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Bearing Fruit

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Last Saturday, my day began with two funerals and ended with a ride on a mechanical bull at a Gala party for 7th and 8th grade parents. I wonder if this is the modern expression of St. Paul’s utterance: “I have become all things to all,” (1 Cor. 9:22).

This Sunday is Priesthood Sunday in the United States. In my 17 months as a priest, one story from Scripture continues to come to mind. I’ll look ahead at a day’s commitments (a
funeral, a homily, a meeting, a talk, etc.) and wonder: “how am I going to get through this?” or “how will this go?” and fear and doubt creep in. Then the day passes, and everything
goes well, often with unforeseen blessings and fruit. And going before the Blessed Sacrament in the rectory chapel at the end of the day, I feel like the 72 disciples who return to Jesus
saying: “Lord, you won’t believe what we did in your name!” (my paraphrase of Luke 10:17). And Jesus looks at them (and me) and calmly replies: “I do believe it. Because I’ve seen it. I
made you. I called you. And I’m with you through it all.”

On the wall next to my alarm clock hangs a small, simple cross with five images: grapes, wheat, a fish, a loaf of bread, and a chalice. As I drag myself out of bed and turn off the alarm, I touch that cross and make a simple morning offering: “Lord, I offer all to you today.” This is an image of the priesthood. The priest offers very ordinary things—meetings, conversations, bread, wine—and God multiplies the loaves and fish, God transubstantiates the bread and wine into his very self. 

The kneeler in the rectory chapel has a little shelf displaying Archbishop Grob’s holy card, which reminds Fr. Dennis and me every morning: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing,” (John 15:5). The priesthood is a beautiful life. I’m so grateful God has called me to be his priest, and I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else. I’m also very aware that this sublime calling hasn’t done away with my personal faults and foibles. I trust, however, that as long as I pray and remain in God each day, He will bear fruit through it all—be it funerals or mechanical bulls.

God Desired You

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God Desired You

In speaking with a group of students about the two Great Commandments, love God and love your neighbor as yourself, one wise student stated, how can we love our neighbor as ourselves when we don’t love ourselves to begin with, it would be easier to treat a neighbor better then we treat ourselves. The reality of how much we struggle to love ourselves and in turn love others really struck me, for this is very true, especially in our world today. The question I have been pondering since that conversation is, why is it so hard for us to love, cherish, and be confident in who God created us to be? The greatest response I have found to that question is from one of my favorite saints. 

On October 22 the Church celebrated the feast day of St. Pope John Paul II, who loved young people and desired so deeply that people would understand that they are created, loved, and valued by God. Each and every person is created simply because God desired them. He desired you! Take a moment and let that sink into your heart. You are here because God desired it. He wanted you! St. Pope John Paul II’s formal teaching on humanity is called the Theology of the Body. In this teaching St. Pope John Paul II begins by calling us to reflect on the beginning of Creation, when God created man and women and saw that they were very good. God created humanity to be a gift to each other, to give and receive, to live in harmony, to love each other and to bring new life into the world. In the very beginning of creation the two greatest commandments were lived out, man and woman loved God above all and they beheld and loved themselves and each other the way God intended. As we all know the story, sin entered the world and humanity became broken. We are no longer living in the original state that God created, we are living in the consequences of original sin. However, we also live in the glory, joy, and hope of Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection—as  people saved. We are called to live with the goal of heaven inscribed in our hearts, we are called to help other people to journey toward heaven, so that one day we can rejoice together with God forever. 

So why is it so hard for us to love, cherish, and be confident in who God has created us to be? Because sin entered the world and we have been wounded. Yet, St. Pope John Paul II’s teaching gives us hope because he reminds us that in the beginning it was not so and Christ has conquered sin and death, and so sin and death are not the final end. God is calling you to love Him and love your neighbor, but first take a moment to simply relish with joy that God desired you, for only when we live in this confidence of God’s love for ourselves will we be able to look at another person and see God in them and be able to love them as ourselves.

 

Daily Inner Renewal

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It has been said that Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. For those of us who live in Wisconsin, that could either be true, or simply wishful thinking. Many of us spend a greater part of the colder months considering what we might plan to do in summer; a vacation with the kids, a summer DIY home project, or simply the resolve to enjoy the warmer months in a simple way. We all seem to want to pack as much activity into the warmer months as possible—getting out there and enjoying life.

As we get older, many develop difficulty doing many of the things they loved when younger. The sad truth is that we age! Doctors and health professionals tell us that our bodies peak in our 20s and 30s, and those of us older than that can attest to the validity of their opinion.

Fortunately, as St. Paul tells us, that although this happens, our inner self is renewing. Although our physical self may be challenged, we must never allow our spiritual self to become weakened. How do we help with that daily renewal of which St. Paul speaks? We do so through a intentional connection with God.  Through prayer. Through the Sacraments. Through Sacred Scripture. He is present in all these things—there for us—assisting us in renewing our inner self, our spirits, day by day.

So, just as we may work out physically, we need to exercise spiritually. And though our bodies may be diminished over time, our spirit, which makes us who we are, which indeed is the dwelling place of God, is renewed unto the end of the age. 

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