Blog & Pastor Letters

At first glance, we can often find the image of the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and the Christ Child intimidating — who are we to aspire to that level of discipleship? How could we ever hope to conform ourselves to that mold? Sometimes, it can even be painful — perhaps we hail from a broken family or struggle with a broken relationship within our family, or perhaps we long to be a mother or a father ourselves and that state in life has eluded us.

When Elizabeth was visited by Mary, her joy was overwhelming. Elizabeth recognized that Mary was carrying inside her the Messiah. She was honored to receive Mary, not just because of who Mary was herself, but also because of the One she had inside her.

I wish I were a better steward. I would like to think I am a pretty generous person, and I do work hard to cultivate the characteristics of a good Everyday Steward in my life. However, stewardship is about more than giving. It is also about prudence and wise planning. It is about storing up grain for the lean years and making sure there is enough oil to light your lamps when the power goes out.

God’s Personal Assistants

If you have ever planned a large-scale event, whether it’s a musical performance or a religious conference, you may have dealt with someone’s personal assistant. Possibly this person would be a representative of the keynote speaker or the master of ceremonies for the local bishop; perhaps it’s even the staffer of a local politician or the lackey of a well-known musical act.

Waiting is not always so easy. If you lack patience, like me, you probably want whatever is going to happen to just happen already. I remember waiting on the births of my children. There was the time I sat with my dying father in the hospital. One year, we waited to see if our oldest child got into the college of his choice, or any college at all, which seemed quite nerve-wracking.

Did you know that you can become royalty, for the right price? It’s true — for the low, low cost of $50, you, too, can purchase a 12-square-inch souvenir plot of Sco¡ish land and call yourself “Laird So-and-so.” Now, this lordship or ladyship doesn’t come with the ability to boss anyone around, but maybe your friends will be impressed enough to bend the knee.

In the time of Christ, sacrifice was nothing new to the Jewish people. The Israelites were experts at sacrifice. So, after centuries of every kind of offering imaginable, what was so special about Christ’s? What made it so different from the sacrifices offered by the Levitical priests for centuries before his death?

What does sacrifice look like? I think of those who serve in the Armed Forces. They have sacrificed much for my freedom and to work towards real peace in our world. I think of those in service to our Church: priests, deacons, and religious. Their lives are dedicated to prayer and good works so that the Good News might not only be preached but be seen in the love they display toward God and their fellow brothers and sisters.

“Stewardship” can get a bum rap these days. When folks hear the term “stewardship” from the pulpit, their eyes tend to kind of glaze over. “Here’s Father asking for more money,” they groan inwardly, “Get ready for the passing of the pledge cards.”

Christ refutes this idea when he gives us what he calls the greatest commandments — instructing us to love God and to love our neighbor. Now, Christ is a man who chose his words carefully. He meant exactly what he said — and he didn’t say that the greatest commandments were to tithe and to give money to charity. If he had wanted stewardship to be only about money, he would have said so.

After Sunday masses this weekend, I shall set out for my vacation to Nigeria. It’s important for me to take this opportunity to decompress, relax, and refresh my spirit to return strongest for work. Therefore, from 27 October until 15 December, I shall be on vacation. A few activities are lined-up for me already.

What’s in it for me?

I think we’ve all been guilty of looking at a situation and wondering what’s in it for us. It doesn’t matter if it’s a particular work assignment, someone at the parish asking for help with the mission trip bake sale, or your spouse asking if you’ll take over the grocery shopping this week. Often, our first reaction to one of these requests is a heavy sigh and the thought: “If I do this, what will I get?”

I oftentimes say in prayer, "Grant me the wisdom to see Your will for my life and the courage to follow that will." It is a request for true discernment to see that God's will is always more important and fruitful than my own will. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking happiness and fulfillment lie in doing what I want to do and following my own wants and desires. Our entire secular culture is filled with that message.

How often do we hear couples having playful or loving nicknames for each other, especially at the beginning of their relationship or marriage? Those names often reference the uniqueness of that couple’s love for each other. Perhaps the best image to have for a better understanding of the sacrament of marriage is to look upon your spouse as an ox.