Homily thoughts for August 31, 2014…Carrying Your Cross

Life is difficult. We learn this more & more as we grow older. But that which is difficult can also be good. Peter didn’t think that to be true when he said “God forbid anything bad should happen to you, Lord!” And don’t we often say, “God forbid anything bad should happen to me, Lord! I’m a person of faith!”

But a cross is not a punishment. It’s an opportunity. It’s in times of trouble that we make progress, that we hear things we otherwise would not have heard or learn things we otherwise would not have learned. C.S. Lewis puts it this way: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, God speaks to us in our conscience, but God shouts to us in our pain.” Pain is God’s megaphone.

Good can come from pain but that does not mean that pain is good. We should do all we can to avoid sickness, suffering & death. But when they come to us, we accept them as Christ did. They will teach us and open us to life.

Pastor's Column, August 24, 2014

Since the beginning of this year, we have had over 30 households register in the parish so first, I want to say, in the name of all of us, welcome! It’s great to have new people join our community and we want you to know that you are needed and wanted. At all the Masses this weekend, we will ask for God’s blessing on our new parishioners. Don’t worry, we’re not going to call you forward to make a speech or make you wear a T-shirt that says, “I’m new!” We just ask you to receive our prayers and God’s blessing now that you are a parishioner of St. Leo the Great. Again, it’s good to have you here.

The St. Leo’s Seniors had their bi-monthly meeting on August 13th & had a young man  who was a magician entertain them. He was quite good but I was hoping he’d make my extra weight disappear. It didn’t happen. I’m glad he pulled some smiles out of his hat to place on the  faces in the group though. The Seniors have a good time & enjoy fellowship with each other twice a month. If you’re not a member, consider joining them. They’ll be meeting again this Wednesday at 11:00. Maybe you can do some magic & just appear at their meeting. They’d love to have you.

Last week our teachers started coming in to prepare their classrooms for that day that all children just wait for with excitement and great anticipation—the first day of school! Oh wait, maybe that’s Christmas I’m thinking of. Regardless, they’ll be back in their classrooms next Tuesday, September 2nd. They may not be happy to be back in school but we (& their parents) will be happy to have them back. This week the teachers and school staff will be having a retreat day, faculty meeting and faculty luncheon (Fr. Vesely & I get to go to that too…since we bring the check!). We have a wonderful staff in our school…from Mrs. Weiss the principal (I still remember to spell that with an “a” since she’s our “pal”) to the teachers & the rest of the staff. We will ask God’s blessing on them next weekend. 

Do say a special prayer for one of our preschool teachers, Cherise Pacanovsky who had surgery in July & will be in recovery for a few weeks yet. She has a way of making our preschool children smile & she will be missed as the school year starts, but we anxiously await her return. May she receive a complete recovery along with all those in the parish who are hospitalized.

Homily thoughts for August 24th…When God Closes Doors

Remember the feeling you got when you received the keys to your first car or first house? Then imagine  how Peter felt when Jesus gave him the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven!

But keys are used not just to open but to close, not just to unlock but to lock. When someone marries, the doors to the heart of their spouse is open, but the doors to other relationships are closed forever. When someone has children, the doors of parenting are opened but some freedom (and money!) is taken away. 

It’s not a bad thing for God to close some doors in our lives. Freedom is not having every door opened to us. Freedom is the ability to open some doors while being OK with closing others. A closed door can be a blessing to us as much as an opened one if we are kept protected from bad relationships & experiences. When God closes a door to us, that can be one of his greatest gifts.

Homily thoughts for August 17, 2014…Was Jesus Inclusive or Not?

In our American culture, inclusivity is held up as an ideal that should be embraced by everyone. Though it's interesting to note that one is not expected to be inclusive with regard to politics or religion! 

In His human nature, Jesus was influenced by the prevalent culture of his time which regarded the Canaanites as enemies. They were excluded from God's favor. This is why when the Canaanite woman asked him to heal her daughter, he ignores her, then tells her he came only for the "lost sheep of Israel" (the Jews), then finally insults her. But then Jesus reaches beyond his culture & questions the will of God in this. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for ALL peoples" (first reading). Jesus determines it is the will of God that everyone be saved.

How do we embrace that inclusive attitude of Jesus--not to be politically correct, but religiously correct? How do we embrace those who are outside of our circles and invite them in?

Pastor's Column, August 17, 2014

Last Sunday before the 8am Mass, I began to experience some discomfort due to the familiar pain of kidney stones. A few weeks ago I had a procedure (lithotripsy) which blasted the stones & it was mostly successful but not completely. Last week my doctor told me what to expect, but of course he couldn’t have predicted it would happen on a Sunday morning. Now by the 10am Mass, everything was back to normal and I am now free of the problem. When I see the doctor this week, I hope he can tell me what foods I need to avoid but he has told me in the past that some people are just prone to this medical condition. Personally I think it’s caused by vegetables. Anyway, thanks for your concern & prayers. But I am well again & plan to stay that way.

We welcome Lennox Walsh into our Catholic family as she is baptized after the Noon Mass this weekend. It’s a blessing to have so many children added to our parish community.

Our cafeteria and school office have been painted and both look great. We also needed to change the florescent lights in the school building since we were using the older bulbs which were not only inefficient but which were getting difficult to replace when they burnt out since it used an older technology which is becoming obsolete. We worked with a company used by many parishes in the Diocese and decided to replace the lights where it was needed most, namely on the first floor, including the classrooms, hallways & cafeteria. The new LED bulbs are not only better for the children (less eye strain) but produce a much brighter light at a much lower cost. I’m sure you’ll notice the difference the next time you’re in the building.

One of the most important ministries in any Catholic parish is the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. It’s so central to the whole mission of the Church, which is the mission of each parish: to preach the Gospel and baptize those desiring to become Catholic. It’s what Jesus commanded us to do. Our RCIA process, which consists of weekly sessions that will begin October 1st, will take place Wednesday evenings from 7-8:30pm in the Parish Center. So I ask two things of you: first, please invite any adult you know who may possibly be interested in becoming Catholic to call me (or I will be happy to call them). Second, please consider joining us as a team member. All that is required is that you be present when able at our weekly sessions & learn more about the beauty and treasure of our Catholic Faith. Please let me know if I can expect to see you!

Homily thoughts for August 10, 2014…God in Quiet & in Chaos

Many come to church with the hope of meeting God in the quite & peaceful atmosphere we expect a church to have. On the outside, we may look calm but on the inside many of us have worries & fears. So like Elijah who found God in the tiny whispering sound or like Jesus who sought God in the solitude of the mountain, we seek God in quiet. 

But the disciples, who knew the terror, chaos & power of the sea, found that Christ was with them there, reaching out his hand to save them. He alone has the power to calm the frightening sea.

God is found everywhere: in quiet and in chaos, in prayer and in the hectic days of our lives. When Christ puts out his hand to you, grab hold of it as he brings you in to safety.

Pastor's Column, August 10, 2014

I anointed Elmer & Ernie Wisnieski this past week. They have been married for 72 years and live next door to their daughter Karen. I told them we would offer our prayers for them as Elmer was going to see the doctor during the week. Please say a Hail Mary for them. 

We celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial for Bruno Romano last Saturday. Bruno was at our parish picnic a couple weeks ago and was a faithful usher at Mass. We ask God to give him the reward of his faithfulness. 

Congratulations to Timothy Lamont & Rebecca Jandrokovic who were married on August 1st here at St. Leo’s. May the Lord grant them many years of happiness!

I will be baptizing twins during the Noon Mass this weekend. We welcome Michael Patrick & Dominic Francis, sons of Vito & Patricia Simonetta. So we pray not only for the little boys for their parents who take on at one time double the responsibility of raising a child. One of my sisters had twins and another had triplets. Every year they would go to Twinsburg for their annual Twins Day celebration. The Catholic Church in Twinsburg, by the way, is Saints Cosmas & Damian, twin brothers. But now I’m getting off track. I can attest that the twins we are baptizing have healthy lungs! They love to “sing” during Mass. All for the glory of God. 

This Tuesday I will be offering Mass for Florence Koenig. I don’t know her personally & most likely never met her. But I was informed that she was my “prayer mom.” Apparently every priest in the Diocese has someone who is praying for him, and Florence was the one praying for me (and that’s quite a job!). Sadly I was informed that she passed away so I wanted to offer Mass for her so that I may pray for her as she prayed for me. Priests need your prayers. Please pray for us often that we may serve God faithfully and serve you lovingly.

I was informed this past week that the Sisters of St. Michael the Archangel have been given the blessing of Bishop Richard Lennon and permission to reside in the Diocese of Cleveland and to engage in ministry to our Diocese. These two Sisters are Sr. Gloria Omoneme Olori, SSMA and Sr. Veronica Temitope Ogunlade, SSMA. Sr. Veronica will be arriving here in a month or two but Sr. Gloria has been with us for some time. We are happy they are with us and welcome their ministry in our parish. 

Homily thoughts for August 3rd…How to Grieve as Jesus Did

Jesus needed to grieve the loss of his cousin, John the Baptist. So he withdraws to a deserted place by himself. 

But then crowds found him & he couldn't take time for himself, so he took time instead to reach out to those who needed him. What better way to deal with grief? Don't withdraw into yourself but reach out to help others.

I knew a man in his 70's who lost his wife. He decided to join the Peace Corps. We all thought he was crazy & tried to discourage him. He was just grieving. But he ended up dying with the people he served & loved...in Guatemala. He knew how to deal with his grief...by reaching out to those in need.