Tuesday, February 2, 2016

"Let's Go Fishing with Jesus and the Boys!" 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time.







The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 7, 2016

“Let’s Go Fishing with Jesus and the Boys!”
Today we hear a fish story, but this one is a keeper.  Luke tells the story of the Miraculous Catch of Fish as well as the invitation to Peter, James and John as they change what they are fishing for.  Now this is one fish story even I cannot top.  As they pull in the record catch that almost sinks the boat, Jesus calls them to follow Him.  “Do not be afraid; from now on, you will be catching men.”   We too have been called to be disciples.  How are we answering this Baptismal Call to each of us?
-       Deacon Jim

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Gospel Lk 5:1-11

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening
to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Simon said in reply,
“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets.”
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men.”
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.

Weekend Mass for the Start of Catholic Schools Week at Sacred Heart and Immaculate Conception.

https://youtu.be/Yj-INhvx_9Y
It's the start of Catholic Schools Week. Enjoy watching the Mass for this weekend:
 https://youtu.be/Yj-INhvx_9Y

Thursday, January 28, 2016

I Won’t Force My Kids To Go To Church


I Won’t Force My Kids To Go To Church

closed door My parents forced me to eat three times a day growing up. No joke. Three times. Every. Single. Day. And it wasn’t always stuff I liked, either. Matter of fact, I complained a lot about what my mom made. ‘Ewww, gross! Meatloaf? Seriously? Mom you know we hate this stuff!’ So as I approached adulthood I made an important decision. Since my parents forced me to eat while I was growing up, I decided I was done with meals. Oh, here and there I’ll eat out of obligation. I mean, family traditions like Thanksgiving and Christmas, yeah, I’m there. But daily eating? No way. I’m done.

Set in any other context, excuses people make for not going to church sound completely ridiculous. But set in the context of Christianity, people say these things in all seriousness while others nod sagely in somber agreement.

My son told me a few weeks into school that he didn’t like the teacher. He wasn’t getting excited enough about learning, and he didn’t really feel connected to the other kids in his class, so I told him he never had to go back to school again. Who wants to waste their time going somewhere they aren’t being fulfilled?

We’ve never forced our daughter to stay off the road when playing. We don’t want to restrict her imagination. We allow her the freedom to make her own choices in life.

– Ruth Meyer
Now maybe the above analogies sound ridiculous. Maybe you’re thinking, “No loving parent would let their kids decide whether to go to school or not, and they definitely wouldn’t let their kid play in traffic. That’s endangering their lives.  Its a matter of life or death.” And that is exactly the point. This is a matter of life or death for your child. Eternity is at stake.

In our family, church is a non-negotiable. Its a non-negotiable because we understand that how we raise our children, and what we teach them (or don’t teach them) about Jesus carries eternal consequences. And as parents we have a responsibility to share with them what God has done in our lives through the love of Jesus. So we read the Bible together at night and we pray together. We got to church. We talk about God at home and in the car and at the park. Will they always be excited about getting up and going to church? I hope so, but I doubt it. But regardless, my wife and I still make them go because we are their parents and we know whats best for them. And so, when they complain we will tell them why gathering together is a non-negotiable. Just like when they complain that we serve them healthy meals we explain why we eat vegetables and not just cake. We take them to school every morning; no matter how much they complain or bellyache. And we explain why school is so important. We set boundaries and limits while they are playing outdoors. We tell them to look both ways when they cross the street, not because we said so, but because to do otherwise means possibly being hit by a car. We do these things because we love them and we are looking at the long term outcome, not what will make them happiest in any given moment.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
– Proverbs 22:6

Will all of that insure that they turn out to be the model upstanding citizens that my wife and I hope? No. Its even possible for children to be brought up in a loving Christian home and still turn away from Jesus later. That is out of our control. As parents, our responsibility is to teach our children about the world and about God. We teach them how God created this world perfectly. We teach them how the world became broken through that first sin of Adam and Eve. When their own brokenness shows itself, we point it out, and then we point to the One who came to heal that brokenness; Jesus. And they are never too young to begin learning these things. Each of our children learned to pray while still in highchairs. Our responsibility as Christian parents is about so much more than just taking our kids to church on Sunday mornings.

To say, as a parent, “I won’t force my kids to go to church. I’ll let them decide on their own.” sounds so enlightened. But its the most dangerous thing a parent could say. It would be safer for you to let your children play on the highway in rush hour traffic than to let them decide whether or not they wanted to go to church. One of those options carries temporary consequences (if you let your child play on the highway in rush hour traffic they will die); and the other carries potential eternal consequences.

Church isn’t just one good choice among many. Church isn’t a building. Church, properly understood, is the body of Christ; the gathering of believers in a specific place. And as such, it is a place where we all belong. We are all equally sinful before God and equally in need of a Savior. Church isn’t just a place you go to. Its not a place that you go to feel better about yourself. Its not entertainment. Its purpose is not to give you ten easy steps to fix your marriage. Church is the gathering of believers to receive what God has come to give in Jesus.

Jesus himself said, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.” – Matthew 18:20

So when we come together we confess our sins. Then, having confessed our brokenness and need, we hear words of forgiveness. We hear that, though our sins are many, God in Jesus has forgiven them. We hear God’s word spoken to us as Scripture is read, and we speak those words to each other through various parts of the service. We sing songs and hymns praising and proclaiming what Jesus has done for us. We hear hear sermons that proclaim the good news of forgiveness in Jesus.
Don’t give up and don’t give in to those outside voices that tell you how much more important sleep, or schoolwork, or band, or sports, or anything may be than church.

 Instead, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time / Catholic Schools Week




January 31, 2016
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

During this year of Mercy, Jesus challenges us to broaden our horizons until our vision of God’s kingdom matches His.  This kingdom is open to all, every sinner is a potential saint, every suffering stranger is our neighbor.  As Pope Francis tell us, rather than simply dividing people into the just ones and the sinners, Jesus reveals the great gift of mercy that calls all sinners to offer them the mercy and redemption of Christ.  We ask ourselves, as Paul did, “Is my love for others patient and kind, not jealous or pompous?  Is it not self-seeking or quick-tempered?  Does it not brood over injury or rejoice over wrongdoing? My love needs to bear, believe, hope and endure all things” 
                        -Deacon Jim

Let us pray:
Thank you Lord for all of those that support our Catholic School.  Walk with us as a parish and guide us to make good decisions that will support our children as they walk their faith journey in the future.  Bless always those individuals that dedicated their lives to teaching and forming our youth in Catholic Schools.     AMEN


Sunday, January 24, 2016

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Fr. Wayne Droessler

https://youtu.be/nZi79O8rpDc

Enjoy the Mass for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time / January 24, 2016. Click on the picture or the link below:
https://youtu.be/nZi79O8rpDc

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time





January 24, 2016
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Lord described His mission in today’s Gospel reading.  He wants to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives and sight to the blind as well as to let the oppressed go free.  Wow!  Luke is writing to us the most incredible story humankind has known. Luke wants his friend and all who read his account to "know the truth" (Luke 1:4) concerning Jesus of Nazareth who was sent from the Father in heaven and anointed by the Holy Spirit to bring us the good news and power of God's kingdom.  Now we need to take to heart the mission of Jesus and pray for the grace to carry it out in our own lives.
-       Deacon Jim