Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

This Sunday, our Church celebrates the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul. Two of the most famous apostles, St. Peter followed Christ before the Resurrection, St. Paul after his conversion on the road to Damascus. Both Peter and Paul ended their lives and proclamation in Rome. Both gave their lives for their witness to Jesus Christ. Peter was crucified, Paul was beheaded.

As we celebrate their lives and deaths, may we recall that the Church is nourished by the blood of the martyrs, and that the Church is founded on the proclamation of St. Peter and St. Paul.

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fear not... It is one of the most repeated commands. Fear is a natural feeling for humans - it helps us to be aware of dangerous situations, and prepares us for a response (flight or fight). While in the presence of God is a dangerous situation, we have nothing to fear - God loves us and in His providence provides for us.

Jesus asks us to transform that natural fear for this life and instead fear the condemnation of God. God loves us, and we ought to freely love Him. May we know this love and providence...

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Beg the Harvest Master to send laborers. The harvest is abundant, but if it is not gathered soon, it will be lost. Laborers are needed and are few, and time is of the utmost importance. Jesus calls the Twelve to begin laboring.

The harvest remains abundant, and souls will be lost if there is not someone sent to tell them the Good News of Jesus Christ. We need to be laborers in the God's field, and like good farmers, we know that there are different duties for all of us. May we be good laborers!

A Priest's Anniversary

This weekend, a Fr. Leonard Jenniges, a priest from Wanda, Minnesota, is celebrating his 60th anniversary of ordination. Ordained almost 10 years before the formation of the Diocese of New Ulm, he was ordained and remained a priest in the Archdiocese of St. Paul Minneapolis where he was a teacher at Nazareth Hall (the local High School and college seminary) and then a pastor. He retired a number of years ago and returned to his home town.

Some time ago, not only because I was assigned the pastor of his home town, but also because I am the Director of Vocations and we are still without a Bishop, he asked if I would preach his anniversary Mass. As I prepare, I cannot help but think of all that he has done these 60 years.

These are the hands that 60 years ago where placed into the hands of the archbishop, and therefore into the hands of the Church, as an act of obedience and submission. These are the hands that were anointed with Sacred Chrism. These are the hands that were given the chalice and paten, the offerings of the Church, to be offered to God. These are the hands that held those offerings, and received back the very Body and Blood of our Savior. These are the hands that took that Sacred Gift and gave it back to the People of God.

These are the hands that poured the water, making clean the body and soul of those washed in the sacred bath of Baptism. These are the hands that assisted at countless confirmations, seeing the Gifts of the Holy Spirit poured out into the hearts of the faithful. These are the hands that were raised in absolution, restoring the penitent to God and the to the community. These are the hands that brought the consoling oil of Sick to those suffering from affliction and preparing for surgery. These are the hands raised in blessing, sealing the bond of husband and wife. These are the hands that were imposed in prayer and extended in peace to the newly ordained brothers in the priesthood.

These are the hands that held those who were grieving the loss of a loved one, taken in tragedy or sickness, young or old. These are the hands that comforted those weary from the battles of life, finding the strength to continue on. These are the hands that rejoiced with those receiving the gift of a child, a success, a deeper awareness of God's grace. These are the hands that modeled the need for peace and forgiveness. These are the hands that gave freely to those in need. These are the hands that loved all.

These are the hands that years have served the Church. These are the hands that have ministered to all in need without counting the cost. These are the hands of a priest. May these hands not grow weak under the burden of years, gnarled by the crippling affect of disease, and silenced by the attempts of the evil one. May the bearer of these hands be honored for his 60 years of priesthood.

Summer 2008 Assignments

We are pleased to announce the assignments of our Seminarians. Matt Wiering will be returning Stateside from the North American College for some family time and for 6 weeks of parish assignment in the Wabasso/Wanda/Seaforth/Lucan Area Faith community of the Light of the World (where I am pastor). Aaron Johanneck will be staying in Europe to help with a pilgrimade and for language studies. Both Matt and Aaron wiill be returning to North American College in Rome for Theo. III and Theo. II, respectively. Zach Peterson: He is in a Clinical Pastoral Experience (CPE) at St. Mary's Hosptial in Duluth. Jacob Niemand is in a parish assignment in the Divine Mercy Area Faith Community in Sleepy Eye/Leavenworth/Comfrey. Both will be returning to St. Meinrad's, Zach in Theo. III and Jacob in Theo. II. Anthony Mielke: He is living in the Cities and working at St. Paul Seminary. He will return to the University of St. Thomas and St. John Vianney College Seminary for his Junior year. Paul Blaschko is working at the 10-week Summer Program offered through the Institute of Priestly Formation at Creighton University in Omaha NE. Butch Hendrickson is at home working in his carpentry shop.
Please keep them in prayers.

More Seminarians

We are pleased to publicly announce that we have accepted two more fine young men as candidates for the seminary, both for St. John Vianney Seminary on the campus of the University of St. Thomas. Garrett Ahlers is from Marshall, MN. Andrew Illikman is from New Ulm, MN. Both will be freshmen.

We are also in process with another applicant for another program.

Please keep these men in your prayers.

Those that are counting will realize that pending the acceptance of this third candidate, we will have ten in formation, with five starting with us since July last year. Yes, that means that we will double our numbers... now only if you can get 10 candidates next year...

Reflection on the Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Come, follow Me. The invitation is so simple, uncomplicated. Jesus calls to Matthew, the tax collector. He takes Matthew where he is at (literally at his tax post), and invites him. Jesus does not condemn for the past sins that Matthew must have committed. But Jesus does not say where it will end, either. He does not provide a road map, but simply an offer to let Him be the guide. Nothing in the past or the present ultimate matters, just the present. It is a moment of eternal consequence - to walk from the known, with the Savior into the unknown.

In following Him, we find happiness that lasts. May we hear this voice, and follow.

Reflection on Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time

As so often the case, we are good at hearing, but not so good at listening. Like children, we often balk at doing what is asked (for a multitude of reasons). However, we need to listen to God. After all, He is willing to save us, and has done all that is necessary. But it needs to applied to us. Yes, salvation is ours in Christ alone. But is not enough to simply say that Jesus is Lord and believe in the Resurrection - no, we need to respond to the will of God. We need to allow our faith to be translated into action. Not all, Jesus tells us, who call out 'Lord, Lord...' will be saved, but only the one who does the will of God the Father.

Excommunication for attempted ordination of women

In a post at at Catholic World News, the Church has formally declared that all who attempt to ordain women, or all women who attempt to be ordained, are excommunicated. This declaration comes as a definitive statement and, as the article states, clears all ambiguity. In the very act of attempting ordination, the excommunication is received. It has to do with the simulation of the sacraments.

Vatican, May. 30, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican has announced that any Catholic bishop who attempts the ordination of a woman to the priesthood, and any woman who participates in such a ceremony, is subject to automatic excommunication.

The decree from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, published in the May 30 issue of L'Osservatore Romano, takes effect immediately and applies throughout the universal Church. The document was signed by Cardinal William Levada and Archbishop Angelo Amato, the prefect and secretary, respectively, of the Congregation. ...

Sadly, I am certain that this will not quickly put an end to the 'debate', since they seem to be placing themselves at odds with the Church to begin with. The declaration of excommunication is the Church's last nail - the final attempt to bring people back into the fullness of the Church. May all come to understand the purpose of the declaration and understand the theology of the priesthood that undergirds the doctrine of the male priesthood.

Reflection on Corpus Christi

This weekend, we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ. We remind ourselves that the Eucharist makes us the Church, and that the Eucharist stands at the heart of our faith. In the Eucharist, we receive Jesus Christ himself, who lays down His life for us. In the Eucharist, we receive what we are to be - the Body of Christ. St. Augustine in an beautiful homily on the Eucharist, told his congregation to be aware of what they receive.

We may not perceive with our senses the presence of Christ, but He is surely there. Our senses fail us, but faith informs us.

I offer the Sequence for Corpus Christi, in a a more 'exact' poetic translation that helps us to more readily see the beauty of the theolgy it contains.

ZION, to Thy Savior sing,
to Thy Shepherd and Thy King!
Let the air with praises ring!
All thou canst, proclaim with mirth,
far higher is His worth
than the glory words may wing.

Lo! before our eyes and living
is the Sacred Bread life-giving,
theme of canticle and hymn.
We profess this Bread from heaven
to the Twelve by Christ was given,
for our faith rest firm in Him.

Let us form a joyful chorus,
may our lauds ascend sonorous,
bursting from each loving breast.
For we solemnly record
how the Table of the Lord
with the Lamb's own gift was blest.

On this altar of the King
this new Paschal Offering
brings an end to ancient rite.
Shadows flee that truth may stay,
oldness to the new gives way,
and the night's darkness to the light.

What at Supper Christ completed
He ordained to be repeated,
in His memory Divine.
Wherefore now, with adoration,
we, the Host of our salvation,
consecrate from bread and wine.

Words a nature's course derange,
that in Flesh the bread may change
and the wine in Christ's own Blood.
Does it pass thy comprehending?
Faith, the law of light transcending,
leaps to things not understood.

Here beneath these signs are hidden
priceless things, to sense forbidden;
signs, not things, are all we see.
Flesh from bread, and Blood from wine,
yet is Christ in either sign,
all entire confessed to be.

And whoe'er of Him partakes,
severs not, nor rends, nor breaks:
all entire, their Lord receive.
Whether one or thousand eat,
all receive the selfsame meat,
nor do less for others leave.

Both the wicked and the good
eat of this celestial Food:
but with ends how opposite!
With this most substantial Bread,
unto life or death they're fed,
in a difference infinite.

Nor a single doubt retain,
when they break the Host in twain,
but that in each part remain
what was in the whole before;
For the outward sign alone
may some change have undergone,
while the Signified stays one,
and the same forevermore.

Hail! Bread of the Angels, broken,
for us pilgrims food, and token
of the promise by Christ spoken,
children's meat, to dogs denied!
Shown in Isaac's dedication,
in the Manna's preparation,
in the Paschal immolation,
in old types pre-signified.

Jesus, Shepherd mild and meek,
shield the poor, support the weak;
help all who Thy pardon sue,
placing all their trust in You:
fill them with Your healing grace!
Source of all we have or know,
feed and lead us here below.
grant that with Your Saints above,
sitting at the feast of love
we may see You face to face.
Amen. Alleluia.

Reflection on Trinity Sunday

God is Trinity - three Persons in one Being. It is a mystery to be sure. While we cannot understand it fully (due to the infinity of the mystery and the finiteness of our understanding), we can say some things. God the Father is eternally begetting the Son - the Son is eternally begotten. The Spirit proceeds from them both. The Trinity is not created, and there was never a 'time' when He was not. Even to say this is a confusing thing, since God exists outside of time, which He created! This doctrine of the Trinity is a doctrine of who God is in Himself, His internal relationship.

In every action of God, each Person of the Trinity is at work. This is what God does for us. In Creation, the Father spoke the word, The Son was spoken, and the Spirit hovered over the waters (read Genesis in light of John 1). In redemption, Christ offers His life and death to the Father, and the Spirit assists. In the Resurrection, the Son is raised from the dead, the Father and the Spirit both assisting. In our sanctification, the Spirit lives and moves in us, bringing us the holiness given to us in Christ, and restores us to a proper relationship to the Father. This understanding influences our understanding of the Sacraments, as well.

For these two reasons, we must hold fast to the formula that we have received - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Any other formula (such as Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier) denies both who God is in Himself, or who the three Persons all work together in every act of Salvation.

Practically, what does this mean? In responding to the call of God, we are responding to the Trinity, all three are calling. We, who are created in the image and likeness of God, are called to communion, to give our lives and selves to those around us in love. May we live in Love, and know each Person of the Trinity more!

Pentecost reflection

This Sunday is Pentecost - the feast of the descent of the Holy Spirit. So often, the role of the Holy Spirit is overlooked. Yet, we need the Holy Spirit, and most especially to ask for His presence in our lives. We should remember that the Greek word for Spirit is pnuema and can be translated spirit, wind, air, or breath. Yes, the Spirit of God lives and moves among us! Yes, the Wind of God drives us into action! Yes, the Air of God surrounds us and sustains us. Yes, the breath of God gives us life, just as breath in the body is a sign of life. May we all grow in our love and awareness of the Holy Spirit in our lives!

For our prayer, I offer the Sequence for Pentecost:

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from Thy celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!

Come Father of the poor!
Come source of all our store!
Come within our bosoms shine!

Thou, of comforters the best;
Thou, the soul's most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;

In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat,
Solace in the midst of woe.

O most blessed Light divine
Shine within these hearts of Thine.
And our inmost being fill!

Where you are not, man has naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour Thy dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sev'nfold gift descend;

Give them virtue's sure reward;
Give them Thy salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end.

Amen. Alleluia

Ascension

In most parts of the US (with the exception of the Northeast and Nebraska), this weekend marks the Ascension of Christ, moved from its traditional Thursday. In the Gospel passage given to us for Cycle A, we hear something amazing from Matthew's Account. The Apostles are gathered on the mountain (some suggest that it is the Mount Tabor, the mount of the Transfiguration). They see Jesus, and they worship, though 'they doubted'. All the same, Jesus commissions them to go and proclaim the good news, to bring others into loving relationship through baptism. In Luke's account from Acts of the Apostles (the first reading), Jesus gives them the map for how they are to proceed - starting in Jerusalem (the city), Judea (the country/area around Jerusalem, then to Samaria (with the Samaritans), and finally the whole world. Starting 'at home', moving out.

There is comfort for us in this - we are first called to worship. Despite the doubt we may feel, we are called to be faithful. We are trusted with the same commission, even if we don't have it all figured out. If we waited until then, we may never get anything started, much less done! No, we start at home and move out, responding in love to Jesus Christ who loves us!

Update on Archbishop Nienstedt

Congratulations to Archbishop Nienstedt who is now Archbishop of St. Paul/Minneapolis, and to Archbishop Flynn, whose retirement has been accepted. We continue to pray for a good Bishop to be appointed to our Diocese!

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Jesus Christ promises that He will not leave his disciples orphan. He promises that those who respond to his loving will not only will experience His enduring presence, but that because He goes, also the presence of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit is the one we can call to our side, the literal meaning of the term, Advocate.

In the second Reading today, St. Peter writes to be ready with an explanation for our Hope. What hope do we have, apart from Christ? What hope do we have without the Trinity, and the presence of God in our lives?

In love, let us respond to the will of Christ, to live the Commandments. We can live with the Holy Spirit, the departing gift of Christ, and ask His guidance for our lives.

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, the only truth to believe, and the only life that is eternal. The Apostles miss the meaning of what Jesus says to them, and keep asking to be shown the way to the Father. It is simple - follow Jesus, see and believe in Him alone.

In the Second Reading, St. Peter tells us that we are living stones, built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. United with Him, we are called to put all of our talents and skills to the use of the Church. Some, of course, are called as priests and religious. Some, perhaps most, are called to live out their vocations of marriage in the world, to lead others to Christ through a faithful witness in the secular sphere. Yet, all are united in the Church, which is the Body of Christ.

Good Shepherd Sunday (Fourth Sunday in Easter)

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, the savior who leads us into the safety of the Trinity's loving embrace. We need to listen to His voice, to know His voice through and through. If we become 'accustomed' to knowing His voice, we will be more ready to follow wherever He leads. If we are not familiar with His voice, we may find ourselves following other voices that would lead us to our destruction, whether those voices are from Satan, the world, or our malformed consciences and twisted psyches. Only the Voice of Jesus Christ will lead to lasting freedom and eternal happiness.

Prayer, as I have said before, is absolutely necessary. Prayer is the conversation we have with God, and it is not to be a one-sided affair. We must listen to Christ, to hear His voice.

Though they are not Catholic and some of their songs are from a Protestant Theology, the band Casting Crowns has a powerful song that comes to mind this Good Shepherd Sunday: The Voice of Truth. In the song, they sing about listening not to the laughter of the giant or the rumble of the waves, but to the Voice of Truth, who says do not be afraid. Let us listen well - let us know the Voice of Truth, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

Message for the 45th World Day of Prayer for Vocations

His Holiness Pope Benedict has released a Message on the occasion of the 45th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which is to be held this weekend. The message is beautiful and worth a read. Most touching, probably because I am a farm boy at heart, was the eighth paragraph which read:

8. Vocations to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life can only flourish in a spiritual soil that is well cultivated. Christian communities that live the missionary dimension of the mystery of the Church in a profound way will never be inward looking. Mission, as a witness of divine love, becomes particularly effective when it is shared in a community, “so that the world may believe” (cf. Jn 17: 21). The Church prays everyday to the Holy Spirit for the gift of vocations. Gathered around the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles, as in the beginning, the ecclesial community learns from her how to implore the Lord for a flowering of new apostles, alive with the faith and love that are necessary for the mission.

May we be that good soil!

Third Sunday of Easter

This week, we hear of the first post-Resurrection Mass. As Cloepas and his company are walking to Emmaus, they are joined by a 'stranger' who seems to have no idea of what has happened in Jerusalem in the days around that first Good Friday. He invites them to tell the story, and Jesus continues on, explaining the Scriptures to them and how they spoke of these events. Arriving at their evening lodging, they beg Him to stay. They sit down to a meal, and Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them. With this, they recognize Jesus, and he is taken from their sight. They run back to Jerusalem to share the news, to be met with the news that Jesus had also appear to Peter.

Sometimes, we too don't understand what God is doing in our lives, but we need to allow Jesus to reveal to us what He desires. Perhaps like Cleopas, we will not understand, but it is in the Eucharist that we receive the grace to continue on.

Divine Mercy

Jesus is risen, and reveals Himself to the Apostles as the Living Savior. In His love and mercy, He reveals Himself to Thomas, who was lost in doubt. Could the Apostles really have seen the Risen Lord, just as they said? Is it really Him, or just a ghost?
It is indeed Jesus, flesh and blood.
This weekend, we celebrate the mercy of Christ as directed by Pope John Paul II. It is mercy that most perfectly sums Christ's life given for us - He loves us and gives us His very self for our salvation. In the same way that He was revealed to St. Thomas, He is revealed to us, but for us, we see Him in the Eucharist.
As a priest, the most powerful thing I call to mind is that in all I do, Christ continues to express His mercy. To remember this is humbling.

On this Divine Mercy Sunday, may I suggest praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy?

The Chaplet is prayed on regular Rosary beads, starting with the Sign of the Cross, one Lord's Prayer, one Hail Mary, and the Apostles creed.
Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

On the Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

After the five decades, conclude with repeating three times:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Often, some will add three times, Jesus, I trust in you.