Father's Weekly Message
Fr. Shaji Joseph Pazhukkathara
2018
Dec 2018
12/28/2018 0 Comments
Young people announce when they become engaged and want to begin preparations for their wedding. They are excited, but at the same time they have questions and concerns about the future. What makes a man a real man; what makes a woman a real woman? And we can add, what makes a child a real child? The answers are found if we look at the Holy Family.
The mission of Mary and Joseph was to bring up the child Jesus and give Him to the world. It was not an easy journey for them. We all know that. Some of you may have a perfect family, but most families often face challenges. They had all kinds of problems in front of them. If you think you don’t know your spouse well enough, look at the Holy Family. Mary was not sure what she was doing. Joseph was struggling to receive Mary as a wife. Mary and Joseph had dreams, they didn’t exactly know what they were all about. But they followed. If you ever think that you don’t know your child, look at the Holy Family, Mary and Joseph didn’t fully understand either. We know the story of when Jesus went into the temple. On the way back, they lost him. It took three days to go back and find him. When they found Jesus in the temple, what did he say to Mary and Joseph, why are you looking for me? Three things to do as a family: pray together, love, and forgive each other. The Holy Family trusted in the Lord, and asked constantly for his guidance.
In few days we are about to say good bye to the year 2018 and getting ready to embrace the New Year 2019. Are we all prepared to embrace the New Year? Every year on January 1st we celebrate the feast of Mary, Mother of God. The Feast of Mary, is a very appropriate way to begin a new year reminding us to rely on the powerful intercession of our heavenly mother. The church observes this day also as the World Day of Peace and invites us especially to pray for lasting peace in the world throughout the New Year.
Let us take a moment to look at the Year 2018 and thank God for his many blessings. And let us pray for one another and wait for the New Year 2019! Through the intercession of Mary and Joseph, may the Child Jesus bless all of us in the Year 2019!!
Happy New Year!
“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
12/21/2018 0 Comments
Once I heard a life story of a father who had two children with special needs. They were twins and they died month apart. When Dad started to talk about his two children, his eyes would open wide and a big smile would rise on his face. He explained, God was looking down from heaven. God was holding two precious babies in his hands and was waiting in search of parents who would take care of the children with love and care. And God saw me and my wife, and gave us those two children. We took care of them. We relocated our lives for their care; one of us gave up our job to find time to spend with them.
Two thousand years ago, God the Father was searching for a mother with whom to entrust His Son, to share the Good News with His people. Every Christmas reminds us of the Good News, “God is with us.” A question to ponder, “Am I with God?”
During the American Civil War, a lady exclaimed effusively to President Lincoln: “Oh Mr. President, I feel so sure that God is on our side, don't you?” “Ma'am,” replied the President, “I am more concerned that we should be on God's side.”
Christmas reminds us of endless giving. God gave himself for us, but do we find him? At the first Christmas, we primarily see two groups of people who came to visit and adore Child Jesus. The first group was shepherds: they were not well-educated, but the message was delivered to them, they felt it in their hearts, believed it, and went to worship the newborn king. The second group of people were a well-educated group: the Magi. They studied, and they had intellectual knowledge about the appearance of the star. They followed the star and came to Child Jesus to offer gifts and to worship him.
God completed the promise he made to Adam and Eve at Christmas. The chosen people were waiting for centuries for the coming of the Messiah. He was born in Bethlehem. These last four weeks we were waiting with hope, peace, and joy to celebrate Christmas.
For us, God is us always. Once again the celebration of Christmas came.
Jesus, the miracle of love was born in a manger…
He was born to die…
Jesus’s death starts at the manger…
When he left his glory and became a vulnerable baby…
Jesus did it for us…
A gift from our Heavenly Father, Baby Jesus!!
His first coming changed history: before Christ and after Christ. It was the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Let every Christmas bring new beginnings in our Lives, Families, Church, and World. Let us adore him, praise him, and thank him. With a grateful heart let us celebrate this Christmas!
Let us kneel at the manger in adoration and sing with angels, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
I wish you all a Blessed Christmas!
12/7/2018 0 Comments
I was reading a story which brought me this thought, every summer there is always some part of the highway that is being repaired. There will be signs that say, "Slow Down - Construction Ahead" and we would see road graders, gravel trucks, and a lot of men working on the highway. I always thought to myself, "What a nice highway this will be when it finished it and there is no more construction." Summer comes and goes, guess what? They are still working on it!
What about our lives? We are back again for the season of Advent, a time for waiting and preparing. The first reading from the book of Baruch, the prophet says that the hand of God will bring back the Israelites from their Babylonian exile. We know the exodus story; Moses led them back from Egypt. The Hebrews were brought into exile not just because they were weaker than their neighbors, but because they deserted the God who had formed them into His people. When they recognized their sins, and the hand of God brought them back to Promised Land.
In the Gospel, the voice of John the Baptist was heard in the whole region of Jordan, which is part of the Promised Land. John the Baptist invited everyone for the baptism of repentance. What does this mean? Even though the Israelites were in the Promised Land, still they were still in spiritual exile. John the Baptist cried out in the desert, “prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” John wasn't really talking about building a highway upon which Jesus could travel. He was really talking about the hearts of the people. He was calling people to prepare their hearts to receive Jesus so that he could walk among them and live with them.
Today we are no different from the Israelites. It is a human condition. Advent invites us to listen to the voice of John the Baptist which is an Invitation to prepare the way of the Lord for Christmas and ultimately, for his second coming.
St. Paul says in the second reading, “this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.”
As we prepare for Christmas, let us grow in the love of Christ and others. Let us recognize the need for Christ in our lives. He is the one who fills our emptiness. If our emptiness and our inadequacies are filled by Jesus Christ, then we thank God for our need for his presence. Jesus was born to die for us, and that death starts at manger. He emptied himself,
separated from his glory, and born in a manger; the first part of the death look place there. How? His love for us. Let us listen to the voice of John the Baptist to prepare the way, the way of love to receive Jesus in the manger, who is love.
Nov 2018
Advent: Mary Immaculate is providing a home for baby Jesus!
11/30/2018 0 Comments
The Pharisees brought the woman, caught red-handed, before Jesus for judgment, and Jesus said, "Let the person who is without sin cast the first stone." They fell silent, and then, all of a sudden, a stone came flying from the crowd. Jesus looked up, surprised and amused, and then said, "Hold it, mother? I was trying to make a point, here." This is a humorous slant to the Catholic belief that Mary was born Immaculate to lead an immaculate life.
As we begin Advent season and celebrate Feast of Immaculate Conception, it offers us an invitation to set aside our busy lives and to examine and reflect on our need for God to enter our lives and prepare home for the coming of Christ. He will come to us in the celebration of the Incarnation, in His continual coming in our daily living, and in His final coming as our Lord to judge us all and renew the Father’s creation.
We are in the Advent season, which starts new liturgical year: Year C. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI once wrote: "The purpose of the Church's year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart's memory so that it can discern the star of hope. It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us, memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope."
The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. Their light represents Christ himself, who is the light of the world. We light the candles gradually throughout Advent because we know that the joy of salvation doesn't come fully into our lives all at once. Our lives are a journey, a relationship with Jesus that has to be constantly renewed, just as a new candle is lit each week.
In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah was waiting and hoping for the coming of King David, who might bring security and justice to God’s people. Ultimately they were waiting and hoping for the coming of the Messiah, and Jesus came from the family of David. We have two ways of preparation: 1) preparing for Christmas and 2) preparing for the second coming of Jesus.
We are searching and waiting… Advent invites us to hope for something beyond. Advent is a season of hope. Our whole lives are an advent. As we are in preparation, let us embrace hope and become hope for others.
I take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Feast of Immaculate Conception, especially to Parishioners of Immaculate Conception as the Patron Saint of our parish. I would also like congratulate our Confirmation Candidates and first reconciliation candidates who are being introduced at St. Anthony and Immaculate Conception.
Dear Parishioners of Immaculate Conception: I would like to join the Parish and Finance councils and the Cemetery committee to remember the late John Wagner with a grateful heart. He put Immaculate Conception Church and cemetery as beneficiaries, and we received the gift as cash and real estate. The church received four parcels of land and the cemetery received one parcel of land. You may see an ad with Birchland Realty Inc as we are working with them. We remember John Wagner with grateful hearts for his love for our parish and the Church at large. ~Fr. Shaji
11/16/2018 0 Comments
Do you remember the movie 2012? The premise was that the world was going to come to an end in 2012. As Hollywood hoped, a significant number of people believed that there might be some truth to this. How many of us stopped for a moment and questioned or worried? Did anything happen so far? Today, if you look at our world, what do you think? We hear about all kinds of violence, natural calamities, and so on.
The readings assure us that our God will be with us all the days of our lives and that we will have the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst guiding us. Next Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, and the following Sunday marks the beginning of the Advent season with a new Liturgical Cycle. The gospel is from Jesus’s “Eschatological Sermon,” the sermon on the “Last Things.” Sometime we perceive these things in a negative way.
The readings speak about the end of time but with a particular emphasis: those who trust in the Lord, and who live His life to the best of their ability, have nothing to fear. Prophet Daniel says that the archangel Michael is the guardian of God’s people. Prophet calls him God’s Prince. So, we just heard that when the final days come, Michael will gather God’s people together, including those who have died. And, the reading says, the wise will shine brightly.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus says that on the last day, the angels will gather the elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky. By the way, Jesus also says that no one knows when the last day will come. The sum of the reading is to be prepared: build our personal relationship with God, sharing with others the Good News of Jesus.
Our God is love. When we see all kinds of discouragement around us, what we have to do? We have to do just focus on Jesus, build up our relationship with him. How can develop the relationship? First of all by prayer. It is not just prayer, going through motion, but enter into real intimacy. It won’t happen one day, we have to perceiver in prayer. Then we have to share the good news with others: by word and deed.
In the second reading from the Hebrew, Jesus offered himself for our sin. Today when we hear the word of God, don’t be afraid, but fill with hop. Our God is love, and he did everything because his love for us. He is going to do great things in and through us.
Happy Thanksgiving: Mother Teresa told this story in an address to the National Prayer Breakfast in 1994. “One evening several of our Sisters went out, and we picked up four people from the street. One of them was in a most terrible condition. So I told the other Sisters, ‘You take care of the other three: I will take care of this one who looks the worst.’ So I did for the woman everything that my love could do. I cleaned her and put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hands and said two words in her language, Bengali: ‘Thank you.’ Then she died. I could not help but examine my conscience. I asked myself, ‘What would I say if I were in her place?’ My answer was simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself. I would have said, ‘I am hungry, I am dying, I am in pain.’ But the woman gave me much more; she gave me grateful love, dying with a grateful smile on her face. It means that even those with nothing can give us the gift of thanks.” Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
11/16/2018 0 Comments
A small boy observed his mother putting a dollar in the offering plate at Mass. On the way home from church, she freely criticized the poor homily the priest gave. "But mother," said the boy, "what could you expect for a dollar?"
What would it cost to have Jesus say Mass for us? It cost his entire life. This weekend’s readings talks about people who give everything. Two widows are the heroes, and they were generous with what they had.
In the Gospel, Jesus is sitting in the Temple with his disciples, in the area where people made donations to the Temple. Some would come with large sums of money and make sure that others would see them. The widow who came, though, was a poor woman. She put only a few cents into the Treasury. Perhaps she felt grateful to God that she was able to worship Him in the Temple and wanted to express her gratitude. Jesus saw it as true generosity.
The widow from the first reading, the widow of Zeraphath, was suffering from the famine. She did have a son, but he was a little child. No one care about her, but God sent the Prophet Elijah to her. But first, she had to trust in God. She had to follow the law of hospitality, caring for the stranger. And God rewarded her generosity.
How do we give ourselves to God? Time, talent, and treasure: these are the three main areas of stewardship. A steward is someone who is entrusted with that which belongs to someone else. We are entrusted with the Kingdom of God. We are invited to share our time, talents and gifts to our Church and community. Are we generous in sharing our gifts? It can be even a beautiful smile. The story of the poor widow tells us they didn’t have much, but they shared everything: generosity of heart. Does that mean that we have to be poor widows? It is not that wealth is bad. What is wrong and sinful is using improper means to gain wealth. It is all about consideration for others.
This weekend, we celebrate Veterans Day: They served our country. Talk about giving totally. This year something remarkable in history is remembered. The "Bells of Peace" will ring out nationwide from smartphones on the "11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" to mark the centennial of the end of World War I in November of 1918, thanks to a new app created in honor of the anniversary.
We honor them today for their sacrifices with St Ignatius of Loyola’s prayer about heart-felt generosity. It goes like this: Dear Lord, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil, and not to seek for rest; to labor, and not to ask for any reward except that of knowing that I am doing your holy will. Amen.
Happy Veterans Day! Thank you for the gift you shared!!
11/16/2018 0 Comments
The month of November begins with the celebration of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. The entire month of November is dedicated to praying for our loved ones who have gone before us. 2 Maccabees 12:38–46 explains the need to pray for the dead. We read in 12:42 that “they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out.” Praying for the dead is a rich tradition of the Church.
God wants all of our souls. We are to give God our whole bodies and all our strength like St. Kateri Tekakwitha. Pope emeritus Benedict XVI described Kateri Tekakwitha as a "striking example of sanctity and heroic charity." Her life reminds us, he said, of the "historic role played by women in building up of the church in America." Her example and intercession, he added, should inspire all of us in our "pursuit of holiness" and in our "efforts to contribute to the growth of God's Kingdom in the hearts of people today."
Let’s take a look at this weekend’s readings. There were 613 laws that Moses gave in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. There were a series of laws written to protect these 613. The scribes knew every one of them ,and they had high importance in their lives. Here a scribe comes with a question for Jesus: "Which is the first of all the commandments?" The Ten Commandments, which are the constitution of the people of God, were part of a covenant that God entered into with a specific group of people - the Israelites. If we look at the Ten Commandments, the first three commandments have to do with God. He is the source of everything in our life. These commandments are about our relationship to God. The second tablet of the law (the remaining seven commandments) refer to our human relationships with one another.
Jesus summarized the commandments and gave not just one but two first commandments: love of God and love of neighbor are more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices one could make. In the first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy, it says fear the Lord, our God, and keep his commandment throughout the life. Love and fear, how do these two go together? There is a fear because of love, isn’t it? I don’t want mess up my relationship with my friend, so I don’t want say it or do it. It can be applied to God too. He loved us first, and gave us everything. Can we give him everything? It is not an easy task, and we have keep on trying. We will get there one day. He gives us his total attention and he needs our total attention. I close my message with a thought which I read somewhere that was dedicated to Max Lucado.
Max Lucado, in his book, "And the Angels were Silent," reminds us that each of us has got a donkey that the Lord needs. He writes: "Sometimes I get the impression that God wants me to give him something and sometimes I don't give it because I don't know for sure, and then I feel bad because I've missed my chance. Other times I know he wants something but I don't give it because I'm too selfish. And other times, too few times, I hear him and I obey him and feel honored that a gift of mine would be used to carry Jesus to another place. And still other times I wonder if my little deeds today will make a difference in the long haul."
October leaves and November enter the scene…
11/16/2018 0 Comments
Hellen Keller who had deafness and blindness, writes, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.” Most of us have very good eyesight. Some of us may use glasses, but still we have pretty good sight. But do we see everything? How many times have we forgotten to recognize the goodness of our Lord? In the first reading from the book of prophet Jeremiah, God is a liberator and healer. In the second reading from the book of Hebrews, Jesus is the true sacrifice for our sins and High priest of the New Testament. In the Gospel, Bartimaeus receives sight. Everyone around him could see, but they couldn’t see that Jesus could heal him. When everyone tried to silence him, Bartimaeus cried out all the more.
For the last weekend of Respect Life month, we pray for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. We are invited to love one another and be eyes for those who have no sight. Violence against another person is a failure to treat that person as someone worthy of love. In violence within the sacramental marriage, the abused spouse may question, "How do these violent acts relate to my promise to take my spouse for better or for worse?" The person being assaulted needs to know that acting to end the abuse does not violate the marriage promises. An article from the United State Conferences of Catholic Bishops says, “We focus here on violence against women, since 85 percent of the victims of reported cases of non-lethal domestic violence are women. Women's greatest risk of violence comes from intimate partners—a current or former husband or boyfriend.”
Today human trafficking is a new form of slavery. United States Bishop’s Conference says, “Human trafficking violates the sanctity, dignity, and fundamental rights of the human person.” They state that every nation is affected by this disease—the United States is no exception. We all are called to love God and love one another. It is the essence of our discipleship. During the month of October, we were reflecting and praying, especially through the devotion to the Rosary, on the dignity of the human life.
All Saints Day and All Souls Day: In the month of November, the Church invites us to pray for our loved ones. We celebrate November 1st as All Saints Day and November 2nd as All Souls’ Day. Sometimes we think that the church means we who are on earth, but the Church has three realms. The church on earth is called the militant church because we are in a battle between good and evil; the souls in purgatory are called the suffering church because they are in a purifying state to fully experience God’s glory; and the saints, who have already entered into heavenly glory, are the victorious or triumphant church.
All Saints Day is a feast honoring all Christian saints – known and unknown. On All Souls Day we remember all those who have gone before us. The souls in purgatory need our prayers to help their purification to attain heavenly glory. On November 2nd we will celebrate a special Mass St. Cecilia Cemetery at 11:00 am for All Souls. We will celebrate a Mass of Remembrance on November 13 at 6pm.
We ask saints to intercede for us. We pray for our loved ones and those who have gone before us. In every Mass there is time when we pray for our loved ones. Please remember our loved ones during every Mass. The Church also invites us to offer Masses in the names of our loved ones. It costs only $ 10.00, but it take conscious thought and action to do it. Please join us for the All Saints Day and All Souls Day celebration.
Oct 2018
10/22/2018 0 Comments
St. Therese of Lisieux, also called St. Teresa of the Child Jesus or the Little Flower, is the patron saint of missionaries. She was a spiritual master of the contemplative life, and she considered her call and the call of her fellow sisters to be the spiritual mother of the missions and missionaries. St. Therese didn’t go out to mission journey, but in her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, she reflects on the new freedom of a new joy she will enjoy in heaven. She writes, “There will be no longer any cloister and grilles and my soul will be able to fly with you into distant lands.”
Some give to the missions by going. Some go by giving. Mission Sunday is the day to reach out beyond the needs of the local Parish and diocese to assist missionaries as they ‘go and tell’ in the young churches. The Church is a missionary church, and at baptism, each one of us becomes a missionary of the Church. Missionary work is a different aspect and level in our life, like our family, parish, in our community and around the world. Pope Francis in his World Mission Sunday Message writes, “The Church, by proclaiming what she freely received (cf. Mt 10:8; Acts 3:6), can share with you young people the way and truth which gives meaning to our life on this earth. Jesus Christ, who died and rose for us, appeals to our freedom and challenges us to seek, discover, and proclaim this message of truth and fulfilment.”
The Church, according to Vatican Council II, is "missionary" in her very nature because her founder, Jesus Christ, was the first missionary. God the Father sent God the Son into the world with a message of God’s love and salvation. Thus, the evangelizing mission of the Church is essentially the announcement of God's love, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation as these are revealed to mankind through the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. Bishop James Powers invites us to celebrate Mission Sunday “as special moment to live out the mission we share as God’s children, the mission to bring the Gospel to the whole world.” He continues, “I encourage you to be a “voice for mission” through your prayers and through the help that you are able to give…”
This weekend’s Gospel, James and John, came to Jesus. What did they ask? They asked, "Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left." What was their real desire, they want intimacy with Christ. The first reading from book of Isaiah about the “Suffering Servant” connect with gospel teaching on humility. Jesus is going to accomplish his mission by suffering, dying, and rising. The concluding words of Jesus in today’s gospel define his mission, “Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Let us make visible Jesus Christ in and through our own daily life and support missionaries around the World.
​October: Month of Rosary and Respect Life!
10/9/2018 0 Comments
​October: Month of Rosary and Respect Life!
St. Francis of Assisi is celebrating their patron Saint Francis’s feast day. He had a great love God’s creatures. I love taking the pictures, especially in fall. I call it “paintings from God.” Look at God’s creation, it is wonderful.
The month of October is Respect Life month. The Respect Life Program begins anew each year on the first Sunday in October. This year the theme is “Every Life: Cherished, Chosen, Sent.” Respect the dignity of life without any discrimination: ability or disAbility; strength or weakness. Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Chairman of Pro-Life Activities, in his words, “We are called to cherish, defend, and protect those who are most vulnerable, from the beginning of life to its end, and at every point in between.”
A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five- and six-year olds. After explaining the commandment "Honor thy father and thy mother," she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?” Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, "Thou shall not kill." This is the main message for “Respect for Life Sunday.” Be a voice for voiceless. We are masterpiece of God’s creation. Based on the word of God, the Church teaches that an unborn child from the moment of its conception in its mother’s womb is precious because it carries an immortal soul. The Bible teaches that life is a gift of God and hence we have to respect it from womb to tomb.
A couple of years ago, I read Pope Francis’ message, and he conveyed that “even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live forever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect.”
The month of October is the month of the Rosary. The rosary is a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the rosary we walk through the life of Jesus. On October 7, we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Pope Leo XIII officially dedicated the month of October to the Holy Rosary. We use Rosary beads to pray, and other religions also use beads to pray. There is a scientific reason for using beads: sometimes we will say I don’t have to use Rosary beads to pray Rosary, it is old fashioned. When we use Rosary beads to pray the Rosary, it stimulates the nerves of our fingers and helps us concentrate. In the month of October we will be reciting the Rosary before the weekend Masses. Please come early and join for Rosary every weekend during October and at Immaculate Conception on Saturday, October 13 at noon for a Rosary rally.
This year, our cluster will be praying for and bringing the message of respect life in a couple of dimensions. On the first weekend, we pray for unborn life: aborted babies, babies lost through miscarriage, and so on. The second weekend, we celebrate Inclusion Awareness Sunday: pray about our own abilities and disabilities. At the same time, it is an opportunity to invite people with disabilities to actively participate in our parish community. On October 19, at 10:00am at St. Anthony’s we celebrate a Healing Mass, joining with elderly and sick to receive Sacrament of Anointing. During the third week, we celebrate Mission Sunday: praying for missionaries. On the fourth Sunday we will be praying for people affected by domestic violence and human trafficking.
Respect Life month invites us to reflect on the dignity of life and evaluate how we respect one another’s lives. Let us make a promise to pray Rosary this month and pray for peace, human life, and family.
Sep 2018
Be responsible in our faith and embrace the goodness and love in anyone and everyone!
9/28/2018 0 Comments
There is a story in Acts of the Apostles chapter 19. St. Paul had been in Ephesus for two years, preaching and healing in the name of Jesus Christ. Then itinerant exorcists came into the city. They were like the traveling medicine men of the Old West, selling snake oil that healed everyone’s woes........for a price. When they learned how the popular Paul had become, they saw a chance to make a profit using his name and Jesus’ name. It would be relatively simple since they knew that many people would be healed by the power of suggestion. The trouble is that they came upon the real thing, a man who was really suffering from demonic possession. These charlatans, the seven sons of Sceva, proclaimed over the man, “I adjure by the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches to come out of this man.” Well, the devil answered back from the man, “Jesus I know. Paul I know. But who are you?” The Jews fled for their lives.
This weekend's first reading and Gospel tell totally different stories. We see in the first reading Eldad and Medad weren’t at the gathering, but they still received the Spirit and began to prophesize. Moses's assistant and successor, Joshua, could not tolerate the two men who started prophesying without attending the appointed place at the appointed time, but Moses had the wisdom to know that God gives the spirit to whomever God wishes. Moses was about extending boundaries.
The first reading provides biblical background for the Gospel with Jesus's response to the same kind of jealousy. The apostle, John, noticed a man casting out demons in Jesus name. He said, “We tried to prevent him.” Jesus gives a warning to his disciples for their jealousy and suspicion. Jesus told them, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” Jesus was about extending boundaries.
Are we not like the disciples when we get upset at the good others do because of jealousy or fear? Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa put it, "We are to watch with joy, not with jealousy, the many who prophesy and cast out demons, thus contributing to authentic human development." So stretch out our hands in generosity. The only restriction concerns whatever causes you to sin and lose the kingdom. Otherwise, expect God to work in unexpected places, in unexpected people, in unexpected ways.
A couple of years ago when I did the homily on this passage, someone asked me after the Mass, “Father, how do we recognize the working of God’s spirit in our world?” The first story I explained from Acts, tells us to be prudent. This weekend’s reading tells us that we need to recognize the goodness around us and lead others to goodness, joy, love, and holiness. I think we need to pray to the Holy Spirit and ask help, so we can see his presence and spirit in action around us.
Please use FORMED, a great resource to grow in our faith:
www.stanthonysparkfalls.formed.org
Our parish access Code: GB88ZX
9/14/2018 0 Comments
I write this message from Heartwood, Trego, WI. I am with other priests from our Diocese for our annual retreat. Our retreat master Fr. Paul Lickteig SJ is our retreat master who talks about Ignatian Spirituality. He asked us to meditate on three questions. They are: 1. What have I done for Christ? 2. What am I doing for Christ? 3. What ought I to do for Christ?
The first Sunday of September, Immaculate Conception celebrated Catechetical Sunday and this weekend St. Anthony and St. Francis are celebrating. This year the theme for Catechetical Sunday is "Enlisting Witnesses for Jesus Christ." I thought those three questions can be asked in the context of Catechetical Sunday too. As a priest, deacon, CRE, catechist, parent, grandparent, whatever our role, the above questions are relevant. I think we can add one more question: how do we share our faith with our young people?
I would like to borrow a thought from Fr. Bloom. He writes, many years ago, in England, three men were pouring into a trough a mixture of water, sand, lime and other ingredients. A passer-by asked them what they were doing. The first said, "I am making mortar." The second: "I am laying bricks." But the third said, "I am building a cathedral." They were doing the same thing, but each looked at it differently. And what a difference that made! We can see something similar in the way people relate to their parish, why they give. One person says, "Oh! All they do down there is ask for money." The second person replies, "Well, you have to pay the bills." But the third person says, "I am building the Body of Christ."
We are entrusted with Good News to spread in the world. Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of Baptism, in handing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. Catechetical Sunday is an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to this mission as a community of faith.
I encourage everyone to find time for Mass every weekend and encourage our young people to come with you. Second, try to attend more than weekend Mass, if you can make it to a weekday Mass. On September 19, we have a Blue Mass to honor all current and retired law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs, and First Responders in the area.
The weekend of September 22 and 23rd we have dynamic speaker Dr. Mario Joseph. He will be speaking during Mass and there will be an hour session after the 9:30 Mass on 23rd. He was a Muslim priest and converted to Catholicism. It is an amazing story.
On September 26 at 6:30pm we have a one man performance of the Sermon on the Mount performed by Frank Runyeon
This is another opportunity to grow in faith: just sign in on your computer or cell phone for FORMED.ORG . Click on access code and enter the code for our parish GB88X. Through the generosity of our people and parish participation, we have purchased this website for a year. Please make use of it as there are tons of faith resources. You can watch a movie or documentary, reflect on weekend readings, and so on. Let us make use of this opportunity to grow in our faith. Let this Catechetical Sunday bring new beginnings in our faith community and let us thank each other, pray for each other, and support each other in our faith journey.
9/10/2018 0 Comments
Have you ever imagined how you would feel if you could not hear or talk? Take a minute to use your imagination and experience that situation. We see in the Gospel that people brought to Jesus a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. A group of people interceded to Jesus for the healing of this man. Jesus took him away from the crowd. He touched his ears and his mouth and said, "Be open". And the man left singing the praises of God to the world.
The first reading from the Book of Isaiah reminds us that God's eyes are constantly focused on the helpless. God tells the frightened, “Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense, he comes to save you.” Isaiah’s prophesy is fulfilled in Jesus’s healing of a man who was deaf and mute. And it even continues in our time, through the Sacraments and acts of charity. This is the second Sunday we hear from St. James in the second reading. The apostle gives some basic and challenging principles of life. It is a warning against our temptation to discriminate against people in our day to day life. If we want to be away from these temptations, we need to listen to Jesus, “Be open,” open our hearts and minds for others.
All of us have the ability to hear and talk, and this weekend’s readings invite us to open our ears to hear the word of God and loosen our tongues to share the good news of God’s love and salvation to others. It is also inviting us to be humble instruments of healing in the hands of God.
You might have noticed during a baptism that the priest or deacon touches the baby’s ears and mouth and says be open. This Gospel story is a story about our lives with the Lord. This Gospel story is also a good example of the intercessory prayer. There is a great need for praying for healing and the needs of others, even people those who are struggling to pray.
The Ephphatha, or opening to Christ at baptism is just the first of many openings to Christ all during our lives. At that first opening, it was Christ who opened our ears and mouths. Since then it is up to us to open up to Christ. How many times does Christ stands before us in various ways; we have to decide to open up to Christ.
Today, are we open to receiving healing and to be an instrument of healing? We need to receive God’s love, forgiveness, and healing in a personal way and in a communitarian way. At the same, the reading reminds that we need to intercede for others for their healing. At the Eucharist, the true healer, Jesus shares with us his very life in the Body and Blood. Let us open our minds and hearts to receive his healing touch, and hear his word, “Be opened.”
Priest's Retreat: This week, Monday through Thursday, the priests of the Superior Diocese will be gathering for a retreat. Please pray for everyone. We will have on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in place of the usual Mass. Thank you.
Labor Day brings new beginnings….
9/4/2018 0 Comments
Every human being likes to be respected, not for any title or accomplishment, but because we are created in the image and likeness of God. Labor Day is the day we can be proud of what we do, and respect others for their great service. Pope Francis pointed out, "Work is fundamental to the dignity of a person. . . . It gives one the ability to maintain oneself, one's family, to contribute to the growth of one's own nation."
After Labor Day, schools are open; it seems like we are more active, and society is more engaged and busy. It is an opportunity for us to pray for each one of us, our labor, whatever we do. It is also a special moment to pray for our children and youth, those who are going back to school. That’s their labor: to study well. Let us pray for them, their families, and their teachers.
We are back from summer, a relaxed time, to the active and vibrant beginning. It is the time to start something new. I read in an article about William Glasser who developed a method of “reality therapy” which focuses on changing our behavior patterns. He calls it “positive addiction,” and gave the examples of jogging and meditation. Beginning either of these or any new discipline is difficult. As we continue jogging or meditating, it becomes easier. If we stick with it, it becomes a healthy addiction that we simply cannot seem to do without.
It is true with our spirituality as well. For example, going to Mass, or saying a daily prayer and so on. An ancient, nameless, wise person said: “The act is the parent of the habit; the habit is the parent of the virtue.” Perseverance is key. Persevere through the hard/severe stuff to habitually praying, doing good, and attending mass.
We are back to the Gospel of Mark from John. We see in the reading, the Pharisees are scandalized that Christ’s disciples “took food with unclean hands" (Mk 7.2). The first thing to note is that Jesus does not teach at all to disobey the law. He teaches to give more importance to the dispositions of the heart rather than to the superficial gestures and rites. On one hand, Jesus invites us to follow the Commandments and on the other hand, He shows that "purity" is not a matter of washed hands or lips purified by rituals, but is a matter of the heart.
Jesus emphasizes that unclean or impure are not external things, but the bad actions and intentions that came from a heart bad and away from God. God does not exist where there is no heart because it is distracted or closed in fear. How to return the heart to God? How to approach him?
We approach God "with the frequent purification of alms, tears and the other fruits of justice that make the heart and the body pure in order to participate in the mysteries of heaven." (St Bede the Venerable). Jesus came to tell us that no law, big or small, has meaning if it is not accompanied by love and if it is not consumed in love. Every time we gather for the Eucharist, we encounter Jesus who offered himself for us and won eternal life for us. From every Mass we send out to follow in his footsteps, to live the broken and shared love. It is not easy, but let us persevere and get into a healthy addiction.
9/4/2018 0 Comments
Malcolm Muggeridge accompanied a film crew to India in order to narrate a documentary on Mother Teresa. He already knew she was a good woman or he wouldn't have bothered going. When he met her, he found a good woman who was also so very compelling that he titled his documentary, Something Beautiful for God. When he asked Mother Teresa why she went to Adoration and Mass every day early in the morning she replied, "If I didn't meet my Master every day, I'd be doing no more than social work." (Victor Shepherd, December 2001.)
Every Mass, we gather to meet Christ. We are here to listen for Christ's word for our life. We are here to say, like Peter, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
In the first reading Joshua challenged the Israelites to decide whom they would serve, the God of their fathers, or the gods of the Amorites in whose country they were then dwelling. The Israelites recall that it was the Lord, our God, who brought their fathers out of slavery, and they responded to his challenge and renewed their relationship with God of Israel. The renewal of the covenant ceremony in Joshua 24 reminds us that the Eucharist is a covenant meal that calls for a decision of faith.
Concluding the long bread of life discourse in today’s gospel, Jesus challenges His audience to make their choice of accepting the new covenant. The disciples respond to Jesus’s challenge in two ways. One group finds Jesus’s words too hard to take. They left Jesus and embraced their former ways. The second group faced the challenges and remained with Jesus.
Today’s passage describes the various reactions of the people to Jesus’s claims. As Joshua spoke to his followers, Jesus speaks to the twelve apostles and gives them the option of leaving Him or staying with Him. Jesus said to his twelve disciples, “Do you also want to leave?" Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” The disciples couldn’t reject Jesus after all that He had done for them. The apostles exercised their freedom of choice by choosing to stay with Jesus.
In the Eucharistic celebration, we, like Peter, are called to make a decision, profess our faith in God’s Son, and renew the covenant ratified in His life, death, and resurrection. We have Mass every day of the week. We have the opportunity to spend time in adoration every first Friday of the month. On first Friday we can come any time of the day if you cannot come for particular hour of the day. Let us meet him personally in Eucharist celebration.
Aug 2018
8/17/2018 0 Comments
Ask a teenage boy and girl, who are in deep love, how often do they talk to each other? Ask them how much she/he want to give the other? He/she may say, they want to give all of themselves. They may say gosh we don’t know how much we talk a day. They may say how they like to stay close always. They are in deep love; they want to give each other their heart.
This week we continue our reflection on the “bread of Life” discourse. We need the tangible. We need someone to hold us, protect us, and give us courage. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became one of us, but that wasn’t enough. He gave us His Flesh and Blood. He comes into us, and we come into Him. He holds us, protects us, and gives us courage.
In today’s first reading from the Book of Proverbs, wisdom represents God, who offers wisdom and understanding in the form of a rich banquet. We read in the proverb “to the one who lacks understanding, she says, Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding.” The early Christians often identified Jesus as the Wisdom of God. They regarded the Eucharist as Wisdom’s banquet, where they shared in the Divine Wisdom now present in Jesus.
There is a wonderful resource to learn more about the Eucharist. Follow the instruction below:
www.formed.org
login:
trial@formed.org
PW: Assumption#18
Name of the video: Presence.
Catholic Services Appeal 2018-19
First of all let me express my gratitude to all of you for your support of Catholic Services Appeal. Year after year some of you generously support towards our parish Catholic Services Appeal (CSA) goal. Your generosity makes a difference. This week is the KICK-OFF of our annual Catholic Services Appeal (CSA) for 2018-19. The theme for this year's appeal is “Called to be Saints.” “You are the visible face of the invisible Father...let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.” - Pope Francis.
Sometimes we ask why we need to give our money to diocese when it can be used by the local church. It is a valuable thought. The reality is that we are part of the universal church. We benefit from the diocese so many different ways. You should have received the Bishop James Power’s letter, which will give you an idea of how your money is used and how many lives you touched.
It can’t just be some of us; if all of us participate we can reach the goal. Please participate to reach the goal of each of our parishes. For a successful year, we need to do three things: pray for CSA first; second, make sure we each participate; and third, encourage others to participate. Even non-parishioners will participate for the right cause. Let us respond to Bishop James Power’s invitation and make it a successful year.
The 2018-19 year goal for each parish is as follows:
St. Anthony’s: $24,529
Immaculate Conception: $10,486
St. Francis: $ 5,402
Let us pray together, let us contribute towards it, then we can reach the goal.
8/13/2018 0 Comments
Have you ever had a meal with someone you loved, someone who really care for you? When you leave that place, do feel loved, cared for, supported, and even strengthened? The readings for this weekend tell us that God has special love for his people.
In the first reading we see Elijah’s discouragement and frustration as he fled for his life. King Ahab of Israel married a pagan queen, Jezebel, and erected an altar to Ball. The prophet Elijah challenged 450 of the pagan god Baal’s prophets and defeated them. Queen Jezebel found out what Elijah did to Baal’s prophets and was angry, sending soldiers to kill the prophet. Elijah fled for his life. He was walking through the desert, became exhausted, and fell into a sleep under a broom tree while he was asking for a speedy death. God’s love for Elijah provided for him. God sent an angel who woke him up and said, "Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!" God’s gift of food provided nourishment and strengthened him so he could continue on his journey to Horeb where Elijah would be commissioned again as God’s prophet to carry on the struggle and anoint his successor.
In today’s Gospel Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.” God offers his people abundant life, but we can miss it. Jesus offers the very life of God himself - life which sustains us, not only now in this age, but also in the age to come. He is the true bread of heaven that can satisfy the deepest hunger we experience.
We saw in the Gospel that the Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." To accept the gift of the Bread of Life, they had to first accept that Jesus was more than human. He was Divine. To understand the miracle and mystery of communion, our starting point must be that Jesus is Divine, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. He gives us who He is: Eternal Life. When we receive the Eucharist, we are united to Him, to each other, and to the whole Body of Christ.
The people had a hard time accepting Jesus, the bread of life. They murmured. Are there still people who murmur about the Eucharist? There are people who don’t know the true meaning of the Eucharist. Every Sunday, and for some of us, every day, we enter into the Mystery of the Eucharist. We receive the One who is the Bread of Life. Do we murmur?
What do I have to offer at the Eucharist? We have to think about what we want to offer every time we come for the Eucharist. It may be for someone in our family who is sick, or our own disappointments and struggles. It may be a victory or joy in our life.
Today, what are the expenses of my offering? It may be how I prepare myself for the Eucharist. I may have to get up early and take time to get ready. I had to give up some other activities or fun to get here to be in the Lord’s presence to celebrate Eucharist. There is an expense.
The Eucharistic celebration should not be a casual get together; it is a grand celebration. It should not be time to murmur, it is a great meal, sacrifice, and thanksgiving. We may be tempted to murmur. Let us stop and think, “What I am missing?” God says, "Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!"
8/3/2018 0 Comments
There is story about St. John Vianney. Every day, one of his parishioners came to the church and sat there for a long time looking at the Tabernacle. Once St. John Vianney went up to him and asked, “What are you doing?” The parishioner replied simply, “I look at Jesus and Jesus looks at me.” In today’s Gospel, the second Sunday on the sixth chapter of John, the Bread of Life discourse continues.
In the first reading we see grumbling and complaining Israelites. They were excited first because they just moved out of Egypt, and God has given them freedom. Soon they found it is not an easy journey to freedom. They started to grumble and complain. Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.” God gave food for the journey. Again they saw the providence of God. Today’s Gospel passage takes place the day after Jesus had fed the five thousand people with five barley loaves and two fish. People kept coming, not because they wanted to hear Jesus’ teaching, but because they saw an awesome miracle: five thousand people were fed from five loaves and two fish.
Jesus used their desire to eat to raise their need to an infinitely higher level. He told them that they seek food that perishes, but that he could give them food that never perishes. They spoke about the manna that God provided in the days of the Exodus, and Jesus told them that the bread the Father gives is greater than manna. This bread doesn’t just satisfy physical hunger, but gives life to the world. They asked for this bread, and Jesus said that he is the bread of life. “Whoever comes to me will never hunger, whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
We see in the first reading, in the midst of their struggle and grumbling in the dessert, he fed them and satisfied them. The Eucharist is food for our journey. The Eucharist is not going to give you everything, but it gives us strength to walk in the most difficult times. In the difficult moments we don’t have to ask where God is because he is hanging on the cross next to us. The Eucharist is our union with Jesus’ offering Himself to the Father for us. We need the Eucharist as our spiritual food. The Eucharist is the very Body of Christ.
The Eucharist is not just food for our journey, it is also the end of our journey, heaven. What does heaven look like? The heavens, saints, and angels are in full communion with God. At every Mass, heaven touches the earth. All saints and angels are present at the Mass. We can see only bread, but in the Eucharist, Jesus gives himself. In the Gospel, Jesus said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
The Eucharist is a meal: participation in His Body and Blood, sacrifice; participation in Jesus’ offering of his body on the Cross and Eucharist is thanksgiving. Jesus gives himself up and thanks the Father, and we, who receive Jesus in Communion, give thanks to God for His Son. Let us celebrate joyfully this gift of the Eucharist.
Thank you: I would like to join St. Anthony Parish and Finance council to thank Jim Litwaitis for sharing his time and talent for years for our bookkeeping. Thank you, we appreciate your generosity to our parish.
Welcome: I would like to join St. Anthony Parish and Finance council to welcome Murrin & Associates, LLC, Accounting & Tax services, who will be doing our bookkeeping. Jerry Murrin is our parishioner.
Jul 2018
Gift of Bread of Life! Happy Pioneer Days! And many more…
7/27/2018 0 Comments
When I looked at the readings for this weekend, I felt something providential. I will answer the question ‘why?’ in a few minutes. We will be reflecting on the Gospel of John chapter 6 for the next couple of weeks. This chapter is called the bread of life discourse, and it talks about the one food we need, the Eucharist. Now let me say why I felt providential when I read this passage. July 29th is my ordination anniversary. Priesthood and the Eucharist are instituted at the Last supper. It is providential that we are going to reflect on the Mass for the next couple of weeks: the very life of Jesus, and God’s continual gift that we need: Eucharist. As I celebrate my ordination anniversary, I feel like God prepared for me a mini retreat for the next couple of weeks to meditate on the Eucharist, the core of Priestly life. I take this opportunity to thank everyone who encouraged and challenged me through your prayers, presence, and support to grow in my priesthood.
Food is a very important part of our lives. We hear or talk about food every day. If we switch on the TV, on one side we hear the talk about poverty and feeding the poor, and on the other hand, we see shows about how to eat well, what is the healthiest food, and how to watch your weight and so on. Recently I was talking to couple of priests, and they asked me, do you find genuine Indian food around which you grew up? I replied, I don’t say genuine Indian food, but when there is nothing around, whatever you find is good.
We are going to look at the theme: “I am the Bread of Life.” Jesus said, "whoever comes to me will never hunger." In the first reading from the Book of Kings, we see the Prophet Elisha setting 20 barley loaves before 100 people. His servant was not sure about this, but the Prophet Elisha asked servant to do his part, and God is going to take care of it. They all eat and there is some left over. The Gospel draws a picture of Jesus feeding 5000 people. Jesus asked Philip, "Where are we going to buy the bread for these people to eat?" If someone asks you this, what will be your response? You probably thought to ask, "Are you kidding!" Philip answered him, "Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little." Here Andrew comes into the scene. He said, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?" Then he gave thanks, blessed it, and began breaking it into pieces to pass around to the people. When they had all had enough to eat, Jesus said, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." They gathered up twelve baskets full! A miracle take place. Like the Prophet Elisha, Jesus told his disciples do their part.
Jesus multiplied the loves and fish, not to just feed the hungry bellies, but to prepare his listeners for an even greater miracle: the giving of his own body and blood in the holy sacrifice of the Mass. The sharing of the broken bread, the Body and Blood, is a sign of a community that is expected to share and provide in abundance for the needs of its members. Five loves and two fish, a humble offering to Jesus, made a difference. We bring ourselves to the Eucharist as we are, Jesus blesses us with His Body and Blood, and sends us to break and share our life with one another. There, miracles take place. Our lives are not perfect, not sufficient, but when it is in hand, miracles take place. As we celebrate Pioneer Days, let us give ourselves and community into the hands of God, who can do miracles. Happy Pioneer Days!
Feast of a Shepherd, St. Anthony!
7/27/2018 0 Comments
Today we are celebrating at St. Anthony’s the Feast of St. Anthony and the conclusion of Totus Tuus. Who is St. Anthony of Padua? He was born in Lisbon, Portugal, in a wealthy family. He gave up all the comforts of the life and joined the Augustinians, later looking at the life of Franciscan Martyrs, he decided to join Franciscan order. Anthony was an excellent preacher and traveled to Morocco to spread God's truth, but became extremely sick and was returned to Portugal. The ship was blown off course and ended up in Sicily. It was said that he was a cook for a while and was attending an ordination during that period when no one was prepared to give a homily at the ordination, and Anthony accepted this task. His speech was astounding and since then his fame spread. Anthony emphasized the ‘Crucified Lord’ in his sermons. Once he wrote: “Christ who is your life is hanging before you, so that you look at the cross as in a mirror. There you will be able to know how mortal were your wounds that no medicine other than the Blood of the Son of God could heal… Nowhere other than looking at himself in the mirror of the cross can better understand how much he is worth.” St. Anthony was a shepherd who cared for his people.
The reading talks about shepherds. In the Old Testament Israel and the nations around it the kings were often called shepherds because they had a duty to look after their people. In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah thunders against Israel's careless leaders, because they have shown no concern for their flock. The prophet also foretells the rise of a good, new shepherd in the family line of David.
We see Jesus fulfilling this role as shepherd of the people in the Gospel. In the first part of the Gospel, Jesus is caring for his own disciples, and in the second part he took pity on the people since they were like sheep without a shepherd.
Sheep nibble themselves astray: they keep their heads down, just as we tend to keep our heads glued to our jobs – until we look up and realize we don’t know where we are. It would be a very good thing to stop and rest, as Jesus said. When we look at it rightly, there is only one Shepherd, and every one of us is the lost sheep.
The beautiful and famous Psalm we prayed today (Ps 23), “The Lord is my shepherd” was written many centuries before Jesus but when we pray this Psalm it is natural for us to think of Jesus: “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.” We see Jesus’ concern for his apostles, at the same time concern for people. He is our shepherd, and at the same time we are sent out as shepherds. In other words, in certain roles, we are the shepherd and other time we are the sheep without a shepherd.
The reading reminds us of two points: we have to find time to spend time with our shepherd and at the same time we are sent out like apostles, shepherds, to bring the “Good News” to others. Perhaps our commitment to following Jesus as his disciple leaves us feeling tired and overwhelmed. In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus affirm the importance of times of rest and renewal. Jesus wanted his disciples to come away and spend time alone with him. This is what we seek and find in our life of prayer and in our celebration of the Eucharist. This is the place we are fed and send out to continue our mission.
7/13/2018 0 Comments
The readings reminds us of our Divine adoption as God's children and of our call to preach the Good News of Jesus. I read a story of a prison chaplain that challenges us. He went to talk with a man sentenced to die in the electric chair. He urged him to believe in Jesus Christ and be baptized; that forgiveness and eternity with God awaited him if only he would turn towards God. The prisoner said, "Do you really believe that?" "Of course I do," replied the chaplain. "Go on," scoffed the prisoner. "If I believed that I would crawl and hands and knees over broken glass to tell others, but I don't see you Christians making any big thing of it!" He had a point.
We have group of vibrant, faithful college-aged evangelizers, who can effectively impact our children, junior high, and high school youth. Haley Arndt, CJ Kallevig, Charles Luke and Robbie Simon are here to run the Totus Tuus. Totus Tuus means totally yours. Totus Tuus is a summer Catholic youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic faith. It is a fun learning program and a great opportunity for our children and youth to learn and develop a personal relationship with Jesus. Please encourage our children and youth to participate.
Please join us, your pastor and parish council members to welcome our new Parish Council Members:
Diane Nolan: My name is Diane Nolan and I was born and raised in Illinois. I am a cradle Catholic and I went to Catholic schools from Kindergarten through Senior High School. I relocated to Park Falls in 1975 and my two sons went to St. Anthony School. I moved to Butternut in 1982 and attended Immaculate Conception parish until 2002 when my husband Harvey and I moved back to the Park Falls area and I switched back to St. Anthony again. Together, Harvey and I have 5 children and 8 grandchildren.
I have been a hairstylist for 50 years and am still working part time at Hometown Hair Care in Park Falls. I am currently serving as President of St. Anthony's Council of Catholic Women, am a greeter at Mass, and I am also the contact person for the Dynamic Catholic Parish Champion program. When you see free books or dvd's at the entrances to church, that is where they come from. I would be honored to serve on St. Anthony's Parish Council.
Gregory Oswald: I was born in Park Falls and have been a member of the St. Anthony Parish since baptism. This includes all sacraments from baptism, first communion, confirmation, and was married at St. Anthony's. Sarah and I have three children and we moved back to Park Falls in 2012. We are active members of the cluster since returning. Sarah and I read at 9:30 am Mass.
Barbara Gustafson: My name is Barbara Gustafson, born and brought up in Park Falls. I went to school at St. Anthony and received all the sacraments at St. A’s. My husband, Bob and I raised four children and they went to St. Anthony School. We are active members of the parish and honored to serve in the parish council.
7/6/2018 0 Comments
I read a story on National Catholic Register, the amazing story of 12 Anglican nuns who embraced Catholic Faith. One Sister of the community described that moment as follows:
“This community has always meant everything to me… My call at the age of 20 was hugely strong: I was absolutely clear that I was meant to be here… [But] there are two points here. Firstly, the Holy Spirit has spoken to my heart at several moments in my life about union with the Catholic Church. Secondly, yet it was also the Holy Spirit who placed in me a strong sense of call to this particular community. These two aspects of my vocation have governed my choices at moments when it was possible to become a Catholic and I have not done so. But the Ordinariate basically opened a possibility I never imagined could be there for me as a Religious.”
The Gospel describes the typical pattern of Jesus’ ministry: teaching in the synagogue followed by acts of healing. In his hometown of Nazareth, the people were amazed by what they heard, but they also could not comprehend how someone they knew so well might move them so powerfully.
The reason I brought up the story of the twelve nuns is because we see and hear a story of conversion and coming to the faith. Those stories are amazing and we need them. But as a Catholic/Christian do we posses the same mentality of those people in Nazareth?: Do we read and listen with amazement but are unable to comprehend our own faith for it to have no effect in our lives? We are human, there will be dry moments in life. Even saints faced these challenges. But if we face this challenge regularly, it is dangerous.
Jesus' kinfolk in Nazareth might have known the carpenter, the son of Mary, but they did not know Jesus, the Son of God. Today we believe in Jesus, and take time to know him and celebrate faith, especially in Eucharist. We know the stories of our faith, but do we know really what he did for us?
Let us ask him to touch our lives, so we can come to know him personally, love him and proclaim.
Jun 2018
6/29/2018 0 Comments
We are excited to celebrate July 4th. We are grateful for our country, and we want to be good citizens. Thomas Jefferson on July 4th, 1826 wrote in a letter: “May it be to the world, what I believe it will be ... the signal of arousing men to burst the chains ... and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form, which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. ...For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them."
The best things we can do to become better citizens is to be better Christians. Every year around July 4th, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops invites us to pray for religious freedom. We are excited to celebrate July 4th, but we need to hold onto that spirit every day, every aspect of our life.
This weekend’s readings speak of the gift of life, both physical and spiritual, that God has given us. They urge and challenge us to be grateful for our health in body and soul and to use God’s gifts of life and health responsibly.
In the first reading from the book of Wisdom we heard that God does not make death. What is death? Every living being dies. What is our experience about death? Fearful…..isn’t it? This death God does not invent.
Now let us go back to book of Wisdom for the answer to where death comes from. It reads, “For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.” Man had rejected God’s gift and misused his freedom. As a result of his sin, man no longer shared in God’s nature.
The Gospel tells the story about the raising of a twelve year old girl from the dead. When Jesus came to the house, they told him that she was dead. Jesus disregards the message about death. He says do not be afraid, but have faith. Jesus sees death as a falling asleep. Little girl, arise, Talitha Kaum.
Jesus brought numerous people to life. Ultimately, like Paul says in the second reading, “the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,” the sacrificial love of Jesus restores man’s ability to receive life of God.
God did not make death. He does not cause evil. He cries with us, bawls with us in the face of the horror of the world. But He is not defeated. He restores His life to those who accept Him.
6/22/2018 0 Comments
This weekend we are celebrating nativity of John the Baptist. The Liturgy usually celebrates the day of their death, their birthday to heaven. There are only two exceptions: Mary the mother of Jesus, and John the Baptist. The annunciation of John the Baptist to Zechariah in the Temple, Vigil Mass Gospel, and the naming of the child with the name provided by God, Sunday’s Gospel, points out that God had a special mission for John to fulfill.
John the Baptist's life was fueled by one burning passion – to point others to Jesus Christ and to the coming of God's kingdom. Scripture tells us that John was filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb (Luke 1:15, 41) by Christ himself, whom Mary had just conceived by the Holy Spirit. When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, John leapt in the womb of Elizabeth as they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41). The fire of the Spirit dwelt in John, and he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness prior to his ministry. When Jesus and John met first time, John leaped for joy in Elizabeth's womb. There comes the first preparation. John’s motto of true humility and commitment to the Lord’s service. John brought to the world that light and joy that he experienced the first time.
John’s message was similar to the message of the Old Testament prophets who told the people of God for their unfaithfulness and who tried to awaken true repentance in them. John inaugurates a widespread ministry of baptism for the forgiveness of sin by challenging the self-righteous people to repentance. He is a central figure to prepare the way for Jesus and introduction of the Messiah to the world. John the Baptist proclaimed that he must decrease and the Lord must increase.
When John was born, his father, Zechariah, his voice restored, proclaimed a great truth, “You, my child, shall be called the Prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.” The Canticle of Zechariah, is prayed every day as part of the Morning Prayers in Divine Office. This prayer reminds us that we all are called to proclaim Jesus Christ. It’s challenging, isn’t it?
6/15/2018 0 Comments
Father's Day was near when I brought my three-year-old son, Tyler, to the card store. Inside, I showed him the cards for dads and told him to pick one. When I looked back, Tyler was picking up one card after another, opening them up and quickly shoving them back into slots, every which way. "Tyler, what are you doing?" I asked. "Haven't you found a nice card for Daddy yet?" "No," he replied. "I'm looking for one with money in it."
Five weeks ago we honored our moms. Today, on this Father's Day, we are doing the same, offering our dads – living or dead – on the altar of God during this Holy Mass, invoking our heavenly Father’s blessings on them. Today we celebrate, congratulate and pray for the men who continue to reflect the divine qualities of fatherhood as they lovingly establish, nourish and maintain family. Pope Francis says, “I have great love for Saint Joseph because he is a man of silence and strength.” St. Joseph is the patron of fathers, families, and the Universal Church. Pope Francis says that faith does not distance us from the world. On the contrary, it brings us closer. For that reason, St. Joseph is a model father for the Christian family. He overcame the difficulties of life because he rested with God. Fathers are a blessing and we thank them for blessing us with lives of dedication, endurance, and love. Happy Father’s Day!!
This weekend we hear two farming stories. The first reading from the book of Ezekiel prophesied that the Lord would take a tender shoot from a cedar tree and turn it into a noble cedar, the people recognized in this prophecy that growth is always in God's hands. Cedar grows best in mountainous regions. Mountains were also symbolic of getting closer to God and further from the influences of the world. Israel, a nation in exile at the time of this prophecy, would become the nation that the whole world would look to with respect. The renewed nation, growing with the blessings of God, will be a blessing for many peoples. The Savior would come from Israel. Every kind of bird, all the nations, would live under the tree of Israel.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus provides another description of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is like a tiny mustard seed, which, once planted, grows into a large tree. The smallest of beginnings need not discourage us. God works wonders in us. Jesus invites us to allow the kingdom of God to blossom and live in our hearts.
God does wonders. The question is, do we believe and recognize it? How was our faith ten or twenty years ago, and what does it look like today? I am sure it has changed for everyone. The reading tells us our God is a God of growth. We need to recognize the God’s work in our faith lives. In our second reading, St. John reminds us that: “We walk by faith, and not by sight.” May all of us grow in our faith and God continue to do wonders through us.
My trip to India: Thank you everyone for holding me in prayer. I had a wonderful time with family and friends. May is supposed to be peak summer, but this year the rain started early and cooled it down quite a bit. So it was a very pleasant time for me. Thank you.
May 2018
GOSPEL MEDITATION - ENCOURAGE DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE
5/18/2018 0 Comments
Today we celebrate the "birthday of the Church!" Pentecost is described in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. But before the great driving wind and tongues of fire empowering the Disciples, the Holy Spirit had already arrived. The Gospel for today's Mass during the day is from John 20. Jesus appears to the fearful disciples after his resurrection. He first speaks a message of calm. "Peace be with you." The apostles "rejoiced when they saw the Lord." When the enthusiastic response settles down, Jesus "breathed on them and said to them 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'"
This action is Trinitarian, and it has happened before. If you turn your Bible back to the beginning, you'll read: "The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so many became a living being" (Genesis 2:7). In the Garden of Eden, we see God's first, original covenant with man. The breath of life signifies that original indwelling of grace, the special state of likeness and friendship with God before the Fall. Here now, in this locked room, the Apostles receive the long-awaited promise: the very breath of God, new life, a new covenant.
In the pairing of these two readings-the Pentecost experience in Acts and the breath of Jesus in John's Gospel -we see that the coming of the Holy Spirit is not only an empowering, it is an indwelling. We have each received the breath of grace in our baptism. It is confirmed, strengthened, and deepened in each reception of the sacraments. If we persevere in virtue, the Spirit of God is alive in us, inspiring our actions of love. This Pentecost Sunday, how is the breath of God alive in you?
Happy Feast of Ascension of the Lord! Happy Mother’s Day! Congratulation to our seniors!
5/18/2018 0 Comments
Congratulations to the graduating seniors! We are fast approaching the end of the school year. This weekend our cluster is celebrating graduation weekend for seniors. I take this opportunity to congratulate you and wish you the best. We will hold you in our prayer. Senior year is culmination of more than a decade of hard work, dedication and perseverance. Now, it is a turning point in your life. I am sure seniors, you are with full of dreams and plans for the future. Teachers, parents, and family will look at you with a question: what is next? What are going study? What you want to become? Some of you are already decided, some are not sure yet. Whether you are going to college, entering the work force, joining the military, joining the priesthood or religious life, or unsure of the next step, we are here to offer a prayer, encouragement, and support for you. We want to thank you for what you have done for our cluster, school, and community. When you come home, please don’t forget to come to your spiritual home. There is community of faith waiting to see you.
Happy Mother’s Day! There is a beautiful Spanish proverb: "An ounce of mother is better than a pound of clergy." The word “mom” is synonymous with sacrificial love in its purest form as given by Jesus in his farewell speech: "love one another as I have loved you.” Mothers leave their legacy with us. They live in and through us. The month of May is traditionally the month of Mary. Through Mary, the work of Motherhood is glorified and sanctified. On this Mother’s Day, presenting all mothers on the altar, let us sing the beautiful song we sing on the Feast of the Presentation, “Gentle woman, peaceful dove, teach us wisdom, teach us love.”
Happy Feast of the Ascension of the Lord! This weekend we are celebrating the Ascension of the Lord. There is a beautiful old story that tells how Jesus, after his ascension into Heaven, was surrounded by the Holy Angels who began to inquire about his work on earth. Jesus told them about His birth, life, preaching, death, and resurrection, and how he had accomplished the salvation of the world. The angel Gabriel asked, “Well, now that you are back in Heaven, who will continue your work on earth?" Jesus said, "While I was on earth, I gathered a group of people around me who believed in me and loved me. They will continue to spread the Gospel and carry on the work of the Church.” Gabriel was perplexed. "You mean Peter, who denied you thrice and all the rest who ran away when you were crucified? You mean to tell us that you left them to carry on your work? And what will you do if this plan doesn't work?" Jesus said, "I have no other plan – it must work." Truly, Jesus has no other plan than to depend on the efforts of his followers!
In the Gospel for this weekend we read, Jesus said to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” St. Augustine says, “We believe in Him, whom we have not seen. Those who have seen him, have announced him ... He who has promised is faithful and never fails: boost your confidence and await his promise ... keep your faith strong!”
Jesus counts on you and me. Are we ready?
Trip to India! I will be leaving for India to visit my family on May 14 and will be back June 11th. Please keep me in your prayers. You are always in my prayers. Thank you.
5/4/2018 0 Comments
The story of Leslie Lemke begins in Milwaukee in 1952. His mother gave him up for adoption at birth. As a complication of his premature birth, Leslie developed retinal problems, then glaucoma, and his eyes had to be surgically removed in the first months of life. There was also brain damage, and Leslie was extremely ill. The county asked May Lemke, a nurse-governess who they knew and trusted, if she would take Leslie into her receiving home, ill as he was and carrying such a dire prognosis. That didn’t deter May. At age 52, and having raised five children of her own, May Lemke said she would. And she did.
Every day May massaged the baby’s entire body. She prayed over him, cried over him, she placed his hands on her tears. As Leslie grew, so did May’s problems.
They years passed. When Leslie was six he learned to stand alone. All this time he didn’t respond to her. But all this time May continued to love him and pray over him. Then one day May noticed Leslie’s finger plucking a taut string on a package. She wondered whether Leslie was sensitive to music. May began to surround Leslie with music. She played every type of music imaginable.
Leslie played and sang often, but mostly the simple tunes May sang or popular songs from the radio. May wasn’t into classical music. In the early morning hours May heard music. She thought Joe had left the television on. She went to turn it off and there was Leslie, playing flawlessly from beginning to end, having heard it but once, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, which was the theme song for that movie. God’s miracle, May said, came into full bloom that night. May dropped to her knees and said, “Thank you, dear God. You didn’t forget Leslie.”
In June 1980 Leslie gave a concert in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. People were amazed by what they had seen — a young man who is blind, mentally challenged, with cerebral palsy, and never having had a music lesson in his life playing what seemed like a limitless repertoire and repeating flawlessly whatever was played to him after a single hearing.
This Sunday’s second reading and the Gospel reading speak about the command to Love. 1 John reminds us that God has first loved us. He has showered His Mercy on us. In the Gospel reading we hear that we are to love one another as Jesus loves us, with a selfless love, a love willing to give His Life for us. We are called to sacrificial love.
Look at the story of May and Leslie, it tells us what love does in our life. LOVE does miracles. Love does bit have any reservation. It is for everyone. It makes us equal before God. Jesus tells us “this is my commandment: love one another as I love you.”
​“I am the vine, you are the branches!”
5/4/2018 0 Comments
​“I am the vine, you are the branches!”
In the late 1980s, a fire destroyed a building on the lower east side of Manhattan. An alarm was sounded and the trucks and personnel arrived in plenty of time to fight the fire. The exit doors worked properly. The steps were clear. The people got out of the building quickly and in order. However, the fire burned out of control and the building had to be demolished. When the firemen arrived, the hoses on the wall were installed properly. There were hoses hundreds of feet in length--clearly sufficient to put the fire out. It was discovered too late, however, that the city water line had never been connected to this part of the system. It was a deadly oversight. To live a human life disconnected from the living God is tragic as well. Jesus did more than come to live among us. He is the life-giving vine and we are the branches.
"I am the vine…you the branches." But a vine is all branches! For a vine there is not much of trunk. The vine is just branches. He has identified himself with us. It is about our relationship with Jesus. Suppose a branch come off from a tree during storm, it dies. It is because that branch no longer part of the vine. It lost its life. This weekend the first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, testifies to the abundance of spiritual fruits yielded by the apostles because of their close bond with the risen Lord. John, in his first letter to the Church, explains that only if we remain united to Christ by putting our faith in him and drawing our spiritual strength from him, will we be able to obey God’s commandments, especially the commandment of love.
What really matters in our lives? What matters is the Love of Christ that we have been empowered to make real in the world. During Easter time we celebrate the gift of the Lord’s life we received at Baptism. We are continually fed and nourished at the Altar. We need to be determined to strengthen this life within us. We need to be more faithful, more prayerful. We need to try harder in our prayer life. That is how we stay closer to him and bring God’s love to others. We need to be connected to Christ like a vine and branches to receive life abundantly, so we can share with many.
God is with us, yes. But to have a relationship with God; we need to be with Him too. When we do this, when we are united to the vine, then we can do the work of the Christian. We can draw others to Him. We can bear fruit.
Apr 2018
Congratulations to Confirmation Candidates, Sponsors and their families!
4/23/2018 0 Comments
The fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday and it is the “World Day of Prayer for Vocations.” The scripture lessons for this weekend is about the role of the shepherd.
In his book, The Holy Land, John Kellman describes a field pen. It consists of a circular stone wall about four feet high with an opening in it. Kellman says that one-day a Holy Land tourist saw a field pen near Hebron. He asked a shepherd sitting nearby, “where’s the gate for your pen?” The shepherd said, “I am the gate.”
The shepherd then told the tourist how he herded his flock into the pen each night. Then he lay down across the narrow entrance. No sheep could leave the pen, and no wild animal could enter it without stepping on his body.
Jesus is our shepherd, who laid down his life for us to give us new life, and He is with us. He broke the bread and said to his disciples, this is My Body, take and eat it. Jesus tells us the same, “This is My Body.” Like Apostles, we are also fed at this table and sent out to break and give to others.
Even though the Apostles lived with Jesus and learned scripture and broke the bread with him, we all know, after the crucifixion, resurrection and even after ascension, the Apostles felt emptiness in their life. But they were gathered in prayer to receive the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost their lives were transformed. Then proclaimed the Good News and performed miracles in the name of Jesus of Nazorean.
This Sunday we are celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation. Our young men and women were preparing for this day, for the reception of Sacrament of Confirmation. Apostles received Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It was life changing for them. They received gift of the Holy Spirit. What are they? There are seven of them: 1. Wisdom which helps to understand things from God’s point of view; 2. Understanding which helps us to understand deeper meaning of supernatural truth; 3. Knowledge helps us to appreciate the life God has given: begin to see God’s presence in people, things, and nature and treat them with proper dignity; 4. Right Judgement or Counsel which helps to make right decision God would want me to make; 5. Reverence or Piety which helps to trust God more, relationships become stronger; 6. Courage or Fortitude which helps to stand up for what I believe; 7. Fear of the Lord or Awe and Wonder which helps to stay on the right path to heaven. Fear of the Lord is because I love God and I want to please Him.
Let us join in prayer for our young people, those who are receiving Sacrament of Confirmation, may God pour the gift of the Holy Spirit, so they may come out of the Upper Room and reach out in mission to others. Let us pray that with our Confirmandi, their sponsors, families, and our entire cluster will be renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Congratulation to our First Communicants!
4/13/2018 0 Comments
Once a gentle man was visiting his son. On Sunday he went church and took his little granddaughter with him. The little girl was observing everything, and finally they went to receive communion. Grandpa received communion, and she got a blessing. On the way back to the pew she asked, “Grandpa when am I going to get one of those.” Grandpa told her, “I will be make sure in couple years you will receive First Communion.” She kept watching the priest, and when he went to tabernacle to keep the Blessed Sacrament, she asked, “What is he doing? Is he putting in the microwave?”
Congratulation on your First Communion! Look at the Cross; God loves you so much. Look at the Easter Candle, he loves you and wants to be the light of your life, that guides you. Look at the Altar, just as your parents feed you so that you can be strong physically, God feeds you from the Altar, so that you can be strong spiritually. At your Holy Communion, Jesus comes to you. He wants your communion & relationship with him to be holy. He wants your communion & relationship with everybody to be holy.
Pope Francis published a new Apostolic Exhortation “Gaudete Et Exsultate,” “Rejoice And Be Glad.” Pope Francis wants to remind us that we are called to holiness. In other words, he wants us to become saints. We don’t have to be a bishop, priest, or religious person to become saints. The Pope says, “we are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves.”
So what is holiness? It is being poor in heart, reacting with meekness and humility, knowing how to mourn with others, seeing and acting with mercy and so on. In the middle of problems, accepting the Gospel in daily life and sharing peace and love all those who are around us. Pope Francis says this is the holiness, rejoice and be glad, we all can attain holiness.
In today’s Gospel of Luke is presenting two different accounts. Two disciples were explaining how they recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread and during this conversation Jesus appeared in their midst. He is real, with a human body. Jesus risen from the dead was still someone they could talk to. First Communicants, today Jesus is coming to you first time in Eucharist. Jesus wants you to be holy like Pope reminds us. What do you have to do become holy: just be yourselves and do everything with love for God and others.
Many years ago, there was a holy nun that went to the great Saint Teresa and was telling her how she wished that she had been alive at the same time that Jesus was walking around on the earth. She kept thinking what a joy it would have been to see his face, to hear his voice and just to be near Him. “Imagine what it would have been like to even talk with Jesus!” she exclaimed. “Oh, I would be a saint if only I could have been with Jesus!”
Saint Teresa looked at her with love and said, “My dear sister, have you forgotten that Jesus is still on earth , and that He lives near you-yes, in the house with you, and often in your very soul. Have you also forgotten that you can see Him and can speak to Him as often as you like? Is not Jesus with us in the Most Holy Sacrament? Why then do you wish to have lived long ago, since that same Jesus who lived with Mary and Joseph lives also with you?” Jesus lives with us, he gives himself in the Eucharist so we can grow in holiness.
4/6/2018 1 Comment
A preacher was forced, by the traffic police, to pull over for speeding. As the cop was about to write the ticket, the priest said to him, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." The cop handed the preacher the ticket, and said, "Go, and sin no more."
The Second Sunday of Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday. Mercy is the foundation of the Easter Season. Today in the first part of the Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." Jesus empowered the disciples to become the vehicle of his mercy.
God continues to pour his mercy in the world through the new Israel, the Church. In a dream, St. Theresa of Lisieux asked St. Faustina, apostle of Divine Mercy, to trust in Jesus and she will become a saint. Later St. Faustina wrote in her dairy, “God Said to me, in the old covenant I sent prophets willingly thunderbolts of my people. Today I am sending you with my mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching human kind, I desire to heal it…”
St. John Paul II had a great role in spreading the message of Divine Mercy. On the 30th of April, 2000, the Second Sunday of Easter, St. Pope John Paul II celebrated the Eucharist in Saint Peter’s Square and proceeded with the canonization of Blessed Sister Faustina. St. Faustina invites us by the witness of her life to keep our faith and hope fixed on God, the Father, rich in mercy, who has saved us by the precious blood of His Son. The Lord Jesus assigned St. Faustina three basic tasks during her short life: 1. to pray for souls, entrusting them to God's incomprehensible Mercy; 2. to tell the world about God's generous mercy; 3. to start a new movement in the Church focusing on God's Mercy. “The Lord of Divine Mercy” a drawing of Jesus based on the vision given to St. Faustina, which shows Jesus raising his right hand in a gesture of blessing, with his left hand on his chest from which gush forth two rays, one red and one white. The picture contains the message "Jesus, I trust in You". The rays streaming out have symbolic meaning: red for the blood of Jesus, which is the life of souls, and white for the water which justifies souls. The whole image is symbolic of the mercy, forgiveness, and love of God. In the divine mercy chaplet, the novena starts on Good Friday and goes until the Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday. The Divine Mercy celebration invites us to receive God’s mercy, and at the same time, share one another. Our Lord said to St. Faustina, "Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy. I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it"
Pope Francis continues the message of Mercy. During the year of mercy, Pope Francis said in one of his homilies, “Dear brothers and sisters, I have often thought about how the Church might make clear its mission of being a witness to mercy. It is journey that begins with a spiritual conversion.”
Our Cluster will celebrate at St. Anthony on Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. It includes Adoration, Divine Mercy Chaplet, and sacrament of reconciliation.
4/3/2018 0 Comments
After dying in a car crash, three friends find themselves at an orientation to enter heaven. Each one was asked, "When you are in your casket, what would you like to hear your friends and family saying about you?" Sean says, "I would like to hear them say I was a great doctor and a great family man." Karl says, "I would like to hear them say I was a wonderful husband and an excellent teacher who made a difference in children's lives." Juan says, "I would like to hear them say, 'Look! He's moving!'"
Early on the morning of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James, and Salome brought spices to anoint the body of Jesus. Can you imagine? You walk into a tomb, fully expecting to see a dead body, and you see instead someone alive and well—someone different than the man who was buried there! Today we celebrate Easter. He is Risen!
Easter is a profoundly spiritual day. It is a day of joy, beauty, and hope. When we come to Church on Easter, we are struck by the flowers and beauty. The flowers remind us of the three gardens of the Lord we find in Scripture.
The first garden is the Garden of Paradise. In this garden, God provided Adam and Eve everything, and they were supposed to recognize his and her dependence on God. They thought that they could be like God, and the garden of Paradise became a place of sin, suffering and shame.
The second garden is the garden of Gethsemane. This garden is the garden of challenge and the garden of choice. It was challenging, but Jesus chose to do the sacrifice for us.
The third garden is the garden of the Resurrection. I recall my visit to Holy Land. One of the most powerful moments was visiting the Church of Holy Sepulcher. In this Church, we can see the place where Jesus was crucified, “Golgoltha” and next to it, a small church within the church which is Tomb of Christ. It was not just the Church of the Tomb, but was also the Church of the Resurrection. We read in the Bible that the tomb was in a garden. A beautiful morning, a joy filled morning, there were a couple of different groups of people around that tomb, some of them surprised, some others confused, still others running to tell others “He is risen.”
We are walking with Jesus one garden to the other. The Garden of Gethsemane leads us to the garden of Easter. Every Good Friday leads us to an Easter Sunday. Jesus, through his passion, death, and resurrection, through his power of his love, gave us new life.
At the Easter Vigil, a large candle is brought into the darkened church. Easter light transforms our lives. St. Agustine says, Jesus departed from our sight, that we might return to our hearts and there find Him. He is Risen!! He is alive in our hearts. Let the Paschal candle brighten our hearts and minds. May the Risen Christ dwell in our hearts and bless you and me with His love, forgiveness, and healing this Easter and always. Wish you all a Happy Easter!!
Mar 2018
3/23/2018 0 Comments
Little Johnny was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, "Why do you have that palm branch, dad?" "You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved palm branches to honor him; so we got palm branches today." "Aw, shucks,” grumbled Little Johnny. "The one Sunday I can't go to church, and Jesus shows up!"
The Church celebrates today as both Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday as we enter into Holy Week, and welcome Jesus into our lives, asking him to allow us a share in his suffering, death, and resurrection. In order to receive new life, death must happen. Death and resurrection happen in our day-to-day lives.
On Holy Thursday there is a Chrism Mass in Cathedral Churches because it is a solemn observance of Christ's institution of the Eucharist and priesthood. In order to make the opportunity for most priests and laity to attend this Mass, the Bishop may celebrate prior to Holy Week, as we celebrated in our diocese. At this 'Chrism Mass' the bishop blesses the Oil of Chrism used for Baptism and Confirmation.
The Holy Thursday liturgy in parish communities is celebrated in the evening because Passover began at sundown. After the Holy Thursday evening Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is carried in solemn procession to the flower-bedecked Altar of Repose, where it will remain 'entombed' until the communion service on Good Friday. Finally, there is Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament by the people during the night, just as the disciples stayed with the Lord during His agony on the Mount of Olives before the betrayal by Judas. No Mass will be celebrated again in the Church until the Easter Vigil proclaims the Resurrection.
Holy Week can become "holy” for us only if we actively and consciously take part in the liturgies of this week. During Holy Thursday’s institution of Eucharist Jesus said to his disciples, “This is my body broken for you; this is my blood, and shed for you” and we see on Good Friday that this sacrifice is completed on the cross. He broke himself for us and fed us. This is also the week when we should lighten the burden of Christ’s passion as daily experienced by the needy people through our corporal and spiritual works of mercy; break and share.
On Good Friday we start the nine days of the novena for Divine Mercy Sunday. On Good Friday we see Jesus open his heart on the Cross and pour his love and mercy for each one of us. Let us look at the cross and prepare during this week for Easter!
Please welcome our new Janitor Gary Eitrem, born and brought up in Park Falls. I am sure you all know him. He will do great job. Also join me to thank Jim Jirschele for his years of commitment. He had back surgery and is recuperating, please keep him in your prayers. Thank you Jim Jirschele and welcome Gary Eitrem.
3/16/2018 0 Comments
​New Life: A True Gift!
A man was surprised to read the announcement of his own death in the obituary column of the local newspaper. Ringing up his close friend, he enquired, “Did you see the announcement of my death in the paper this morning?” ”Yes,” was the frightened answer in a shivering voice. “But where are you speaking from? Heaven or Hell?”
We are a week away from the start of the Holy Week. In the next two weeks, we will live the Gospel passage of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus asks us to have faith in him. During the fifth Sunday of Lent Year A, the prophet Ezekiel reminds the Israelites during their Babylonian captivity of the Lord’s promise to not only bring us back to life, but to bring us back to home. St. Paul, in the second reading, assures us that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, and who dwells within us, will give life to our mortal bodies. In the Gospel, the revival of Lazarus is the foreshadowing of the resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus cries at the tomb of Lazarus. When confronted with death, Jesus reacted the same way you and I react. He cried. But then Jesus did something: he called Lazarus out of the grave. He did this not just because he wanted his friend to live, but because he wanted us to know that he was the Lord of Life.
Believing in Jesus is not just a life and death issue. it is also a death and life issue. Believing in Jesus gives us the ability to enjoy his life even after our death. Believing in Jesus helps us make some sense of the mystery of death in the world. Our loved ones die to this world, but live in the Lord.
In living our faith, in practicing Christian morality, we are often confronted with life and death issues, but this does represent a complete view of Christianity. The martyrs knew this. And they refused to deny Christ but not because they wanted to die. They chose Christ because they wanted to live. As Christians, we have to have a profound faith, a fundamental belief, in death and life.
How can we understand death? We can only understand death as a transition from this life to the next. It can happen two ways, one way is die to this world physically, or another is to die to this world spiritually. When we leave this world we have eternal life; when we leave the selfish man, we are resurrected, and we are in spirit and new life.
The Sacraments are special ways we meet Jesus and receive grace of life. This reading is also relevant for our RCIA candidate, Michael, as he prepares for the Sacraments. It is relevant for all of as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection. He comes and touches us with new life.
3/12/2018 0 Comments
We are in the Fourth Sunday in Lent. Traditionally this Sunday is known as “Laetare Sunday,” from the Latin word for “Rejoice!” It sets a tone of joyful anticipation of the Easter mystery. The theme of the reading is sight.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went camping. They pitched their tent under the stars and went to sleep. In the middle of the night Holmes awoke and exclaimed, “Watson, look up; tell me what you see?” Watson opened his eyes and said, “I see billions of stars. It’s likely that some of these have planetary systems. Furthermore, it’s possible that life has developed in a few.” “Is that what you see?” Holmes replied, “No, you idiot. Somebody stole our tent!”
Most of us have good eye sight. Some of us have to wear glasses to have good vision. Today’s readings remind us that it is God who gives us proper vision in the physical as well as in spiritual sense and instructs us to be vigilant and not to fall into spiritual blindness. The fourth Sunday of Lent connects with the Candidate who are preparing to receive the Sacraments at the Easter Vigil.
In today’s First Reading the prophet Samuel has been sent to the house of Jesse to anoint the new king of Israel. When Samuel was sent out, in his mind was the figure of Saul, the present king. Samuel thought Jesse’s son Eliab would be a good replacement, because he was tall and handsome, much like Saul. The Lord said to him, “Not as man sees does God see.” Jesse presented seven of his sons, but not David. Even Jesse didn’t think God would chose David. When David came the LORD said to Samuel, "There—anoint him, for this is the one!" Samuel tried to make decision based on appearance, in another word, based on his sight. God direct him to see beyond physical sight.
In today’s Second Reading, Paul reminds us that the Lord has brought us from darkness to light. Sin not only disfigures us, but it also blinds us. So Paul encourages us to live as children of light, which gives us true sight.
The Gospel story tells us how a blind man received sight. The man, who was born blind, not only received the gift of sight, but he also received an opportunity to see that Jesus was the one who healed him. The man who received sight could not deny what was right in front of his face. He gave witness for the gift he received and what he experienced. The Pharisees were kept asking how Jesus opened his eyes. They couldn’t praise God or recognize Jesus for what he did, but the blind man was able to do so. He received sight and insight. Others could see, but they couldn’t recognize.
Our Lenten prayers and sacrifices should help us receive true sight so that we can see the great things God has done in our lives and in the lives of the people around us.
3/2/2018 0 Comments
We all experience two kinds of thirst in life. The first kind of thirst is horizontal, our desire for things on earth: food, drink, companionship, fun, entertainment, a nice house, a good income, success at work or school and many more.
The second kind of thirst vertical, a deeper desire built into our nature: a desire for meaning and purpose. But unlike horizontal thirst, our vertical thirst cannot be satisfied by our own efforts. Only God himself can satisfy it.
On the third Sunday of lent, we see in first reading and the Gospel is about thirst. In the first reading Moses was leading people out of Egypt from slavery. People were thirsty in the dessert and their question whether God is even there. God asks Moses to strike the rock and he provided water and satisfies the thirst of the complainers. In the Gospel Jesus thirst for soul of Samaritan woman. On the other hand the Samaritan woman’s thirst was for real love.
Jews and Samaritans were not on good terms, so the Samaritan woman was surprised to see Jesus, a Jew, is asking her water. Normally women used to go to fetch water in the morning or in the evening when it was not too hot. But she came to fetch water at noon. She may have been trying to avoid the crowd. Jesus came to her level to reach out and walk with her and leads her to faith. Jesus reveals himself as the source of Living Water.
The liturgy makes use of the symbol of water to refer to our relationship with God. It represents God’s Spirit which comes to us in Baptism. The water that Jesus promises is closely linked to conversion and the forgiveness of sin. In the second reading, Saint Paul asserts that, as the savior of mankind, Jesus poured the living water of the gift of his Holy Spirit into our hearts. Samaritan woman, in the Gospel, once embraced the faith, Jesus, the living water, becomes a missionary who brings others to Jesus. Once she had life changing experience, she couldn’t hold it for herself.
Jesus THIRSTS for our faith. Do we thirst for him? Yes, we do. The question is, do we recognize it? Lent invites us renew our faith and receive the spirit. This week and the next two weeks we take reading from the Year A, because we have RCIA candidates. Please pray for Michael Zilinger who is preparing to receive Sacraments during Easter Vigil.
Feb 2018
Mountain top experiences prepare us to Holy Week experiences…
2/23/2018 0 Comments
This weekend’s first reading and Gospel take us to the mountain top. Two different atmospheres with basically same theme. Abraham took his beloved son Isaac to the land of Moriah to sacrifice him according to the command of God. We know the rest of the story: God was testing Abraham’s faithfulness. In the Gospel Jesus reveals his glory at the transfiguration. It is a message of hope and encouragement. What a grace for Peter and James and John to see Jesus transfigured. They got a preview of the glory of Jesus risen from the dead and his glory in heaven. We, as Christians, have promise of God, glory in Jesus, sharing in his risen life.
Just before receiving this special grace of seeing Jesus transfigured, Jesus told his disciples that he must suffer greatly, be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days (Mark 8:31). How did they react? Peter rebuked Jesus for saying this, and Jesus responded, “Get behind me, Satan. After the mountain top experience Peter said, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." Does this tell us something about ourselves? I think we all like mountain top experiences, and we want to stay there.
During the transfiguration heaven opened and there was voice that said, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." During the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah were conversing with Jesus. They were talking about Jesus: his passion, death, and resurrection. What we see in common in the first reading and the Gospel is this: Abraham takes only his beloved son to Sacrifice. God the Father sends his only son to sacrifice. These readings prepare us for the celebration of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Please meet and welcome our new St. Anthony Daycare director…
It is my pleasure to introduce myself as the new Daycare Director of St. Anthony’s parishioners and community members. My experience working with young children began in Park Falls, to which I have extensively added multiple schools and learning centers throughout the greater Milwaukee area, both public and private. I bring back to my hometown courage, knowledge, and humble wisdom. I grew up in Fifield, spending my free time in the summers swimming at Movrich Park. In the winter, I enjoyed sledding, skating, and reading. My daughter is eleven and attending Chequamegon School, enjoying music as she learns to play percussion. We are relishing the peace and tranquility of the abundant rivers and forests.
During my eighteen years in Milwaukee, I had the privilege to study from various teachers associated with the University Arts Department of Milwaukee and in the Educational Field both as a student and teacher while attaining my Bachelor of Arts in Dance degree and Bachelor of Early Childhood Education degree. One of the most memorable and relatable experiences I bring to St. Anthony’s Daycare is a story about my time at a Milwaukee Public U.S. Grant School as a student teacher in Kindergarten for five-year-olds. The class had twenty-five children ranging in age and development and most had not received any schooling before this time. Many spoke other languages with English as primary and came from various types of households ranging in religious and economic backgrounds. As I learned from each of their growing personalities, and they learned a little bit of phonological awareness from me, it became apparent that I was going to change from this experience.
After months of growing pains, I became a beloved school teacher, adoring the children in all of their uniqueness. They became the highlight of my day, and as the days came to an end, I also grew as a teacher, learning that I had to let them go and grow onto the next grade. This shared experience of letting go is the one I will bring to every family here at St. Anthony’s as we will watch the children go and grow.
I am opening a new chapter in my life as your Daycare Director. I will also cherish the shared joys and struggles with you as your families will go and grow. I look forward to spending time making sure every detail is attended to, and I welcome fresh ideas as we add to the current program here at St. Anthony’s Daycare. Please contact me if you wish to share your thoughts. St. Anthony Daycare needs your support as we will be looking for donations in the future.
~Thank you, Melissa Eitrem
Repent and believe in the Gospel!
2/16/2018 0 Comments
Piri Thomas wrote a book called “Down These Mean Streets”. It describes his conversion from being a convict, a drug addict, and an attempted killer to becoming an exemplary Christian.
One night Piri was lying on his cell bunk in prison. Suddenly it occurred to him what a mess he had made of his life. He felt an overwhelming desire to pray. But he was sharing the cell with another prisoner called “the thin kid”. So he waited.
After he thought “the thin kid” was asleep, he climbed out of his bunk, knelt down on the cold concrete, and prayed. He said: “I told God what was in my heart… I talked to him plain… no big words… I talked to him of my wants and lacks, of my hopes and disappointment… I felt like I could even cry… something I hadn’t been able to do for years.” After Piri finished his prayer, a small voice said, “Amen.” It was “the thin kid.” “There we were”, Piri said, “he lying down, head on bended elbows, and I still on my knees. No one spoke for a long while. Then the kid whispered, ‘I believe in Dios also.”
The two young men talked for a long time. Then Piri climbed back into his bunk. “Good night, Chico,” he said. “I’m thinking that God is always with us-it is just that we aren’t with him.”
We see in the Gospel that Jesus spent forty days in the desert, and Satan tempted him. The number forty is a very significant number in the Bible. It took 40 days for sinfulness to drown in the flood before a new creation could inherit the earth. It took 40 years for the generation of slaves to die before the freeborn could enter the Promised Land. For 40 days Moses, Elijah, and Jesus fasted and prayed to prepare themselves for their life's work. We read in the Gospel for this weekend that Jesus fasted and prayed for forty nights and days in the desert before his public ministry.
Then Jesus began his public ministry in Galilee, inviting people to repentance: repent and believe in the Gospel. Repentance leads us to reorder our priorities and change our values, ideals, and ambitions, with the help of fasting, prayer, and mortification. In the first reading the merciful God selected Noah and his family to renew the covenant. Noah’s rescue from the flood symbolizes how we are saved through the water of Baptism which cleanses us of sin and makes us one with Christ. God signs the new covenant with Noah with a beautiful rainbow.
During Lent, it is a good idea to pay more attention than usual to the crucifix. Christ's wounds show us images of sin, tell us what sin does to ourselves, the world, and our relationship with God. The cross also shows us the intensity of his love for us. Let his love purify us in this season of Lent.
Lent, a pilgrimage in prayer, fasting and almsgiving!
2/8/2018 1 Comment
​Pope Francis writes about Dante Alighieri’s description of hell in his Lenten message. He says, “Dante pictures the devil seated on a throne of ice, in a frozen and loveless isolation.” Pope Francis continues, “We might well ask ourselves how it happens that charity can turn cold within us. What are the signs that indicate that our love beginning to cool? …Love can also grow in our own communities. In the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, I sought to describe the most evident signs of this lack of love: selfishness and spiritual sloth, sterile pessimism, the temptation to self-absorption, concerned only for appearances, and thus lessens our missionary zeal.”
Then the Pope tries to answer a question: “What are we to do?” He says, “Perhaps we see, deep within ourselves and all about us, the signs I have just described. But the Church, our teacher, along with the often bitter medicine of the truth, offers us in the Lenten season the soothing remedy of prayer, almsgiving and fasting.”
The readings for Ash Wednesday resound with the Pope’s message. In the first reading, the prophet Joel insists that we should experience a complete conversion of heart and not simply sorrow for our sins. Saint Paul, in the second reading, advises us “to become reconciled to God.” Today’s Gospel instructs us to assimilate the true spirit of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
St. Augustine of Hippo tells us that there are two kinds of people and two kinds of love: “One is holy, the other is selfish. One is subject to God; the other endeavors to equal Him.” Every day we are challenged about what we love and how we love.
Ash Wednesday is the Church’s ‘Day of Atonement’. It is not only the first of the forty days of Lent, but along with Good Friday, the Church describes it as a day of full fast and abstinence. Fasting is prescribed to reinforce our penitential prayer during this season. We are called to journey with the Lord in this special season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, as we prepare to celebrate the feast of Easter, the Christian Passover, we too, must follow in the way of the cross in order to share in the victory of Christ's death and resurrection.
What do we do in this Lent?
Prayer: We devote ourselves in prayer: in personal prayer, participating weekend Mass, and if our schedules allow, attend weekday Mass.
Fasting: Fast from anything that harms ourselves and others. It could be food or other things, habits, or situations.
Almsgiving: Freeing ourselves from greed and helping others. It can be through prayers, inviting others to pray at Mass, spending time with others, and/or giving financial help.
Jan 2018 NONE