Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter 2020: JN 14:7-14, Homily, Art, COVID-19 Update

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Pastel Drawing by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2016

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Gospel JN 14:7-14

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to Jesus,
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father.
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”

 

 

 

Sacred Heart Parish: Coronavirus Update 5-10-20 

 

  • Sacred Heart Parish has created a COVID-19 Task Force to discuss the innumerable details that need to be considered to allow our parish to reopen safely and resume Masses. The Task Force will report back to the parish.

 

Mission Statement: The Sacred Heart Parish Covid-19 Task Force will assist the Pastor in planning for the reopening of the parish for the celebration of Masses for as many parishioners as can be accommodated in a healthy and safe environment within state guidelines. It will also help articulate how Sacred Heart Parish can lead in calling all parishioners to service. The plan will outline what adjustments will be needed when Masses with a greater number of people become possible at a future time. The health and safety of all clergy, staff and parishioners will be the central element of the plan. The Task Force’s assistance will be offered for as long as necessary.

 

  • Sacred Heart Parish will determine when and how we resume Masses based on our ability to maintain a safe environment. Keep in mind that these procedures and timeline may be different from other churches in the diocese.

– The goal is to tentatively resume Masses at Sacred Heart Church only the weekend of Pentecost, May 30 & 31.

– Initially, Masses will be offered only at Sacred Heart Church. We will open the two mission churches at a later date.

– We are pursuing the ability to live stream/ record Masses and make them available on our website.

 

  • It is important to keep in mind that when Masses do resume, things will be different than before.

– The number of people who can attend will be limited.

– Parishioners will be asked to register in advance to attend a Mass.

– There will be a check-in process for Mass.

– We will follow social distancing rules.

– Attendees will be required to wear a mask.

– The church will be cleaned and sanitized after each Mass.

 

  • More details coming soon

– Check the bulletin, website & Facebook for more details. We will be sending out more detailed communications in the next few weeks.

 

 

Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter 2020: JN 14:1-6, Homily, and Art

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Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC

 

CLICK HERE to listen to today’s reflection

PLEASE READ our COVID-19 update from Sacred Heart Parish: CLICK HERE 

 

Gospel JN 14:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Fifth Sunday of Easter 2020: Bulletin Cover Art and Column

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May 10, 2020 bulletin cover

PLEASE READ the complete bulletin by clicking here    

 

May 10, 2020

Fifth Sunday of Easter

 

Dear Believers in the Risen Christ,

Even though I know in my mind I belong to God, my heart is often troubled. My heart is often like a swinging door, welcoming God on one day and then keeping God out on others. A troubled heart is a mark of being human. There is no one answer that will finally convince the human heart to stop worrying or questioning or pondering its place in life.

Jesus understands the fickleness of human experience. He experienced Peter’s denial. That denial must have broken Jesus’ heart. He witnessed Judas betray him. Jesus felt deeply the lukewarm commitments of his disciples. Our capacity to sit up straight in the glow of God’s love for us is never easy. The troubled heart on many days wins when we believe the flimsy stories we tell ourselves, that we do not belong, that we are unlovable or that we do not have a suitable place in center of God’s heart.

Our troubled hearts beat a common drum of despair and loneliness in these COVID-19 days. Our restlessness causes us to lash out at others and to become suspicious of others wearing masks, especially African American men or people without homes walking down the streets. People who are already broken bear the brunt of our despair, our brothers in large prisons and our fathers in nursing homes. When our hearts are troubled, we tend to view the world with nasty judgments and snarly suspicions and then our fear snakes it way into life one more time.

In John 14: 1-12, Jesus is inviting every troubled heart to understand that he reveals only love and kindness. He even has a place for us, for you and for me, in eternal life. A dwelling that will be forever. A dwelling of love and healing and a new understanding that death gives way to life. A dwelling where fear melts away and unity and communion become real. Jesus tells us one more time in this Easter season that only he is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Our hearts are restless until that message finally makes a home within us. We are slow learners where our hearts are concerned.

However, Jesus’ promise is not just about life after death. Because of his Resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit, our present life contains his eternal life. In other words, eternal life is NOW. We belong to him no matter how troubled we are and no matter how our stubbornness gets in the way. Eternal life is for us who believe. If this is real, then we are to live here on earth the hope of heaven.

Heaven is pure unity; then we are to seek unity and communion among all the divisions of his world. Heaven is sure food and full satisfaction; then we are to seek out those who are starving for food and love. Hope and good will be here in our neighborhood when we reflect heaven on earth. Heaven is pure love: then we are to seek out the lost and forgotten and those whose lives are not seen as having value.

The Easter message of Eternal Life is balm for our troubled hearts. Eternity also begins today as we strive to welcome the lost and the sinner. Eternal life wells up in our hearts washing away our troubles. This is Easter. This is the work of the Father. This is hope for our world and the pleasures of the human heart.

Jesus said to him, “ I am the way, the truth and the life.”

 God give you peace,

Fr. Ron

 

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter 2020: JN 13:16-20, Homily, and Art

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Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2020

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Gospel JN 13:16-20

When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master
nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.
If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.
I am not speaking of all of you.
I know those whom I have chosen.
But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.
From now on I am telling you before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe that I AM.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send
receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter 2020: JN 12:44-50, Homily, and Art

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The Tender Shepherd: Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2017

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Gospel JN 12:44-50

Jesus cried out and said,
“Whoever believes in me believes not only in me
but also in the one who sent me,
and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.
I came into the world as light,
so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.
And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them,
I do not condemn him,
for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.
Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words
has something to judge him: the word that I spoke,
it will condemn him on the last day,
because I did not speak on my own,
but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.
And I know that his commandment is eternal life.
So what I say, I say as the Father told me.”

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter: JN 10: 22-30, Homily, and Art

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The Tender Shepherd: Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2020

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO TODAY’S HOMILY

 

 

Gospel JN 10:22-30

The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem.
It was winter.
And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon.
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
“How long are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me.
But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”

Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter 2020: Jn 10: 11-18, Homily and Art

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The Good Shepherd: Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2017

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Gospel  JN 10:11-18

Jesus said:
“I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my Father.”

The Fourth Sunday of Easter 2020: JN 10:1-10, Homily and Prayers of the Faithful

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The Tender Shepherd: Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2020

TODAY’S HOMILY: CLICK HERE

Gospel

JN 10:1-10

Jesus said:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

 

Prayers of the Faithful

Let us pray that our Good Shepherd may wipe away every tear from our eyes and guide us into green pastures of kindness and fidelity in his name. May our Church proclaim the glory of God.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our Universal Church in this time of crisis and transition. May we learn new ways of serving those in need and to become the message of compassion for those weary from life, from job loss, from ill health and those who feel the stress of isolation.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our children who look forward to receiving Holy Communion for the first time and for our students who will receive the sacrament of Confirmation upon our return to our church communities. May the Good Shepherd guide them for a lifetime of love and service within the Church.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us listen carefully to the voice of Christ Jesus and imitate his compassionate expressions, especially in times of violence, hatred and uncertainty. May we be in union with divine integrity.

We pray to the Lord.

We pray for nurses and doctors, administrators and support staff, in every hospital across the world who have shepherded the terminally ill during this time of COVID-19. Bring relief to those worn down by this virus and help us all support human life.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for people who face destructive floods and storms especially in our farmlands throughout our nation. May the Good Shepherd bring green pastures and hope for those who plant and harvest our food.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our beloved dead. We pray our loved ones may now find home in a new land where God’s face and voice are fully revealed.

We pray to the Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

The Fourth Sunday of Easter 2020: Bulletin Column and Art

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May 3, 2020 bulletin cover

Sunday May 3, 2020

Dear Followers of the Shepherd,

I am easily lost. I get caught in thickets of self-doubt and fear. I stumble on my own egocentric paths. The path to Jesus is not always easily discernible. Sometimes I stray. Sometimes I don’t really want to be found.

However, Jesus desires us, even me. This is revealed to us every year on the Fourth Sunday of Easter. It is commonly called, Good Shepherd Sunday. Sometimes it is an opportunity to speak about vocations to religious life and priesthood. I believe it is an opportunity to remind us all that Jesus truly desires us, no matter how far we are from him and from our own lives and vocations.

Today’s gospel, John 10:1-10, invites us to view Jesus as the source of life once again. Jesus speaks and we listen. Jesus invites and we enter the gate. Jesus challenges and we, too, lay down our lives. We do so because we know we cannot live faith and integrity on our own efforts. We get lost in self-aggrandizement. We get lost in comparing our lives to others and that is always a place of death. Comparing our lives to others is the end of the spiritual journey, according to many of the saints. Fear clenches our jaws and then we are unable to speak the truth. Pride raises its voice and then we can no longer listen to the voice of the Shepherd.

We are followers of the Risen Christ. So often we forget this identity. We easily forget who we are when life takes us through gates of entrapment. We get lost in alcohol. We find food our home. We get lost among bling and stuff. We hoard and stuff our emotions. We get lost in playing games on our phones when others need our attention. To find out who we are and whose we are is not easy. This is what Easter is all about.

In our times apart from community prayer, how do we listen to God? How do we search for God who searches for us? One of the ways this happens is to learn how to be alone. I don’t mean to be lonely, but to transform our alone time into a time of prayer and intimacy. Many people do not know themselves well. We get lost in false motivations and we can’t find our way through the emotional hurts of the past. We speak from pain that we have been holding since childhood. We act out and react to events and people inappropriately because we were never affirmed as young people. Resistance to God is real. Resistance to self-knowledge that only God reveals is evident in our days and in our society. Praying our lives from our deepest longings and allowing God to examine our circumstances becomes the way in which the Good Shepherd finds us.

Jesus invites us through the gate. The gate is really his passion, death and resurrection. This is called the Paschal Mystery. This is the action, the rhythm of hope for us. Death gives way to life. No doubt. We become caretakers for such a mystery. We have the opportunity to listen to the voice of the Master, the Shepherd we call Good. This is our prayer of longing and our search for intimacy.

In our prayer while we are home, make sure you are creating a space in which to be quiet. This is your opportunity for deeper prayer. This is your place in which to learn how to listen to the Shepherd and to the rhythm of your own life, your own breathing and heartbeat. This is the gate in which Jesus invites us through. Resistance can become a strong shield to God; it can become a wall so high in our lives that we can no longer pray. Jesus invites us into the depths of his longing for us.

Be prepared to listen to the voice of the Shepherd. This voice soothes our silence. This voice is heard among our children and in our care for others in the night. This voice motivates us for the common good and heals our pasts. This voice is freedom and not restriction. This voice is genuine prayer and not rote words. This voice is from the Shepherd in whose life we find our vocations as Christians.

I so desire to be found in him.

God give you peace,

Fr. Ron

 

Memorial of Saint Athanasius, bishop and Doctor of the Church 2020: JN 6:60-69, Homily and Art

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“Spirit and Life” Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2020

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Gospel  JN 6:60-69

Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said,
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,
he said to them, “Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe.”
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe
and the one who would betray him.
And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by my Father.”

As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer walked with him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”