Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, August 17, 2025

In this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that when we are on fire for Him, we will definitely rub others in our family the wrong way. He wants us to understand that He is the most divisive character in the history of the world. If we think that calling Jesus divisive is rude or blasphemous, we should remember that Jesus Himself said He was divisive. He says that His reason for coming to this earth was to bring division. In fact, He uses the word “against” 8 times and “division/divided” 3 times in this short passage!

Being divisive is not something that sits comfortably with us when we think about the Reign of God or Christianity. Even to ponder divisions in Christianity is sad. Trying to live Christian values in a society that celebrates secularization, entitlement, and the rejection of moral standard is very challenging. As we constantly see in the media, not everyone likes the truth to which Christians witness by word or action.

Jesus knew that His “fire” would drive wedges between family members both then and now. He realized that some family members would not be open to His message or His way of living. He wanted His fire to destroy the reigning religious practices. While the religious leaders thought that these practices “guaranteed” their salvation, those same leaders were actually the most distant from God.

Jesus was enthusiastic about the mission given him by the Father – to spread the Good News of a loving God. Jesus calls us to continue that mission. We pray for the gifts we need and for the transformation of desire that brings us more into harmony with him in living out our call. As we think about our lives and our call, we should anticipate that some aspects of our values or faith may cause others to feel uncomfortable or may even bring division.

We realize that following Jesus can bring us into confrontation with others. Yet, we must have the courage to continue teach them about the Good News of the Kingdom even when it causes division. When facing this division, we must invite the Lord to be with us and to give us wisdom and fortitude so that we can best deal with situations when our beliefs lead to differences with those around us.

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, August 10, 2025

PARISH UPDATE:

Pastoral Services Appeal (PSA) –We have received $365,000 in total pledges from 331 donors and have collected $346,000. THANK YOU! Since we have met our Diocesan goal of $241,000, we will receive a rebate of $124,000 if we collect all remaining pledges. There is still time to donate. Please help us to increase that rebate!

Parking Lot and Plaza Lighting – We have replaced the light fixtures throughout the parking lot. The new fixtures are brighter, use less energy, and will last longer than the fixtures they replaced. We also added another string of lights to the plaza which make the plaza entrance more welcoming at night.

Parking Lot Re-Surfacing – We completed the initial phase of this major project. This involved scraping 2 inches of asphalt and installing a new asphalt surface which has fiber reinforcement designed to be more crack resistant and longer lasting. The new surface needs three months to “cure.” The parking lot has been temporarily striped so that we can use it. In October, we will seal the asphalt and permanently paint the stripes.

Church Improvements – We have a plan for renovation of the “cry” (soon to be “Family”) room which should begin shortly. In the Adoration Chapel, a parishioner has re-finished the walls, we have new lighting, new chairs, and a new rug. We are awaiting religious art and a magnificent pedestal for the Blessed Sacrament which is being custom built by another parishioner.The chapel will be completed within the next four to six weeks.

Solar Power –  We have replaced the roofing on the side roofs of the school and will soon begin installing rooftop solar panels on the school, the church, and the pastoral center. Eventually we will connect the school and the transformer via a tunnel under the parking lot. We hope to benefit from solar power by January.

Phone, PA, & Bells – We have identified the systems that will best meet our needs, we have received generous funding, and are working with our vendor to arrange for a smooth installation.

Thank you for your amazing generosity, your continued patience, and your outstanding dedication to St. Edward the Confessor and San Felipe de Jesus. God is good!

Our 75th Anniversary celebration is on August 30th. If you would like to attend, please register. I hope to see you there!

Fr. Mike

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, August 3, 2025

I was very blessed to have had a great career. It was both fulfilling and rewarding. It also gave me an opportunity to put together a solid retirement plan. My wife and I thought that our retirement would involve spending summers at her family vacation home in Michigan. In the winters we hoped to live near our son to be near the grandkids we were hoping to have. We would also travel to places that we had always wanted to visit. Oh, and I was going to teach college and become a deacon. It was a great plan until God said, “you fool, today your wife’s life will be demanded.” It was then that I realized that our earthly happiness was not a very worthwhile goal.

The writer of Ecclesiastes is very direct when he says, “All things are vanity!” There are two key words – “things” meaning material possessions and “vanity” meaning pride. Everything that we accumulate on this earth feeds our pride. We take joy in our new car, our new television, our new phone. We focus on the here and now. Living for today seems important to us. Yet, as the Psalmist writes, “a thousand years in God’s sight are as yesterday…” Our entire existence is merely a fleeting moment in God’s eyes. We’re very proud of what we accomplish, but, in the grand scheme of eternity, it doesn’t amount to much.

St. Paul reminds us in the second reading that one essential part of becoming rich in what matters to God is to root out the desires that lead us astray from God, those parts of us that he calls “earthly.” That’s why Paul tells us to “Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.”

Of course, simply having money and nice things is not at all bad or evil. The problem arises if we become consumed by the goal of getting and retaining material possessions and when the pursuit of that goal disrupts our relationships with God, or at home, or with others. When we place God first, and love our neighbors as ourselves, we soon begin to experience a lasting happiness that does not originate from our fleeting, earthly, material possessions, but from God, whose love fills us with true and lasting peace, joy and happiness.

Fr. Mike