Wow

As a server said tonight at the end of Mass: The Triduum has begun.

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Hosanna in the Highest

After reading the passion narrative, I decided to keep the homily shorter than usual. However, I think that it is still a good one to listen too. Talking about homilies I will be posting my Holy Thursday homily on here as well, so make sure to check back Thursday night around 9:00 if you have a chance.

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Do you Believe This?

The picture to the right is the burial place of Lazarus. I was able to visit the Holy Land a couple of years ago, and one of the places that we visited was Bethany. The interesting thing about Bethany is that although it is only two miles away from Jerusalem, it took us around an hour to get there because of all of the security check points that they have. Needless to say, the area around Jerusalem has changed quite a bit since Jesus' time. However, it is still worth going to visit if you can, because you will have a much greater appreciation of Scripture.
Below is my homily from Sunday.

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Take Time for a Quick Retreat

First off, I’m sorry that it has been so long since I have actually posted anything other than my homilies. You could say that we are in the midst of our “busy season” right now. With that in mind, it got me thinking about things that I will do when I am not so busy, or what I have done in the past. Of course the golf season is right around the corner, so that will replace my hobby of ice fishing for a while. But another thing that I enjoy doing is going to watch baseball games. Not only Twins games, but amateur games as well. 

 Watching a baseball game on a beautiful night is one of the great pastimes in America, and rightly so. You can just sit there and watch, and see the teams battle it out. As a matter of fact, when I was a seminarian I once went to a Twins game all by myself, because I needed some alone time. When I got back to the seminary some of my friends asked me where I was and I told them that I went on a quick retreat. Of course, other games can do this as well (notice the Timberwolves picture and the Wild picture), although these two teams are sometimes not worth watching.

It is good to get away sometimes and refresh your batteries, even if it is just going outside for a quick walk. I hope that everyone is enjoying the spring weather!

Do you Believe in the Son of Man?

       A theme that could have been developed more in the homily is the question of which sin is blinding you the most from experiencing God's love? So, take a couple minutes this week and try to figure out what sin is really effecting your relationship with God.
      Then when you figure out what the sin is, make the necessary changes so that it no longer blinds you from experiencing God's love. Then you can be like the blind man and be able to grow in your faith and love of God.

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Give Me A Drink

Here is a picture of a crucifix in a Missionaries of Charity chapel, with the words from John 19:28: I Thirst.

Below is my homily from this Sunday.

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Go in Peace, to Love and Serve the Lord!!!

The picture to the right is the mosaic of the Transfiguration from the Franciscan Church of the Transfiguration on top of Mount Tabor. I hope that you all have a good Sunday, and a blessed week, I am off on silent on retreat until Friday afternoon, so please keep me in your prayers.

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St. Joseph, Husband of the VIrgin Mary

Today is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Virgin Mary and it is one of my favorite days of the year. Of course, one of the reasons why it is my favorite is because St. Joseph’s in West St. Paul is my home parish, but this is not the only reason why. Another reason why it is one of my favorite days is because it always seems to fall in Lent, yet when we celebrate this Mass we sing (or say) the Gloria, which does not even happen for Sundays during Lent. But, the main reason why it is one of my favorite days is because I believe the St. Joseph is undervalued as a Saint in our world. Here is a man who had angels appear to him, and every time he always did what they asked of him. He put all of his trust in God, and did what He willed of him, and this is what we are all called to do. Also, he took on the role of a father to Jesus, and was the husband of Mary, and so for all husbands and fathers out there, he should be your example, always providing for the family, not only physically but also spiritually. If Joseph was not a spiritual man, then he would not have listened to the angels, but he was a spiritual man, and this is what we are called to be.

Of course we know that today is the patronal feast of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, so we keep him in our prayers today in a special way. However, Joseph is also the Patron of the Universal Church, and so we keep the whole Church in our prayers. On a final note, another reason why I really like this day is because it is a Solemnity during Lent, which means that it frees us from our Lenten resolutions, because as we all know, it is not right to fast on day’s the Lord has given us to celebrate. (Just don’t overdo it).

St. Joseph:

Pray For Us.

Go Deeper or Flee

This past Sunday I preached about going on retreat, and how one needs to have courage to go deeper in their prayer. I also tied in Pope Benedict's Lenten reflection on this Sunday. Pope Benedict has a short reflection on every Sunday of Lent, and here is the link to it.
     On a somewhat related note, I encourage everyone who has the opportunity to go on a silent retreat. As mentioned in the homily, my first one did not go so well, but now I look forward to going on them every year. They are an opportunity to retreat from the world, and see where God is calling you to go deeper.
Below is my homily from Sunday, have a good week. 

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Add another Book to the Bookshelf

      Something that most priests will admit to is that we have too many books. I know that I have some books that are just sitting on my book shelves (I have two book shelves, one in my office and one back in the rectory) that have never been opened. It is not that I do not enjoy reading, I love to read, but it is just hard to find the time to sit down and read. Obviously I have a lot of theological books, and I do enjoy reading those. But, the books that I like to read for pleasure the most are autobiographies or biographies of people, especially when it comes to lives of the saints.

       A couple of months ago a parishioner, and reader of this blog, gave me a book to read called: The Shadow of His Wings. It is about a German soldier during World War II, who was a seminarian. So, over these last couple of months I have gradually read through the book, and I am amazed at the faith of this priest, and all of the good work that God has done through him. I am almost done with the book (I am finishing up the appendix) and I strongly recommend it to everyone. It is a fairly easy read, but at the same time will inspire you to keep on putting your trust in God.

This is what the back cover of the book states: Here is the astonishing true story of the harrowing experiences of a young German seminarian drafted into Hitler's dreaded SS at the onset of World War II. Without betraying his Christian ideals, against all odds, and in the face of evil, Gereon Goldmann was able to complete his priestly training, be ordained, and secretly minister to German Catholic soldiers and innocent civilian victims caught up in the horrors of war. How it all came to pass will astound you.

Father Goldmann tells of his own incredible experiences of the trials of war, his many escapes from almost certain death, and the diabolical persecution that he and his fellow Catholic soldiers encountered on account of their faith. What emerges is an extraordinary witness to the workings of Divine Providence and the undying power of love, prayer, faith, and sacrifice.

This book can be purchased online, and I’m sure at many religious book stores. I’m not sure if Epiphany gift center carries it or not, but I did send them an email stating that it would be a great book to add to their selection. If you do pick it up and read it, please let me know what you thought of the book, I would love to hear what you have to say about it.