Fr. Jim's Blog

Tonight I will join Fr. Cal Christansen as WWCCR sponsors a Mass and evening of intercessory prayer for for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to fall upon the entire Church so that we can rise up to the challenges that surround us with joy and boldness.  Here is a link to the flyer for the event.  Great things happen when we join in prayer as a community of faith and ask the Father of Mercies to pour out the Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit! I am greatly looking forward to the evening!

For people who wonder how a parish priest spends his time, here is my calendar from July through February of this year.  Some parishioners are more connected than others, but I often find a lot of parishioners form very strange ideas about how I spend my time and what I do within the parish. The more connected a parishioner is the more understanding they usually are. Sadly, the vast majority of parishioners are not that involved in the parish and lack a lot of information, not just on how I spend my time, but also the time that other staff dedicate to serving the parish. We have many staff who are incredibly dedicated and make a ton of sacrifices for the parish.  Time management is always a challenge for me. There are a lot of things about the parish I like, and some things I don't like. In general, I wish people would step back and be a little more understanding about how many demands and expectations are placed on their parish priests. We are in short supply and I d...

Here are some challenging but inspiring words from Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Lisbon, Portugal on May 11, 2010 during his Apostolic visit to acknowledge the 10th anniversary of the Beatification of Jacinta and Francisco, Young Shepherds of Fátima.  In light of the session of Good Leaders/Good Shepherds I am currently attending, I have highlighted in red the section that caused the most conviction in me. I think he hit the nail on the head. I remember Archbishop Sartain telling us at Priest Days one year, "Don't go wide, go deep!" Sometimes we focus on numbers and not on evidence of a changed and transformed life which is the inevitable fruit of an authentic encounter with the Risen Lord.  I hope you find encouragement in these words. I sure did! Lisbon—friend, port and shelter for the great hopes that were placed in you by those who set off from here, hopes that were cherished by those who visited you—today I wish to make use of these keys that you have...

The Encounter between Chaos and Light In everyday modern life we are hardly aware that on February 2nd we celebrate an ancient feast, common to the Church of both East and West, one which used to have a great significance in the rural calendar: Candlemas. Tributaries from many historical sources have flowed together into this feast, with the result that it sparkles with many colors. Its immediate reference is to the event when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days after his birth to perform the prescribed sacrifice of purification. The liturgy focuses mainly on one detail of Luke’s portrayal: the meeting between the Child Jesus and the aged Simeon. Thus in the Greek-speaking world the feast was called Hypapanti (the encounter). In this juxtaposition of the Child and the old man, the Church sees the encounter between the passing heathen world and the new beginning in Christ, between the fading age of the Old Covenant and the new era of the Church ...

The Importance of Obedience I did indeed obey the Lord. (1 Samuel 15:20) Poor King Saul! Until Samuel confronted him, he had no idea he had disobeyed God. As far as he was concerned, he had just wiped out a formidable enemy, as God had instructed. He just hadn’t gotten around to dealing with their king yet. Surely that was a minor omission. He had even improved on God’s commandment: instead of destroying all the livestock, he had set aside the choicest animals to offer as a sacrifice. Was that really such a bad thing? Sometimes what God asks of us is very clear. We gladly carry out most of it, except for one minor detail. We work through our painful memories until we can forgive everyone who hurt us—except one person. We’re willing to extend the kiss of peace to anyone at Mass—except that man whom you saw at the mall walking arm in arm with another man. It’s also tempting to add to God’s simple commands and then impose our additions on other people. For instance, in situation...

Dear Friends in Christ, Here is a great example of a short but profound homily by Pope Francis on the occasion of the Solemnity of the Epiphany. The words of the Prophet Isaiah – addressed to the Holy City of Jerusalem – are also meant for us. They call us to rise and go forth, to leave behind all that keeps us self-enclosed, to go out from ourselves and to recognize the splendour of the light which illumines our lives: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (60:1). That “light” is the glory of the Lord. The Church cannot illude herself into thinking that she shines with her own light. Saint Ambrose expresses this nicely by presenting the moon as a metaphor for the Church: “The moon is in fact the Church… [she] shines not with her own light, but with the light of Christ. She draws her brightness from the Sun of Justice, and so she can say: ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’” ( Hexaemeron , IV, 8, 32). Christ is ...

I hope that you're having a blessed Advent and that everything is going well as you prepare for Christmas.  The Church sets before us a great "feast" of Scripture readings during the Advent season. There are also some great reflections in the Office of Readings from the Liturgy of the Hours.  Today there was a powerful reflection from one of my favorite devotionals, The Imitation of Christ . This timeless devotional has been a great inspiration for many of our Saints!  Here is the reading for today:  Do not worry about who is and is not on your side: simply make sure that God is with you in all you do. Have a clear conscience, and God will defend you. For if God chooses to help you, no malice can do you harm. If you know how to suffer in silence, without doubt you will receive the help of the Lord. He knows when and how he will free you, so resign yourself into his care. It is for God to give help and give freedom from trouble. For the sake of humilit...