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Joyful Witness

Our VISION: To be a spiritual home that radiates the love of God, overflows with the power of the Holy Spirit, and joyfully leads others to Christ.

“Proclaiming Christ means showing that to believe in and to follow Him is not only something right and true, but also something beautiful, capable of filling life with new splendor and profound joy, even in the midst of difficulties. To be evangelizers of souls, we need to develop a spiritual taste for being close to people’s lives and to discover that this is itself a source of greater joy. To be Mission is at once a passion for Jesus and a passion for His people.” ~ Pope Francis

Does this quote from Pope Francis enlighten your understanding of the last part of our vision statement?

The Body of Christ, the Church grows through witness; a particular kind of witness – one that is joyful and also authentic. It is this type of witness to Jesus that will lead other people to seek, know, and become Christ.

Fr. Ben J. Cameron, C.P.M. in his article, “Joyful Witness to Christ or Proselytism?” shared what his idea of witness includes: 

• Evangelization: bringing the Gospel to those who have not received or accepted it yet.
• New Evangelization: bringing the Gospel again to those persons and societies that had once embraced it, but have essentially lost the Faith.
• Catechesis: education and formation of those who have the Faith so that they grasp it more deeply and live it more authentically.
• Apologetics: being ready “to give reasons for the hope that is within you” (I Peter 3:15), which can be a powerful way of bringing people to Christ and our Catholic Faith.
• Christian Charity: a life which is truly based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Church should be attractive to others, and lead them to Christ.
• Martyrdom: the martyrs are the ultimate witnesses to Our Lord Jesus Christ; the word “martyr” means “witness,” and the willingness to die for Christ has led many, many souls to embrace our Catholic Faith – “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians,” as Tertullian said in the second century.

Pope Francis has called each and every one of us to live and witness to Christ much more authentically and joyfully. And this joyful witness to Christ will attract other people to the Church. In the 17th century, St. Francis de Sales said that you “attract more flies with a teaspoon of honey than with a whole barrel of vinegar.” A true joyful witness will attract many persons to the truth, beauty, and goodness of our Catholic Faith.

May we all be such joyful witnesses, leading other to Christ!

Something is Happening

Every Pentecost Sunday the most compelling of the three readings for me is Acts 2:1-11 These slow-to-get-it, doubtful and frightened Apostles received the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire and became Courageous. Something Happened.

The Apostles had one native language when they left the upper room to speak to the crowds, who were from many nations with different languages, but everyone who heard the Apostles understood each word that was proclaimed.
Something Happened.

Lately in America, doesn’t it feel like we’re speaking a foreign language to more and more of our neighbors?   Doesn’t it feel like in the era of more diverse ways to communicate,  our communication with each other is breaking down and failing?

Changing definitions for generations-old established words and totally invented new words are leading to divisions. People talk while simultaneously scrolling social media,  which means that attention is divided and this leads to misunderstandings.  Our families, neighborhoods, communities, country lost the ability to talk civilly with those we don’t agree with. We all can name people in our lives who no longer speak to each other, and we are increasingly divided. Something Happened. 

We could spend hours dissecting and theorizing the “why’s.” We could point to politics, social issues, media, and technology. Pointing fingers and straining to pinpoint the exact event or time that it fell apart and place blame is a waste.

This is not that complicated. America is no longer a Christendom. And we Christians often stay silent rather than proclaim Christ’s message of repentance, redemption, forgiveness, and love.

The antidote to Anger and Hate is Forgiveness and Love. Jesus proved this as He died for our sins on the cross. We who are followers of Christ must speak as we are able and trust that the Holy Spirit will give us the words that allow others to hear. We who are followers of Christ , when faced with a debate about some divisive topic, must talk about Christ and proclaim His message. It begins with talking with those closest to us.  We must find courage to Cross the Great Divide. (“Cross” reference intended).

What happened in Jerusalem on that first Pentecost was a miracle; born of the Holy Spirit to bring the Resurrection and Truth of Jesus Christ to the world.

Come Holy Spirit. Give us all the Courage to Make Something Happen.

Gratitude for Family

The Feast day of the Holy Family is one of my favorite days to celebrate. There is just so much to meditate on this day. I find myself enthralled thinking about what the life of the Holy Family was like in that hidden town of Nazareth. I think of my own family and how we can imitate Mary, Joseph, and Jesus more fully each day. This year, I found myself surprised by a new meditation I had not experienced before: gratitude for my spiritual family of St. Dominic.

When I was growing up my family went to Mass at the Basilica of St. Josaphat in Milwaukee. The beauty of that building continues to inspire my heart to become a majestic dwelling place for God. As commuters however, I never felt at home. My family and I would show up for Mass on Sunday and leave right away, rarely were we there during the week. Because of this, I never felt part of the family of the Basilica community, there were people I connected with for sure, but I was more attached to the building than the people.

From my first days at St. Dominic, I encountered a different experience. Each one of you welcomed me more than with a simple hello, you welcomed me into your family. This has not been my experience only, many new parishioners mention that it is the family atmosphere at St. Dominic which led them to join. I have learned in my  short 2 1/2 years here that St. Dominic is much more than a building, it truly is a family.

It is a family I am most grateful for. In my early years of priesthood you have raised me with love and support and have helped me grow as a priest in all avenues of my life. You have invited me into the joys and sorrows of your life and I have felt each within my own heart. While Brookfield may not be as quiet as Nazareth, you have shown me glimpses of the Holy Family with your joy, faith, hope, perseverance in trial, trust in God, and most felt by myself, love.

On this feast day of the Holy Family, my heart is full of gratitude for you, my family of St. Dominic. You will never know the full impact you have on your priests and I hope you know how much you are loved by Fr. Dennis and myself. Thank you for your imitation of the Holy Family and for filling my heart with joy and thanksgiving to be a part of this incredible community.    

It may sound strange coming from a 29-year-old young man who has only been a priest for under 3 years, (it does to me) but I am proud and humbled to be called father of this family, my family, the family of St. Dominic.

May the Holy Family continue to guide us all to be more like them each and everyday.