A Letter from Fr. Paul - Sunday, September 27th

This weekend we have our collection for our sister parish in Guatemala. We have seen pictures of the good that is done with our support, which is used to buy materials for catechetical centers in outlying communities, while the people themselves provide the labor. More information can be found in this bulletin and on our website under “News.” Please be as generous as possible.

All of the ministries for our youth (Wauwatosa Catholic, Formation for Children, and Youth Ministry) are underway, with various forms of virtual and safe in-person learning. Please keep our children and their ministers in your prayers.

In our Gospel this weekend, Jesus presents two brothers to the Scribes and Pharisees, asking which did the will of the Father: the one who SAID he would do what he was asked, but didn’t follow through; or the one who said “no way,” but relented and did what his father wanted. Jesus was saying that actually DOING what the Father has asked us is what counts: living as Jesus taught and modelled. This comes as an exclamation point after three weeks of challenging teachings: as an injured or aggrieved person, we must reach out to bring reconciliation and peace; we must forgive an innumerable number of times; and we must put the basic survival needs of others over personal desires for more and more.

These challenges go right to the core of our human nature: they push us to go past ourselves to the other. There is no doubt that they are difficult and challenging! But we are not left alone to struggle: we have the Spirit, we have the Community, we have the Eucharist, we have the Gospels, we have each other. And when we fail, we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Let us use all these resources to help us become more and more Christ-like, as we reach out to others and do the will of the Father! I invite us this week to reflect on how we are doing at “walking the talk.”

​Have a good week close to the Lord and stay safe!