Year of the Priest

Pope Benedict has designated this year as the year of the priest and to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life. I would like to encourage us to share about priests in our lives who have influenced us and have helped us along our faith journey to be more Christ-like. I would like to invite you to write a brief reflection concerning that particular priest(s) in your life here on this blog.

While in the seminary Father John Keller OSA deeply impressed me by his gift of being present to what he was doing in the moment. When he presided at Mass he was personally present, not rushed or hurried, but intentional and deliberate. I noticed this was his way of being with the students and staff as well, being personally present in the moment to whatever he was involved in. His example has had a lasting impact on me. I thank God for Father John Keller OSA.

Please share a brief reflection on a priest who has deeply impacted your life.

Jesus learned obedience from what He suffered

Jesus learned obedience from what He suffered. Jesus grew consciously into the understanding of His mission and the great cost to Himself as He would choose to remain faithful to His Father's desire to bring life to all by freely laying down his life on the altar of cross. Our quest too is to become better through obedience and by becoming a person of Christ-like character. We are called to value honesty and integrity and pay whatever price needed in order to be worthy of trust. We are called to be people of strong convictions, yet avoiding self-rightousness. We are called to believe in the inherent dignity of all people and treat everyone with respect. We are called to deal with criticism constructively and be self-confident enough to take good advice, admit and learn from mistakes, feel and express genuine remorse, and apologize graciously. We are called to be kind and empathetic, giving generously without concern for reward. We are called to feel and express gratitude freely and frequently. A person of Christ-like character is not defeated by failure or dissuaded by disappointment. We are called to seek true happiness in living a life of purpose and meaning, placing a highter value on significance than success. We are called to be people of self-sacrificing and self-giving love to others. Let us strive to remain faithful to Christ.

Love is a Choice

Choices are important in life since our choices have consequences. Jesus calls us for example to consciously choose to move out of darkness in our lives into the light of His truth. In so doing we then choose to let go of hate and choose to love; to choose to let go of vengence and choose to forgive.
In our relationships with each other we may feel flat or wonder what is wrong with us. It is then that we should remember that love is a choice and that love is not something that happens to us, but rather something that is created by us. Let us choose to love.

Mary

I would like to address a question posed by a young bright teenage girl from our parish who was concerned about the secret messages given by Our Blessed Mother. One must be careful about what one reads and believes. There is so much confusion concerning secret messages that can lead to fear and worry. I read recently that a secret message is that Mary is God. This is absolutely false and erroneous. Mary is the Mother of the Son of God and our Spiritual Mother as well. We honor Mary and we worhsip God. Mary is the first and model disciple of Jesus. The messages themselves from authentic apparitions of Mary have a consistent message of the need for prayer, conversion, repentance, the centrality of the Mass and frequent reception of Holy Communion. We are invited to pray the Rosary allowing us to reflect upon significant events in the life Jesus. The invitation to pray the Rosary has also the intention of promoting world peace and the conversion of the human heart. The messages of Mary are not meant to evoke fear, but faith in Jesus Christ Our Savior and Lord. Let us imitate Mary who was obedient to God's Word and faithful in God's service. Fr. Dennis

The Lenten Series that begins this Tuesday evening at 7:15 in the church is entitled 'Lent a Call to Coversion. The Sunday Scriptures Readings will be our source for reflection during the Lenten weeks ahead. This Tuesday will be an overview of Lent. The length of these Tuesday reflections will be for approximately 30 minutes something managable in the evening.

Emulating Jesus

In today's Gospel Jesus challenges each us to take up the suffering of the cross and to follow him. Jesus calls us to a commitment of our entire selves to him. This fundamental and basic commitment then colors all subsequent choices that we make in life. The investment of our lives in following Christ will mean embracing the cross of suffering in order that we might come to eternal life. We are called to turn away from Individualism which says 'what's in it for me; from Hedonism which says 'if it feels good it's ok (the pleasure principle) and Minimalism which says 'what is the least that i can do just to get by?' Jesus' life was one of total service to others; one of self-denial and self-emptying, one of giving everything he had. Let us follow his example. Comments are most welcomed.

God Bless You

Fr Dennis

Hope and Tender Mercy

Today is a window of sunshine and blue sky couched between storms. The other day a 2nd grade boy came to tell me with excitement how he had seen a rainbow this past Monday. Rainbows arched in the sky are beautiful, reminding us perhaps of the pot of gold at the end of them. Noah saw a rainbow in the sky after he and his family survived a devastating flood that covered the earth. God, the master artist, paints the sky with rainbows to remind us of His mercy and that God is our hope. In these difficult times God invites us to turn to Him and to place our trust and hope in Him for He will never abandon us, but is always with us. As rain gives way to blue sky and sunshine arched with rainbows so suffering and death give way to glory and new life sealed in the blood of Jesus Christ. How have you experienced the rainbows of God's tender mercy and hope in your life today? The signs are there if we only stop to look and see. Please share how you have found God in the midst of adversity, by so doing you are inspiring others to be hopeful.

Fr Dennis