Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus( Lk. 15:3-7) “Lead with the Heart”

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is something that has been popular in the church from the beginnings of church history.  The heart, in ancient times, was considered the place where feelings originated.  The heart was also the organ that determined if a person lived or died.  If the heart stopped beating life was…

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-17) “You Are Kidding!”

We seldom read this section of Luke’s Gospel during the liturgical cycle.  The story follows a familiar pattern of miraculous births in the Bible.  The pattern is usually similar.  A couple that is barren prays for a child for years and it seems like their prayer will not be answered.  But then in their old age a pregnancy…

Twelfth Wednesday Ordinary Time (2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3)   “Liturgy Holds Us Together.”

As we read through the stories concerning the Davidic Kings it is hard to keep all the players straight.  It is hard because the Kingdom of Israel split in two after the time of King Solomon.  The northern kingdom was called Israel.  The southern kingdom was known as Judah. 

The northern kingdom…

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (Mt. 7:6, 12-14) “Lighten Up”

Aloysius Gonzaga was born in 1568 and only lived for 23 years. He belonged to a noble family in Castiglione.  His father wanted him to have a military career and to be a success in the secular world, but Aloysius had other ideas.  He wanted to be a Jesuit.

His father put extreme pressure on him to convince him to give up this idea.…

Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord (Luke 9:11-17) “Who Am I Meant to Be.”

        “Behold what you are.  Become what you receive.”  The words just quoted are those of St. Augustine.  St. Augustine was a bishop in the church in the 5^th century.  When we come forward to receive the Eucharist the extraordinary minister holds up the Eucharist and says, “The Body of Christ.” …

Dear Parishioners,

    The last few years it has been difficult to gather for worship.  This weekend, of June 18^th and 19^th we commemorate the Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord.  It would be good to consider why the Eucharist is an important part of our faith lives.  We have various reasons for going to Mass.

    When I was a child, it seemed like the…

Trinity Sunday (John 16:12-15)

        Living the liturgical year of the Church is a good way to gain perspective.  Our lives unfold in a cycle.  We have joy, sadness, ups, downs, boredom, excitement.  And that is the way it is with the liturgical year.  We have just gone through the 50 days of Easter.  Isn’t it hard to let that season of promise go?  The church offers us two major feasts…

Dear Parishioners,

    Please mark July 17^th on your calendar for a significant day in the history of our parish.  We will have a blessing and groundbreaking for our new Gathering Center.  We will begin with the 11:00 a.m. Mass, and the symbolic groundbreaking and blessing of the work site will follow  Finally, there will be a reception in Culemans Fellowship Hall that will last…

Tenth Friday of Ordinary Time (1 Kings 19:9a, 11-16) “I Am in a Whisper”

Sometimes people will tell me about an apparition of Mary that has occurred somewhere in the world. Or they will inform me of some extraordinary healing miracle that has been brought about through the intercession of one of the saints. They usually are very excited and such events seem to energize their faith.

At…

Tenth Thursday of Ordinary Time (1 Kings: 18: 41-46) “The Fear of Change”

During the last few days, we have been hearing about the Prophet Elijah’s conflicts with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel in our Mass readings. Jezebel was a foreign-born queen who brought her worship of other Gods to Israel. She did not like Elijah. Elijah was openly critical of the false worship that was taking place.

A…