Some of my relatives have lived in the Pigeon Forge area (not far from Gatlinburg) for many years. As I watch the videos and look at the pictures of the devastating fire my heart breaks for all of the people impacted. Please know of my prayers for all of you, especially the emergency personnel involved in battling the blaze.
“Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” These words from St. Paul in his letter to the Romans (today’s second reading at Mass) remind us of the necessity of living a moral and upright life. We each have a purpose in this life. It is to walk humbly with our God.
I have tried to escape politics during this four-day weekend. However, a simple glance at social media can quickly draws one’s attention to the rantings and ravings that continue to flourish in this post-election season. I am beginning to wonder if it will be perpetual bashing of people from this day forward. Civil discourse on ideas no longer seems possible. Attacking people generates more headlines than quietly putting forth a good, solid idea to improve the country.
I read an article today about the sheriff from Franklin County, Missouri humbly serving the people of that county for 24 years as sheriff. According to the article he has never spent more than $7,000 on a re-election campaign. The sheriff said he has tried to stay out of politics. That is quite a feat when you hold an elected position. I give a tip of the hat to Sheriff Gary F Toelke and others like him who strive to serve the people entrusted to their care.
franklincountymosheriff.com/command-staff
Obviously, the death of Fidel Castro sparked a lot of discussion over the weekend. The celebrations in Miami indicate the sentiment of people who came to America to escape oppression in Cuba. Meanwhile, some leaders around the world and some celebrities here at home offered words of praise for the deceased. That difference in worldview says a lot about the challenges facing freedom across the globe.
As we embark on a new liturgical year on this First Sunday of Advent, let us heed the admonitions in the Scripture readings. Throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. The world needs your faithful witness to Jesus Christ. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Have a blessed and holy Advent Season!
It has been a great week, and it is only Wednesday. The first two days of the workweek also brought variety into my life.
On Monday I had the privilege of spending a couple of hours working at St. Joseph’s Food pantry helping distribute turkeys and all the fixings for a Thanksgiving dinner. I heard on the news that nearly 500 hundred households were served by that endeavor. It was sad to know that so many people are experiencing hardship and are in need of assistance, but the atmosphere of the day was truly uplifting.
Unexpected visits and phone calls kept Tuesday interesting. I am always thrilled to add speaking engagements to my schedule because I enjoy being out with God’s people rather than sitting behind my desk. Most of my venues for speaking engagements are in church or school settings, but once in a while a different type of opportunity arises. I was invited by the Cheyenne Frontier Lions Club to be the speaker at their annual Eagle Scout Recognition Banquet next March at the Radisson Hotel. I am truly honored by the invitation.
Ash Wednesday is March 1, 2017 and that always begins a busy time of year for me. Typically, I only agree to lead two parish missions during Lent. Being gone from home for five consecutive days for each mission makes doing more than two during any given liturgical season a difficult task. The administrative duties of my job do not cease to accumulate while I am out on the road. However, I just agreed to participate for one night in a third parish mission during Lent. The Cathedral of St. Mary will have a parish mission in March with a different speaker each night. I am going to kick it off on the first night. That is tentatively scheduled for March 20, 2017. (I will be at St. Patrick’s in Wheatland and Our Lady of Fatima in Casper for the other two missions during Lent. I will be at St. James in Douglas for a parish mission in Advent of 2017–still a year away.)
Finally, a meeting yesterday with the regional planning team for the 2018 Southwest Liturgical Conference Study Week was exciting. Although it is still fourteen months away, it was great to be just a small part of the planning process which will bring this gathering to Cheyenne in January of 2018. It will be fantastic to see six or seven hundred people coming together to learn how we can more effectively worship almighty God through vibrant liturgical worship. Organizing an event like this is no small task. I commend the team for the groundwork already accomplished.
On a personal note, I completed the last review of my manuscript yesterday. The layout and design are approved and the final proofreading is finished. Whatever mistakes remain in the text will be there for good now. I cannot believe how many times you can read over something and still not catch all the grammatical or typographical errors. It is my sincere hope that the major flaws have been detected and corrected at this point. We now move into the final phase of the publishing process–the actual printing. The book will be ready for purchase just after the first of the year. More details will be given as the time draws near. It took me thirty years to turn this dream of writing a book into an actual goal. Once I made it a goal, with a specific timeline of objectives to be reached, I was able to have the discipline to follow through. I wish it would not have taken me so long to figure that out.
There is much to be thankful for in my life as we inch closer to Thanksgiving Day. The family is well. A new opportunity for employment came my wife’s way and she will begin new adventures on December 1, 2017. I have only had four days off in the last six weeks, but I actually have no commitments over the Thanksgiving weekend. Subsequently, I am thankful for a four-day weekend. I am getting out of the saddle (my desk chair) for four days. That is a good feeling!
Happy Thanksgiving!
As the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays draw near, it is a good time to briefly turn the page of your calendar to 2017 and block out January 28, 2017 for the pro-life events happening in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In addition to everything listed in the flyer above, there will also be a holy hour the evening before on January 27, 2017 from 7:00 to 8:00 P.M. at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Cheyenne.
Thanksgiving week seems to generate a lot of activity at food pantries and homeless shelters. I am grateful that many people donate their time and their treasure to helping those in need during the holidays. It is also a sobering reminder that people need help all year round. The opportunities to give a “hand up” are not isolated to the holiday season.
The statistics regarding poverty in our our country do not paint a pretty picture. An economic recovery may have happened for some, but it has obviously not reached everyone. The pressure placed on social service agencies caring for the needs of the poor is immense. Supply and demand dictates the level of service. Unfortunately, the “demand” for help seems to surpass the “supply” side in many instances.
We, as Church, continue to live out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. How will you share in the healing ministry of Christ to care for those in need?
The wind began to blow with more intensity and the snow started to fall. It must be time for a group photo outside. Actually, the time for the picture had been established yesterday, but it was a bit ironic how the weather changed at exactly the point we walked outside. Fortunately, the photo was not scheduled for an hour or so later because this is what it looked like by then.
We have a good group of people working at the Chancery Office. I am blessed to be part of this team that is working in the vineyard of the Lord here in Wyoming. I am grateful to Rev. Carl Gallinger (far left in top photo) who has assumed the duties of Diocesan Administrator in the absence of a bishop. He will keep the ship running smoothly while we wait for the appointment of a new bishop.
Our staff gathers for prayer each day at 11:50 am before heading off to lunch. We keep the people of the Diocese of Cheyenne in our prayers on a regular basis, but our intercessory prayer reaches much wider than just Wyoming. I have frequently placed petitions with the group to pray for people from my previous parishes in Missouri and Colorado. There is no doubt our prayers are effective. Time and time again we have seen the power of prayer in our midst. God’s grace, mercy, and healing is amazing.
I am not thrilled about the weather forecast. I have really enjoyed having an actual fall season. In all of the other years I have lived in Wyoming it seemed like we moved directly from summer to winter. This year has been beautiful.
Giving thanks to God for the blessings of each day rather than focusing on the problems can be easier said than done. I’ll try to remember to do that tomorrow as I break out the snow shovel for the first time this season. After a quick hit of snow it will warm up again. Also, next week is a short week with Thanksgiving Day entering the picture. We’ll see how often I have to repeat these things to myself while I am shoveling snow tomorrow.
What are you thankful for today?
Pictures obtained during the course of the summer months need to give way to the scenes of winter. The forecast for Cheyenne includes a bit of snow later in the week along with much colder temperatures. I knew it would have to arrive sooner or later.
The end of the liturgical year is knocking on our doorstep. This coming Sunday we will celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. That will be the final Sunday of the Church Year. The following Sunday will usher us into the Season of Advent.
I want to invite you to look back over the last year. How have you grown spiritually? What seeds of faith have been planted? What growth has been nurtured into full bloom? Are you closer to God now than you were last year at this time?
There are times during the liturgical year which obviously encourage us to pray and reflect about certain things. The resurrection of the dead has been the focus recently. Our prayer intentions for the deceased during the whole month of November highlight that message as well. How much thought have we given to our own mortality?
What are the resolutions you are going to make for the new year? What is there about your prayer life that you want to address? Is there anything specific that you want to learn about the faith or the Church? How will you go about gaining this knowledge? What acts of service would you like to direct your attention toward? I am encouraging you to make a plan. How will you grow in holiness throughout the coming Church year?
Take some time reflecting on the Ten Commandments. What area of your life is in bondage to sin? How will you seek freedom? What are the specific areas that need healing in your relationship with God? How has love of neighbor been going in your life? Can you visibly see the fruits of the Spirit growing in your life?
Take some time to reflect upon the Creed. Does the profession of faith you make each week reflect your day-to-day actions and behavior? If not, what needs to change?
Have you studied the moral teachings of the Church at all in recent years? What does the Church teach about moral and ethical issues confronting society? The list of issues is quite lengthy that society as a whole seems to be grappling with in the court of public opinion. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
1. abortion
2. contraception
3. physician-assisted suicide
4. euthanasia
5. capital punishment
6. poverty
7. discrimination
8. immigration
9. human trafficking
10. gender ideologies
11. Christian genocide in the Middle East
12. war
13. healthcare
Do we have a basic understanding of these issues? What does the Church teach? How do we do our best to uphold those teachings as a public witness to the truth? Do we even care?
We are people of hope because of our faith in Jesus Christ. If the flame of faith has died out in our lives, it is impossible to remain hopeful for very long. Be sure you enter into this new Church year with a plan to grow in wisdom, grace, and holiness. Please do not simply flounder about from one year to the next with no definitive intention to grow closer to Christ. Be diligent in your quest to know Christ, to love Him, and to serve Him with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. Be a saint!
All Saints Catholic Church in St. Peters, Missouri
I realize that it is not Ash Wednesday. However, as we approach All Saints Day I think it is good to keep the symbolism of the ashes front and center in our minds. When we are marked with the ashes each year we are reminded, “Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return.” Are we living our day-to-day lives with that realization firmly etched in our minds? Have we turned away from sin? Are we being faithful to the Gospel?
I am amazed at the number of Catholic funerals that I have attended in which the priest who is presiding attempts to give a homily but instead eulogizes the deceased. While I firmly believe in the mercy of God, and I pray for an outpouring of that mercy regularly, I also recognize that we each have free will. There are times when we make choices that are not holy. Those choices have consequences. What happens if we die in a state of mortal (serious) sin?
Some people prefer to believe that hell does not exist. That is contrary to what the Church has always taught. If we make the choice to separate ourselves from God while on earth, why would we be expecting to be united with God forever in heaven? That makes no sense. We must desire God’s mercy now. We must repent of our sinful ways. Our choices have consequences.
I would recommend that you read paragraphs 1033 through 1037 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to see what the Church teaches about hell. I would recommend that you read paragraphs 946 through 972 to learn about The Communion of Saints. If you do not have a copy of the Catechism you can find the pertinent paragraphs here:
www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a12.htm#IV (Hell)
www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p5.htm (Communion of Saints)
God chose us in Christ before the world began to be holy and blameless in His sight. (See Ephesians 1:4) We are each called to be saints. Do we believe that? If not, why not? If so, does our life reflect that awesome calling? Can people see Jesus Christ in us and through us? Do we pray with intensity and fervor? Do we truly desire God’s grace to work within us so we can be great saints?
Choices have consequences. Make the choice today to be a great saint!