Author Archives: Ronald Patrick Raab, C.S.C.

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About Ronald Patrick Raab, C.S.C.

Ronald Raab, C.S.C.,serves as religious superior at Holy Cross House, a medical and retirement home for the Congregation of Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Indiana

“Send us out with nothing to lose”Mt 10:7-15

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Gospel Mt 10:7-15

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your wordsC
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.”
Jesus,
Send us out with nothing to lose.
Help us leave behind the stuff that weighs us down.
           The stuff of power, self-righteousness and arrogance.
Give us the courage to enter into suffering.
           To heal diseases, to forgive others, to tear down walls and build up people.
Send us humbly with only peace.
            Help us shake the dust from our desire to wanting to be right.
            Help us listen to your words and not to our own banter. 
             Help us be honest in your service and true to your mission of hope.
Give us a worthy heart and allow hope to rest in our impatience. 
            Help us build a house, a church of worthiness and peace.
Amen

Rosemary 1921-2004

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mother and child july 4

Rosemary Raab: July 8, 1921-July 3,2004

My mother, Rosemary Raab, died on this date in 2004. I painted this image this afternoon after Masses. Today’s first Scripture at Mass was a profound reflection for me, to allow my heart to remember the early days of life.

Reading 1 Is 66:10-14c

Thus says the LORD:
Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her,
all you who love her;
exult, exult with her,
all you who were mourning over her!
Oh, that you may suck fully
of the milk of her comfort,
that you may nurse with delight
at her abundant breasts!
For thus says the LORD:
Lo, I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent.
As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms,
and fondled in her lap;
as a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you;
in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort.

When you see this, your heart shall rejoice
and your bodies flourish like the grass;
the LORD’s power shall be known to his servants.

Column from parish bulletin

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July 3, 2016

Dear Believers,

Today’s gospel (Luke 10:1-12, 17-20) continues to challenge us in the ways we follow Jesus. Jesus tells us that the harvest is abundant but laborers are few. So back up only a few belongings and get with the program. Go out with no money bag, no sandals and greet no one along the way. There is work to do and the gospel to proclaim.

Jesus tells us that, “Peace” needs to be proclaimed in the household that is visited. “Peace” is also the first word that Jesus proclaims after the resurrection when the disciples were locked in a room in fear. The gospel proclaims this peace as we go out to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Peace is key to discovering the love and mercy of Jesus.

This holiday weekend brings travel, job changes and a new fiscal year. Transitions in July include family vacations or more quiet time. Peace is something that we not only desire but also must live in our country and world. We are grateful for our own country, especially this weekend. Peace in our day is not easy to come by.

We welcome all who are visiting the Tri-Community this weekend. We are glad you are praying with us. Please take us with you and continue to pray for us wherever you call home. I hope you enjoy your time at the Eucharist with us.

I hope that you will get to enjoy your family this weekend, enjoy a vacation or retreat. Get some rest. Read a real book. Listen to your grandparents. Pray with your kids. Offer ice cream to someone whom needs your forgiveness. Breathe deeply. Hike a trail. Sleep in. Laugh with a friend. Be grateful for your life. Call, don’t text. Visit an art gallery. Create something. Write in your journal. Finger-paint a picture. Eat sweet corn and at least two burgers. We need to fill our lives with leisure as well as work. We need downtime in order to discover God’s saving and loving life in our lives. We need perspective in order to discover how we cling to God’s mercy and hope for our lives. We need balance and healthy relationships.

Enjoy the weekend. Enjoy your search for integrity and prayer. Pray for peace in our day and time. Our Independence Day calls us all to reflect on our role to bring peace to our world and nation. We are grateful for our veterans in our parish community who have served our nation. We pray for them and their families. We always pray for peace…

I want to share with you one of my litanies that is published in “Save Us, Send Us: Praying with Litanies” published from World Library Publications, Chicago, IL, 2013

 

For Peace and Justice

(Matthew 5:38-48)

 Response: O God, work your will through us.

Help us give to one another who asks:

Help us provide shelter for the weary and tired:

Help us protect the weak and the lonely:

Help us to become a better people when we serve others:

 

Help us walk the extra mile:

Help us listen with all of our attention:

Help us love when love seems impossible:

Help us turn the other cheek:

 

Help us give our extra cloaks to those who face long winters:

Help us offer our time as well as our clothing:

Help us extend our attention to all who are addicted and ill:

Help us remember the dignity of all people:

 

Help us claim the wounded in war:

Help us teach the children who face hunger and disasters:

Help us remember the eyes of the poor:

Help us believe you are among us in our suffering:

 

Help us know our responsibility to offer our gifts and talents:

Help us cling to the message of peace:

Help us put an end to war, violence and hatred:

Help us be compassionate as you are compassionate:

 

Blessings to you all,

Fr. Ron

 

 

 

Today’s Drawing and prayer

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Charcoal: Ronald Raab, CSC

Prayer based on: Matthew 9:1-8

Jesus, Son of the Living God,

You call the man out of his paralysis, “Rise, pick up your mat and walk.”

Help me to sort through the years of fear and regret that I too may live a life of integrity.

Open me to the wisdom that is your forgiveness and presence.

Send me forth into the world even when I know I am still stiffened by doubt.

Enable me to learn more about myself from seeking you within my heart.

For I am paralyzed not in my limbs but in my ability to discover you from within.

Jesus, source of mercy, run toward me in my longing for you alone.

With you my heart will rise again.

WIth this wisdom, I will live forever.

Amen

 

 

Column from today’s parish bulletin

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June 26, 2016

Dear Followers of Jesus,

Luke’s gospel (9:51-52) invites us to reflect on the ways in which we follow Jesus. Some of the disciples offered a variety of excuses not follow Jesus. After all, following Jesus lead them into strange lands with little resources and little food after they had already left their livelihoods and families. Following Jesus was not easy, seemingly with little reward.

One disciple used the excuse that he had to go and burry his father first. Jesus insisted that once you have your hand on the plow, sure enough, you must continue on the journey. Don’t look back. Keep focused. Never tire. Jesus demanded a lot from his early followers. The gospel of Luke wanted to make sure that people were getting the message of Jesus because the gospel writer Luke thought for sure that Jesus would come back to the earth the second time in his day and age. Luke wanted to make sure that everyone was ready.

We have lots of excuses not to follow in our day and age. “I need to spend more time with my family.” “My work schedule is crazy.” “I am divorced and the Church doesn’t want me anyway.” “I am gay and people don’t accept me and why should I bother with Jesus.” I will pray more when I retire. I will be more active when my children get in school.” Our excuses are many and varied. Our excuses tell us much about priorities, our future plans and ourselves. However, all we need is to seek God and the Holy Spirit will take of the rest.

One of the reasons why we hesitate following Jesus more is that we have been hurt in the past. Our prayers have not been answered, at least in ways that we wanted them to be. We grieve the loss of a child or a spouse and our prayers for healing never worked and the community still avoided speaking with us and supporting us. We carry within our fragile hearts the many excuses that keep us from fully entering into the mystery of our relationship with Jesus.

Jesus seem pretty demanding in this text because he is trying to get his followers to understand that nothing stands in the way of our primary relationship with him. Nothing. No parent or death. No work or position. No other identity other than being a Child of God and learning to follow the life and gift of Jesus. This message takes time for us to hear and realize. This message comes at us full force when we would rather seek other plans.

I invite you as you enter into your summer plans, to take some prayerful time this summer and to examine your priorities about following Jesus and being part of the Church. We need you in the Tri-Community. We want the best for you. We desire to support the stranger as well as the parishioner. Jesus wants you close to his heart so that you may know his mercy and kindness, that you may understand with you full heart that love is real and hope is not something abstract in your life.

Jesus want us to be fit for the Kingdom of God even in this warning in today’s gospel. He desires us to follow unreservedly, with hope to bring the world. Let go of the excuses to pray. Become hope filled in your prayer. Be patient as God’s calls you closer to himself. Jesus treasures us and loves us all.

Here are some thoughts for you to let go of your excuses:

My usual excuses about not praying, about not following Jesus seem to be______

I know if I hold on to my excuses about not drawing closer to God, then God will not ask much of me so___

I fear being close to God’s love because___

I feel more comfortable with my work, kids and life and I really do not have time for prayer because it usually gets in the way of____

I wish Christians could accept me because I struggle with___

I want to know Jesus and I am lost about how to get there so I ______

Jesus, do not abandon me today so that I ____

Blessings to all of you,

Fr. Ron

 

“Protect us, O Lord”

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“Protect us, O Lord” Painting: Ronald Raab,CSC

Lord Christ,

We come before you amid the flooding of West Virginia and the firestorms in California. We are wounded from the violence and hatred in Orlando and the continuation of violence in our cities of Chicago, New York and Los Angeles and more.

Give us resilience and courage, give us peace within our hearts. Send us the power of your mercy that we may turn to you in our need once again. Help us live in our cities listening to your words of consolation and healing. Allow peace to echo in the canyons of our cities.

We turn to you. Keep us from hatred and harm. Protect us. Love us.

Amen