Blog Post 11-20-2024 – Are you a salmon?

 

"There is a cost to going against the tide. There is a cost to freeing oneself from being conditioned by popular opinion. There is a cost to being left aside by those who ‘go with the flow.’ But it does not matter, Jesus says. What matters is not to throw away the greatest good: life. This is the only thing that should frighten us." [Pope Francis]

Pope Francis reminds us that we are like salmon in our culture swimming against the Tide, the Tide of Relativism and Secularism. The most important thing for us to do is follow the Way, the Truth, and the Light; follow Jesus.

May God Be Praised.

Blog Post 11-19-2024

 

In John’s Gospel, “… Jesus makes it clear once again that he and the Father are one. God is not a force or an energy or a spiritual presence occupying the deep background of your life; he’s not something that you can tap into when you feel like it. Nor is God a distant supreme being who organized the universe long ago and now leaves it to its own devices…. God is the Lord.”  [Bishop Barron on John 12:44–50]

When we pray the [Nicene] Creed at Mass we proclaim, “I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made ….”

Spend time today reflecting on Jesus, true God, and true man. He and The Father are one and with the Holy Spirit we find three persons in one God.

 

May God Be Praised.

Blog Post 11-18-2024 Made in God's Image

 

"Only in Christ can men and women find answers to the ultimate questions that trouble them. Only in Christ can they fully understand their dignity as persons created and loved by God." [Pope St. John Paul II]

 

We are made in the Image and Likeness of God; in God we find our essence.

 

May God Be Praised.

 

Blog Post 11-17-2024 Prayer

 

"When you have free moments, go faithfully to prayer. The good God is waiting for you there." [St. Julie Billiart]

Since every moment you have is “free” figure our how to use your “free” moments to pray.

 

May God Be Praised.

Blog Post 11-16-2024 Tending your Spiritual Garden

 

Terrance Klein* wrote, “On earth, we see the seeds of heaven, not the blossoms ….  The seed is the kingdom of God, which our Lord came to plant firmly on the earth. St. Mark in Chapter 4 of his Gospel writes, ‘To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.’

The Lord has given us the garden of our lives to tend. Our gardening job in life is to love our families, our friends our neighbors and yes, even our enemies. Sometimes some of them, occasionally all of them are difficult to love.

So, we till the ground, plant the seed, water the plants, weed our weeds from the garden, the weeds of envy, anger, annoyance, selfishness, etc. Those weeds keep us from letting the Holy Spirit shine through our lives. Tend your garden and allow God to show you the blossoms at the proper time. St. Francis de Sales said, "Let God gather to Himself what He has planted in His garden. He takes nothing out of season."

May God Be Praised.

 

*[Rev. Terrance W. Klein is a priest of the Diocese of Dodge City is the author of Vanity Faith: Searching for Spirituality among the Stars]

 

Homily Cycle II 11-15-2024 Offered at OLPH School Mass Faith & Reason

 

Today we celebrate St. Albert the Great the great scholar who among other things took the thought of Aristotle and reintroduced it into the West. He was the teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Faith and reason are not in conflict [although many people think that today]. They are the wings on which we fly to God with our minds, our hearts, and our wills. Faith and reason help us understand the meaning of divine revelation and the world we live in.

Religion/Theology is "faith seeking understanding" and it is a big part of why your parents send you to OLPH. In today’s Gospel we are reminder that we live in this world, but we are made to be with God in Heaven. Noah Trusted God while not the way many people were living that way in his time. The story of Noah and the Flood is about obedience and disobedience. In an era of overwhelming wickedness, Noah set himself apart by living virtuously.

People mocked him for living a good life, [his good life is represented by building the Ark when no flood was happening]. Noah followed God’s commands with his whole heart, will and actions. Every sin we commit grieves God, but God loves us so much He gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation to obtain Forgiveness and Grace.

Noah trusted God.

When we Trust God, we experience a greater sense of calm and peace in our lives. We pursue God’s goals for us. We know that when we Trust in the power, grace, and promises of God nourished by the Eucharist our faith increases. May our Faith and reason guide us to Trust in doing God’s Will even in challenging times.

As we remember St. Albert the Great let’s take a few minutes to think about how we can strengthen our Faith. To help us to remember to put God first in our lives join me and pray this short litany.

Your response is: Lord have mercy.

For not putting You first God …

Lord, have mercy.

For forgetting You love me …

Lord, have mercy.

For not listening to my parents & my teachers …

Lord, have mercy.

 

Now your response will “I thank You, Lord.

For my life …

I thank you, Lord.

For my family …

I thank you, Lord.

For my parish & my school …

I thank you, Lord.

For this day …

I thank you Lord.

May God Be Praised.

 

Blog Post 11-14-2024 - Gifts & Talents

 

Take a few minutes to reflect on the distinction Henri Nouwen offers us between our gifts and our talents. He said, “We may have only a few talents, but we have many gifts.”

Gifts are the ways we share our humanity and therefore more important than talents. Gifts are part of who we are: friendship, kindness, patience, joy, peace, forgiveness, gentleness, love, hope, trust, and many others. God gave us these gifts to share with each other.

Talents on the other hand refer to an inborn and/or a special ability that someone has. Few people can make contributions to our society that allow them to earn money, compete in the marketplace, or win awards.

But each one of us can share our gifts to make the world better. May we do that today and everyday.

 

May God Be Praised.