Shining Light

From Our Spiritual Advisor:

As I meditated on what I should address in this article, I encountered the Gospel reading for Thursday of the third week in ordinary time – the familiar parable in Mark 4:21 in which Jesus asked His disciples, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?” 

Jesus is the light of the world, and in God’s goodness, we have received – and continue to receive - that light.  We first received Christ’s light through our baptism, and we continue to receive it in many other ways as we practice our faith.  We receive His light when we come to Mass - through both the Holy Scriptures that are proclaimed, and in the Eucharist we receive.  We receive His light through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  We receive His light in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  We receive His light through prayer and meditation, and through study of the Holy Scriptures.  In all these ways, and in many others, we receive the light of Christ.  But the question that Jesus puts before us in this Gospel passage is, “what will our RESPONSE be receiving that light?  Time and again in the Gospels, Jesus makes it clear that we are called to imitate Him in the way we love and serve others in our lives.  

Time and again, Jesus tells us that we are to share our resources generously with those in need (and there is such great need in our world today). There is no question that God wants us to grow in holiness.  And there is no question that God wants us to grow in knowledge of Him through our study.  And all of the afore-mentioned spiritual practices help us to grow in holiness – to receive God’s light. 

But if we do all those spiritual things, and then fail to show kindness and forgiveness to our family members, then we are hiding our light under a bushel basket.  If we do all those spiritual things, but then choose not to generously share our “first fruits” to help support those in our community and in our world who are in need, then we are hiding our lamp under a bushel basket.  If we do all those spiritual things, but then can’t bring ourselves to smile and say “hello” or “God bless” to a stranger, or can’t bring ourselves to share fellowship with someone because they look, or live, or believe, or vote differently than us, then we are putting our lamp under a bushel basket. If we spend time and energy in search of Christ’s light……if we do all we can to grow in holiness, but we don’t live that holiness – don’t share that light -- then what is the point?  Is holiness that is focused only inward really holiness at all?  

The answer to that question comes a little later in that same Gospel reading, where Jesus tells his disciples, “The measure you give will be the measure you receive, and you will receive more in addition.  To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who does not have, even what little he has will be taken away” (Mark 4:24-25). Jesus is telling us that if we don’t share His light, we will lose it.  But the good news is that we can’t exhaust His light by shining it on others.  The more we let His light shine through us, the more of His light He will give us.  That is the essence of the three-legged stool of piety, study, and action! As we prepare to begin the season of Lent, let’s all take time to reflect deeply on whether our lamp has been on a lamp-stand, or under a bushel basket in all the areas of our lives.  Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to show us where we haven’t been letting that light shine as we are called to.  Let’s all respond to the gift of Christ’s light by reflecting that light for all to see!  

Deacon Don Fritsch

Our Holy Families

From Our Lay Directors:  

De Colores brothers and sisters in Christ! 

In the Catholic Church, the month of February is dedicated to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The Holy Family are a wonderful model for us and our families, with their example of holiness, and domestic virtue, love, unity and submission to God’s will. 

I can’t help but think of how family changes throughout the years. For myself I’ve gone from simply being a daughter and sister, to becoming a wife and mom and on to a mother-inlaw, stepmom … you get the picture. Life is ever changing! But the important thing is what we do with these changes and how we allow God to teach us, use us, and guide us through these changes.   

Mary and Joseph loved Jesus and each other dearly and devoted their lives to protecting and providing as best they could and allowing God’s will to come to fruition. I’m certain they also struggled at times with the young child and adolescent Jesus as they were human and so was he. They were no different than us in many ways.  

Are you having struggles within your family? Are the kids and grandkids growing so quickly, not taking time for weekly mass? Is there a fight to balance technology time with family time? Are texting and emailing taking over face to face communication within your family?  

Some of our challenges are very different than those of the Holy Family! But like them, we need to pray and ask God’s guidance and strength. And we need to submit to God’s will in all circumstances. We also need to do our best to be good examples of Christ to one another every day. Changes and challenges within our families will never stop, but neither will our prayers! 

May the blessings of the Holy Family fill and strengthen you and your families during this winter season! 

Yours in Christ, 

Karen Fritsch  (kittyrg1967@gmail.com)

Troy Peebles  (tpeebles1007@gmail.com)

Which Way do you Face?

From Our Spiritual Advisor:

Ever wonder why January 1st is New Year’s Day? Google it; there is some interesting reading for those of us intrigued by such things. In the end, it just makes sense because January is named for the Roman god Janus who was the god of beginnings. He is depicted with two faces: one faces back and the other forward. He looks back at the past and forward to the future. New Year’s is a time to do the same. To look at where we have been and where we are headed. It is also a time to examine our lives to see if we are lined up to get where we say we want to go. A ship may want to go to a certain point but may miss it if the route is off by a few degrees. A space ship may want to go to the moon but will miss it if the trajectory is off by the slightest degree. We may say we want to follow Jesus but do our actions bear out our intentions?  

The Church also takes time to look back and to look forward. I was struck by the readings for January 7 th . John’s Gospel looks way back to before time:  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”  The epistle is also from John but in it, he reminds us that we are in the final hour before the second coming of Jesus. He addresses the tough issue of some falling from the faith but encourages us: “But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.” 

Not that we know everything, but that we have the teachings of the Church, the deposit of Faith, from which we can draw. But most of all, our anointing through our Baptism and Confirmation which brings us into relationship with God, Father, Son & Holy Spirit.  

If my goal is to spend the rest of my life on earth in a strong loving relationship with my wife, then I must make sure that my actions help build our relationship. If my goal is to spend eternal life with God, then I must examine my actions to make sure that they build my relationship with God. If I am married, I have a duty to help my spouse “get to heaven.” I must examine my actions to make sure they will achieve that goal. 

Many years ago, a speaker said: “You are where you are, because that is where you wanted to be.” We are where we are right now due to the decisions and actions we have made up to this point. If I do not like where I am right now, then I need to examine my life and determine what I need to change to be where I say I want to be. This takes effort and it often takes others. Do not be afraid to reach out to someone in our Movement and ask for help. Even if it has 2 been years, we are here to help. We will listen and may direct you to someone else because we care about you. Sometimes a correction of a couple degrees can make all the difference between making it to the moon or missing it. 

Deacon Andy McMahon