Fr. Jim's Blog

(At last a blog entry! It’s been a long time since my last one! Guess I’d better make this one a little longer.) It was extremely hot and humid on Thursday for our trip to Vanuatu. We proceeded to a lush area with lots of vegetation and I watched in horror as about ten mosquitoes landed on the calf of the woman in front of me. I quickly brought this to the attention of my mom who wisely brought two insect repellant wipes. She handed me one and we rubbed them all over our open skin and walked away unbitten. Thank you Lord! (We were warned about the Zika virus on several occasions from Holland America.) Vanuatu is a very small and poor country but the people are very friendly. It was fascinating to watch people climb up the coconut trees to gather coconuts, a staple food for them. My mom and dad visited Christmas Island several years ago for a fishing trip. My mom was telling me how big of a problem diabetes was for the natives because of the massive amounts of coconuts the peop...

I need to make several revisions to the last blog I posted and will the newly edited post back online when I am finished. Thanks for your patience! P.S. The ship television is playing "San Andreas" which isn't a very good movie to watch when you're at sea on a boat. :) Somehow the people who made this movie got together and imagined the worse case earthquake scenario and made a movie out of it. Let's just say you wouldn't be moving to California after watching the movie! The special effects are good and I am always fascinated by how they do those.

I returned late last night from Chicago where I was able to attend a powerful retreat (with some inspirational Lenten insights) followed by some outstanding classes. I am flying down to Anaheim today for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. This event draws people from all over the country and even some other parts of the world. The attendance is usually over 40,000. My mom is coming with me this year as well as our pastoral associate. My friend Matt from Alaska, who will also be attending the RE Congress, has arranged for us to go on a tour tomorrow of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles. It was started by Fr. Gregory Boyle who has had a special ministry to gangs and prisoners.  Here is a brief description of what they do from their website: Homeboy Industries provides hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men and women allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of our community....

How God Measures Us This, rather, is the fasting that I wish. (Isaiah 58:6) In the film Mary Poppins, there is a scene in which Mary uses a measuring tape on herself. But rather than feet or inches, the tape reads, “Practically perfect in every way.” It’s a cute little scene, but it tells us a lot about her personality. In today’s first reading, we see God’s measuring tape for fasting. The passage names eight specific things that God wants Israel to do. If the people measure up, their glory will “break forth like the dawn,” and their relationship with God will deepen dramatically (Isaiah 58:8, 9). Israel never did manage to live up to these standards, however. But how did God respond? Like many of the prophetic writings, this passage can be understood in a number of ways. It is both an exhortation for Israel to change and a guideline to help them encounter God on a deeper level. It can also be read in the context of history, as a revelation of God’s grace. God could have turn...

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...