With gratitude that the Church has officially recognized the charism of our Salvatorian Founder, Blessed Francis Jordan, the Salvatorian Family will be celebrating his first feast day this Wednesday, July 21st. The welcoming atmosphere and the drive to share the goodness and kindness of the Savior with others, which are so much a part of our St. Pius X community, are expressions of this charism. I thank Joann Corsten for creating the banner in honor of Blessed Francis Jordan, which is in the sanctuary.

Our readings this weekend focus on the theme of the Good Shepherd. In the first reading, the Lord laments having bad shepherds. Our responsorial psalm, Psalm 23, is probably the most well known: The Lord is my shepherd…. In our Gospel, Jesus once again demonstrates how He is the Good Shepherd.

The Gospel selection begins with the disciples returning from their first mission trip (we heard Jesus send them out two by two last weekend) and Jesus is listening carefully to them as they excitedly relate their experiences. He realizes they must be exhausted and He invites them to go with Him to rest. He wants them to take care of themselves and rejuvenate. They are the center of His focus as he cares for them, both in His listening and in His desire that they rest.

But, when they try to get away, the crowd follows. Jesus sees the crowd following and we are told, His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd.

Despite the need for rest, Jesus is not able to say “no” to the crowd. The literal meaning of “moved with pity” is closer to a gut-wrenching experience. That is the Good Shepherd in action, able to forget about Himself in order to reach out to the needs of others.

We are told Jesus “began to teach them many things.” The Shepherd was concerned about the sheep’s spiritual welfare. He gave them spiritual food. But, as we will hear next weekend, He also took care of their bodily hunger by multiplying the loaves and fishes. The Good Shepherd was tuned in enough to His sheep that He recognized and 
addressed all their needs, spiritual and physical.

How am I a Good Shepherd to others, both physically and spiritually? Do I reach out to those who are isolated or lonely? Am I able to listen to someone who needs to talk? Do I support programs that feed the hungry? And so on. 

The Good Shepherd wants to continue His work. He needs to do it through us. How well am I cooperating? God bless.

Church sign of the week: A heart is happiest when it is beating for others.

I’d like to start off with a thank you to the Garden Angels for their dedication and work on our flowers and greenery.  Our grounds look beautiful!
 
Our Gospel is Mark’s version of Jesus sending His disciples on mission.  They had been following Him, observing how He interacted with people, and listening to His words; now Jesus is asking them to go out and spread the news to others.
 
Jesus asks us to do the same. Our religious practice has helped us to know how Jesus acted and what He said; through baptism, we have accepted the call to bring that Good News to others by what we say and do.
 
It is a daunting challenge.  We certainly are not worthy.  But we must be careful not to use our unworthiness as a “get out of jail free” card.  Were the first disciples worthy?
 
Look at Peter:  one time Jesus had to say “get behind me, Satan” to him.  Despite his bravado of being willing to die for Jesus, Peter denied him three times and then ran away.  Peter wasn’t under the cross; he was hiding in the upper room.
 
The point is that our “worthiness” is not the issue.  It is not about us; it is not our mission.  It is Christ’s mission and His Good News.  All He asks is that we be willing to do our best to live Gospel values and He will use us, despite our mistakes and failures, to bring the Gospel to life for the people around us. Our faith is not about coming to church and staying there; it is about coming to church to be fortified, by the Word, by the Eucharist, and by the Community, so that we can go out from the church strengthened to live the goodness and kindness of Christ in a world that desperately needs it.  That is evangelizing. That is what we are called to do and committed ourselves to do when we were baptized.
 
Reflection for the week:  as I go through my day, am I aware that my words and actions affect other people?  That I am called to bring Christ’s goodness and kindness to those I meet? That God wants to use me to make a difference?  How can I make myself more conscious of this?  Let us pray that each member of our community may grow in our ability to bring Christ to others by what we say and how we act.  God bless.

Church sign of the week: it is hard to get in shape spiritually when you only work out on Sundays.

​​I hope everyone has a good and safe celebration of our country’s Independence Day.  Let us pray for our country in a special way, asking God to help us move past senseless division to a cooperation that works for the good of all, especially the most vulnerable.  

I recently read a summary of a study that linked the decline of organized religion with the stability and wealth of countries.  In other words, the longer there was peace and the more the population entered the middle or upper class, the less adherence there is to 
organized religions. 

That came to mind when I read our selection from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, in which he says, “Power is made perfect in 
weakness.”  Perhaps what he means is this:  when everything is going well and we feel like we are in control, it is easy to forget about God and rely on ourselves.  Religious observance becomes a burden, rather than something that gives us strength and courage. But when we fail, when things are not going well and it is  obvious to us that we are not in control, then it is easier to remember God and rely on Him. That is why Paul can say, “when I am weak, then I am strong.”  

What does this say to us? It is not helpful to beat up on ourselves when we fail.  No one is perfect, we will all fall short.  To give up, to say “I just can’t ‘be perfect,’” is not helpful.  In fact, it can be an excuse.  We need to be like St. Paul and use our failings to remind ourselves that God is the one in control and we need to go to him for help and strength.   That is how we will grow in doing what is right!

So, when we fail or come up short, rather than feel ashamed or beat up on ourselves, we need to use it to remind ourselves that God is the one who is in control and will help us get to where we should be.  God wants nothing more than for us to be all that we can be and will help us get there, if we turn to Him for help.  God bless.

Church sign of the week: Following the path of least resistance makes rivers and men crooked.

Shortly after the pandemic lockdown began, Bobby Pantuso began recording a Sunday Mass to be placed on social media.  The first recorded Mass was March 22, 2020; the last one is the Mass for this weekend.  Since things have opened up more, the number of people viewing the Masses has plummeted.  With more and more parishioners feeling comfortable returning to Mass in church and with all the other options available for the homebound to watch Mass online, this seems like the right time to stop.  This decision was supported by the comments we received from a survey
presented to those who are watching the recorded Mass.
 
However, the Sunday homily will continue to be available on Facebook and YouTube as the “daily reflection” each Sunday (I have been recording a daily reflection since the beginning of the pandemic and will continue to do so indefinitely).
 
I thank Bobby Pantuso for his time and energy in taping the Masses and the reflections.  I thank Kathy Wellenstein for planning the liturgies and playing the piano; I thank Sue Haertel, SDS and Chris Graham for alternating as cantors and lectors.  I thank all of you who took advantage of these Masses to help keep your spiritual life growing during the pandemic.  God bless.
 
Our Gospel selection today has two miracles: the cure of the woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years and the bringing back to life of Jairus’ daughter.  Look at the sensitivity and compassion shown by Jesus in just these 22 verses:
 
1. He dropped what he was doing to run and help Jairus, a grieving parent.

2. He was attentive enough to know that a touch was a cry for help and he stopped to find out who it was.

3. The woman was afraid because she was a nobody who, because of her hemorrhaging blood, was ritually unclean.  Jesus doesn’t      simply cure her: he tells her to go in peace.

4. When Jairus is told his daughter has died, Jesus comforts him by saying, “don’t be afraid; just have faith.”
​
5. After he brings Jairus’ daughter back to life, he is attentive to her needs and tells them to give her something to eat.
 
Nowhere is Jesus thinking about Himself or what is “reasonable” or “acceptable.” All His concern is for other people.  This is why the crowds felt he “taught with authority, not like the scribes and pharisees.”  It was the personal authority of someone who was
always attuned to the needs of others and ready to respond to them.
 
I invite you to take some quiet time to reflect on people you have known who have been able to be selfless, who were
always able to think of the other person?  How did you regard them?  How did they influence you?  Are you like that?  How can you be more so?
 
Jesus did everything with sensitivity for the other person.  May we grow in our ability to be like that!  God bless.
 
Church sign of the week: Thou shalt not lie…in bed on Sunday morning!  Come to church!

Happy Father’s Day to all our fathers!  I pray for you in a special way as you perform the awesome task of modeling for your children how to be loving, caring Catholics.  I pray that you always remember that
actions speak louder than words.
 
Last weekend, we presented the final reflection on Living the Gift of Sunday. I thank the parishioners who were willing to share their experiences in short videos that accompanied various chapters.  If you have not taken advantage of these reflections during the last 10 weeks, I invite you to do so: they continue to be available here.
 
Our Gospel this Sunday invites us to ask ourselves if we really believe that God is in control.  That all will be OK.  Really!  The disciples were in a boat on very rough seas.  Talk about not having control!  Jesus was there but they were still afraid.
 
Jesus is in our boat, but when things are tough it can be difficult to “feel” that; the important thing is that we BELIEVE it.  The older I get, and as I look back on my life, the clearer it is to me that God has been in control.  I share one incident from my life:
 
When I was 17, I was diagnosed with tuberculosis and was confined to a sanatorium in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  Since there was no medicine at that time, it was possibly a life sentence!  I struggled to calm myself and trust that all would be OK.  The following happened: my parents agreed for me to take experimental drugs, they worked (they became the go-to T.B. drugs), a hospital administrator asked a friend in the State Legislature to get me released ahead of what was allowed by law, and I was released a couple days before I had to report to the Salvatorian novitiate to begin my official entrance into the community.  It is incredible all the things that fell into place, allowing me to continue my journey to be a member of the Salvatorian Family. For me, it was a miracle: Jesus took control and calmed the seas of what seemed to be an impossible situation.
 
This is a rather dramatic example from many incidences in my life where I can see that God was in control, even though I couldn’t see it at the time.  I invite you to take some time this week to reflect on your life.  Were there times you felt that things were going badly but they turned out to be a blessing?  Can you see God’s hand in what has happened to you?  How easy is it for you to trust that God is in control? 
 
Let us pray with St. Thomas: Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.  God bless.
 
Church sign of the week: The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Parishioners have been pleased with our new protocols for Mass, with one side of the church keeping social distancing and masks, while the other side has no social distancing and masks optional if you are fully vaccinated.  We will continue to monitor the situation and adjust accordingly.  I hope that people will feel comfortable returning: while virtual participation is better than nothing, experiencing the Body of Christ, both in the community gathered and the Eucharist, is essential to our worship experience. 

Our Gospel today gives us two agricultural parables for the Reign of God:  one about a seed, which is planted but then grows without the farmer knowing or controlling what is happening and the other about a mustard seed, which, while tiny, grows into a huge bush.

It helps to know the context Mark was addressing with these parables.  The early Jewish Christians continued believing, as did the Jews, that if things were going well, God was pleased and blessing you.  However, things were not going well: the Christians were rejected in Jerusalem and being killed in Rome.  They were discouraged and their faith shaken.  Mark was assuring them, through these parables, that God is in control, that the Reign of God is in His hands, and that all will be okay.

That message is summarized quite well by Paul in our second reading: “we walk by faith and not by sight.”  This is a message we need to hear today.  The pandemic has turned many things upside down.  Gun violence, racism, inequity, injustice, partisanship, division both in our country and Church – it can seem like our world is unraveling.  However, our faith tells us that God is in control and that, ultimately, all will be okay.

That does not mean we don’t have to do anything.  We have to plant our little seeds.  We have to live Gospel virtues such as love, forgiveness, and generosity, doing our little part to help the Reign of God grow.  

As St. Julian of Norwich said, All will be well and all manner of things will be well, but we need to cooperate.  I invite us to reflect on how well we are doing at planting the little seeds that will help bring about the Reign of God.  Our country and world desperately need these seeds. Let us support each other in prayer, as we struggle to do so.

Church sign of the week:​ The will of God will never take you where the love of God will not protect you.

This is our second weekend with new Covid protocols.  I thank everyone for their cooperation. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
 
I enjoyed celebrating the graduation Mass this past Thursday.  I promised the graduates that we would accompany them in prayer as they begin a new phase of life.  Congratulations! Thank you to their parents and the staff at Wauwatosa Catholic for a great job of mentoring them.
 
This weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi).  Our three readings bring together the significance of this feast, tying together all of God’s relationship with humanity.
 
The reading from Exodus presents the first covenant God made with His people through Moses.  Blood was splashed on the altar and on the people, sealing the covenant.  In the second reading, the author of Hebrews explains that Christ is the eternal High Priest.  Since He Himself was blameless, His sacrifice was a once and for all offering for the salvation of all of us.  No need for anything else. The Gospel is Mark’s version of the Last Supper: in anticipation of His death, Christ’s institutes the “new and eternal covenant of His Blood.”
 
What does this mean for us?  First, it means we are redeemed by Christ’s sacrifice: He offered Himself up for us.  Second, through the institution of the Eucharist, Christ incorporated us into His Body and gives us the food we need to live as His disciples.  Just as the food we eat nourishes our physical bodies and gives us the health and strength we need to live a productive life, the spiritual food of Christ’s Body and Blood nourishes us spiritually and gives us the spiritual health and strength we need to live Gospel values and bring the Good News to others.
 
It is not easy to always think of others.  It is not easy to wash feet.  It is not easy to forgive.  It is not easy to love others as we love ourselves.  For that reason, we have been given the Holy Spirit to guide us (which we celebrated two weeks ago on Pentecost) and the Eucharist to strengthen and sustain us.
 
The Lord wants us to succeed.  He gives us the help we need.  Am I taking the best possible advantage of these great supports the Lord has given me?
 
With grateful hearts, let us thank the Lord for His support.  May the Body and Blood of Christ bring us to everlasting life! 
 
Church sign of the week: The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything.

Congratulations to our eighth-grade students who will graduate this Thursday.  We accompany you in prayer as you move to a new phase of your life.  Thank you for being such good role models for the younger students.  We are proud of you.

This weekend we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity.  It is a mystery; we cannot understand it.  But I believe we can learn from it.  It is an appropriate feast to follow Pentecost.

If you remember, last week I commented on the reality, presented in our reading from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, that the Spirit has given each of us different gifts that we need to use in service to others.

One way of looking at the Trinity reinforces this:  

God the Father: this is the aspect of God that created the world, that brought us into being and sustains us.

God the Son: this is the redeeming aspect of God, Jesus, our Brother, Who came among us to show us by example how to live in this world, Who suffered and died for our redemption.

God the Holy Spirit: this is the sanctifying aspect of God, the God who leads us in life and urges us to move out of ourselves in service to others, the God who helps us to be holy in everyday life.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, one God with three different gifts or functions: creating, redeeming, and leading.  But, they work in unity for the good of all.  That is what we are called to do: work together, using and respecting each other’s gifts, so that others can see the love of God in us and be attracted to our joy and peace.

My prayer for our community, as we celebrate this feast of the triune God, is that we can work together, using our diverse gifts for the building up of God’s Kingdom.  Let us remember and pray for that each time we cross ourselves saying, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Church sign of the week: The Lord moves in mysterious ways, but you don’t have to.  Please use your turn signal.

It was a humbling experience to watch the beatification of our Salvatorian founder, Francis Jordan last Saturday.  Because I can understand Italian, especially in a “church” context, I was able to watch it without the distraction of translation.  It was also moving for me to see many members of the Salvatorian Family that I have not seen since I left Rome over 8 years ago.  I am praying to Jordan for our parish community, that we may grow toward our goal of “making disciples of all people,” a central aspect of Jordan’s mission.  Blessed Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan, help us to be true disciples.
 
Today we celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the Church - happy birthday!  The Spirit descended on the disciples and sent them out to bring the Good News to all they met.  We have been given that same task, the task of “making disciples of all people.” How can we do that?
 
We can bring the Good News to the world by using the gifts that have been given to us.  Each one of us has time, talent, and treasure, given to us by God.  These gifts are for our benefit, but also for the benefit of His Body, the Church.  We are called to use our gifts to bring Christ’s love to others.
 
Time: when we think of giving, sometimes we only think of money or things.  But each of us has 24 hours in each day and some of our most important sharing can be with our time.  There are so many people who are alone, unable to move around and go out.  A visit, or even a telephone call, can be worth more than a lot of money to those who are isolated.  Even if I, myself, cannot get around much, I certainly can call others! If we are alert, we will find ways to reach out to others in a way that shares Christ’s love with them.
 
Talent: often we think of specific skills, for example, someone who works in the finance area can volunteer on the parish Finance Council.  Then we can think, ”I don’t have much to offer.”  But we do.  Can you push a lawnmower?  How about helping an elderly neighbor who struggles with that task?  I am going to the grocery store; suppose I asked an elderly neighbor what I could pick up for them?  If we are alert, if we are thinking of others and not just ourselves, opportunities will jump out at us. 
 
In the Catholic Digest, there was a column, called “The Perfect Assist,” that shared stories about how one little act of kindness, done in Christ’s name, brought someone to our Lord.  Ultimately, it is the Lord who draws people to Himself, but often He uses us as instruments.
 
Treasure: as anyone who has traveled to third world countries can tell you, we are so blessed here in the United States, even those of us deemed “poor” by our country’s standards.  We are called to think of others and share with them from all we have, not simply from what is extra or left over after we have satisfied all our wants and needs.  I remind us of the parable of the widow’s mite.

As we celebrate the birthday of the Church, the Body of Christ, I invite us to reflect on how we use our time, talent, and treasure to bring others to Christ.  How can we do better?  Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of Your love.  God bless.
 
Church sign of the week: A good example has twice the value of good advice.

Finally, we can say “Blessed Francis Jordan,” after his beatification in Rome early in the morning (for us) of May 15th.  I pray that Jordan will intercede for us, that we may grow in our ability to be disciples who bring God’s love to the world.  Blessed Francis Jordan, pray for us.
 
Thank you to those who contributed items to the Wauwatosa Catholic’s project for homeless youths.  The student who was collecting the items was “blown away” by the amount of support. 
 
On July 1st, Mary Nold-Klett will replace Ron Skelton as the Trustee Treasurer.  I thank Mary for her willingness to offer her time and talent in this role.  I also thank Ron Skelton for his years of service. 
 
After a discernment session last week, the Pastoral Council asked Chris Graham to take a second term on the council and Susan Baglien to join the council, effective July 1st.  I thank them for their willingness to serve.  I also thank Megan Gonzalez, whose term expires on June 30th, for her service to our community.  At its June meeting, the council will elect leadership for the coming year and
discern council and committee liaisons.  I thank all members of the council for this important leadership service to our community.  Please support our Pastoral Council and all our ministry groups with your prayers.
 
Our chapter in Living the Gift of Sunday this week is Sunday is a Day of Loving Sacrifice.  Please take time to reflect on it, as a family.
 
Today we celebrate the feast of the Ascension (which actually fell on this past Thursday). There are three big feasts in the Easter Season: Easter, the Ascension, and Pentecost.  It is important to see how they are related and how they apply to us.
 
The Easter season begins with the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection. Jesus rose from the dead and stayed with his disciples for 40 days, showing them by word and example how they were to live.  Now they were to go forth to the ends of the world and spread the Good News.  But they would not do it while he was around: all their focus would be on Him.  So, Jesus got out of the way, so to speak: he returned to His Father. We celebrate the Ascension 40 days after Easter.
 
How difficult it must have been for the disciples to see Him go again!  He had died, then He was back.  One of them even asked: NOW are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?  But He was gone again.
 
Despite their encounter with the risen Lord, the disciples still could not go out on mission.  They are asked why they are standing looking at the sky, paralyzed, in a sense.  They needed the help of the Holy Spirit to empower them to go forth and share the Good News.  So, next Sunday we celebrate the final feast in this trilogy: Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit.
 
St. Luke, who wrote a Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, addresses his words in both books to “Theophilus,” literally “lover of God.” That stands for each of us who loves God.  We are called to bring the Good News to the world around us.  Alone, we can’t do it.  But, like those first disciples, we have the gift of the Spirit to help us.
 
In one sense, this is sort of an “in between” time: Jesus has ascended to His Father, but has promised to come again.  Our task, as a “Theophilus,” is to help bring about the Kingdom by the way we live.  How are we doing?  I invite us to reflect on that this week, as we wait to celebrate this coming Sunday the great gift of the Holy Spirit, which empowers us to bring God’s love to others.  God bless.
 
Church sign of the week: Adam and Eve: first ones to ignore Apple terms and conditions