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July 3, 2016 – FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN
ORDINARY TIME
Is 66:10-14c; Ps 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10:1-12, 17-20
Don’t fence me in! We all want freedom; we love
to be free. No wonder we proudly sing our National
Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, which says,
'the Land of the Free and the Home of the
Brave.' Wanting to be free, well-understood, is not
a selfish thing but a selfless thing. When we want
to be free, it is our desire for union with others - our
spouses, families and friends. We want to be free
because we want to share the good things in life
with others without anybody hindering
us. Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with
Barb and, as always, she shared her joy by singing,
'Do not fence me in.' This song echoes the
sentiment that our freedom is not just for those who
are in good shape and freely moving around.
Freedom is the same whether you are on a sailing
boat or sick and bed ridden; everyone wants to be
free. Since the purpose of freedom is to be in
communion with others, let us enable anyone who
wants to be free, who wants to be in communion
with others, to do so.
70's and the Parish Center! I recently visited with
Gary, from Jordan, for few minutes. He shared with
me how delighted he was back in the 70's during the
construction of the Parish Center. He shared a fond
memory of when he and a few others were working
on the roof and shingles. They were working and
were worried about being late for Sunday Mass.
They told the Priest of St. Nicholas at the time,
“Father, we have not been to Mass and we need to
quit working for the day.” The priest replied, “You
are forgiven and your good work in helping
complete the parish center will count for Mass
today. God will bless and thank you for getting the
shingles done.” Gary recalled that interaction of the
workers and the priest and how they all chuckled
over it. One of the obligations we have is to pass on
information to others--memories of our families,
church, co-workers or even a stranger...we have an
obligation to share with others. Memories are
powerful. I have often witnessed, even on
deathbeds, how recalling a fond memory can bring
a smile and comfort to people. How faithful are
you to pass on your memories to your children and
others?
Pilgrimage on a Bike! Blessed Mother Teresa of
Calcutta often said, 'Pray the work,' and of course in
everything we do, we should make it a prayerful
experience. People come to the St. Nicholas Prayer
Garden in many ways, including riding their bike.
They stop by, admire, ask questions, then get on
their bike and ride away. As St. Nicholas has been
a city set on the hill for about a century and half
now, with the addition of the Prayer Garden, it will
continue to remain a place for all. Whether people
come walking, driving or biking, they all come here
as pilgrims. If you have not already, please read the
Chaska Herald article on our Prayer Garden which
was in the June 23rd print edition or on line at
http://www.swnewsmedia.com/chaska_herald/news/local/prayer-gardensprouts-in-carver/article_815cebda-bbff-535f-bf70-6aaffb5f13d8.html.
We
are now planning our Come, See, Pray at the Prayer
Garden celebration for August 14th.
Faith Formation! Recently, I found the Prayer to
the Guardian Angel: 'Angel of God, my guardian
dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever
this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule
and guide.' Not long ago, we reflected how it is
better to live our lives as if God exists and find out
in the end that there is no God than to live as if
there is no God and find out there is a God. This is
also true of our Guardian Angel. Here at St.
Nicholas, our goal is to help our children learn and
believe in our beliefs. We can teach the Faith in
two ways--Pressure or Piety (Pious way of
life). We can not force them to learn, but we want
them to love their Faith. One of the ways to make
our Faith life interesting is to keep it attractive...to
be people who are simple, joyful and lead pious
lives. Whether teaching Faith Formation or
anything else, we don't need Teachers, rather, we
need heroes who are able to draw people to Jesus
Christ through their pious way of life.
Congratulations Sophie & Oliver on your
Baptism! St. Francis De Sales said, 'Make yourself
familiar with the angels, and behold them frequently
in spirits; for without being seen, they are present
with you.' May their families instill courage in
these children, that they are not alone in the hike of
life; their Guardian Angel is watching over
them. As you feel protected and guided by your
Guardian Angel, do not be shy to share the story of
the Guardian Angel in your life. Become a story
teller in the lives of your children as there is no
better way to teach the Faith.
Tough as Nails! We often hear the phrase 'tough as
nails' which can make some feel strong. There is
nothing wrong with that. However, when we
analyze these words more, there are two options for
interpreting this. Do we want to be strong like a
nail that causes pain in the lives of others; or, do we
want to be a strong fortress of protection to
safeguard our families and others? Ask yourself,
are you tough like a nail and cause pain in the lives
of others, or are you like a solid wall to protect your
family and others from any dangers?
Soul is not just in the language of Christians! In
light of the recent terror attack, I heard people on
television use the word ‘soul’. Someone said it is
hard to read the soul of someone who chooses to do
harm. One may not be on the watch list of the
police, but sometimes it is hard for law enforcement
officials to read one's soul. I was happy that the
main stream media, no matter where they stand on
Faith and Catholicism, used the word 'soul'
comfortably. According to the Christian belief,
everyone has a soul.However, not everyone is
comfortable using the word soul. Everyone
believes in the human soul even though people of
different religions describe it differently. To
conclude, it is good news that even those in
television journalism are comfortable using the
word ‘soul’. As someone once said, 'Our bodies are
where we stay; our souls are what we are.' Our
souls are like our face - it is best we have a soul that
is clean and joyful.
Food Sales! We have raised over $3,000 from the
first two food sales. This is again proof that, 'drops
make the ocean.' Our next food sale is Sunday, July
10 from 10am-2pm. I hope you will participate and
help our church raise another $1,500.
Happy Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle! Every
year on July 3rd we celebrate the Feast of St.
Thomas the Apostle, one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus
Christ. Even though he was a 'doubting Thomas,'
he used his doubt to strengthen his faith and not
weaken his ties to Jesus Christ. Reacting to
Thomas' disbelief, Jesus said, "Have you come to
believe because you have seen me? Blessed are
those who have not seen and have believed." (John 20:
29). Jesus did not disqualify Thomas because he
doubted His Resurrection; rather, Jesus helps turn
Thomas' disbelief into a deeper belief. What can
we learn from this doubting Thomas? I often tell
people, doubting certain aspects of our Faith is not
bad. In fact, we should doubt and question as that is
how we grow in our Faith all the more. Even
getting mad at God is not a bad thing. After all, just
as we get mad at our parents sometimes, in the same
way it is ok to get mad at God because He is not a
fantasy figure in the air. God is a real
Person, a real Father, who wants to have
relationship with us. Let us pray to St.
Thomas that he may intercede for us, so
that we may transform our doubts.
Sunday Reflection! Dear brothers and sisters, the
Gospel for this Sunday is from Luke 10 in which we
learn about Jesus creating seventy-two other
disciples in addition to the 12 Apostles. Jesus sent
them in pairs. Jesus reminded them the harvest is
abundant but the laborers are few and therefore the
disciples' labor should bring people to Jesus
Christ. Jesus warned the disciples they are like
lambs among wolves, meaning the lives of the
disciples is not always going to be a bed of roses they will be faced with challenges. Jesus wanted
His disciples to not possess much. Further, Jesus
said to them, 'Into whatever house you enter, first
say, 'Peace to this household.' If a peaceful person
lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it
will return to you.' As we have often reflected in
the past, God is generous but God is not cheap; if
we don't ask for it, we won't give it. God is willing
to shower His gifts on us by sending His
messengers and His disciples. We can either receive
them generously into our lives or reject them. Yes,
God is powerful, but He never forces one to open
one's heart. The person should be willing to open
their heart and soul. Ask yourself, do you open the
doors of your life to receive God's blessings, or, do
you shut the door when God's Blessings knock?
In Christ Jesus,
Fr. Thomas Joseph
"To be a Christian without prayer is no
more possible than to be alive without
breathing."
Martin Luther