6/17/2022 Most Holy Body and Blood of ChristI have the suspicion that we aren’t nearly hungry enough to truly appreciate what Jesus is doing for us. Things have changed so very much for us since his day. In 2020, the USDA calculated that we spent 8.6% of our income, on average, for food. Consider that in 1900, just 120 years earlier, we spent 43% of our income on food. It was harder to produce, even though half of the country worked in agriculture, because mechanization of farms hadn’t happened yet. A horse and a plow to sow, a team of horses and a combine to harvest, home production and yet other horses and wagons to move to market just couldn’t compete for efficiency with our tractors, combines, food factories and trucks. Food preservation also was expensive. Many of our modern methods of lengthening the shelf life, and safeguarding from bacteria and spoilage hadn’t been discovered. Pickling, smoking, drying and salting, all available at the time, were labor intensive and required expensive ingredients. For most of human history, life was hard and food was expensive. People were shorter, much thin- ner and vulnerable to sickness, and lived shorter lives. We duly credit advances in the medical field for our longer lifespans now. Many medical anthropologists, though, recognize that the greatest positive advance in lifespans was due to readily available and affordable calories. Yes, the very bane of our modern waistlines, ready access to delectable, sweet or salty, crunchy or creamy calories, relates to our expanded lifespans. For the overwhelming majority of us there simply is no need to be hungry. We are far less likely to starve because of famine, than dieting. I’m not sure we can appreciate how topsy-turvy this is from earlier ages. What Jesus did for the crowds in today’s Gospel was a stunner for the people involved. It’s amazing enough that a crowd that included 5,000 men all had a bite to eat. It’s something else, altogether, to say that this hungry, emaciated sickly crowd all “ate and were satisfied.” Our Savior wants to feed us, desires to nourish our spirits with His very Self, given in the form of simple bread, and the celebratory drink of wine. Are we hungry enough to appreciate what He wants to do? And that is before we get to the utter sacredness of God’s outreach to us in this manner. Not only is Holy Communion nourishment. It’s God. But it all seems too easy, doesn’t it, and perhaps too often? If we spend a great deal in the presence of anything “special,” it can begin to lose its luster. I can remember a scuba trip I went on, where lobster was the main course, I kid you not, every dinner for a week. By day four, I wanted nothing so much as a chicken breast. And here we are, on a daily basis if we want it, able to receive the Creator of the Cosmos. Frankly, we have to work on keeping the Eucharist in the place it needs to be in our lives. We have the obligation to be alert to the intention and aware of the Eternal Consciousness that accompanies Communion ![]() We have this day every year precisely to remind us of the infinite value of what Jesus offers us. Let’s be attentive! Siempre adelante, Fr. Patrick Pastor 6/11/2022 We Are FamilyDear friends on the journey,
Long gone are the days when I get the whole summer off. Adulting has a way of doing that. Yet, I still long for summertime. Weather that calls me to the lake and beach. Longer days for adventuring. The season that opens schedules for more carefree social time, baseball games, fireworks and BBQs, and casual gatherings with friends and family. These days are finally upon us! And don’t we need them more than ever! No one needs a reminder of the last two years. The pandemic forced us into our homes, physically separating us but we were far from estranged. Our parish never closed. We just gathered in new and creative ways. But we’ve slowly been emerging from a blanket of uncertainty, unknowing, and fear. All Masses are again indoors, kids and teens have been onsite for formation, adult ministries are meeting in person. Future planning finally seems to be possible again so our pastoring team has planned for a normal program year just as it was pre-pandemic. But one area has been amiss and that is our parish family social time. So, we begin the new program year with Serra Summer, a season of pure fellowship and fun for all ages. After three full years, our parish picnic is back and kicks off the summer activities:
This is what the Lord GOD showed me: a basket of...summer fruit. Amos 8:1 5/28/2022 The Glory of GodDear Parish Family On this Ascension Sunday, I can’t help but wonder what it must have been like for the apostles to witness Jesus in glory ascend to heaven. What an amazing thing to see with human eyes. As I ponder this, I began to make note of recent moments where I have been blessed to see God’s glory in action. As I look back, I am filled with so much joy and gratitude. We began the month celebrating the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation. The children coming to the table to receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time, and the Holy Spirit descending over the youth and adults as they are anointed and sealed in his spirit. I am made aware of the gift our Lord has given me to allow me to witness and celebrate these spiritual milestones with the children, teens, adults and their families. This particular year, I was brought full circle, in my ministry as a catechist. One of the young men who was confirmed, reminded me at rehearsal that I had been his catechist for First Communion, which was almost 20 years ago! When he told me his name I remembered him immediately; his group was a special one for me because it was the first time I taught middle schoolers. Which was a bit scary for me at the time because I am so short and most of the kids in the group were taller than me. They were all so great and I think in the end I learned much more from them. As the Children’s Faith Formation Minister, I don’t always get the opportunity to directly interact in the weekly sessions with the children. This past program year, however, I had the opportunity to lead a multi-grade Spark! Zoom session for our distance learners, and when needed, filled in for a catechist who was out sick, and a team member co-leading Three:Sixteen sessions. Many of these days I ended the afternoon physically exhausted but my spirit was on fire! I am reminded why Jesus said to enter the kingdom of God we must be like little children. They are so open to receive his love and to return it. This experience has reignited my love and vocation of catechist. I am grateful to the CFF team, all the catechists, peer leaders and volunteers who tirelessly give their time and talent. Especially during the last two years with all the challenges of the pandemic, this ministry would not be possible without you. The more I think about it, I come to the conclusion that there are moments to stare into the sky and witness the Glory of God, yet we are not meant to stay there. We are to be sent into the world to spread the good news. Even Noah left the arc, Abraham left his tent, Moses left his nation and went into the desert, as did all the prophets.
5/20/2022 Little Tastes of HeavenMy Dear Parish Family, During the Easter Season the Second Reading is taken from the Book of Revelation. In today’s verses we hear John describe his vision of “the holy city of [the new] Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.” Many of us have a picture of what heaven might be like. In a commentary I recently read, it was defined this way: “Heaven is being in the presence of God. Nothing else matters.” I began reflecting on moments in my life that approached this definition:
5/13/2022 Love is DivineDear Faith Family, Any decent human being knows that it is important to care for others. We have heard it so many times, that if we were to treat others in a different way, we would feel guilty about it. We are indeed called to love our neighbor. We are made in God’s image, therefore, we are made to love. What does it mean to love, though? While it is in our nature to love, sometimes it is difficult to articulate what it actually means to love. Pope Benedict explained the nature of love when he said, “Love is ‘divine,’ because it comes from God and unites us to God.” To give a further explanation, St. Thomas Aquinas states that love is simply to will the good of another. If we take these two quotes from two brilliant people, we can come to the conclusion that God is love, and we have the ability to love because we are made in God’s image. With all that said, love shows itself in unique ways. I think it is intended to be that way. The idea of loving someone is not a onesizefitsall situation, but rather, it is through our creativity and nature that we show ways to love. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus gives a new commandment, to love one another. He takes it further and explains that this is how people know that you are disciples. Our parish motto is, “Encounter Jesus, Be Disciples.” It’s quite a simple statement, but it is important that this must be driven by love. Without love, discipleship is meaningless and self-serving. I’m not naïve enough to say that loving others is difficult; our Lord even gives a bigger challenge in scripture when he proclaims that we should love our enemies as well as our neighbor. The Apostles themselves were afraid to go convert the masses before the Holy Spirit descended upon them. It’s difficult, but the endeavor is vastly important. ![]() If you find yourself in a difficult position where it is difficult to love, remember that through God, our discipleship becomes perfect. When we find ourselves unable to love, let us pray to our God to aid us. It is through Him, and Him alone that we are perfect. God Bless, Brett Becker Youth and Young Adult Minister |
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