Fr. Jim's Blog

When the soul's powers turn into the interior, down to the very roots of life, using the natural and supernatural means of perfection, then the soul confesses or truly acknowledges God, and does so in a manner full of feeling and spiritual enjoyment. This is an act of faith so true and living that it wins all that is born of faith. Its power is so great that proclaiming God in all sincerity absorbs the soul's entire life: interiorly, in the understanding and the will; outwardly, in every external human faculty; in deeds and words, in doing and refusing to do, and in all sufferings. A man now feels and knows nothing in act or in contemplation except the confessing of God in perfect truth. Father John Tauler, O.P. (From The Magnificat Daily Meditation)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, This week we have been celebrating Catholic Schools Week with all the other Catholic Schools throughout the nation. I wish to thank the the students who gave wonderful reflections on what it means to be a part of Catholic Schools during all of the Masses last weekend. I also thank Brenda Foliagni and all those who helped with the displays and providing information about the school. It is a great blessing and a great responsibility to have a Catholic School as part of our parish.  Having the responsibility of being the Godparent to my niece and two nephews, I pray daily for them and all our children to receive a good upbringing in the Catholic faith. Our future generations are going to have tremendous challenges in living out their Catholic faith and passing it on to their children in a country that seems to be straying further and further away from God.  This is one of the reasons why I also pray daily for the Grace of Pentecost to s...

Today's meditation from The Word Among Us highlights the importance of praying with Scripture. It was very well written and inspirational. Here it is: “Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear… . Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” (Mark 4:23) Look at how closely Mark connected Jesus’ promise of abundance with two exhortations to pay close attention to the way we hear him. By linking these sayings, Mark is telling us that we will be able to hold fast to all that Jesus has given as we take his words seriously. Or to put it negatively, Mark is saying, “Continually grow in your understanding of Jesus, or you may lose what you have.” The “measure we give” is the way we pay attention to Jesus’ words. The “measure we get” has to do with the freedom and life we receive when we hear and follow Jesus. How can you make sure you are letting Jesus’ words sink into you? One way is to set aside a regular time to study the Scriptures...

I just said goodbye to the the kitchen crew who came to help me with the Thai Food dinner from last year's school auction. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make it a great evening. Almost all the food was gone and I don't think the kitchen crew really got much to eat. Next year I will have to quadruple the recipes. I am also going to add another vegetarian dish to the menu.  Shopping and preparation for the meal took me all day. I left shortly after the Monday Morning Offering at school and haven't stopped moving until now. Things got a little complicated with some stores having some ingredients and others not. I also had to buy some new table settings and a deep fat fryer for the hors d'oeuvres. Ideally, I would have started my shopping at least the day before, but that just didn't happen with my schedule.  My folks probably would have come over and helped but they misread my email and thought the gathering was next week. My dad would have liked shar...

The homily from this morning's Mass has been posted. You can listen to it by clicking here. 

I had the opportunity to pray and celebrate the anointing of the sick with a 49 year old mom who is dying from tongue cancer. She has two children and a loving husband. She wasn't actively dying but is on hospice so her transition from this world to the next will probably be very soon. Please pray for Anita and her family. Her husband seemed very overwhelmed by the whole situation, and I can't even begin to imagine how he must feel. The number of family who came to pray with us was incredible! Anita has a very loving family. I greatly appreciate your prayers. Thanks!  in Christ, Fr.Jim

Today the Church celebrates the conversion of St. Paul. What an amazing testimony his life is to the power of God's grace and the joy of conversion. I remember well my first trip to Rome in 1999 and our pilgrimage to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. As I knelt at the tomb of St. Paul I got goosebumps thinking about his life and what a powerful witness he was after his conversion. The Lord told him through Ananias that he would suffer much for the Lord's name (cf Acts 9:16). He soon launched into the great adventure of discipleship and discovered that his willingness to experience suffering for the Lord's sake bore tremendous spiritual fruit leading him to say the following: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word ...