Pastor's Column

     I want my first words of this column today to be one of welcome...welcome to those who have joined the Church through Baptism and the other sacraments at our Easter Vigil. Welcome to those faithful parishioners who worship here throughout the year. And welcome to those who may come to church only on feasts such as this...we are glad you are with us today and we invite you to join us more often as we listen to God's comforting (and sometimes challenging) Word, as we receive the strength that comes from the Eucharistic presence of Christ and from the support of the community of faith that we call the Church. We are all sinners. Yet we are all saved through the mercy and love of God. That is what we celebrate today. That is what we celebrate every Sunday. God wants a friendship with us all. He reaches out his hand & all we have to do is reach back. 

    Last Sunday as I was enjoying our annual Palm Sunday Pancake Breakfast, I met a couple who have been members of the parish for some time. I got a kick out of the fact that the Mrs. said she enjoys reading my "gossip column" every week! I know that she meant that as a compliment, so here's the latest gossip...

    This past week I visited a couple who have recently taken up residence at Mt. Alverna which is on State Road (Fr. Vesely celebrates Mass there every Tuesday morning). The names of this couple are John & Marie Sidor. Marie has been on our prayer list here in the bulletin. They are both 95 years old and this July will be married 70 years! They started here at St. Leo's in 1950 and so remember Father Lux, our founding pastor, very well. That's some pretty juicy gossip so spread it around that they are doing well and like everyone who is homebound or in a nursing facility, can always use our prayers. 

    In the name of the whole parish I want to extend our thanks to all those who worked hard for six weeks with our Fish Fry. Again, I heard many comments like "I've gone to many & this is the best in town!" I would have to agree (even though I haven't gone to any other ones!). A lot of time and work goes into making these events so enjoyable for us & we're very blessed to have such good food and this chance to socialize every year. 

    I'm also grateful to those who decorated our church so beautifully for Easter and for all that was done to make our Holy Week liturgies prayerful. I'm thinking especially of our Music Ministry who I know practiced many hours to provide music that helps us raise our minds & hearts to God. May Easter joy remain with you all. 

Easter Homily...What If You Knew Them?

This past week, when we heard about the tragic death of several people in Brussels & the terrible injuries suffered by a few hundred people in those terrorist attacks, we probably said to ourselves or to another, "What a shame that something like that should happen again." But then, for us, life went on as usual. Maybe we said a prayer for them. Our civic & religious leaders rightly said that our thoughts & prayers were with them. But sooner or later, we forgot what happened & moved on with the plans for the day. 

But imagine how differently we would have reacted to that news if one of the people who died or was injured was a family member or a friend. We wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it. We would shed real tears & feel real sadness & grief. Life would not go on for us as usual. 

Over the past 40 days of Lent, we have been challenged to let the story of Jesus personally involve us. But again for us, the tragic news of Christ's suffering, death & resurrection does not hit us as deeply as it did his friends. We feel bad for Jesus & perhaps said some extra prayers this week. But life will go on for us & we will do what we usually do. But what happened to Jesus made an enormous difference to those who knew him personally & loved him as their friend. Peter & John were so struck with the news that they RAN to the tomb to see what happened. St. Francis of Assisi had such a personal relationship w/ the Lord that he was not able to eat in the same room where a crucifix hung on the wall for it made him too sad. His faith was personal. We are disciples of the Lord when we admire Jesus for what he did. But we will be real friends of the Lord when these events in his life forever change our lives. 

Pastor's Column

     Last week we celebrated the Funeral Mass for Michael Squires who has been a parishioner for 55 years, since 1960. He attended our parish school and had traditional values which kept him loyal to his Catholic faith. He and his siblings would pray the rosary for their mother who had died and have been doing that since 1981. We pray he may now have the reward promised to the faithful. 

    We also celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial for Eli Stimac. Eli had been devoted to his wife and to his children. He sat in the front of the church on the tabernacle side and was faithful to coming to the 4pm Mass on Saturday. Eli had been in hospice recently and when I anointed him about 3 weeks ago, I pledged to him the prayers of St. Leo's parishioners so please pray for him and for all the faithful departed. 

    Hopefully everyone had their fill of a good corned beef meal this past Thursday in honor of St. Patrick. But now we enter into Holy Week and it's call for fasting. Though we are obligated to fast only on Good Friday, the Church invites us to begin the fast on Holy Thursday evening after the Mass of the Lord's Supper (at 7pm) and to let that continue if possible through Holy Saturday's celebration of the Easter Vigil at 9pm. We do this especially for the sake of those who are being received fully into the Catholic Church during the liturgy of Holy Saturday night. We are happy to receive Pedro Onativia, a catechumen who will be baptized, as well as 4 children who will also be baptized (& most of these will also be receiving Confirmation and First Eucharist along with Philip Jacobs who is already baptized: Grace & Ashley Stanek, Isabelle Angelson and Charles Jacobs. We will be receiving Rebecca Johnson into the Catholic Faith and she will be receiving the Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist along with several other adults: Erin Waite, Dillan Mireles and Neil Mireles. Finally, Evan Johnson will also be receiving his First Holy Communion but will be confirmed when he is in the 8th grade. I sure hope I can keep all that straight during Holy Saturday's Vigil Mass! Let's just pray I get it all right so that we can congratulate all of these as we welcome them into our faith.

    Please see the bulletin for our Holy Week Schedule, including times for confession Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday of this week. And remember, if you come for the Food Blessing on Saturday (either at 10am or Noon), be sure to guard your baskets carefully. If Michaela finds her way into the church again, she'll have your Easter dinner finished by the time we can say Amen. 

Homily Thoughts...St. Luke & His Gospel of Mercy

St. Luke's gospel is known as the Gospel of Mercy because he focuses on this characteristic in the person of Jesus. He has parables and stories about forgiveness that are not included in the other 3 gospels. He also has details in his passion narrative (the story of Jesus' suffering & death) that are not included in the gospels of Matthew, Mark & John.

For example, only Luke tells us that Jesus mercifully healed the severed ear of the High Priest's servant in the garden of Gethsemane. Only Luke has Jesus say on the cross "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing" as he is being nailed to the cross. Only Luke has Jesus say to the repentant thief: "This day you will be with me in Paradise."

It's ironic that this year we hear the Passion according to Luke for this is the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Listen carefully as Jesus shows his mercy even during his passion.

Pastor's Column

     This past Friday we had the Mass of Christian Burial for Helen Salmon who has been living with her niece Susan and her husband in Rocky River. Helen had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few months ago. She had a delightful disposition though and was so grateful to her niece & nephew for welcoming her into their home during the last few months of this terminal illness. May she rest now in God's peace & pray for those who took such loving care of her.

    We have one more Fish Fry to go before we enter into Holy Week so if you have not yet had the opportunity to join us for a really good meal & the chance to see parishioners & visitors, you have one more chance this Friday. But before then, be sure to have your fill of meat by enjoying a good corned beef sandwich on St. Patrick's Day. To me, a corned beef sandwich needs to be accompanied by a bowl of matzo ball soup. It just goes together like peanut butter & jelly, pizza & cheese, and cereal with milk. I better quit thinking about all this food because it's only 9:30 in the morning as I type this & I'm getting very hungry. But one more meal to mention: on Palm Sunday (next Sunday), we will have our annual Pancake Breakfast, also in Lux Hall, from 9am until Noon. Now I have to move on as I'm ready for an early lunch...

    As you recall, Michaela made a surprise guest appearance at the Confirmation Mass last year with Bishop Lennon. So I wasn't going to let her embarrass me again this year with Bishop Gries as our Confirming Bishop last Saturday. I learned my lesson. So I put her in the Rectory Office and closed the door leading into the rectory and gave strict orders to our lovely receptionist Brianne that she not be permitted to leave that space. So who comes walking into the Rectory Office instead of going directly to the church? Bishop Gries! And right on cue, Michaela started barking & jumping up on him as is her job to protect us from all enemies, foreign & domestic. At first the Bishop was confused as he is use to walking in & seeing Fr. Russ Lowe's 4-foot high Irish Wolfhound named Napoleon. He heard the barking but didn't see where it was coming from until he looked down to see little 1-foot high Michaela jumping up & down on his legs. I just can't win. Gratefully Bishop Gries is very gracious & laughed at Michaela's dutiful but high-pitched barking. Maybe next year Michaela & I will just leave town during Confirmation before I get thrown out of town or at least out of my parish. 

Homily thoughts...The Need for Space

What was Jesus writing on the ground? That is perhaps the most often asked question about this gospel story from John about the adulterous woman. St. Augustine suggested he was writing down the sins of the people in the crowd for when he would say to them, "Let the one among you with no sin be the first to cast a stone." 

It has also been suggested that he was not writing, but doodling...we doodle when we try to let the time pass. Perhaps he was giving the people time to think about what they were saying & doing, to look honestly into their hearts & to ask if they're behavior was in line with God's will. I like this possibility. It reminds me of a prayer called "The Prayer for Space"...

"Lord, give me space between my impulse and my actions." There is more to the prayer but this suffices. We ask to take some time between what was said or done to offend us, and our response to that. We react instead of respond. We act or speak quickly, definitively, judgmentally. Jesus did not rush to judgment. He thought, he inquired, he reasoned, he allowed time to pass that he might know the will of God in every situation. Wouldn't it be great if we could do the same?

Pastor's Column

     Congratulations to the parents of Grace Anna Brant who is being baptized this Sunday after the Noon Mass. May the Lord hold Grace in the palm of his hands.

    We pray for those who have been born into this world and we pray for those who have been born again into the next world, especially John Butkiewicz who died February 25th. We also remember John Szakal, and Jack Habrat, both of whose funerals took place this past week here at St. Leo's. 

    John Szakal was married over 50 years to his wife who died in 2012 and the two of them sent their two children, Tom & Kate, to St. Leo the Great School.

    Jack Habrat had a heart attack after the 4pm Mass seven months ago. He spent time at Metro Hospital at first but then also went to Parma hospital & Broadview Multicare and then died at Holy Family Hospice. His wife Margaret had spent countless hours with him and members of his family would come in from out of town as well. It was a long struggle for Jack and for his family. May they all rest in the peace of the Crucified One. 

    Another parishioner to keep in your prayers is Jean Colwill who had surgery & is now recovering at St. Mary of the Woods in Avon, while doing physical therapy. We hope she will be home soon. 

    I anointed both Stephen Nagy and Ely Stimac at Parma Hospital this past Sunday and so ask that you to keep both of them in prayer as well. 

    There has been a heroin epidemic in the Cleveland area and I have sadly had the funerals of many young people who have died from this addictive disease. We have placed some very informative pamphlets and booklets in the vestibule of the church so that you can learn more about the many resources available to those who struggle but who don't know where to turn for help. Please feel free to take as many as you need and pass them on to family or friends whom you think may make good use of that information. We also have a parishioner who specializes in addiction counseling and I am happy to put you in touch with him should the need arise in your family. 

    We also received the sad news last week of the death of Father Stephen Kaminski. Father Steve helped out here at St. Leo's during Fr. Lowe's time but was assigned as Pastor of St. Mary Magdalene in Willowick shortly after I arrived here so was no longer available to help us. He went on Medical leave in the middle of February. Please remember him and all our departed priests who have served the People of God with love. 

Homily Thoughts...Small Desires

"What are you giving up for Lent?" That was the question my mom asked us every year at this time. We sacrifice or give up something because it is our human nature to always want more of what we have or need.

That was the sin of the prodigal son. He wanted more...more money, more freedom, more food, more women. So he asks for his share of his father's inheritance. But when he got everything he thought he wanted, he is still not happy. In fact, he is miserable. Why? He had what he desired.

Christian author CS Lewis said that the problem with human nature is not that our desires are too strong. Rather, he said that our desires are too weak! We are far too easily pleased & satisfied with the things we run after in this life. We settle for small pleasures like money, sex, & prestige, when God wants to give us so much more than that! God wants to give us intimacy, a deep sense that we are loved, that we're good, that we're gifted, that we're useful. What made the prodigal son really happy when he returned home? The fatted calf, the ring, the new clothes? None of that. It was the joy of knowing that his father loved him and forgave him.