Listen to the homily here.
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Ebed-Melech, a friend for Jeremiah, and Jesus a friend for us: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Listen to the homily here.
Notes:
Notes:
Ebed-melech as Jeremiah was put into a cistern
· Salvation history
o Jeremiah sharing tough news—exile and the destruction of their homes, the temple and 70 years away from home
· Protected him
· That is service even facing with danger
· "My lord king,
these men have been at fault
in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah,
casting him into the cistern.
He will die of famine on the spot,
for there is no more food in the city."
Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite
to take three men along with him,
and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before
he should die.”
these men have been at fault
in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah,
casting him into the cistern.
He will die of famine on the spot,
for there is no more food in the city."
Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite
to take three men along with him,
and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before
he should die.”
o Not only throw down ropes, but also rags to protect “his armpits!”
When we experience tough times, we need friends:
· “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he that has found one has found a treasure. There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can measure his excellence. A faithful friend is an elixir of life; and those who fear the Lord will find him. Whoever fears the Lord directs his friendship aright, for as he is, so is his neighbor also.”
Whether you are the one in hard times, or those to pick up your friend, friendship is a crucial relationship to keep going forward, like Ebed-melech
Parish Bulletin Article: "Hospitality": 8-18-19
Hospitality
As I was in Rochester this past week, I am genuinely grateful for the hospitality. I was able to stay at two different homes. One was with one of my best friends' sibling who allowed me to stay at their house for five days, and one of my best friends who works at Mayo invited me to stay at his home for three days. Both of them showed hospitality with food, drink, a bedroom, and understanding the need of my daily naps.
My parents, as they drove me to Mayo, also experienced hospitality with one of my Dad's best friend as they stayed at some great friends during the whole trip.
In my life, I have also experienced these gifts in Venezuela and Ghana. While many of these people encouraged me to their homes, too, they gave away some sustenance that they had little themselves. Typically these poor areas always began with water or a tasty drink, as well as snacks or full meals, even if they had little to give away.
This weekend I offer thanksgiving for many of you, parishioners, who have invited me to your home, with fascinating conversations, a meal, prayers and beyond. Thank you who show this great gift, or charism, to offer generosity!
Back in the day, the Hebrews and Israelites (Old Testament) and Christians (New Testament) and today around the world, hospitality is ordinary, not only with friends but also strangers. For instance, in the book of Judges, a group was traveling, going to stay outside overnight in a challenging community. Here is what occurred for these individuals:
"So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibe-ah, which belongs to Benjamin, and they turned aside there, to go in and spend the night at Gibe-ah. And he went in and sat down in the open square of the city; for no man took them into his house to spend the night. And behold, an old man was coming from his work in the field at evening; the man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was sojourning in Gibe-ah; the men of the place were Benjaminites. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfarer in the open square of the city; and the old man said, 'Where are you going? and whence do you come?' And he said to him, 'We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, from which I come. I went to Bethlehem in Judah; and I am going to my home; and nobody takes me into his house. We have straw and provender for our asses, with bread and wine for me and your maidservant and the young man with your servants; there is no lack of anything.' And the old man said, 'Peace be to you; I will care for all your wants; only, do not spend the night in the square.' So he brought him into his house, and gave the asses provender; and they washed their feet, and ate and drank" (Judges 19:14-21).
So here are some deep questions to grow with hospitality. As friends and families, reception in our culture is typical of hospitality. But what about a stranger? A homeless person? Someone hungry, thirsty, naked or in loneliness? A person that needs a ride?
What amazes me is that I know some individuals who do all above in our parishes and community!
How can you, and me, discern the hospitality that we could offer to someone beyond our ordinary generosity to those we do not even know?
God Bless!
Parish Bulletin Article: "Preschool Updates!": 8-11-19
Some excellent information for St. Thomas Aquinas School, and at this point, I wanted to share about our preschool teachers for 2019-2020.
First, I want to thank with gratitude for Tara Gushulack, who served in our preschool room for four years. Thank you, Tara, for your service, your teaching, your artistic charisma, your faith, and your ways to continue to help our school grow! Know of our prayers, and our gratitude for your next steps forward and God bless you.
Second, we hired Jenesa Casareto for our next preschool teacher. As she will be concluding her last semester this fall, she will begin her new position in January, and this what she said on our School Facebook:
"I am so excited to become a part of the community at St. Thomas Aquinas! A little about myself, I have grown up in International Falls MN- I graduated from FHS in 2014. I attended RRCC completing my AA degree and recently graduated from BSU with a degree in preprimary and elementary education.
Staying within my community and becoming a teacher in my hometown has become a dream come true- I love spending time with my boyfriend, dog (Gus), family and friends. When I am not in the classroom you will be able to find me in the great outdoors our region has to offer. This will be my first year as a teacher and I can't wait to start my career!"
Welcome, Jenesa!
I also must thank Tammy Jo Weyrauch to lead our preschool as a long-term substitution this upcoming fall semester. As Jenesa concludes her last semester this fall, I am grateful for Tammy Jo to step up as a substitution preschool teacher. As she has served as assistance in our preschool classroom before and does a fantastic job with your children! Welcome again, Tammy Jo, with our gratitude for your tireless as an assistant, mom, and wife!
Finally, to support Tammy Jo this fall, Tanya Becker quickly stepped forward to conclude the best option we have for the beginning of 2019-2020. Praise God; this will not be Tanya's first time! She has supported our preschool classroom several times and will continue to show her love and compassion both in the class and school as well as her own family.
I praise God for His mission, as He always leads both our school and our parishes. And, as always, Jesus said, "Let the children come to me…"!
God Bless!
Powerful Images in the readings: Tuesday, August 6th, 2019: Transfiguration
Listen to the homily here.
Is your treasure on earth or in heaven? 18th Sunday in Ordinary Times
Listen to the homily here.
Notes:
Notes:
Colossians: “Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.”
Matthew:
“Take care to guard against all greed,for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Ecclesiastes:
For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart and with which he has labored under the sun? All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation;even at night his mind is not at rest. This also is vanity.
Matthew:
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves
but are not rich in what matters to God.”
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves
but are not rich in what matters to God.”
Parish Bulletin Article: "Thank You, and Updates in my Life"
(Experience that I wrote on a Facebook post last week in which I have edited earlier this week as well as adding and deleting to this day)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I experienced an up and down roller-coaster three days last week. Monday, July 22nd began on an a-okay morning. It ended up with two ambulance rides to two hospitals (Rainy Lake and St. Mary's). CTs, MRIs, frustration, waiting and finally learning what was going on in my brain.
The Stroke Doctor on Wednesday, July 24th, understood what was going on in my brain via some new MRI slides. The doctor showed me about what the medical world calls today "silent strokes" in the brain in which many people have them too. It is so tiny that many don't even know it happened or not affected their body or brain.
As I had a mini-stroke, he showed the spot on my brain that would be the "conductor" for my right leg; therefore, my right ankle, knee, and hip lost tension and created weakness in my right leg.
I want to share two thoughts about my journey within those three long days. The first is to thank you for your prayers, and please continue to do so! Know of my prayers for you. Indeed, each of us has a cross. We must carry as we walk with our pilgrimage with our Savior towards heaven.
The second is to please avoid gossip or judgment via Facebook or in life itself. As I am somewhat in a public venue in our community, I have already heard, and continue to hear "the rumors that were about me!" While I do believe that you care for me, and I am gracious for you, most what I heard or told was false, wrong or merely hilarious :).
Now, if you are curious about someone's health, please directly ask questions to him or her, or his or her family as they have private lives too. Allow this person and their family to communicate as they want to do so in their personal lives. Also, sharing achievements, offering gratitude, or adding prayers about someone else is lovely, especially on this wonderful IFalls Nice FB page!
On the other hand, gossip and judgment are never right; in fact, they are sins. I would recommend not to ask for details, playing the phone game, guess what happened, "diagnose" what happened, and/or assume what another individual should do (or not). Those types of conversations can actually hurt another person. Plus, they probably already heard with expertise and professional supporters. In my personal life, I do indeed listen and obey my doctors, nurses, Bishop Paul Sirba, my counselor, and my family. Am I grateful for your support in my journey? Indeed! But what I need most is not advice, but your presence, a smile, encouragement, gratitude, and prayerfulness!
At this point, I was discharged last week after three days, and I am back home. I was honored and blessed to offer our three Masses last weekend and was referred to go to Mayo on August 8th. Until that time, I will be taking some time to catch up with some R and R, focusing on both my job and my health and will able to serve you, especially in emergency situations.
Again, thanks for your prayers, and I am proud to be connected with you, my family, friends, priest brothers, Bishop Paul Sirba and our Diocese of Duluth, parishioners, school students/families, and our community.
May God's will be done and know of my prayers and gratitude for you as I continue to walk forward.
God Bless!
Persistence to carry our Crosses: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Listen to the homily here.
Notes:
Notes:
17thSunday in Ordinary Time
Each of us carry a cross, and each of us must have perseverance
· As we walk in life, we will have moments on the peaks of the mountains, and the darkest pits in the valleys, and normal days
· We must continue to walk forward with our Savior, our families, friends and brothers and sisters towards heaven
To do so we must have perseverance
· We listened to Abraham who had perseverance with his intercession prayers for Sodom and to God
· "Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;
would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it
for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?...If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,I will spare the whole place for their sake…”
Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;
would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it
for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?...If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,I will spare the whole place for their sake…”
o How about 45? 40? 30? 20? 10?
o As Abraham “spoke up again,” and again, and again
· How do we pray and trust in God, over and over and over, and may God’s will be done!
Jesus taught another parable
· “I tell you,
if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.”
if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.”
Friends, with the cross you carry with our Savior, keep going forward with strength, confidence, trust and faith…your goal and my goal is to carry our cross to the finish line and hopefully into heaven!
Work well, pray well, and serve well for God and your neighbor!Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Abraham and Paul: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Listen to the homily here.
Notes:
Notes:
16thSunday in Ordinary Time
Today I would like to speak about Abraham and Paul
· And why these two? Well, both believed in their mission from God, even when they experienced with difficult challenges
So, let’s begin with Abraham as he was in our first reading today within the first book in the Bible: Genesis
· His name—Abram—first appeared in Genesis 11 with genealiges, and in the next chapter, we see his mission from God in chapter 12
o Gensis 12:1, 4: “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you… So Abram went, as the LORD had told him…”
· Our first reading today comes in chapter 18 as Abraham saw “three men” (aka, the first time we can consider about the Trinity
o He and his wife, now Sarah, showed their hospitality, during their troubleness—not having a child
o And they were told: “They asked Abraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?"
He replied, "There in the tent."
One of them said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year,
and Sarah will then have a son."
He replied, "There in the tent."
One of them said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year,
and Sarah will then have a son."
· Their faith through difficulties changed their lives
So did Paul
· As we know St. Paul as someone who first terrorized the disciples of Jesus Christ, as he arrested them, persecuted them, even murdered them
· Remember his journey to Damascus and he was blinded and told by God, “And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul,Saul, why do you persecute me?”
· God had a plan for Saul/Paul which we heard in our second reading in his letter to the Colossians
· And here is he shared his difficulties
o “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,and in my flesh I am filling up
what is lacking in the afflictions of Christon behalf of his body, which is the church,of which I am a ministerin accordance with God's stewardship given to meto bring to completion for you the word of God,the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,
to whom God chose to make known the riches of the gloryof this mystery among the Gentiles;it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.
what is lacking in the afflictions of Christon behalf of his body, which is the church,of which I am a ministerin accordance with God's stewardship given to meto bring to completion for you the word of God,the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,
to whom God chose to make known the riches of the gloryof this mystery among the Gentiles;it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.
Now neither Abraham nor Paul were perfect
· But God called them for individual missions
· And so does God call you and me for our missions
· God doesn’t call the perfect, God perfects the called to each of you
Parish Bulletin Article: "God as Love and as our Judge": 7-21-19
Last weekend I preached about an image of God’s two hands—one for mercy/love and the other as a judge. For this bulletin article, I would like to add some of the notes that I used to prepare that sermon, hopefully, to flesh out some more ideas for your spiritual journey.
First, I hope that you can continue to grow closer to God, our Father, God/Man Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit. The deeper you dive into the relationship with love, mercy, and the fact that God is a judge, the better!
Second, consider one of your favorite person in your personal life, whether it is with your parent, grandparent, spouse, friend, coach, coworker, etc..
As I have written and spoke about my Grandma Betty (God rest her soul), she is one of the best personality in my life. Did she show me her love? Definitely! Did I love being with her? Indeed. When she visited our family, we used to talk when we kids had a cot to sleep next to her during the night. I’ll never forget some of those conversations that she continued to listen and responded, as well as sharing her life with wisdom and advice.
At the same time, Grandma Betty would challenge me! If I were not behaving well, she would discipline me. She would intervene a fight with my brothers, or bluntly gave me the advice to change my behavior, words or actions, and while it was annoying or frustrating with me as a child, I am grateful for her love with compassion and cheering me on in my life, as well as disciplining me to grow in my character.
Please think about someone like my Grandma in your life.
Finally, each of us has different spiritual lives in a spectrum of what I preached about last week. Some people should hone into God’s love and mercy. Others must remind that God is a judge, and at the end of our lives, we will see Him face to face, and hopefully show our humility and sinfulness to seek His forgiveness.
Wherever you are, seek that balance with God’s love and as a judge. And one of the most important way to balance your journey is to go to Confession.
God Bless!
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