Contributing Clergy: Bishop Kevin W. Vann, Father Glenn Baaten & Deacon Jim Merle
“Nothing delights me more than to hear that my children are walking in this path.” (3 Jn. 4)
Parenting is a decision that can bring boundless
joy if parents accept the great responsibility of what God’s gift is calling them
to do by caring for a person for their entire lives in either blood or adoptive
relationships. The difficulty lies in how a parent defines what that means to
her or him.
“Praised be God, the Father of mercies, and the God of all consolation! He comforts us in all our afflictions and thus enables us to comfort those who are in trouble with the same consolation we have received from Him.”
(2 Cor. 1:3-4)
“Who
can this be that the wind and the sea obey Him”? (Mark 4:41)
Daily, news media updates us with extraordinary weather disasters across the United States that range from wildfires to flooding, tornadoes to hurricanes and from heat domes to large hail stones. People are being hurt and dying, property is being destroyed and such vast areas are affected that may never be able to be restored even with the help of federal funds.
Two thousand years ago the itinerant preacher known as Jesus, son of Joseph, the carpenter, and his wife, Mary, lived a simple life in a rural area of Galilee in northern Israel. Fishing and agriculture were the two main industries. It should be no surprise that Jesus talked to the people in this time about interests of which they were familiar, but we are not.
“Sin speaks to the wicked man in his heart; there is no dread of God before his eyes, for he beguiles himself with the thoughts that his guilt will not be found out or hated.” Psalm 36:2-3
The solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) focuses primarily on the adoration of the Holy Eucharist and secondarily on the presence of the Body of Christ in the Church as a sign of common faith. In other words we, His disciples, are the Body of Christ who believe in the real sacramental presence of Christ in the Eucharist, not just a symbol of eating a wafer. He, Jesus, the Son of God, is physically and spiritually present in our bodies we carry with us throughout the day.
Dear Subscribers –
Several weeks ago I wrote about how we have been gifted by the Holy Spirit. In that blog I mentioned the gifts I have been given and how they have enhanced my relationship with God. My idea was to take each gift, write about it and then summarize how these work for me and how from that you might be able to understand your gifts to become closer with God.
In doing this, my timing was off in that I still wanted to first review the Sundays of Pentecost, The Most Holy Trinity and the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ before offering my assessment of gifts I have. Therefore, I will do that the 10th Sunday of Ordinary time which falls on June 9, 2024. Below is my blog on the Holy Trinity which will be followed next week by the Body and Blood of Christ.
Thank you for your understanding,
Deacon Jim
God’s perfect plan for our involvement might seem over the top with the original Pentecost filled with a “strong driving wind,” “tongues as of fire” and speaking in different tongues, but why shouldn’t it be? We are created out of God’s love to build the Kingdom of God by bringing people to God. Without God’s help, we would not be able to accomplish this. We need to be of the same Spirit to spread His message of love through preaching, healing and forgiving.
Whether male or female, many of us look at strength as a physical attribute allowing us power to face demanding situations and overcome challenges as individuals or by sure numbers of people and weapons. Every May, Russia celebrates its might in the Victory Day parade with its armed forces and armaments so that anyone thinking they can conquer them by force needs to think twice before doing anything.
One of the most important lessons I learned in life both in the minor seminary for two years as a teenager studying to be a priest and as a married adult in formation for ordination as a deacon was to adopt virtues that represent who I am and how to maintain a holy life.