Pastor's Corner

We celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord this weekend and are reminded of the last words and bits of wisdom imparted by our Lord to the early Church. Most recently we celebrated our mothers who teach us how to be wise by their actions and words, and as our schools soon conclude another academic year, we are thankful for the ministry of our educators, whose life imparts more than knowledge. Our hope  is that all graduates and their learnings will lead them to greater Christian maturity. May is full of opportunities for wisdom to allow us to become more mature.

Pope Paul VI wrote: “The law of Christian maturity demands that we lose ourselves in concern for others. One must not wait until all problems at home are solved before beginning to address oneself to those of the neighbor. In fact, an awareness of the immensity of the task the problems of progress which faced humanity as a whole can stir individuals to work more seriously for progress in their own society.”

Benjamin Franklin’s practical suggestions on how to get along with others are as timely today as they were when he wrote them nearly 250 years ago:

‘The best thing to give your enemy is forgiveness:

-to an opponent, tolerance;

-to a friend, your ear;

-to your child, good example;

-to a father, reverence;

-to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you;

-to yourself, respect;

-to all men, charity.’

And one more bit of wisdom:

“Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.”  Samuel Johnson

-Fr. Jerry

There is some folk wisdom that says, “An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy”. This reminds us of what many so easily forget – that parents, and especially mothers, are the most important teachers of religious and spiritual values. In our society today, where specialists exist in every field of life, we sometimes expect the experts to perform the tasks that we should be performing and do perform ourselves. How easily might parents play down their influence as teachers and don’t realize they possess the best options to raise their children. 

The core of the Gospel is pretty simple. When we come in contact with true prayer, it becomes even more simple; the more we pray, the simpler life becomes. The day to day living out of our religious values is not complicated and does not require anyone to be an expert. The only requirements are great love and self-discipline, and as the Gospel today reminds us, we also have to realize that as we give witness to our faith, we will also have to suffer as a result.   

Each of us is a teacher, and we teach the most when we are not trying to teach and when we don’t even realize that anyone is studying us. In a society so glued to their phones and devices, we forget that WE are the device from which others learn their most profound lessons. 

Mothers do have an amazing opportunity as fathers do to be the best teachers, and that is another reason why our Catholic Church is more focused on Family Formation and not just formation of our children. Every family who desires to have their children journey with us in faith and to receive sacraments here in our parish, should be partners with our parish in forming children in the faith.   We also realize that there are many parents who need our help and encouragement to do so, and so our community response is imperative. We will be looking for more opportunities to listen to our families in order to better work together to form families of faith and a community that better collaborates to form our children in the Gospel. 

Pregnant and parenting moms in need are in our parish and our neighborhoods. As Pope Francis reminds us, our parishes need to be “Islands of mercy in the midst of the sea of indifference.”  Everyone in our parish should know the many ways we already support moms in need, from our increasing involvement with the many good ministries of Catholic Charities, to our increasing support of Foster Care Ministry to the crisis pregnancy centers and Walking with Moms.   

Moms and dads; don’t send your children to school to learn to be something, be that “something” yourself.  And when you doubt your ability to be the primary teacher for your family, just remember that “an ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.” 

Happy Mothers Day to all mothers! Thank you for choosing life!!