View from the Ambo

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Second Day of Divine Mercy Novena (Holy Saturday)

Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service, that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard—upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.

Good Friday '18 - He chose us

Posted: 30 Mar 2018 04:04 PM PDT

Jesus Christ knew what was going to happen, and chose it all the same. Readings are found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/033018.cfm https://goo.gl/forms/iG1Tvk4cHTGhdOWz2

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Friday, March 30, 2018

First Day of Divine Mercy Novena (Good Friday)

Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.

Divine Mercy Chaplet

Here's how to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy (Prayed on regular Rosary Beads): 1. Make the Sign of the Cross 2. Pray the Opening Prayer: "You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us." 3. Pray three times: "O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!" 4. Pray the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Apostles' Creed 5. On the Our Father bead before each decade, pray: "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. Amen." 6. On each of the Hail Mary beads in each decade, pray: "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."Repeat Steps 5 and 6 for each decade. 7.After you have prayed all five decades of the Chaplet, pray three times: "Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world." 8. Pray the following final prayer: "Eternal God, in Whom mercy is endless, and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us, and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments, we might not despair, nor become despondent, but with great confidence, submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy Itself. Amen." 9. End With the Sign of the Cross

Mass of the Lord's Supper '18 - Memory to Service

Posted: 29 Mar 2018 07:17 PM PDT

At the Last Supper, Jesus establishes a new memorial, one that is His very presence and that inspires us to service. Readings are found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032918-lords-supper.cfm https://goo.gl/forms/iG1Tvk4cHTGhdOWz2

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Memorial

Twenty years ago, this community was different. The March 29, 1998, tornado that stuck our city destroyed or damaged trees, businesses and public buildings, and homes. It changed the landscape and city. The storm system claimed two lives and changed countless others. Those who were here before and immediately after have a multitude of stories to share. As we mark this anniversary, we will share those stories, some untold for years. This is an effort to remember. It is a human trait.

Memory was important for the Jewish people, and therefore important for the early Christians, too. The Jewish people shared the story of the Exodus – their slavery in Egypt and how God powerfully saved them and lead them into freedom. The Passover meal that they gathered to share was not a quaint ritual or a play-acting. Instead, it was a solemn ‘remembering’ where the events of the past were brought into the present, and the partakers of the present meal were immersed into the events of the past. This type of memory is where the bounds of time and space breakdown. When they remembered, they allowed the actions to be new to them, and they drew strength from the memory.

At His last Passover before offering His life to the Father on the cross for our salvation, Jesus Christ initiated a new covenant and a new memorial, not marked with the blood of a lamb, but with His own blood. He instructed and ordained the Apostles, (and they in turn their successors) to offer the new sacrifice of bread and wine in His memory, and in doing so, He would be present. The act of remembering draws us to Calvary and we stand at the foot of the cross. The act of remembering give us strength and direction to move forward. So important for us as Catholics is that we take Jesus at His word - the bread and wine cease to be, and they are Jesus Christ’s body and blood, changed for our life and nourishment. This memory changes everything.

While certainly not as universal as the Passover or the Crucifixion or their commemorations, we make another kind of memorial as we commemorate the tornado. As we share the stories of before, during, and aftermath, we might in some way be drawn in time to that tragic day when all was changed. The question is whether we going to be bitter, holding on to anger and frustration for what was lost, or that we will be better by challenging ourselves to continue to seek to expand the good things that have occurred because the tornado? In the end, that is the challenge of our lives. We are challenged to do more than hold on to the memories of past events, but to allow them to instruct our future, calling to mind the good that the Lord has done even in our day.

Monday, March 26, 2018

Passion Sunday '18 - The king who rides donkeys

As we celebrate Palm Sunday, we hear of the donkey - Why does Mark share so much of the donkey? Because it is carrying the King who comes to save us. Readings are found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032518.cfm https://goo.gl/forms/iG1Tvk4cHTGhdOWz2
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Sunday, March 18, 2018

5th Sunday Lent B '18 - Passion and Passover

My homily for the 5th Sunday Lent B '18 - Passion and Passover https://soundcloud.com/fr-todd-petersen/5th-sunday-lent-b-18-passion-and-passover?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=email

Sunday, March 11, 2018

4th Sunday Lent B '18 - Evangelization 101

My revised homily for the LifeTeen Mass on 4th Sunday Lent B '18 - Evangelization 101 https://soundcloud.com/fr-todd-petersen/4th-sunday-lent-b-18-evangelization-101?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=email

4th Sunday Lent B '18 - Keep Compassion

My Homily for the 4th Sunday Lent B '18 - Keep Compassion https://soundcloud.com/fr-todd-petersen/4th-sunday-lent-b-18-keep-compassion?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=email

Sunday, March 4, 2018

3rd SundayLent B '18 - Keep the Commandments

My Latest Homily 3rd SundayLent B '18 - Keep the Commandments https://soundcloud.com/fr-todd-petersen/3rd-sundaylent-b-18-keep-the-commandments?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=email

Monday, February 26, 2018

2nd Sunday Lent B '18 - Keep the Consolation

Jesus leads the Apostles Peter James and John up the mountain to encounter Him as He really is. He desires to reveal Himself to each of us, and it is only in encountering Him that we can become true disciples. Readings are found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022518.cfm Give feed back at https://goo.gl/forms/PvHVPmhjjLcJOX3D2
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Monday, February 19, 2018

1st Sunday Lent B '18 - Keep the Covenant

Jesus enters the desert to be tested, and because He understands His mission, remains faithful. By His faithfulness, He has entered us into the New Covenant. Because of this, we are called to know, love, and serve God, but how? This takes discernment to stay in the covenant! Readings are found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021818.cfm Give feedback at https://goo.gl/forms/UIVErJpPz9nejPAz1
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Friday, February 16, 2018

Ash Wednesday '18 - God's Gift

This Lenten, are we allowing the Lord to give us what He wants? Readings are found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021418.cfm Give feedback at https://goo.gl/forms/sLadxCCqs0vxLpdF2
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Lent

St. John Vianney (1786-1859, Ars, France) was a man sought far and wide for his wisdom and spiritual counsel. He spent countless hours in the confessional, hearing thousands of confessions every year. His homilies and guidance were always in his own down-to-earth style. One day, a woman of obvious means came to him and asked a simple question, "What must I do to reduce [lose weight]?" He looked her up and down, noting her fine jewelry and clothing, and her girth, and replied, "About three Lents." It was not well received, to say the least. She was perhaps looking for an easy answer, his response gave none. He read her soul and found that her size was due to a spiritual malady - perhaps greed, gluttony, or sloth - that could only be cured by entering into a penitential season such as Lent.

The danger is that we too often approach Lent with the opposite attitude. We might be tempted to see it as a period of self-improvement. Looking at the number on the scale or noticing the tightness of our clothing, we might decide that this Lent is a great time to diet. We might be tempted, as we look around, to see the people who might benefit from our charity, and so we create a program for giving. We might be aware of a little addiction (chocolate or candy, pop, TV, etc), and decide Lent is a good time to face that. As good-hearted as these kinds of things are, however, they are not Lent. These things can turn Lent into a self-improvement project.

Lent, which we are entering this week, is about seeking God and His will. We ought to always seek to eliminate from our lives the things that distract us from God and those things to which we are 'inordinately attached' - those things that take too much of our time and attention compared to their eternal value. Lent is about allowing God's grace to transform us, not about our improving ourselves. While it might be true that we see the same effects, we enter Lent to fast, not to diet. We seek to give alms, not to seek reward for charitable giving. We seek the Lord in prayer, not just of self-reflection. We might not need to enter Lent for the same reason as the woman that St. John Vianney encountered, but we need Lent. Let's enter it well, seeking the Lord and His grace, so that as we gather to celebrate Christ's resurrection, we may do so with hearts set free.

Monday, February 12, 2018

View From the AmboPodcast

6th Sunday B '18 - Be Clean

Posted: 11 Feb 2018 10:29 AM PST

Do we come to Jesus with faith that He can heal us? Readings are found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021118.cfm Please give feedback at https://goo.gl/forms/Hl9xjfUfBiJjm2Ri2

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Monday, February 5, 2018

View From the AmboPodcast

5th Sunday B '18 - Why and How

Posted: 04 Feb 2018 11:08 AM PST

Job struggles to understand his suffering, and when he experiences the Lord, he is able to make sense of it. The sick of Capernaum are also suffering, and the Lord heals some, but presumably not all - why. And then Jesus leaves them. In understanding the why, we might endure the how, or understand the mission. Readings are found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020418.cfm Please help us by filling out this survey: https://goo.gl/forms/hfegyodXa40d9GxC2

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Monday, January 29, 2018

View From the AmboPodcast

4th Sunday B '18 - Listen and Love

Posted: 28 Jan 2018 11:11 AM PST

The people of Israel did not want to hear the voice of God, and so He promised that He would send a prophet who would speak to them and tell them His word and will. He gives the law in love. But He sends Jesus, but do we hear Him yet? Have we asked to hear Him? Do we recognize His love of us? Readings are found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/012818.cfm.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Monday, January 22, 2018

View From the AmboPodcast

3rd Sunday B '18 - Abadnoned and Transformed

Posted: 21 Jan 2018 11:06 AM PST

Christ's call to us is an appointed time in which we are invited to abandon the boats, nets, family, and work that keep us from following. Like Jonah, Peter, Andrew, James and John, we are called let God transform these things to proclaim the Good News. Readings are found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/012118.cfm

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Monday, January 15, 2018

View From the AmboPodcast

2nd Sunday '18 - Seek and See

Posted: 14 Jan 2018 11:09 AM PST

John the Baptist points out Jesus. Andrew brings his brother, and they experience Jesus. We, too, are asked what we seek, and invited to experience Jesus. Readings are found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011418.cfm

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now