Homily Thoughts for April 26, 2015…To Force or to Persuade

There are two ways of motivating people: one is by force, the other by persuasion. With force, you push people from behind. With persuasion, you lead them from in front. There is a need for both of these. The courts need to use force to protect society. If speed limits were just a suggestion, the roads wouldn’t be safe to drive on. If taxes were voluntary, our governments wouldn’t be able to operate. 

But there is room for another way. Some things just can’t be forced. You can’t force a rebellious teenager to love or respect you…that has to come about through another method, another approach. Jesus used the way of example: “I freely lay down my life for you.” He voluntarily gave his life to us & depend on that to win us to himself.

Sometimes Jesus would push people, but most of the time, he got in front of people & invited them. “Come, follow me.” When we want to help someone change, do we push them or invite them? Do we use force or persuasion? Jesus has given us the great example.

Pastor's Column, April 26, 2015

     Brady Wilson will be making his First Holy Communion during the 10am Mass this weekend. We congratulate him and remind you that the 2nd grade class will be making their First Holy Communion next Saturday, May 2nd, during the 4pm Mass. May these children who receive Jesus into their bodies also receive him into their hearts.

    Though we published our Spring Newsletter, the News & Views, a few weeks back, you will be receiving a “special edition” newsletter in the coming weeks. As I mentioned previously in this column, I wanted to write a “State of the Parish” article where I could offer my viewpoints on a handful of issues concerning our parish now that I have been here close to a year & a half. I address issues like the past & present size of the parish, our financial goals, the ministries we offer, our school, and our Mass schedule. I hope you find it to be a hopeful look into where we can direct the parish in the coming months & years. It is meant to encourage a discussion of these (and any other topics) amongst your fellow parishioners. We also have a new Parish Council which meets once a month where we discuss our vision for the parish. Our mission, our work, as the faith community of St. Leo the Great, is the same mission & work of the larger Church given it by Jesus…to proclaim the Gospel and to build up the Kingdom of God on earth. So we must always ask questions like: how are we doing in fulfilling that mission? Are we drawing in people who are unchurched? Are we ourselves growing in our faith? Are we reaching out to the young & to the old, to the healthy & to the sick? Are we being spiritually nourished and challenged to live out our faith? Many questions, many things for us to think about & talk about. 

    In case you missed it, there are pictures from Holy Week & the Easter Vigil on our website (also available in our mobile app) and a lot of other information as well. You can always find our recent bulletins there as well as our News & Views Newsletters. We also post the obituaries of those from our parish who have died and whose funeral Mass is being celebrated here. There are many ways to communicate with us through our website & mobile app. Many people have already reached out to us through our online presence. You can always find the most updated information there so be sure to visit us there often.

Pastor's Column, April 19, 2015

     This week I had a funeral service for Patricia Baker who died at the age of 90. Pat had been a very faithful parishioner of St. Leo’s for many years until she was no longer able to come to church due to illness. Please keep her and her husband Gus and their two children in your prayers. 

    I gave the last rites to Bill Kordick this past Monday. He and his wife Edda joined our parish last year and they have had a very difficult year due to Bill’s cancer. So please remember both of them in prayer this weekend. 

    I want to congratulate those who were baptized and received into the Church at our Easter Vigil. The children who received baptism were Danniel Lockhart, Benjamin Jungeberg, Madilynn Tomotchko & Noah Tomotchko. Michael Jodon, an adult already baptized, received the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist. And several received all three sacraments of initiation: baptism, confirmation and first Eucharist: Angelique Arroyo (adult), and children Blake Burke, Brookelynn Burke, Destiny Hupcej-Young & Jacob Nerantzoulis. What a wonderful celebration it was on the night before Easter. You can see their pictures on our website and through our mobile app, as well as other pictures from Holy Week. You can also see a picture of our new principal, Sister Erin Zubal OSU whom I welcomed on Easter weekend. We will let you know soon about our farewell tribute to Mrs. Diane Weiss, our current principal.

    I want to thank you for your generosity in our Easter collection. Supporting the parish financially is one of the ways that you help us to offer many services to you and to others throughout the year. Sometimes we may take your goodness for granted, so I just wanted to say thank you for what you give not only at Easter but throughout the year. 

    I won’t be with you this weekend as I will be visiting some friends in Florida. I just hate it when friends move so far away & I have to make the long trip to visit them, especially in warm & sunny Florida where they live by the beach & enjoy the great restaurants of Fort Myers. But once again, I must sacrifice for their sake. Please welcome those priests who will filling in for me: Fr. Joe Pednigar (Saturday at 4pm), Fr. Bob Lorkowski (10am) and Fr. Tim Kalista (12pm). Notice how it takes three priests to take my place when I’m gone? Does that mean I should be getting triple the salary I am now? Please don’t answer these questions out loud! But do welcome them and offer them the old St. Leo’s hospitality. 

Homily Thoughts for April 12, 2015…Divine Mercy

There was a polish nun by the name of Sr. Faustina who had visions of Christ. In one conversation with her, he asked her to paint an image of his Divine Mercy flowing from his sacred heart. This she did, and it shows a ray of white light (representing baptism) and a ray of red light (symbolizing the blood of the Eucharist), coming from the heart of Christ. 

Pope John Paul II had a special devotion to Sr. Faustina & canonized her a saint in the year 2000. He then proclaimed the Sunday after Easter as “Divine Mercy Sunday” and in fact, he died on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2005. St. John Paul II was canonized by Pope Francis on Divine Mercy Sunday last year (2014). Pope Francis himself speaks frequently of God’s mercy and has declared a “Year of Mercy” which will begin in the fall of 2015. 

It is not enough for us however to simply bask in the Divine Mercy of God. We must also be willing to extend the mercy God shows us to those who have offended us in some way. Jesus insisted on this when he taught us the prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” With whom do I still have a resentment? Who do I need to forgive? After God has covered me in his mercy, will I be stingy with mine?

Pastor's Column, April 12, 2015

     Father Vesely & I wish to thank all those who sent cards or brought Easter foods & sweets for us to enjoy. I was tempted to hide the Easter baskets around the rectory but I think Father Vesely would have suspected that something was up. So we shared the bounty. I can say that Michaela & Abby made out quite well too…Michaela is almost near the size of Napoleon! And Abby looks more like a tiger than a little house cat. But we’ll all grateful for the goodies & will try to get back down to size once the sugar rush is over. 

    My thanks to our Parish Life Coordinator, Nancy Zola, for all the time she put in over Holy Week making sure that our services ran smoothly. And along with many other faithful people, everyone really did such a wonderful job filling the altar area with beautiful flowers & arrangements for our Easter celebrations. Thanks to everyone who played a part in our prayerful Holy Week liturgies.

    This weekend we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, so named by St. Pope John Paul II due to the annual gospel where the Risen Christ extends his Divine Mercy to the apostles & to all those who abandoned him during his passion. How comforting it is for us to know that even the first chosen disciples struggled to be faithful. But Christ extends his great mercy to us as he did to them. The picture of Jesus you see displayed in the church is based on the vision St. Faustina had of him. The Divine Mercy Novena and Chaplet will be prayed today and you can find more information about that in this bulletin. 

    We ask the Divine Mercy of Jesus to be shown to Sophie Kapral, a long-time parishioner who died on Easter Sunday morning. Her Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, April 13th at 10am. Sophie & her son Dennis have been members of St. Leo’s Senior’s and when I gave her Holy Communion on Holy Thursday, I assured her of our prayers for her. As she died on Easter morning, we pray that she may share in the fullness of the resurrection. 

    Another long-time parishioner devoted to the Divine Mercy was Fran Zingalie whom I spent some time with on Good Friday. Fran passed away during Easter week & her funeral Mass will also be on Monday, April 13th at 11:30am. She was at home with her family and she continued to speak of God’s goodness even in the midst of her pain & weakening condition. To see such faith in God’s holy people is such a privilege for me. We lift her up in our prayers as well.

Homily thoughts for April 5, 2015…Extravagant Love

Have you ever noticed that when people are doing religious things, they tend to get a bit extravagant? On Palm Sunday, we remembered how people put their cloaks on the donkey & on the road that Jesus travelled on as they shouted “Hosanna!” Matthew says that “the whole city was stirred up.”

As Catholics we we can get a little wild in our religious services: we have processions, carry incense, ring bells, sprinkle holy water, light candles, & put many flowers around the altar area of the church. We have chalices made out of gold & silver when a simple cheap glass would do. We have ceilings in our church that are higher than they need be. We have marble altars when a card table would do. We wear fancy vestments when ordinary clothing would work just as well. Our churches, our cathedral in downtown Cleveland, & esp. St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, are so extravagant, way beyond what we really need; all we come here to do is to pray.

Some criticize this religious excess & tell us to sell it all & give it to the poor. We do need to be more generous to the poor, but remember the woman who took very costly perfume & instead of using one or two drops, she broke the jar & used the whole thing to anoint Jesus before his death? The disciples criticized her, but Jesus said she was showing him her incredible love. People in love spend a lot of money, time & energy planning their wedding because love is not practical nor does it know moderation. Such is the same when we love God. And God could have just sent Jesus to tell us that he loves us & forgive us. But instead, Jesus showed it by enduring incredible suffering. God’s love for us is excessive. Our expressions of love for God must also be extravagant.

Pastor's Column, April 5, 2015

     I extend a word of welcome to all who join us today for this great Feast of Easter. How great it is to have so many join us at St. Leo the Great for the celebration of God’s love manifested in the Resurrection of Christ and in the promise of our own rising to new life, now and in the life to come. Again, welcome to everyone!

    On this day of Good News, I am also happy to announce that I have welcomed a new principal for St. Leo’s Parish School. Sister Erin Zubal, OSU (the 3 initials after her name stand for “Order of Saint Ursula”) is an Ursuline Sister who comes to us not only with great educational background but with many experiences that will enable her to be a very effective leader for our school community. Sister Erin has a Masters Degree in Education and a Masters Degree in Social Work. She is currently the Athletic Director at Beaumont High School and has also served as a Theology teacher. Sister worked with young women at the Cuyahoga County Jail. Sister Erin is young, energetic, and focused on continuing the good work done by our current principal of 12 years, Mrs. Diane Weiss. She stands on the shoulders of Mrs. Weiss as she brings her unique enthusiasm to build up our school community at St. Leo’s. I am anxious for the parents, children and parishioners of St. Leo’s to meet her and see first hand her professional and personal giftedness. I am grateful to the members of our Search Committee who interviewed some of the 15 applicants we had for this position and made their recommendations to me. We should feel very proud that Sister Erin was anxious to learn about the community of St. Leo’s and excited to serve our school and parish in this important role. You will have a chance to hear from her and meet her soon so please keep her, Mrs. Weiss and our school in your prayers. 

    Thanks to all who ministered during our Holy Week Services, especially Mike Caraffi and the choir of St. Leo’s who help us give heart-felt praise to God in music and song. 

    On Holy Saturday at the Easter Vigil, we baptized 1 adult & 8 children. Another adult was received into the fullness of the Catholic Faith through Confirmation and Eucharist, which were also received by 4 children. We welcome all of them to our family of faith and look forward to introducing them to you in the weeks to come. Alleluia!