Category: Parish News & Events

Disciples Making Disciples

How often do we forget our call, our vocation, as Catholic Christians? We might get hung up on the word “vocation,” thinking that, “I’m living out my marriage/priesthood/religious life/single life, isn’t that enough?” No, it’s not enough. In fact, there’s so much more.

We all share a singular, universal mission: to go and make disciples of all nations. Today, on the Memorial of St. Paul Miki and his companions, we receive the very-needed reminder of our shared Baptismal call as we celebrate and honor one of the saints that best embraced this mission.

St. Paul Miki lived during a time of Christian persecution in Japan. A Jesuit known for his style of preaching, he was able to convert a great number of hearts to Catholicism. Meanwhile, the Japanese rulers became fearful of the growing influence of Catholicism and questioned their intentions, so beginning the widespread persecution. Paul Miki was eventually arrested, imprisoned, and sentenced to death for his “crimes.” Even hanging on a cross, he spent his final minutes preaching to those present for his execution. Once the time of persecution was over, missionaries arrived back in Japan during the late 1800s to find that Christians had hidden and preserved their faith. At the price of his life and knowing exactly his fate, St. Paul Miki truly embraced his Baptismal call as he made disciples all across Japan.

Thankfully, we here in the United States aren’t experiencing persecution like that seen in Japan during St. Paul Miki’s time, but that doesn’t mean our task of making disciples is any less difficult. We face different challenges, like those wanting and willing to discredit the Church for the sex abuse crisis, like the culture of death evident in abortion and like the suppression of all that is good and true in the media, especially when it comes to Christian values. I argue that this is when we need to be making disciples the most. And we may not be risking our lives but rather our reputation and wellbeing. How far are you willing to go to embrace the call to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”?

May we look to St. Paul Miki and his courage as we strive to live out our Baptismal call.

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Erin is a Cleveland native and graduate of the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Following graduation, she began volunteering in youth ministry at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Her first “big girl” job was in collegiate sports information where, after a busy two years in the profession on top of serving the youth, she took a leap of faith and followed the Lord’s call to full-time youth ministry at St. Peter Church. She still hopes to use her communication arts degree as a freelance writer and statistician, though. You can catch her on the Clarence & Peter Podcast on YouTube as well as follow her on Twitter @erinmadden2016.

Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, martyrs

Reading 1 1 Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12

When the time of David’s death drew near,
he gave these instructions to his son Solomon:
“I am going the way of all flesh.
Take courage and be a man.
Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways
and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees
as they are written in the law of Moses,
that you may succeed in whatever you do,
wherever you turn, and the LORD may fulfill
the promise he made on my behalf when he said,
‘If your sons so conduct themselves
that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart
and with their whole soul,
you shall always have someone of your line
on the throne of Israel.’”

David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.
The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years:
he reigned seven years in Hebron
and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

Solomon was seated on the throne of his father David,
with his sovereignty firmly established.

Responsorial 1 Chronicles 29:10, 11ab, 11d-12a, 12bcd

R.    (12b)  Lord, you are exalted over all.
“Blessed may you be, O LORD,
God of Israel our father,
from eternity to eternity.”
R.    Lord, you are exalted over all.
“Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power,
majesty, splendor, and glory.”
R.    Lord, you are exalted over all.
“LORD, you are exalted over all.
Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty;
you are exalted as head over all.
Riches and honor are from you.”
R.    Lord, you are exalted over all.
“In your hand are power and might;
it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all.”
R.    Lord, you are exalted over all.

Alleluia Mk 1:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 6:7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick
–no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them.”
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

For the readings of the Memorial of Saints Paul Miki and Companions, please go here.

– – –
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

A Lack of Faith

“Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.’ So he was not able to perform any might deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.” (Mark 6:4-6)

In today’s Gospel reading we hear about how those that Jesus preached to in Nazareth dismissed Him because of knowing His family and origins, with Nazareth being home for Him. While looking at this passage I had to ask myself: how often do I dismiss what Christ says? 

I may think I know everything about Him, I have heard the teachings over and over, I have been a Christian my entire life, so therefore I just take His teachings for granted. Furthermore, when I take His teachings for granted I take Him for granted. Christ is a great gift to us – He is love, the Word, the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd.

Rather than being lukewarm about my faith Christ has infinite teachings and love to reveal to us in every moment of every day. How do we get out of a rut of being lukewarm in our faith? According to the video series The Wild Goose by 4PM Media and Franciscan Pathways, hosted by Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR, we can ask the Holy Spirit to breathe life into us whenever we need. Something that seems so basic is so profound and invites God into our lives right where we are at. Rather than shutting Him out and relying on our own understanding we submit to His greatness and the Spirit will open our eyes to Christ and all He has for us.

I challenge you to invite the Holy Spirit into your life. As Fr. Pivonka says in The Wild Goose ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart, for Jesus to enter the way He did for the disciples at Pentecost. God will answer your prayer.

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Nathalie Shultz is a joyful convert to the Catholic faith and a competitive swimmer with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).  She loves to share her passion for Catholicism with others, including her conversion story and how God continues to work miracles in her life through her OCD. She is the Director of Religious Education for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative of parishes. Nathalie is married to her best friend, Tommy Shultz. Her favorite saints include St. Peter the Apostle, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and St. John Paul II.  She is also a huge fan of C.S. Lewis. If you have any questions for Nathalie, or just want her to pray for you, you can email her at rodzinkaministry@gmail.com.

Memorial of Saint Agatha, virgin and martyr

Reading 1 2 Sm 24:2, 9-17

King David said to Joab and the leaders of the army who were with him,
“Tour all the tribes in Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba
and register the people, that I may know their number.”
Joab then reported to the king the number of people registered:
in Israel, eight hundred thousand men fit for military service;
in Judah, five hundred thousand.

Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people,
and said to the LORD:
“I have sinned grievously in what I have done.
But now, LORD, forgive the guilt of your servant,
for I have been very foolish.”
When David rose in the morning,
the LORD had spoken to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying:
“Go and say to David, ‘This is what the LORD says:
I offer you three alternatives;
choose one of them, and I will inflict it on you.’”
Gad then went to David to inform him.
He asked:  “Do you want a three years’ famine to come upon your land,
or to flee from your enemy three months while he pursues you,
or to have a three days’ pestilence in your land?
Now consider and decide what I must reply to him who sent me.”
David answered Gad: “I am in very serious difficulty.
Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful;
but let me not fall by the hand of man.”
Thus David chose the pestilence.
Now it was the time of the wheat harvest
when the plague broke out among the people.
The LORD then sent a pestilence over Israel
from morning until the time appointed,
and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beer-sheba died.
But when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it,
the LORD regretted the calamity
and said to the angel causing the destruction among the people,
“Enough now! Stay your hand.”
The angel of the LORD was then standing
at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
When David saw the angel who was striking the people,
he said to the LORD: “It is I who have sinned;
it is I, the shepherd, who have done wrong.
But these are sheep; what have they done?
Punish me and my kindred.”

Responsorial Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

R.    (see 5c)  Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R.    Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R.    Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
For this shall every faithful man pray to you
in time of stress.
Though deep waters overflow,
they shall not reach him.
R.    Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
R.    Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Alleluia Jn 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 6:1-6

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place,
accompanied by his disciples.
When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,
and many who heard him were astonished.
They said, “Where did this man get all this?
What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!
Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us?”
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house.”
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at their lack of faith.
 

For the readings of the Memorial of Saint Agatha, please go here.

– – –
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Arise

In the Gospel reading today, we hear of two miraculous occasions of healing. The story begins with a father seeking out Jesus for the healing of his daughter, who is at the point of death. Immediately, he falls at the feet of Jesus and states that if Jesus lays His hands on her, she will be healed and live. As Jesus goes with him, He travels among the crowds. A woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for 12 years had heard about Jesus and believed, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” She reached out and touched His cloak and immediately was healed. Jesus asked who had touched his clothes, and the woman fell down before His feet and told him the whole truth. Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction”. A man comes to tell the father that his daughter has passed away. Jesus assured him, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” He goes on to enter the house and tells his daughter, “Talitha Koum,” which means “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”. She arose immediately.

Throughout this Gospel, we encounter witnesses of great faith. The young girl’s father automatically proclaims great faith in seeking Jesus and believing He could heal his daughter. He most likely has never met Jesus before but has heard of him. He doesn’t come before Jesus with a lukewarm question of, “Can you try to heal my daughter?” No, He believes with his whole heart that He can do this. The same goes for the woman suffering from a hemorrhage, she had not met Jesus, but had heard of Him and believed in His power that even touching his cloak, she would be healed.

I was sharing with a friend about this Gospel, and we discussed, “Why doesn’t God do this still today?” We hear tons of tragedies that happen day in and day out. Why doesn’t Jesus just miraculously heal people now? Honestly, I’m sure there are many healings that have happened for people throughout the world, and it does still happen today. But why does God spare some and not others? I don’t know, but I believe we must hold to faith and trust like those in the Gospel today. Falling at the feet of Jesus with faith and trust, that those we have lost may arise too. That they arise to new life with Him, in the ultimate destination, life everlasting.

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Briana is the Pastoral Minister at St. Mark Church in Cleveland, OH. She is also a district manager at Arbonne. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Catechetics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH and is excited to use these skills to serve the Church. “My soul has been refined and I can raise my head like a flower after a storm.” -St. Therese