October 2023

We have so much to be grateful for.  Family.  Friends.  Folks we meet here and there.  Our faith.  Building community within God’s kingdom is what life is all about.

The following homily, delivered at St. John the Evangelist Church in Greenfield, WI by Fr. Alex on September 18, 2023, was recorded, transcribed, and edited (Lanoux, October 14, 2023).

I wonder what Jesus would do in these times of VIP (Very Important Person) treatment.  If you have the money, you simply pay for what you want.  And, if you’re well-connected, you have others do your bidding, as in today’s gospel.  The centurion wanted healing for a valued slave who was dying, so he sent some Jewish elders to urge Jesus to comply.

Many times I’ve heard someone say, “I’ve done this, this, and this for the church,” to which I say, “Very good.  Thank you.”  Other times, my big mouth says something else:   “It’s good that you’ve done that.  So what!”  This doesn’t go well, but what motivates us?  Are my works helping others to encounter God?  Am I growing in my desire to thank God for all the gifts he’s granted me?  Is what I do self-serving?  On the other hand, I’m amazed when people have no expectations.  I wonder, Could I do the same?  Am I fine without the recognition?  We have to be comfortable with doing what we must for the sake of others because, good intentions aside, people will either appreciate us or hate us.

In the gospel passage, the elders approached Jesus because their commander was deserving of the request.  The centurion loved the nation and had built a synagogue for them, and he was pleading on behalf of a community member (Luke 7:1-10).  So, is your reason for helping a must of your faith— not because you’re inheriting heaven, not because God will write it down, but because you recognize that God has been so generous that you have an obligation to help others?

Many times, I’ve wanted to disappear when the telephone rings, especially when callers feel a little more entitled than the rest.  I want to say, “I’m not here!”  But, instead, I tell my assistant, “I can’t choose.  Whomever calls, even if you know I don’t like the person, just say ‘yes’ and make the appointment.”  I have to do it!  There’s no other way.

Do you recall yesterday’s second reading?  Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.  We’re all brothers and sisters and, if we don’t care for each other, we can’t communicate at the same table.  So, hopefully, we can learn to do what we must.

October mailing (English & Spanish)

   

   

Prayerful thoughts

Brothers and sisters: None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.  For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.  For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living (Romans 14:7-9).

Lord Jesus, come and stay with me.  Fill my life with your peace, my home with your presence, and my heart with your praise.  Help me to show kindness, mercy, and goodness to all, even to those who cause me ill will or harm (Don Schwager).

We set forth our petitions before God not in order to make known to him our needs and desires, but rather so that we ourselves may realize that in these things it is necessary to turn to God for help (St. Thomas Aquinas).

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Blessings 2024…  April 2024…  February 2024…  January 2024…  March 2024…

Blessings 2023…  April 2023…  August 2023…  Christ’s glory…  Christmas 2023…  December 2023…  February 2023…  Flame within…  God’s gift…  January 2023…  July 2023…  June 2023…  Love’s heart…  March 2023…  May 2023…  November 2023…  September 2023…

Blessings 2022…  August 2022…  December 2022…  Journey’s light…  July 2022…  June 2022…  Kiss of God…  May 2022…  Mourning joy…  November 2022…  October 2022…  October saints…  Presence…  September 2022…  Sight…  Sitka’s St. Michael…  St. Michael prayers

October 2022

Autumn is finally here, the perfect season for mindfulness and saints.

The following homily, delivered by Fr. Johnson at St. John the Evangelist Church in Greenfield, WI on September 17, 2022, was recorded, transcribed, and edited (Lanoux; September 28, 2022).

Dear friends in Christ, I came to the U.S. a few months ago and, before that, served as a missionary in Uganda: a wonderful and beautiful land but a poor country.  Mostly, people survive on very basic food items.  Yet they are the happiest among East Africans, according to research published by the United Nations regarding the International Day of Happiness (March 21, 2022).

Now, after twenty years of missionary service there, I have come to realize that, despite the different circumstances and conditions, people in Uganda are no different from people in the U.S.  Some are happy, while others feel depressed about their struggles in life.  So, reading through today’s gospel passage, it is clear that monetary wealth does not determine happiness or contentment in life.

Today’s gospel tells us about stewardship.  God has entrusted us with his riches, so we are to be held accountable to him and to one another.  Jesus tells us that the one who is not trustworthy in the little things cannot be trustworthy in the big things, just as those who cannot be honest about small things cannot be honest about great riches.

The Lord also tells us that money is not everything.  Real wealth is the mercy, the grace, of God whose riches are the wonderful people— spouses, children, parents, the near and dear ones— who need our care and support.

So, let us ask ourselves: What kind of steward am I?  Do I give faithful account to the Lord?  Then, let us ask God for the grace to recognize the wonderful riches that God has bestowed on us.  Let us count these blessings as real wealth.  Not that money and worldly goods are bad, but they should not rule our lives.  The grace of God and what he has entrusted to our care should be our real wealth.

Today, let us ask the Lord’s blessing that we may value and respect God’s gifts so that we may we become true children of God, good stewards with his wealth.  God bless each one of us.

October mailing (English & Spanish)

   

   

 Prayerful thoughts

All Christians are but God’s stewards.  Everything we have is on loan from the Lord, entrusted to us for a while to use in serving him (John MacArthur).

Gracious God, open our ears to hear your voice.  Lead our feet on your path as we walk with you and in solidarity with others.  Fill our lives with your presence and peace as you bless and make use of us (Benjamin Haley).

Loving God, bless your people with generosity of spirit.  May our days be marked by love for our brothers and sisters, and may we be filled with the resolve to live in solidarity with them.  In all that we say and all that we do, may compassion guide us; and may others see within us a reflection of your perfect love (Fr. Joseph Gosselin, MS).

O God, who feels our pain, open our hearts to those in need.  May our own pain and hurt help us feel that of others and lead us to walk with them through suffering to hope.  We are grateful for the life that you pour out on us and for that which we, in turn, pour out on others in Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit (Paco Wertin).

Pause for a moment and look around you.  Simply thank God for all the gifts that you have right now, all the gifts saved from the wreck of life: The lamp that illumines this page, the chair that gives you comfort, the home that provides shelter.  That’s a good exercise of stewardship.  Thank God for the sun and the stars in the sky, for the support of friends, for the opportunities of a new day, for the ability to laugh and cry.  A disciple receives everything with gratitude.  It is prayer that helps keep the heart grateful and filled with joy (Robert F. Morneau).

Remember that the Christian life is one of action, not of speech and daydreams.  Let there be few words and many deeds, and let them be done well (St. Vincent Pallotti).

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Blessings 2024…  April 2024…  February 2024…  January 2024…  March 2024…

Blessings 2023…  April 2023…  August 2023…  Christ’s glory…  Christmas 2023…  December 2023…  February 2023…  Flame within…  God’s gift…  January 2023…  July 2023…  June 2023…  Love’s heart…  March 2023…  May 2023…  November 2023… October 2023…  September 2023…

Blessings 2022…  August 2022…  December 2022…  Journey’s light…  July 2022…  June 2022…  Kiss of God…  May 2022…  Mourning joy…  November 2022…  October saints…  Presence…  September 2022…  Sight…  Sitka’s St. Michael…  St. Michael prayers