Listen to the homily here.
Monday, April 23, 2018
Two levels of the Good Shepherd: 4th Sunday in Easter
Listen to the homily here.
Notes:
Notes:
This weekend I would like to dive into Jesus’ teaching about being the Good Shepherd
· There are two levels:
o Literal and spiritual
Literal
· We are like sheep
o An image as a flock
o A group that needs to be fed, led and protected
· A hired man
o He is having a job for his career
· He is seeking his own life: “and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs awayand the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep…”
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs awayand the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep…”
o And…A hired man, is not a shepherd
· A wolfwho is looking for dinner
· Shepherd: Jesus Christ
o “A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
o If a wolf attacks the sheep, he stands between him and the sheep
o In this image, his possession, his life, his family, his produce
Spiritual
· Jesus was teaching about how he would give his life for us
· Actually, he said it five different times in this quick pericope, one above, and four more:
o “I will lay down my life for the sheep…I lay down my life in order to take it up again…No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own…I have power to lay it down.”
· And Jesus was facing not just our lives or our sinfulness, but evil itself
o In Revelation 12, there was a passage of a young woman who had a child, and evil was trying to kill him
o He did when he was 40 days in the desert
o He did it in the Agony of the Garden, and perhaps on the cross
o And then Jesus destroyed Satan himself
· At the same time, many people in our culture do not believe in Satan
o In fact, that is one of Satan’s tactics, that he is not believed
· Satan does exist, and he is like “the wolf catches and scatters [the sheep].
o Evil scatters us when gossip, judgment, slander, libel, pornography, etc.
o And typically, he is doesn’t focus to brutal situations
§ As C.S. Lewis wrote in “Screwtape Letters” “Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick.”
o In the spiritual world, he is tempting us, trying to steal our souls
· The Good News, Jesus destroyed Satan himself
Jesus is the Good Shepherd
· We must always be with him
· Psalm 23: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”
Stay in God’s flock as He will continue to protect, feed and lead us…and we must stay with Him!
Parish Bulletin Article: "Vacation": 4-15-18
“The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves” (Mark 6:30-32).
I remember praying with these verses when I was a Totus Tuus teacher for two summers around our Diocese. Those days were crazy, teaching first-sixth grade students during the day, visiting families during the evening, and speaking with junior high/high school students at night. At that point in my life, I praised God to use this text to be refreshed with our Savior.
Now that I am on vacation, I will still remind myself for the great gift to receive time off for my vocation as a priest.
I hope that each of you can get to have a vacation to rest, relax and be “away” to your day-to-day life. I also pray for you to make sure that your spiritual life may be growing, rather than losing your relationship with Jesus Christ.
How could you do this on your vacation? I believe that four things can help you grow in your body, mind and soul: nap, exercise, pray and learn about Catholicism. A nap will release stress with your body and mind. Simple types of exercising can be fun and healthy by yourself or with friends and family. You can add small steps to remember to pray before and after meals, an event or while you are by yourself. Also, always make sure to make it to Mass! Lastly, I find times when I enjoy traveling to read the Scriptures or spiritual books. I mean, if you are sitting in an airport or in a vehicle, you can probably find some time to pray.
As I am on vacation, know of my prayers for you. As it is an honor to serve and walk with you, I want to say “thank you” for the essential weeks during Lent and entrance into Easter. I am proud of you with your time, talent and treasure as our family walked together with our Savior, and I was amazed with your support with decorations, service, music and food. Keep rolling!
Finally, welcome Fr. Thomas who will be offering confessions and Masses this weekend and say “hello” from me.
God Bless!
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Dimensions with Jesus Christ's Glorified Body: Octave: 2nd Sunday in Easter
Listen to the homily here.
One of my favorite books was Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
· It was written as a novella (a small book) by Edwin Abbot published in 1884
· The major character was “a square”
o He lived in two dimensions
o Now, remind that we live in the third dimension with up, down, left, right
o He lived in the two dimensions
· What inspired me, was this square was on a plane…thus flatland
· He could just see left or right, but there was no “upward” or “downward”
o He had a house, a room
· Then a sphere entered into his world
o The square could not even understand how it was actually a sphere…he could only noticed one point, or walk around with a circle
o The sphere pulled him out of the flatland world, into the third dimensional world
o He could then see “above” his world
Now, listen to our Gospel today in John
· “On the evening of that first day of the week,when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,for fear of the Jews,Jesus came and stood in their midst…”
· Twice!
· Jesus did not break down the door…or a window…or the wall
· He just appeared
As Jesus was both a man and a God, he rose from the dead and entered with his glorious body…in a different place
Now as fun as Flatland is through literature, the best book is in the Bible!
· God is in a different place
o Moses and the burning bush
§ God was in a pillar of fire and light
o Jesus not only show entering into a room that was locked, people didn’t really “see him”
§ Mary Magdalene thought he was a gardener
§ Jesus was on the beach at dawn, and John believed that it was Jesus, and he told Peter, “It is our Lord…”
Finally
· Our readings used the word “believe, believes or believers” 13 times
· Actually, this small geometrical book inspired me to believe in Jesus Christ, God, heaven and hell—something beyond our world
· As well as things we see physically, but perhaps not spiritually
o Baptism: holy water
o Confession: prayer and the sign of the cross
o Anointing of the Sick: oil
o Eucharist: bread and wine that really become Jesus Body and Blood
Do you believe?
Parish Bulletin Article: "Easter Tidbits and Questions": 4-1-8
Alleluia, Jesus is risen!
Easter his is one of the most critical days of the year. It is also a weekend with a gathering with your family, our parishes’ family, and God’s family.
Know that you are always welcome here at St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Columban.
This year, I would like to show a few interesting tidbits around Easter. Here you go:
· Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, which was on March 25th (or the vigil on Saturday evening on March 24th):
· Each year we have a Mass called Chrism Mass during Holy Week. For us, this took place on Monday, March 26th at our Cathedral in Duluth. Within this Mass, Bishop blessed the new year of oils that are used in four sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick and Ordination. During the same Mass, priests and deacons renew their vows;
· Through Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil is actually one liturgy, called the Triduum;
· Easter itself is celebrated for eight days, called an octave;
· During the Easter Vigil (Saturday evening) both water and the Easter Candle are blessed.
· Sunday, April 8th (or the vigil on Saturday evening) was recently announced to be “Sunday Divine Mercy” by Pope John Paul II (now named as St. John Paul II) on Sunday, April 22nd, 2001. We will be offering a Eucharistic Adoration with a procession around our buildings and a delicious brunch after.
Finally, I always like to remind each of you to remember what we are doing through Easter. Yes, each of us will probably have beautiful moments with our families, feasts, eggs, bunnies and Peeps. But the real reason why we have Easter is that Jesus gave his life, passion, death and resurrection.
Use this time to think some of these questions again: “Is Jesus really true or false?” or “Is Jesus really both God and man?” or “Has Jesus really opened the gates to heaven itself?”
If you really believe in Jesus Christ, the best time to see him is at Mass, and you can do this every week, and even every day.
God Bless!"...Jesus loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.": Triduum: Holy Thursday
Listen to the homily here.
Notes:
Notes:
“[Jesus] loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.”
· I hope and I pray, that I love you to the end not only for my assignment here, but until the end of my life
· As we enter into the Triduum—three days—it is an honor to walk with our family
Earlier this week, 10 of our parishioners went to the Chrism Mass in the Cathedral in Duluth
· It is an essential Mass as Bishop Paul Sirba blessed the three oils we use with sacraments and more
o Catechumens: baptism
o Chrism: baptism, confirmation, ordination
§ We will use this oil as Kyle is confirmed in two days
o Sick: anointing of the sick
· And we also renewed our priest promises
o Similar like you married couples who renew your vows:
o Bishop said, “Beloved sons, on the anniversary of that day when Christ our Lord conferred his priesthood on his Apostles and on us, are you resolved to renew in the presence of your Bishop and God’s holy people, the promises you once made?”
§ I am
o “Are you resolved to be more united with the Lord Jesus and more closely conformed to him, denying yourselves and confirming those promises about sacred duties towards Christ’s Church which, prompted by love of him, you willingly and joyfully pledged on the day of your priestly ordination?”
§ I am
o “Are you resolved to be faithful stewards of the mysteries of God in the Holy Eucharist and the other liturgical rites and to discharge faithfully the sacred office of teaching, following Christ the Head and Shepherd, nnot seeking any gain, but moved only by zeal of souls?”
§ I am
· Amen
We celebrate the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday
· Jesus’ last meal
o St. Paul’s wrote: “I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread, and, after he had given thanks,broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’”
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread, and, after he had given thanks,broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’”
What we see again today is Jesus Christ, our High Priest
· And I praise God that through our High Priest, we priests receive this call to offer the Eucharist
· That is humility, awesomeness, service, and sanctification in your lives
· Please pray for your priests, please pray for me, that each of us may serve you well on our journey to salvation and heaven, and like our Savior said to his family, that we priests may always love you to our end on earth
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