A Letter from Fr. Paul - September 16, 2018

Thank you to all who worked so hard to make the Grass Mass and luncheon special. It is a lot of work to set up and run the sound system, to set up the environment for the Mass and choir, to organize the luncheon, etc., etc. It is such a wonderful way to end the summer and begin a year, and what perfect weather! May God bless all who contributed!

This weekend we are having our ministry fair for liturgical ministries. If you were not able to attend Mass this weekend, you can find opportunities listed on the main page of our website under “Become Involved in our Community.” Please volunteer to share your time and talent with the community!

Our webpage now features a “parish calendar” on which you can find everything happening at St. Pius. I thank our webmaster, Chris Graham, for all his work on this. If something is missing from the calendar, please let me know.

We need a small group leader for religious education. The commitment is to lead a group about 14 Sundays this year, between 9 and 10:15 a.m. at Christ King. The lesson plans will be given to you, so the only preparation is to become familiar with them. For more information, please contact Samantha El-Azem at 414 258-2604. Please consider ministering to our children in this way.

Mark your calendar: our annual Parish Meeting will be held after all Masses the weekend of November 10-11. 
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St. Mark’s Gospel is constructed around two questions: the first, “who is this man, Jesus?”, is answered today by Simon Peter, who declares, “You are the Christ,” the Messiah. The second question is, “What kind of Messiah is Jesus?” The Jews, including Peter and the other disciples, expected a king who would conquer the world and put Israel over everyone! Jesus explains clearly three times that he will suffer and die, but they just don’t get it. Their preconceived ideas blinded them to what Jesus was saying. The first time Peter says it will never happen and is reprimanded. The second time they argue who will be the greatest. The third time the mother of James and John asks that they be the greatest. How frustrated Jesus had to be!

My friends, a good reflection question for us is what preconceived ideas do I have that are keeping me from listening to Jesus, from hearing the Gospel message? Do I read the Gospel with an open mind, allowing the Spirit to speak to me? Am I taking the quiet time I need each day to allow this to happen? How, practically, can I do better? And let us support each other in prayer, asking God to open our hearts to what the Spirit is telling us.