A Letter from Fr. Paul - July 12th

On Wednesday I will have prostate surgery and will be out of the office through July 24th.  My Salvatorian confreres, Jeff Woken and Peter Schuessler, will be celebrating Masses.  I thank them for helping me out.  Please keep me in your prayers.

As parents prepare for the coming school year, I ask you to consider sending your children to our school, Wauwatosa Catholic.  It blends Catholic education with the International Baccalaureate Programme curriculum, each one reinforcing the other. To schedule a tour or request information, please call the school office at (414) 258-9977 or email [email protected].  If your  income has been affected by the pandemic, be sure to ask about tuition assistance.

Our first and third readings this weekend present the image of the Word of God as a seed.  Our Gospel tells us that the seed is widely sown everywhere, including inside of us. But while God freely sows the seed, the seed needs care if it is to be fruitful.  And that care depends on us.

A seed needs light and warmth to grow.  That is why it is so important that we take time to be reflective, to speak with the Lord, and to be quiet and attentive; to listen reflectively to the scriptures at Mass and to the homily; and to allow the events of everyday life to speak to us.  All of these will give us the light and direction needed for our seed to bear fruit.

A seed needs water to grow.  That is why it is so important that we pray; that we participate in Mass and receive the sacraments with their graces; and that we do good deeds.  All of these will give us the water needed for our seed to bear fruit.

Finally, a seed needs to be free of thorns and other obstacles to grow. That is why we constantly have to work at weeding out the faults, bad attitudes, and bad habits that keep us from living Gospel values to the fullest. 

God gives us His Word and He accompanies us through life, as we struggle to live the Gospel and bring His love to others.  But we have to cooperate in the ways listed above, if that seed is to bear fruit “a hundred or sixty or thirty fold.” I invite us this week to identify one way we can grow and plan concrete steps we can take to make sure growth happens.  And let us support each other in prayer, as we struggle to bear fruit a hundredfold. 

​God bless.