Author: Fr. Leo

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What Can I Bring?

[Howdy, Church fans! I’m back after a couple weeks fishing in the Alaskan wilderness. Great fun and lots of fish. Speaking of fish, how about this week’s gospel passage from John where Jesus multiplies the loaves and the fishes. Pretty darn cool. As always, you can catch the homily on our YouTube channel here. The whole Mass is on our Facebook page, here.]

       The story goes that as a way of helping people get to know each other in the new Archdiocese, the Archbishop brought a representatives from the various parishes and asked them to bring something with them that represented their parish.   So the first person gets up and says, “Hi, I’m from St. Mary’s in Kodiak and this a rosary of Our Lady!” 

       The second: Hi, I’m from St. Benedict’s in Jewel Lake, and this is a St. Benedict’s Medal.  

       The third: Hi, I’m from St. Patrick’s in Muldoon….and this is a casserole and a plate of cookies for the potluck!

     In the 27 years I have been a priest I have been to my share of potlucks.  What would church be like without potlucks? They are part and parcel of parish life. Even in smaller gatherings or dinner parties, the guest will often answer the invitation with, “What can I bring?” 

       It’s not that the host is incapable of providing what is needed for the dinner. Rather, we ask the question because there is something deep within us that wants to contribute. It enhances the gathering. Also, it’s very gratifying to share a favorite dish and have someone ask you for the recipe.

       This is what is on my mind as we read about the multiplication of the loaves and fishes in the Gospel of John.  The crowd is huge, tired, and hungry.  As Phillip notes, it would take a miracle to feed them all even a little. Fortunately, a miracle is exactly what Jesus has in mind. 

       There are two lessons we can take from this encounter.  First, our job is not to work the miracle. That is Jesus’ job.  Rather our job is simply to bring the bread and the fish. Sometimes the burden of discipleship seems too much. The needs are so great, and resources seem few. Who cares?! Jesus knows what he is doing. We have something to offer. No matter how insignificant it may seem, when we offer it to Christ, then he can work the miracle he intends. It’s part of the difference between being a disciple of Jesus Christ or being a consumer of religious goods and services.

       Lesson #2 is you cannot outdo God in generosity. How do we know this? There are leftovers! Lots and lots and lots of leftovers. Why twelve baskets? Think about it, there were twelve tribes of Israel and twelve apostles symbolizing the new Israel. The meaning would not have been lost on those present that God is not stingy. He will always provide for his people in abundance. What does this mean for us today. At a certain point, each of has to decide if we are going to approach life with a spiritual of abundance or a spirituality of scarcity. I can only say from experience that if you choose to approach life with a spirituality of scarcity, you and those around you will never have enough. If, however, you approach life with a spirituality of abundance, you and those around you will never want for anything. 

       There is only one catch. You gotta bring the fish! 

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Three Moments of Grace

[This is the bare bones of the homily. If you want the meat, watch it on our YouTube channel here. The whole Mass is on our FaceBook page here.]

     The day after my ordination twenty-seven years ago, I preached on this gospel passage at my first Mass. Of course, with a little more experience comes a little more perspective. The story of Jairus’ daughter and the woman who is healed when she touches the edge of Jesus’ cloak has not changed. Yet, it speaks very differently to me now. There are three different encounters: Jairus with Jesus and the pressing crowd; the healing of the woman in the crowd; the raising of Jairus’ daughter at his home. We can learn from each one of them.

       Jesus was having a busy day. He has just finished the Sermon on the Mount, cured the Gerasene demoniac, and put a pig farmer out of business in the process. The encounter with Jairus happens just as he gets back on his home turf. It must have been something to see a leader in the community falling at the feet of Jesus. But Jairus is not there for himself.  He’s there for his daughter. He doesn’t want Jesus the rabbi, he wants Jesus the prophet. He pleads for healing.

       I like Jairus. He shows us that we should never be afraid to approach Jesus with our needs or the needs of others. We should not hesitate to ask the Lord of Life for that which will give life. It’s a way of affirming our reliance on God’s love and mercy.

       The woman with the hemorrhage is something else.  She had to be discrete, primarily because the nature of her condition rendered her ritually unclean. She could not go to the temple or synagogue, let alone approach Jesus openly for fear of giving scandal. How ironic to be so isolated in the midst of a large crowd. The striking thing here is that Jesus is not unaffected by the encounter. So it is with any of us who do any kind of ministry in the parish, whether it’s as a eucharistic minister, visiting the homebound, catechist, group leader. One cannot emerge from the encounter unaffected. Sometimes we wonder just who was ministering to whom.

       Finally, at the home of Jairus, we can learn that when our resources have been exhausted, God is just getting started. It’s interesting that they ridicule Jesus just before he performs the miracle. Jesus says, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” As people of faith, we need to take heed. How easy it is to let our fear overcome our faith and forget that miracles really do happen even in the present day. We should never be afraid to ask for the miracle. 

       There is much to learn from each part of the story in today’s Gospel reading. May we have the faith to approach the Lord in our need, confident that he still wants to work the miracle of his grace in our lives.

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Storms of Life, Havens of Faith

Happy Father’s Day! Jesus calms the storm; but there is much more going on here than meets the eyes. Deacon Mick shares how we can weather the storms of life and emerge cleansed and renewed in faith. The text of his homily is coming soon. The video is on our YouTube channel here. The whole Mass is on our Facebook Page here

(Yes, the text of his homily will be here soon.)

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Planting Seeds, Fostering Growth

[Behold! The text of the homily. Check out the video on our YouTube channel here. If you want to see the whole Mass, you can check it out on our Facebook page here.]

     To what shall I compare the parish family of St. Patrick’s?

     It is like a cottonwood seed. It is the tiniest of little seeds, about a tenth of the size of the head of a pin.  Released from its pod, it floats on the wind, lingers on the sidewalk and eventually finds root where in no time at all, it grows first the sapling, and then the branches, growing up to four feet a year.  In no time at all it becomes the largest of trees in Alaska. Soon it grows its own pods and sends its seeds upon the wind, where they cover lawns and sidewalks, affix themselves to screens and find their ways indoors. We know not how.  It’s just part of life up here.

       I am convinced that if there were cottonwood trees in first century Palestine, Jesus would have used them instead of the mustard seed to illustrate the Kingdom of God. The cottonwood, (Populus deltoides), are a first generation tree, usually the first to sprout up, hold the soil and provide cover for other flora and fauna after a receding glacier or wildfire. Mature cottonwoods can grow over 150 feet tall, have a canopy of 75 feet and a trunk over 6 feet in diameter. But it all starts with that little bitty seed.

       I look at the big cottonwood trees that rise up from the ground to the heavens. Then I look at that little bitty seed…and I wonder…

       How does it know? How does that itty bitty seed contain everything you need to grow one of those huge trees?

       Any geneticist or botanist can tell you the answer, of course, but it is still pretty incredible that something so huge could come from something so small. 

       It’s the same for us as a parish.

       We started out so very small, with 124 families,   carved out of territory St. Anthony Parish on the Feast of St. Francis, October 4, 1971.  We took root first in the Chester Valley School,

       “St. Chester’s of the Valley”  

       Then in the Tara Lounge

              Then in what is now the Deacons Hall

              Paid for by the Great Alaska Pipeline Classic where people bought chances the date, time and minute that the first barrel of oil would make it from through the pipeline to the terminal in Valdez.

       Twenty-five years ago on May 5, 1996, we dedicated the new church.

       Now, on the eve of fifty years, we have registered 930 families, serving in 48 identified ministries within the parish and the local community.

       So, if we are to run the parable of the cottonwood tree to its conclusion,

       I would say that while we are no longer a sapling, we have not quite matured as a parish.

       Nevertheless, I believe that we are poised for our next big growth spurt.

But how do we do so? 

       First, by the joyful and reverent celebration of the sacraments of the Church

       The liturgy evangelizes and teaches. 

       It is the source and summit of all we do. 

       It is the first priority of the parish. 

Soon after I arrived I formed the Liturgy Committee which is made up of the coordinators of all the liturgical ministries in the parish.

       As you can see, their efforts have born great fruit in the worship of our community, especially during the pandemic, and now into the future.

Second, by the intentional formation of disciples of Jesus Christ.

       So often we think of faith formation as something for our young people.

       First in pre-school and then in middle and high school and then confirmation

       And then what? 

              That is not an ending, it is a beginning.

       You never stop learning how to be a better disciple,     

              You can never exhaust the mystery of Christ or his Church.

       As St. Peter says, we should always be ready to give an account of the joy that is within us.

       To help us in this,

       Last July, we welcomed Mary Allison, our new Director of Catechetical Ministries. In consultation with the Catechetical Ministries Team, Mary has spent the last year evaluating past catechetical programs and developing a new program of faith formation to meet the needs of all parishioners from 9 months to 99 years and beyond. 

       Third, the parish evangelizes.

              Both ourselves withing the parish and then the local community in which we find ourselves.

       This is important.

              If we live this life joyfully and with faith,

                      It will be attractive.

       Remember if your entire life is spent bringing just one other person to Christ

       Is it not a life well spent? 

       For this pillar of our mission, this past fall, we formed the Evangelization Parish Life Team, comprised of all the ministries of evangelization, whether their focus was spiritual, social or service.  We looked at the needs and opportunities before us.  Then, earlier this year, we developed the position of Director of Evangelization, compiled a job description, recruited and held interviews. 

       I am happy to announce that on July 1st of this year,  we will welcome Ms. Emily Brabham as our new Director of Evangelization and Parish Life. Emily’s first task will be to revitalize Youth and Young Adult Ministry in the parish while supporting the various other service, social and prayer ministries of Evangelization.

       But none of these pillars of our mission, the joyful and reverent celebration of the sacraments, the intentional formation of disciple of Jesus, or the evangelization of ourselves and our neighbors can stand alone.

       We need a body to consult with the pastor to help discern needs and opportunities and to help with coherent pastoral planning. 

       To that end, I am happy to announce that on June 23rd the Pastoral Council will hold its first meeting. I thank you all for your prayerful discernment of its membership.  I will be introducing them to you next week!

       So, there is a lot going on here in our little part of the Kingdom.         I’m convinced that if there were cottonwoods in first century Palestine, Jesus would have used them instead of the mustard seed to illustrate the Kingdom of God. It only takes the tiniest seed of faith to make a great saint.  It only takes one parish family to change the world in 99504. 

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Power, Presence and Promise – Thoughts from Deacon Mick on the Eucharist

[Deacon Mick had a great homily on the three aspects of the Eucharist on Corpus Christi this weekend. You can catch the homily here on our YouTube channel. The whole Mass is on our Facebook Page here.]

The origin of the Feast of Corpus Christi

goes back to the high Middle Ages. 

It’s a moment to reflect

on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist,

The real presence –

the absolute reality of the bread and wine

becoming through Transubstantiation

not a symbol, not a representation but

the actual body and blood of our savior Jesus Christ.

The source and summit of and a beloved truth of

our Catholic Faith. 

About 45 years ago or so, the Feast of Corpus Christi

was combined with the Feast of the Precious Blood. 

So today at this Mass —— we celebrate the Feast of

the Body and Blood of Christ.

Our readings today

look at three different Eucharistic dimensions of the Mass:

power, —— presence —— and promise.

The Letter to the Hebrews today

takes us back to the great Temple sacrifices in Jerusalem

to show us the power of the Mass. 

Our Gospel reading takes us to the Last Supper

to show the real

and continuing presence of Christ among us in the Eucharist. 

Today’s reading from the Book of Exodus

takes us to the mountain of the covenant

to show that the Eucharist

is the place where the promise of God

and the promise of His people still come together.

Power, presence, and promise.

First, the power of the Mass

and a brief time trip to the Jerusalem temple. 

The letter to the Hebrews gives us a snapshot

of the Temple liturgy on the Day of Atonement,

Yom Kippur, and the ritual slaying of bulls and goats. 

In fact,

the temple back then had a whole array of sacrifices.

They all involved death

and the substantial sheding of blood. 

There was a whole array of sacrifices:

there were sacrifices to atone, to thank,

to adore,  to make peace,

and to make requests/petitions,

all of them striving, straining,

trying and yearning to achieve what Jesus did on Calvary, —— the perfect, complete sacrifice.

The Mass today is the true sacrifice

and all the bloody rituals in the Old Testament

were early symbols

foreshadowing what Christ would do. 

The Mass – this Mass makes present Christ’s powerful,

unique Calvary sacrifice. 

Today’s Mass however —  makes present the single,

all-powerful sacrifice of Christ with two differences.

First – the pain, the crowds,

the blood, the agony are gone. 

It’s an unbloody sacrifice. 

Secondly, we can add our prayers to Christ’s. 

It’s as though the Mass is

a powerful rocket

on which we can piggyback our prayers. 

We can fuse our petitions, big and small,

to the great powerful calvary sacrifice of Christ. 

That’s the power of the Mass.

In today’s Gospel reading,

we go from the Jerusalem Temple to the Last Supper. 

Jesus says, “This is my Body, this is my Blood.” 

Christ is present among us in many ways but

here in the Eucharist,

the Lord Jesus is present fully, substantially

and in an unobstructed way. 

Sometimes you hear people say,

we can see Christ in our neighbor. 

But that’s often difficult to do because

people’s personalities present a lot of interference

and Christ may be manifested in different ways. 

But in the Eucharist,

the Lord is present without obstructions

in a complete and total way. 

That’s the symbolism

of the red lamp

that we have displayed on the wall near the tabernacle,

it signifies the real presence of our Lord.

When we come to church,

we don’t have the hope that Christ will be here. 

He Is here! 

His presence does not depend on our mood,

our degree of faith

or whether we are in the state of grace. 

Christ is truly here. 

The Eucharist is the place of presence. 

And Christ will stay with us until the end of time. 

Who knows what changes will occur in the Church

over the next thousand years? 

But a thousand years from now,

in every Catholic Church

there will always be a tabernacle. 

Maybe in the middle, maybe the side,

but there will always be a tabernacle.

It’s the living presence of Christ

in all our joys and sorrows,

with us on our life’s journey

like the ark of the covenant that

traveled with the Israelites wherever they went. 

The Eucharist is the sacrament of Christ’s presence.

Finally, the reading from the Book of Exodus

takes us to the holy mountain

and the Lord’s promise to be with His people

and their promise to be faithful to his law.

“We will do everything the Lord has told us.” 

The Mass is the place of promise. 

When we receive  Holy Communion worthily,

we are promised that

we will be one with the Lord someday, face to face.

The Eucharist is also the place

of our promise to be faithful,

to be loyal to Christ and to his Church,

to be in communion with the Church. 

If we receive Communion on the tongue,

we are promising that

our tongue will not lie, deceive, slander,

gossip or speak in an un-Christian way. 

If we receive communion in our hand,

we are promising that

we will not turn our hands to violence or destruction

or hatred or anger but

will use them to build up the kingdom.

Whether we receive Holy Communion,

on the tongue or in the hand,

both eloquent and ancient gestures of commitment,

We need to understand and remember that

we are touching and consuming

the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ

not a piece of bread or a sip of wine.

It’s a time of reverence where

we are making a recommitment of our lives to Christ. 

And when we say “Amen,”

We should say it boldly

not amen but AMEN because we are not only making an affirmation of faith — of “I believe” but

are also making a promise to follow Christ faithfully. 

The Mass is the place of promise,

God’s promise to us of future glory,

our promise of fidelity.

Power, presence, and promise.

It’s important that we keep the Mass holy. 

It’s our Temple of a powerful sacrifice,

our table of unity around the real presence of Christ,

and our mountain of promise of fidelity

to Christ and his Church.

The Eucharist is

the greatest gift we have on this earth. 

It comes from the very hand of God. 

If we keep close to the Mass,

to the Eucharist,

wherever we are,

we will always be close to Christ.

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Trinity Sunday – the Personalist Model

Hey, Church fans! I preached without a text today, so if you want the whole homily, it’s best to watch it here on our YouTube channel. A short summary of the main points are below. If you want to see the whole Mass, check it out here on Facebook.

     This Sunday I will be preaching on a way of looking at the Most Holy Trinity called the “personalist model.” I have found it very helpful personally and hope that you do too.

     It is a bold endeavor to ponder the reality of Almighty God. He is at once completely transcendent. Yet at the same time, through the Church, he has chosen to be incredibly accessible. While we cannot comprehend every thing about God, through revelation and reason, we can understand some things about God. 

I often say that theology is not rocket science. Quite simply, it is all about relationship. The same is true about Almighty God. In short, through the Church, we are invited into a relationship we call “full communion” with the God who is perfect communion itself. We reflect that dynamic to others. But how?

Since we are made in the image and likeness of God, we start by looking at ourselves. As human persons we have:

1. Identity—By the age of two, most people have a sense of self as distinct from others.

2.  Self-Communication—Eventually we communicate to others about ourselves, share our attributes, feelings, desires, and needs.

3. The Relationship/Animating Principle—between identity and self-communication. “So, tell me about yourself!” Usually we use words, but sometimes we use music, art, poetry, etc. Words need breath to be heard.

Now, if we can be so bold as to apply these things to God, we find:

1.  Identity—God’s nature is to exist. He is identity itself. So much so that his revealed name is “I AM.” 

2.  Self-Communication—God reveals himself not only in creation but also through his Word, which “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). God’s perfect revelation was Jesus Christ.

3.  Animating principle—it’s no coincidence that the same word for “spirit” in Hebrew is the same word for “breath.”  It is a heady thing to realize that the Spirit that animated the life of Christ is the same Holy Spirit that animates the life of every Christian. 

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Like a Great Fire!

[Greetings, Church fans! Here is the homily. Actually, the first part of the homily. The rest deals with some issue particular to the parish. You can catch the whole Mass on our Facebook page or just the homily on our YouTube channel here. ]

Long before the FaceBook post or the meme, my mother, (who turns 90 this weekend) loved to put little framed quotations all over the house. Such things as: “A little explained, a little endured, a little forgiven—the quarrel is cured.”  or “Engage brain before putting mouth in gear.”  Of course with our family heritage, Irish sayings held a place of honor. The Irish, being a great and noble race of people, have many wonderful expressions.  My favorite in the house is this: “May the love of God warm your heart like a great fire, so that a friend may come and warm himself there.”

       I cannot celebrate Pentecost without this saying coming to mind. When we understand what and who the Holy Spirit is, it makes a lot of sense.  

       As Christians, we believe in the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit—one God, three persons. It only makes sense if you think of it terms of relationship. The Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father.  The dynamic intensity of this relationship, by its very nature, radiates out beyond the Father and Son, much like the heat of a great fire. But we don’t just feel its effects, we are loved ourselves.  We are invited to participate fully in the power of this love, and to invite others. 

       A good marriage also helps us understand. The two spouses love one another, body and soul.  The best expression of the intensity of this relationship, is by its very nature live-giving, and nine months later, you may have to give it a name! But it’s not just children. While I was growing up, my parents were always inviting other people to share in the life and love of our home. There were always neighbor kids and friends and neighbors who were enlivened by the relationship my parents had. Their love, such as it was, invited others to be a part of it and share in its joys, its sorrows, its triumphs and its tragedies. The love of God warmed their hearts like a great fire, and many were warmed in its glow as they were invited to be a part of that relationship.

       The Holy Spirit  is nothing less than the power of the love of God alive in the heart of every Christian.  The God who is perfect relationship and perfect communion invites us to share fully in the intensity of that dynamic love. This, I believe is one of the most profound ways that we are made in the image and likeness of God.  We are made for communion, for that perfect relationship at the level of our very being with God and others.  The gifts and the fruits of this relationship we call the Holy Spirit, are readily available to all through the sacraments of the Church.

       Come, Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.          

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Complete Joy

[Howdy, Church fans! And happy Mother’s Day. Here are some thoughts on today’s gospel, (John 15:9-17) As always, you can watch the homily on our YouTube channel here, or catch the whole Mass here. ]

       We Americans, and especially we Alaskans are much more goal motivated than duty motivated. If you tell an Alaskan, “You have to do this!” or “You can’t do that!” the typical response will be, “Who the heck are YOU to tell me what I can and can’t do! ” But if instead you say to an Alaskan, “Hey, see that mountain peak over there? I wonder if a guy could get his ATV up on top.”  The response would likely be a hearty, “Here! Hold my beer and watch this!” We seem to accomplish much more with goals than with commands.

     So when Jesus says, “This is my commandment…” we Alaskan may wince a little and think, “This is going to be burdensome.” That is, until we hear what his commandment actually is: “Love one another.”

     Hmmm…this is something unexpected, and surprisingly challenging. If he had simply said, “Do A, B and C and your joy will be complete,” we would have some precision and clarity. Instead, this commandment to love one another is open-ended.  It’s not simply something we can do and check off our list. Who of us has ever said to a spouse or close friend. “Okay, I’ve loved you enough. We’re good to go.”

       [Or try this with your wife sometime.  “Hey, honey, there is nothing about you that I don’t know.  I know what you like, what you dislike, what brings your joy what brings you sorrow.  I finally have you figured out.

       See how far you get.

       How much better if you should say, “You know, hon, after all these years, you still amaze me.” 

       Jesus says to love one another “as I have loved you.”  The one who loves, Aquinas tells us, intends what is best for the beloved and does everything in his or her power to make it happen.

       Love is lived most authentically in our service to one another, in our self-sacrifice for the good of others. Where love is present, sacrifice comes readily.  To lay down one’s life for another, often daily, is the root of our joy and makes our joy complete. Christ is not asking us to do anything he has not already done and continues to do for us.  When our love for one another is joined to and reflects the love of Christ to that part of the world around us, his joy is in us and our joy is complete.

       We don’t need to look far for examples of this. This weekend we celebrate Mother’s Day. One of the hallmarks of motherhood is the daily sacrifice that mothers make for the well-being of their children. Indeed, where love is present, sacrifice comes readily. How fitting that we pause this weekend to thank our mothers for the love and sacrifice they have made for us throughout our lives.

       By and large, we Alaskans don’t like to be told what to do, but this commandment is one we can live with.  Let us look to the Cross.  Let us love one another as Christ has loved us and therein find the source of our joy, so that our joy might be complete. 

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The True Vine

[Howdy, Church Fans! Deacon Mick had another good one this week. Don’t forget to check out the video on our YouTube Channel here. The whole Mass can be viewed here.]

This is a great time of year for me –

maybe for all of us. 

I think I saw a couple of trees beginning to leaf out

and I see the snow melting,

the grass thawing and turning green. 

The rebirth of nature gives us all the lift we all need

after a very cold, snowy, and dark winter. 

After winter,

our mood begins to change as

we feel a new energy within. 

This is the time of year when

people start thinking about putting a great deal of work

into their yards and gardens,

raking out what was left

of last years fallen leaves and dead twigs,

bundling it all for the trash. 

Everything that is dead is removed

to make way for new planting and fresh growth.

Is it possible that

we who are children of God

May see ourselves

like those broken branches or crumpled leaves? 

Well,  it’s possible —-

if we let ourselves be separated from Christ. 

Just as branches get separated from trees,

we can become separated from the Lord. 

Jesus says that he is the true vine. 

A person who does not live in him

is like a withered branch ready for the fire.

Those leaves and branches that

were once the glory of nature,

are now an eyesore.

They become separated from their source of life

and died. 

When we become detached from Jesus Christ,

our source of life,  we die spiritually.

So ——

how do people become detached from the Lord? 

Seldom is it one dramatic moment

when people turn from Christ. 

Usually it’s gradual

as people begin to give way on small things,

discarding what seem to be

insignificant religious practices that

then lead to the abandonment of more important ones. 

Then comes a moment when

someone is coming to church,

saying the words and singing the songs with words that

no longer speak from their heart. 

It’s like singing a foreign national anthem. 

The words are alien

and they fail to motivate or invigorate. 

They express a faith that

is no longer in our heart

and is no longer a part of us. 

We have become cut off from the vine.

My brothers and sisters,

we need to stay in contact with the living Lord.

AND we do so through the community of the church. 

In today’s first reading,

we see St. Paul

staying in contact with the Jerusalem Church,

the center of the apostolic faith in his time. 

His conversion experience needed to be

tested, verified and transformed into a way of life that

would last beyond the drama of the moment. 

He did this by becoming part of the Church.

The same is true of us. 

We need to be

tested, verified and transformed into a way of life

that more closely connects us with the living Lord.

So the question is —-

How do we test, verify and transform our lives?      

One way is

whether our spiritual experiences

draw us closer to the Church,

to the community of faith —- rather than isolating us,

setting us apart in a sort of

spiritual individualism. 

Taking part in the life of the Church

verifies our personal spirituality

and keeps us balanced.

Another way we stay in contact with the living Lord

Is by nurturing our prayer life. 

Now ——

we all need a personal prayer life. 

We all can have a personal prayer life. 

The celebration of the liturgy,

Sunday Mass,

does not exhaust the spiritual life of a Christian. 

The liturgy — our time here today is our spiritual center but

it should radiate

into a daily routine of personal prayer.

A third way that we stay in contact

with the living Lord

is through the expression of our faith

in works of charity toward others. 

This is how our faith influences our relationships,

our work and the causes in which we believe.

All three of these options allows us to remain

part of the living Vine – to stay connected

to the life giving love of Christ.

So, now the question becomes —

what about a person

who has limited or no contact with the Church,

who seldom prays

or whose claimed faith

has absolutely nothing to do

with how he or she lives life? 

If you can relate to any of these points

have you disconnected

from the life giving love of Christ?

Well, if during this Easter season

you have been somehow moved to pray more often,

there is sill life within you. 

If during this Easter season

your conscience has spoken to you about

changing your way of life,

there’s still life within you. 

If during this Easter Season

you have had the desire to

set things right with the Church and others,

there’s still life within you. 

If during this Easter Season

you want to come closer to God,

there’s still life within you. 

If you want to begin again with the Lord,

then you are not yet a dead branch. 

You are still connected,

however tenuously, to the vine.

Today’s Gospel is very much a Gospel of Hope. 

This is a good time to learn from nature. 

Out of winter comes the new life of spring. 

Out of the winter of our soul,

by God’s grace,

new life can begin to flourish and bud.

If we stay connected to the vine,

our lives will bear much fruit,

much more than we could ever imagine.

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Good Shepherds

[As always, you can see the whole Mass here, or just the homily here. ]

Good Shepherd Sunday, 2021,

     The Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as “Good Shepherd Sunday” since the readings in each cycle have Jesus describing himself as the Good Shepherd. It is also a time when we focus on the special ministry of pastors in the Church. In fact, the word for shepherd in Latin is “pastor.” 

Of course, you know the description of the perfect pastor? Here is a chain letter/email that’s been going around for some time:

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The Perfect Pastor

     The Perfect Pastor preaches exactly 10 minutes. He condemns sin roundly, but never hurts anyone’s feelings. He works from 8 a.m. until midnight, and is also the church janitor.

     The Perfect Pastor makes $40 a week, wears good clothes, drives a good car, buys good books, and donates $30 a week to the church. He is 29 years old and has 40 years’ worth of experience. Above all, he is handsome.

     The Perfect Pastor has a burning desire to work with teenagers, and he spends most of his time with the senior citizens. He smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his church. He makes 15 home visits a day and is always in his office to be handy when needed.

     The Perfect Pastor always has time for parish meetings and all of its committees, never missing the meeting of any church organization. And he is always busy evangelizing the unchurched.

     The Perfect Pastor is always in the neighboring parish!

     If your pastor does not measure up, simply send this notice to six other churches that are tired of their pastor too. Then bundle up your pastor and send him to the church at the top of your list. If everyone cooperates, in one week you will receive 1,643 pastors. One of them should be perfect.

     Have faith in this letter. One church broke the chain and got its’ old pastor back in less than three months.

================

Christ is the Good Shepherd, but how does this ministry of Shepherd play out in the life of the Church? While the Archbishop is the chief shepherd of the Archdiocese, each parish within the Archdiocese is entrusted to a priest as its proper pastor. (Can. 515 §1). He exercises the pastoral care of the community entrusted to him…so that for the community he may carry out the offices of teaching, sanctifying and ruling (administration) with the cooperation of other priests or deacons and with the assistance of the lay members of Christ’s faithful…” (See Can. 519.)

Okay, great.  But what does a pastor actually do? 

As the staff and the various committees in the parish will tell you, every staff position, every ministry gets a job description. In the biz, we call it the “Position Description and Expected Results Statement.” 

So where is the pastor’s job description?  It’s quite Canons 528-530.

Can. 528 §1 The parish priest has the obligation of ensuring that the word of God is proclaimed in its entirety to those living in the parish. He is therefore to see to it that the lay members of Christ‘s faithful are instructed in the truths of faith, especially by means of the homily on Sundays and holydays of obligation and by catechetical formation. He is to foster works which promote the spirit of the Gospel, including its relevance to social justice. He is to have a special care for the Catholic education of children and young people. With the collaboration of the faithful, he is to make every effort to bring the gospel message to those also who have given up religious practice or who do not profess the true faith.

§2 The parish priest is to take care that the blessed Eucharist is the center of the parish assembly of the faithful. He is to strive to ensure that the faithful are nourished by the devout celebration of the sacraments, and in particular that they frequently approach the sacraments of the blessed Eucharist and penance. He is to strive to lead them to prayer, including prayer in their families, and to take a live and active part in the sacred liturgy. Under the authority of the diocesan Bishop, the parish priest must direct this liturgy in his own parish, and he is bound to be on guard against abuses.

Can. 529 §1 So that he may fulfil his office of pastor diligently, the parish priest is to strive to know the faithful entrusted to his care. He is therefore to visit their families, sharing in their cares and anxieties and, in a special way, their sorrows, comforting them in the Lord. If in certain matters they are found wanting, he is prudently to correct them. He is to help the sick and especially the dying in great charity, solicitiously restoring them with the sacraments and commending their souls to God. He is to be especially diligent in seeking out the poor, the suffering, the lonely, those who are exiled from their homeland, and those burdened with special difficulties. He is to strive also to ensure that spouses and parents are sustained in the fulfilment of their proper duties, and to foster the growth of christian life in the family.

§2 The parish priest is to recognise and promote the specific role which the lay members of Christ‘s faithful have in the mission of the Church, fostering their associations which have religious purposes. He is to cooperate with his proper Bishop and with the presbyterium of the diocese. Moreover, he is to endeavour to ensure that the faithful are concerned for the community of the parish, that they feel themselves to be members both of the diocese and of the universal Church, and that they take part in and sustain works which promote this community.

Can. 530 The functions especially entrusted to the parish priest are as follows:

1° the administration of baptism;

2° the administration of the sacrament of confirmation to those in danger of death, in accordance with can. 883, n. 3;

3° the administration of Viaticum and of the anointing of the sick, without prejudice to can. 1003 §§2 and 3, and the imparting of the apostolic blessing;

4° the assistance at marriages and the nuptial blessing;

5° the conducting of funerals;

6° the blessing of the baptismal font at paschal time, the conduct of processions outside the church, and the giving of solemn blessings outside the church;

7° the more solemn celebration of the Eucharist on Sundays and holydays of obligation.

       Does this sound like the description of the Perfect Pastor I read to you at the beginning of the homily?  More to the point, is it even possible for one man to do everything described in Canons 528-530?  The answer of course, is no.  He is not expected to do all this himself.  But he does have the sacred responsibility of seeing that all these things are being done by those members of the faithful who have been invited, trained, supported and thanked as they engage in their respective liturgical, catechetical and evangelical ministries in the parish.  

       Having been a pastor for many many years, I find the ministry of pastor is best exercised in a manner similar to that of the conductor of a great symphony orchestra. Everyone has their part to play, but there is need for one to guide the life of the parish so that everything happens harmoniously and in the way intended by Christ, the Good Shepherd. It’s the difference between being in charge and being responsible. There are many people who are in charge of the various ministries in the parish, but in the end, it is the pastor who is responsible to make sure that it all happens in the best possible way. This can’t be someone without any skin in the game.  He has to lay down his life for the flock. The stakes are no less than the salvation of every soul in 99504.

     Being a pastor is what we often call a “vocation within a vocation.”  Not all priests are pastors, but all pastors are priests. One of the reasons has a lot to do with our understanding of Christ, the Good Shepherd. While Christ is ultimately THE Good Shepherd, he has entrusted the proclamation of the Gospel to us, the Church.  The ministry of shepherd finds its tangible expression at the parish level in the ministry of the pastor, who by virtue of his ordination acts in the very person of Christ, literally as alter Christus, “another Christ.” As you can see from the job description, it is no small thing to be a pastor. He has a lot he has to keep track of in the community entrusted to his care.

       But in the end, it is not so much what we DO as a parish, as who we ARE as the People of God, the parish family of St. Patrick’s. We are a community of disciples, a family of faith.

       There is a reason they call us “Father” and not just ‘pastor’. This is a vocation, not a job. It is a calling, not a task.  Configured to Christ at the level of his very being, like Christ, the Pastor shows the parish family what is possible for them and leads them there,

       sometimes exhorting them from the front and sometimes encouraging and prodding them from behind.  Always walking with them on the journey of faith, sharing their joys, their sorrows, their tragedies and their triumphs. 

       There is no greater challenge.  There is no higher calling. There is no greater way of imitating Christ, the Good Shepherd.

       So, on this Good Shepherd Sunday, let us take a moment to thank God for those pastors we have had throughout our lives, the good ones and the ones who struggled, who with whatever resources God gave them for their ministry, faithfully served the people entrusted to their care and helped us find our way to Christ.