning, laundry, buildings, grounds, finances, faith formation, school and more.

As we have different committees I want to list the men and women who are in our pastoral councils.  This might be the first time that I will write their names as this could help our bigger conversations with our vision.  As we gather—monthly at St. Thomas Aquinas and quarterly at St. Columban—I love how we can work together.  I also think that knowing their names can support new conversations with some great men and women.  Here you go!

St. Thomas Aquinas:

·      Pat Kjellgren

·      Tom Lucca

·      Pat Bjorum

·      Les Hendrickson

·      Dave Chute

·      Jay Bartkowski

·      Tammy Jo Weyrauch

St. Columban:

·      Joe Reller

·      Rosie Rasmussen

·      Harvey Lehman

·      Mary Gaetzke

·      Deb Polkinghorne

When you have good thoughts, good ideas and/or good opportunities for our churches, please share with our pastoral members or me.  The more communication the better for each of us!

God Bless!

             

            

Holy Trinity: God is love: 10th Ordinary Sunday (Holy Trinity)

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Holy Trinity

Do you know that we believe many things that are not in the Bible?

·      Physical things

o   Chipmunk

o   Toilet Paper

o   Jupiter

o   Surgery

o   These are things we have learned from reason, science, math

·      Spiritual things

o   Anointing of the Sick

o   Ordination

o   Trinity

§  “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”

o   We Catholics believe both Sacred Scriptures and Sacred Tradition

Trinity

·      Three persons in one God

·      Mystical and a paradox

·      Father, Son and Holy Spirit are in a different dimension…a different world

·      We live in time and space

·      God created our time and our space

Here is one way to learn about what we read in the Bible

·      The Father

o   Creator: Genesis

o   LORD what our Jewish don’t even use the word YHWH

o   Old Testament:

§  Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine
not because of lust,
but for a noble purpose.
Call down your mercy on me and on her,
and allow us to live together to a happy old age.

o   and New Testament

·      The Son

o   New Testament

o   Jesus Christ

§  God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.

o   Jesus Christ spoke about the Father

o   And the Holy Spirit

·      The Spirit

o   Last weekend: Pentecost

o   Open our hearts to the Holy Spirit which I spoke about last weekend

God is one with three persons

·      Yes, learn some more!

·      Yes, believe in our Catholic creed (like Mass)

·      Yes, know that this three persons in one God is in a kernel with three words:

God is love

A marriage reading in weddings from Tobit: Thursday, June 8th, 2017

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Tobit

·      Read it!

·      While it was a longer reading, it had snippets through three chapters

·      One of the best moments is that Tobit and Sarah were married

A wonderful reading for marriages

·      "My love, get up.
Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us
and to grant us deliverance."

·      "Blessed are you, O God of our fathers,
praised be your name forever and ever.
Let the heavens and all your creation”
praise you forever.

·      “Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine
not because of lust,
but for a noble purpose.
Call down your mercy on me and on her,
and allow us to live together to a happy old age.”