Pastor's Message

February 25, 2001

BEGINNING AGAIN

Here we are on the Sunday before Lent begins. Ash Wednesday is this week! Stop for a moment and take a deep breath and ask the question, "What am I going to do for Lent THIS year?" It's at this point that I often continue on my busy way and forget about Lent until Ash Wednesday has past. I vow that this year will be different!

"If you are children of God..." this is what we say during the baptismal rite. This is the identity out of which we enter our own Lenten desert. It is as God's children that we face our worst temptations. And, like Jesus' temptations in the desert, our withstanding our own temptations leads us to Jerusalem and the cross.

Traditionally, Lenten penance has three facets: fasting, prayer, and almsgiving (charity). This suggests that penance isn't a matter of "giving up" something, nor is it a single act, even if performed faithfully over a long period like forty days. Christian penance has as its purpose genuine conversion of life, so that at the end of Lent, when we renew our baptismal promises, we can do so with full voice, well aware of our own wonderful identity as sons and daughters of God. The new life we celebrate at Easter cannot happen without our dying to ourselves, without our going to Jerusalem with Jesus and willingly embracing whatever death is in store for us. For that is the road to new life. That is the road we travel during Lent. Don't put it off!

Neil Kraft

February 18, 2001

THE PEARLS OF LIFE

A Pearl is a rare and beautiful gem, costly to own. It is hard to believe that it was formed out of necessity and not out of pleasure. A tiny grain of sand invades an oyster shell. It is an unwanted visitor. The oyster cannot expel the sand kernel. It can only embrace it, surround it with a healing secretion, and live with it. The result for the oyster is an unwanted growth. To us, it is a priceless gem.

Our lives, too, are filled with unwelcome invaders: troubling relationships, financial misfortunes, illnesses, old age, the death of a loved one, painful losses of every kind. Try as we might, we, as the oyster, cannot rid ourselves of these irritants or easily expel them from our lives. Recognizing the cause of the pain is the first step to healing it. Being able to lament, to express how we feel to someone who will listen, opens us to further healing. In the sharing of our heartache, we often come to our own best solution to our problem. Through it all we ask for the help and guidance of God and others. Eventually we can come to that healing place of peace. In embracing the painful experience, we often come to new wisdom and a greater compassion for others.

This is the Precious Pearl, the outgrowth of a painful period in life. It is the Pearl money cannot buy, earned only through carrying the cross of some kind of human suffering.

Sr. Angie

February 11, 2001

DELIGHTFUL EXPERIENCES

As a priest, I have come across many delightful experiences. One of these was the workshop on parenting that took place on recent Wednesday evenings. We made certain assumptions of parenting, like the idea that your children are God's first and on loan to you for 18 years to help them grow from very dependent infants to adult, mature Christians. Then we took a look at the ways we can help them build their self esteem, learn to make decisions, learn how to solve problems, and accept responsibility for their decisions. After covering each topic the people broke up into small groups for discussion. The accumulated wisdom shared in the groups was very helpful to everyone. There were many suggestions: family meetings, being pro-active not reactive, individual communications with teenagers, etc. Everyone got something out of the time there. These were parents and grandparents helping parents in the job of being a parent. Everyone seemed to have benefitted from sharing and had a lot of fun.

We are fortunate to have a support group for mothers of young children which is called just that. It was suggested that we need a support group for mothers of teenagers. It sounds like a good idea if enough are interested. I am sure that the Family Life Committee would be supportive in any way they could be.

Let us set a date for a meeting of mothers and grandmothers of teenagers, mark our calendars, and test the waters. March 12th at 7pm in the St. Clare room on the 3rd floor of the Parish Center. All mothers and grandmothers of teenagers are invited.

Fr. Dan

February 4, 2001

A VISIT TO THE MISSIONS

By the time you read this I will have left for Papua New Guinea to visit Fr. Dick Kennedy. Ever since Fr. Kennedy left here in 1999 after seven years as principal of St. Peter's High School, I have been planning to go see him at work in the missions field.

As the world grows smaller through fast travel and global communications, we become more and more aware of the people in other parts of the world. Our Catholic faith is truly universal, and the work of Fr. Kennedy is directly connected with what we do here.

I have come to realize there is a lot we can learn from the Catholics of other countries, especially those who are new to Catholicism. Sometimes their enthusiasm about the faith and commitment to it can re-inspire us.

While I am gone, the rest of the pastoral team - Frs. Dan and Tony, Sr. Angie, Sandy Lauer, Colleen O'Leary, and Neil Kraft - along with the entire support staff, will be there to help you. I am sure they will do well. Please keep me and my travels in your prayers. I will be back on February 26.

Fr. Herb