From the desk of Fr. Peter

Peace to you!

Beatitude, understood properly as a term, means the state of complete blessedness or happiness. The beatific vision is to be in the full possession of the only truly perfect good, which is God. There are 8 supernatural actions that the Lord enumerates in the Sermon on the Mount, the last of which is indicated twice to emphasize its excellence. Simply stated, the beatitudes are the crowning achievements in the Christian life on earth. They are acts of virtue (moral excellence) that have been perfected to the highest possible degree by the person who has become habitually docile to the Holy Spirit. It almost goes without saying that while humility, meekness, desire for justice, chastity, compassion, mercy, charity, working for peace no matter the cost are acts of virtue, they also manifest the real presence of special, God given gifts in the person. A beatific or happy life is the result of using these supernatural gifts in a manner guided by the Holy Spirit. All of us desire fulfillment and happiness at the deepest level within. As Christians, we regard Jesus as the revealer and teacher of truth. Jesus teaches us the truth about the human person and about God. Through the beatitudes, he reveals that the way to true happiness consists in a life of virtue in communion with God in the Holy Spirit. This doesn’t necessarily mean that we won’t have to struggle with sin while we are in the world, but it does mean that we can experience the blessedness of the kingdom! May God guide you into the way of peace! +++ Fr. Peter

Peace and grace to you all!

The readings that we use this weekend are from Year A. The reason we will use them is because they emphasize the importance of faith and baptism. This is important for the faithful and especially for those preparing for baptism into the Catholic faith.

In the first reading, the Israelites’ physical fatigue and thirst reveals the deeper level of their spiritual aridity and lack of faith. This happens even though God has been providing everything that they need in a unique and powerful way. Moses is frustrated with their hardness of heart, doubt and complaining rather than putting confidence in God. But God is patient, understanding and compassionate so he gives them the water they desire (the water symbolizes the Life of Grace through baptism).

In the Gospel story, Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman and surprises her in many ways. She carries an empty jar to the well each day to satisfy her physical thirst. But in the encounter with Jesus, it becomes almost immediately clear that the empty jar is an image of her own spiritual emptiness and thirst for grace and mercy from God. She has had a hard life. She comes to the well at mid-day to avoid the scorn and ridicule of other townspeople. She quickly discovers that Jesus doesn’t treat her the way other people do. He is kind toward her even though he knows her whole life story with the bad decisions but instead of ridicule and rejection, Jesus offers her a remedy. For her part, she has only to put her faith and trust in him. She leaves the jar behind as an image of leaving behind her emptiness, pain, and thirst for God. Something new is springing up inside of her, it is faith and trust. As baptized Catholics, we can well identify with the wellspring flowing inside her because we know it is the grace and mercy of God. It is evident that Jesus came on that day and at that hour to satisfy the longing the woman had for God: to save her from her sins.

There is another thirst in the story too. Jesus’ thirst. Jesus was thirsting for her faith and trust. This set of readings helps us in our Lenten desert. While we experience trials and tribulations, aridity and loneliness, we thirst for fulfillment and comfort but we don’t always remember that God’s thirst for our faith and trust in him is much greater than ours. God’s thirst for us is satisfied when we put him first and call to him for help. God’s presence will always be found in the act of loving. When we comfort, accept, heal and forgive one another, we are not only imitating God’s response to us, we are also making God present to others. May God continue to fill you with life-giving water! +++ Fr. Peter

May joy and peace fill your hearts!

The readings this weekend may catch us off guard a little bit but on a closer look, they are filled with consolation!

Abraham lived with the kind of faith and hope that we are encouraged to imitate. God made a covenant with him and kept it. But there came a time when Abraham’s faith was tested. He had to believe that God would keep it even in a situation where it looked like God wouldn’t. Abraham gives us an example of how to grow in faith and trust in God.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is filled with faith because it reminds them that “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ . . . who will change our lowly body to conform to his glorified body.” Paul’s faith filled vision of heavenly glory became an inspiration and strength to the Church at Philippi. The Philippians had always been supportive of Paul financially and otherwise but they were experiencing some tensions that could cause divisions. From prison, Paul expresses his loving concern as a pastor and instructs the community to guard their unity in Christ with humility and charity. He reminds them of their heavenly goal to give them strength.

The account of Jesus’ Transfiguration with a few of his disciples is intended to console and strengthen them in their faith just before they see him horribly disfigured by crucifixion. They hear the voice from heaven declaring Jesus as the chosen Son and they experience seeing Jesus resplendent in glory, dazzling in radiant beauty.

During Lent, we don’t often have “mountain top experiences” or mystical trance-like encounters with God. Although we do pray more and are accompanied by the Spirit, it is more common for us to become painfully aware of our failings and weaknesses. The readings this weekend lift us up to focus, not on our faults, but on God’s faithful covenant promise and what we will become by God’s love and mercy. We continue in our Lenten Journey to our own transfiguration and transformation by dying to sin, and rising to new life in Christ! God bless you! +++ Fr. Peter

Peace and grace to you!

We have begun our Lenten journey! As you already know, this journey leads us out of the oppression and captivity of sin through a deep change called conversion and into a new life closer to God. This pattern follows the way of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus which leads to the resurrection!

Throughout the Lenten season we are reminded that from baptism, we have a special identity: we are God’s holy people! Each one of us is a child of God and deeply loved. Another theme of Lent is almsgiving by which we show our gratitude to God for our own blessings and our care and concern for those in need.

In the first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses instructs the people to recount the history of the Israelites and to present to God the first portion of their possessions in gratitude for God’s saving action which delivered them from oppression in Egypt and gave them a fruitful land.

The Gospel story picks up at a point immediately after Jesus’ baptism when the heavens were opened and the voice identified him as “beloved son.” Following that, Jesus is led to the desert where he is tempted by the devil to turn away from God to sin.

The first temptation is to use his divine power to selfishly satisfy his own bodily cravings by turning a stone to bread when he is hungry. The second temptation is to abandon his role as a humble servant of God in exchange for worldly power, wealth and glory but he would have to worship the devil to gain it. The third temptation to jump from the temple height would be to reverse his role with God by trying to make God serve him. Each of the temptations leads to loss of divine son ship. In the face of each temptation, Jesus rejects sin and chooses to follow God’s commands affirming his role as an obedient servant of his Father’s will. It is by his obedience that our disobedience is healed and restored.

At this early point in the journey, we are invited to evaluate our conduct as God’s children. I’m sure that each of us can discover something in ourselves that compromises our divine “son ship;” not living our true Christian identity, not giving of what we have, misusing the gifts we are given. The good news is that where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more! God is here to help us truly be his beloved children and strengthen us in discipleship. No matter what, let no one be afraid to turn to God and ask for mercy, help and healing.

May the God of all consolation be with you! +++ Fr. Peter

Peace and grace to you!

Today’s readings remind me of Flannery O’Connor’s stories “Revelation” or “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” I also recall Harper Lee’s only novel “To Kill a Mocking Bird.”

The principles that Jesus is teaching today inspired these authors to describe situations that depict great injustices by societies, individuals and even whole classes of race toward other people.

We might label this kind of behavior as “Log-in-the-eye-disease.”

Jesus is asking us to be honest with ourselves about the way we treat others. He is saying that frequently we quickly point out the faults and failings of others while overlooking our own greater faults and failings. Darkness and hardness of heart are the root of viewing people wrongfully and this results in wrongful judgement. Grudges and long-standing prejudices close out the light of the Gospel. Jesus names it as evil and not capable of good fruit. That means no happiness, no peace, no friends, no joy and no glorifying God. If we, who are baptized into Christ, are suffering from log-in-the-eye syndrome, we are hypocrites and merit a hypocrite’s reward.

The remedy? Listen to Jesus and follow him. It helps to first consider that we don’t completely know another person’s story. We must be able to identify bad behavior but that is a long way from condemning a person. Will Rogers said: “Good judgement comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgement.” If we begin from a perspective of understanding that all of us need room to make mistakes, that all of us need God’s mercy, we avoid being hypocrites and become better friends of God and our neighbor. Blessings to you! +++ Fr. Peter

Peace and Grace to you!

The Kingdom of Heaven experience requires a radical break from natural to spiritual maturity.

In the first reading, David has an opportunity to “payback” Saul for all his meanness and dirty dealing toward David.  Saul is jealous and behaves as jealous is: hateful and mean.  David, on his part, shows a preference and a reverence for spiritual maturity through a willful desire to obey God’s Word.  David’s love for God moves him beyond seeking his own form/desire of justice into seeking what pleases God.  David’s experience of receiving injustice has not hardened his heart, it has brought about the divine fruit and trait of compassion.  He shows wisdom and spiritual maturity, magnanimity of character, by showing mercy to Saul.  David recognizes that God established Saul in leadership, and it is God who will deal with Saul, just as God will deal with David himself.  Is this perspective valued toward public leaders and leaders of faith communities today?

In the Gospel we continue with the Sermon on the Plain.  Jesus knows well that human nature is strongly inclined to move in the wrong direction (concupiscence).  He sets forth some radical instructions.  They’re radical because they move us beyond our natural inclinations to a spiritual maturity that leads us into a Kingdom of Heaven experience and friendship with God.  If Jesus is delivering this set of principles to us, then he is instructing us to be his disciples and he will help us live them out.  No matter how difficult and no matter if we fail, we must be found in pursuit of living the principles of Christian life as best as we can.  “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” is not an option to the believer but a goal at heart.  Putting away an insult or criticism saves a life (you shall not kill).  Saving a life saves the world one at a time.  Blessings to you! +++ Fr. Peter

Peace and grace to you!

As we listen to Jeremiah’s lamentations and hard-earned wisdom about the frailty and fickleness of human beings, we are given a stern reminder that in the end, God is the only one where we can place our ultimate trust. Luke’s Gospel is the sermon on the plain in which are included the blessed and the woes.

Jesus gives a message of hope for those who experience a lack or deficit in material things like possessions or wealth and he also includes the lack of friendship and emotional comfort. Jesus shows how compassionate God is. God cares about every person’s human needs!

While expressing a message of hope to those without, Jesus seems to be warning those who have possessions, wealth, comfort and friendship that they are enjoying what will not last. There will come a time when they must give an account of their stewardship of how they used what they had.

Stewardship is an invitation to partner with God and make God the priority and director over all that one has. The greatest gift that we have is divine love. God gifts us with his own life and love in the Eucharist. We are stewards of this!

“Woe to you” can be turned around and become “blessed are you” when we are good stewards!

Blessed, fortunate and happy are you who are rich in money, power, influence, time and talent because we can do much for the poor, the marginalized, the alien, mentally ill, the prisoner and the lonely! We can lift their burden! But only if we have the heart and mind of Christ to recognize them as God’s children and act to care for them. We need them as much as they need us! We can experience the blessedness of the kingdom when we place ourselves and our possessions in God’s service. May God continue to enrich you in every way! +++ Fr. Peter

Peace to you!

We have been reflecting the last few weeks on a kind of process through which God calls people to active discipleship. A few weeks ago we heard Samuel’s story and how he had to learn how to listen and discern that God sometimes calls in the night when we are not so occupied with daily activity. The Gospel story on the day of Jesus’ baptism said that a dove landed on Jesus and voice from heaven said “this is my beloved son.”

Isaiah explains how terrified he is at his vision of the “Lord of Hosts.” He acknowledges that he is unworthy to be in the presence of the Holy God and fears death because of it but the angel calms his fears by cleansing him. Isaiah is forever changed! Filled with holy joy and zeal, he responds to God’s call “here I am, send me!”

St. Paul expresses something similar to Isaiah’s sense of personal unworthiness and we remember the story of his encounter with the risen Lord. St. Paul was changed by his encounter and responded to God’s call in the same way as Isaiah: he was sent to proclaim the Good News!

This weekend we hear the story of Jesus calling Peter, Andrew, James and John to leave their boats and nets to follow him and become fishers of men. Peter was immediately seized with fear and in response to that Jesus immediately calmed him with the words “Do not be afraid.” Like Isaiah, Peter’s life was forever changed.

The call stories are always interesting and powerful for us because they help us focus on listening and following God in new and deeper ways. They also remind us of the past when God has called us to himself and to experience something new, something of how wonderful he is. It is normal to feel uncertain or afraid at first but our faith assures us that the Lord is at our side. God bless you in your mission to proclaim the Gospel! +++ Fr. Peter

Peace to you!

The most important daily activity Jesus engaged in during his life on earth was teaching. True we love the stories about Jesus healing the lame and the sick, giving sight to the blind, cleansing the lepers and raising the dead but more important than all of those miracles is his teaching.

In the Gospel, we pick up from where we left off last weekend and all the people were amazed at the gracious words that Jesus spoke. But suddenly, things changed—drastically! By the end of the account, they wanted to kill him! Why? Because Jesus knew they didn’t believe what he taught them and that a miracle would only fascinate them. Sincere faith however, doesn’t need a miracle. The miraculous events for the widow of Sidon and Naaman the Syrian were given because sincere faith was already there.

This week we pay attention to Catholic schools—and Catholic education. I was educated in a Catholic school by Dominican Sisters from first to twelfth grade. Then later, my college undergraduate and graduate level studies were completed with the Benedictines at Mt. Angel Seminary. Looking back, I believe that the greatest gift I have ever received in my life has been an education and more importantly, a Catholic one. What makes it distinctive? It’s not just learning to read, write, do math or play sports. A Catholic education is first of all grounded in belief and practice. The Catholic values that form the whole person travel into whatever activities we engage in and become part of our institutional structures including business corporations, city hall and national policies. This ensures honesty; not corruption, justice; not inequality, compassion and care for others; not cruelty and cold indifference, love; not hate.

The value that the Catholic school environment brings to our places of activity is virtually inestimable! It is beyond an earthly price and it leads to an eternal reward for the individual and society!

Not many of our families are able to attend a Catholic school these days. We know that this increases the importance of our religious education programs in the parish setting. I am very impressed and proud of our families that volunteer and make the effort to teach the faith to our children and adults. Teaching and learning the faith is a top priority for the mission of the Church.

As the Annual Catholic Appeal is near, keep in mind that the support we give is needed and a large percentage of the Appeal income supports Catholic education. God bless you all! +++ Fr. Peter

May the Good News lift you in joy and peace!

The historical context of the first reading indicates that the people are just returning to Jerusalem where the Temple had been desecrated and is badly in need of repair while the people themselves suffer ignorance of God’s covenant and law because of their captivity in the Babylonian exile. The focus of Ezra and Nehemiah is twofold: repair the Temple building and teach the people to live the law and covenant. The people need to be restored physically and spiritually to reclaim their identity as God’s holy people.

In the Gospel, Jesus has just returned from the desert where he struggled against the temptations of the devil. By overcoming all the temptations, Jesus does not succumb to the captivity of sin and maintains his identity as God’s Beloved Son. Jesus comes in the power of the Spirit to announce the good news of salvation and a promise of favor from God.

The combination of both readings beckons us to evaluate ourselves before God and identify the things that hold us captive. But we are not to punish ourselves with negative thoughts about ourselves, our failings, weaknesses or past sins. Rather we are invited to trust Jesus’ promise of God’s favor ever more deeply and rejoice! This is a time of liberation and deliverance! God’s goodness and mercy are not just for a day or a year, but from the moment Jesus announced it until the end of time. When Jesus said “Today, this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” he meant that this fulfillment is in him from now on.

St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians reminds us that we have a special relationship with other people of the church—spiritually we’re members of Christ’s own body. The gifts that all the members have received are for service and the good of others—just like the ones Jesus announced. Giving of ourselves and receiving from others are the concrete forms of the communion we have as members of the one body and it is the concrete expression that strengthens us spiritually and brings joy. As God’s beloved child, how do you experience this good news today? How do you proclaim this good news to others each day? God bless you always! +++ Fr. Peter