Homily thoughts for September 28, 2014…Two sons, Two directions

We do not stay the same. We are always changing. So it is with faith. Either we are growing in faith or we are going backwards in faith. 

Jesus tells a parable about two sons. One is moving closer to God’s will, while the other is moving away from it. Each of is follow the direction of one of these two sons. In the spiritual life, unless you are moving forward, you are falling backward. 

It’s not enough that last month or last week or even yesterday I was thankful for God’s blessings or of service to my neighbor. I must be grateful today. I must be of service tomorrow. There are only two sons in the parable, not three. There is no son who just stands still. The two sons are both moving: one is moving toward God and the other away from God. In which direction are we moving today?

Pastor's Column, September 28, 2014

I had some wonderful experiences when I was away, having had the opportunity to visit both Corinth & Ephesus where St. Paul lived & preached the gospel to the first Christian communities. He also wrote the letters to the Corinthians & Ephesians which of course are now part of Sacred Scripture. It was a real grace to be able to stand where he preached, to walk the roads he walked and to see the place where he was put on trial. I hope to share some of those visits with you in my own preaching of the Gospel. But I am also blessed to be able to come back to the place I call home & to be with the people I am privileged to serve. I’m sure the priests who were here in my absence enjoyed praying with you. Thank you for your hospitality toward them.

This Sunday I will be baptizing two children: Mia Samoylicz & Lillian Ring. It strikes me that 2000 years after St. Paul, we continue to do what he did in obeying the command of Jesus in the Gospel to “baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” The gift of faith is received and passed on from one generation to the next. Welcome Mia & Lillian!

Please offer a prayer for Carol McGrath who was a member of our parish. I offered a prayer service for her at Holy Cross Cemetery this past Friday. May she rest in God’s embrace.

We had a Mass with all the PSR students last Monday as they begin another year of religious education. We are grateful that their parents are fulfilling the promise they made at the time of their baptism to “raise these children in the practice of the faith.” That means providing for their religious education but it also means bringing them to church where they can encounter Christ in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist. Please pray for all the children in our parish that they may receive from their parents the example of faith which will enrich their lives. And many thanks to our parishioners willing to teach the faith as catechists. May God reward their sacrifice and ministry!

Finally, some quick reminders: our first RCIA session will be this Wednesday, October 1st, from 7-8:30 in the Parish Center. Come if you’re interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith, even if you’re already Catholic! This Friday we have Eucharistic Devotion from 9am until 5pm. And this Saturday, October 4th, is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. We will have the Blessing of Pets at 10:00am either at the outdoor shrine by the Parish Center (weather-permitting) or in Lux Hall. Michaela & Abby will show your pets the way!

Pastor's Column, September 21, 2014

I should be returning from my trip today (Sunday) but not until the afternoon. I trust that you supported our missionary visitor last week. Such priests remind us yearly that the Church is larger than our parish and even our Diocese. It is spread throughout the world and so many depend upon us for financial and prayerful support. I’m sure many of you will be happy to see one of our former pastors celebrate the 10:00am Mass today. Father Ned Weist is always welcomed back to St. Leo’s and I’m glad he was available to be with some of you this weekend. We also welcome Father Ed Luca who is also retired but who continues to be of great help to us active priests in covering for us when we are away. Though I haven’t even left yet as I write this bulletin article in advance of my vacation, I’m sure it will be good to return to St. Leo’s as it always is. 

Please remember that you can still sign up to participate in the ARISE program which will begin next month. It’s a great way to sit back & reflect on what your faith has meant to you and to ask how it can be more meaningfully experienced in your life now. I am convinced by my own experience that we grow most in faith when we share it with others. I enjoy listening to the questions and thoughts of others and I also like the opportunity to share what my faith means to me. We do all this with the Scriptures, the Word of God himself, as the foundation of our conversation. We do this in an atmosphere of prayer. We do it trusting each other, learning from one another, and supporting others by our own faith. Remember the words of Jesus from a couple weekends ago: “Whenever you are gathered in my name, I am there with you.”

I’d like to offer another reminder about the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA): if you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the Catholic faith, please join us on Wednesday, October 1st, from 7:00-8:30pm in the Parish Center. You are welcomed if you are already Catholic and want to support those curious about our faith, you are welcomed if you are not Catholic (whether baptized in other denomination or not) and want to ask questions about Catholicism. Feel free to invite someone you know who may benefit from our informal conversation and bring them yourself. Each week a presentation on some aspect of our faith will be offered, and questions are welcomed and encouraged!

Pastor's Column, September 14, 2014

I will be away from the parish for a couple of weekends so I am writing this column a week in advance. I can tell you though that our Parish School opened at the beginning of this month to many smiling faces. We enjoy having the children back for another year and we are grateful to the wonderful staff that we have which not only provides an excellent academic education but also an atmosphere of faith where we can pass on the message of the Gospel. We welcome a couple of new teachers. Judith Waszkowski comes to us from St. Francis de Sales & will be helping the students stay fit in the gym. Traci Rath-Detwiler will be teaching art and computers. She will also be working one day a week in the Parish Office as our Marketing Director. With all the competition we face due to so many other schools in the area, we really need to get the word out that St. Leo’s Parish School offers unique advantages to the other options out there. So we welcome both of them and all of our returning staff members. Many parents made positive comments about the brightness & cleanliness of the school building so again thanks to all who donated to have that work done over the summer.

I hope you take a look at our new website found at leothegreat.org. That address (“URL” in computer speak) is much easier to remember than our older one. It’s also a brand new site with a lot of information that we will be keeping updated and fresh. On our “homepage” you can find highlighted upcoming events, links to the pastor’s blog (which includes my weekly bulletin column & short homily notes) as well as links to several current events.You can read the weekly bulletin, download our newsletter, and see pictures from our parish picnic and the St. Leo’s Seniors’s group. So please visit the site often. It is also formatted to fit well on a mobile device such as a cell phone or tablet, using their web browser. By now our new mobile app should be available as well. This is a free app that can be found on the Apple iTunes Store for iPhones and on the Google Play Store for Android phones. We will post links to these on the homepage of the website as soon as they are available. For those of you who do not have or use computers or smartphones, this is probably all Greek to you. No worries. Though our parish is taking advantage of the latest technologies available for communication, we are still using the tried & true parish bulletin, also recently updated with a fresh look. Either way, our goal is to do our best in keeping you informed. 

Pastor's Column, September 7, 2014

Congratulations to Jessica Pasela & Cristian (no I didn’t spell that wrong) Florea who were wedded this Saturday, September 6th. Cristian is Romanian Orthodox so we included a couple of traditions from his tradition which were filled with symbolism: they both wore crowns and circled the altar three times (symbolic of how bride & groom share in the kingship of Christ & how they are called to “wear the crown of martyrdom” in witnessing to their faith), and then had their hands bound together as a sign of their one journey, their one life. May God keep them in His love.

On the feast of the Assumption of Mary, someone gave us a beautiful cake with our Lady’s image on it. I would like to thank them, but I don’t know who the donor was. So please let me know so I may thank you. Fortunately, Fr. Vesely got the part of the cake filled with calories. But we both enjoyed it very much.

A few weeks ago I spoke briefly about an opportunity for you to grow in faith. It is called the ARISE program and we have been saying a prayer asking for God’s blessings on this at every weekend Mass for several weeks. We finally come to Sign Up Sunday where you can indicate your desire to participate in these small group faith sharing sessions. Two things I would like to reiterate. First, these small communities will use a structured format of prayer and Scripture reflection, along with faith-sharing questions. The atmosphere however will be informal, so no one will be forced to talk, and each person will be respected if he/she chooses just to listen. All that is shared will always be kept within the group. 

After very brief words following the Gospel, I will welcome a member of the ARISE team to instruct you on how to fill out a card that expresses your interest. You can give it to a team member after Mass and they are happy to answer any questions you have. We are already getting a sense that many people are interested in this opportunity and plan to participate. Please remember that God is sure to bless anyone who desires to grow in faith. We never grow apart from the community. We need each other for support, encouragement, understanding and love. We need to share what’s on our minds & in our hearts. We need others to listen to us with respect, while not trying to give us all the answers. And we need to help others do the same. Please consider this offer, both for your sake & for the sake of others who need your support. Arise & stand among those seeking these gifts.