July 28th, 2024 – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Have the people recline.”
(Gospel of St. John, ch.6)
Dear Friends,
So reads the Gospel this Sunday, when Jesus reacts to a large, starving crowd, in anticipation of multiplying a small amount of food to feed the 5,000. I probably would have told people to get busy and figure out a solution to their mess. We would have gotten organized and formed a strategic plan, taking into mind needed risk management, performing a cost analysis, and finally moving ahead with a well-thought out and minimally-risky investment strategy, with proper, result-based performance evaluation.
Instead Jesus tells them to take the load off their weary feet, to watch and wait, and to expect the unexpected. So often I have interpreted this story as Jesus’ great organizing and management skills, but as I get older, I realize that my faith is depending less and less on measurable results, and more and more on expecting and experiencing miracles that can happen when I stand back and let Jesus do the work and worrying.
And so I recline, stay out of the way and let my restless, commanding ego be surprised by Divine love and providence. Maybe not as efficient, but infinitely more effective and a lot more surprising. Jesus has a funny way of working things out. So recline, watch, wait!
Sincerely, with love,
Fr.Tim
July 21st, 2024 – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Happy Sunday!
Let us rejoice in the Lord for another day and another Sunday to give God glory!
I do not know much about how to be a shepherd for sheep. I guess it is not an easy or fun task. Our readings this weekend talk about shepherds.
Several times throughout the Gospels, the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep is used to explain the relationship between Jesus and his people. We are the sheep that Christ desires to shepherd. As sheep, we need someone to follow, but that is not always easy.
First, we need to be able to recognize the shepherd’s voice and distinguish it from other voices.
Second, we need to trust that the shepherd always has our best interest in mind and can see things that we cannot see.
Third, when asked by the shepherd to move, our response should be to move as the shepherd desires.
Do you recognize the voice of Christ in your life? Do you trust Jesus? Do you respond to Christ’s invitations in your life? These are great questions to ponder this week as we continue to strive to be the sheep of the good shepherd.
God bless,
Fr. Joseph
July 14th, 2024 – Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Friends,
Have you ever felt inadequate for a task?
This weekend, we hear from the book of the prophet Amos how he became a prophet. He says, “I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; The Lord, [however], took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy…”
Many times, I have felt inadequate to be a priest, yet I hear the Lord telling me as he once told St. Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”
My invitation this weekend is to greater trust in God, especially when we don’t feel up to the task. He would be a very mean God if he asked us to accomplish tasks that he is not willing to help us fulfill! We know our God is good, and that he provides what we need to fulfill his will, a will that always leads us to peace, joy, and life in abundance.
This week we will be welcoming people from all over the country for the Republican National Convention. As the presence of Christ in the city, we will keep the Cathedral and Old Saint Mary’s open from 7 am until 6 pm for the duration of the Convention.
Mass Schedule: Cathedral: M-Th at 5:15pm
Old St. Mary: M-Th at 7am & 12:05pm
Confessions: Old St. Mary: M & T at 11:30am
Cathedral: W & Th at 4:30pm
Eucharistic Adoration: All Day
May God bless us all, especially those visitors coming to Milwaukee and our parishes these days!
With my love,
Fr. Carlos
July 7th, 2024 – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Sisters & Brothers,
Please allow me to introduce myself or, as the case may be, re-introduce myself. I am Father Brian Mason, your new associate pastor. I had the privilege of serving at Old Saint Mary, Our Lady of Divine Providence, Ss. Peter and Paul, and Three Holy Women from 2008-2012.
My ordination on May 22, 1993, marked the beginning of a journey that led me to serve in various parish and archdiocesan positions. My most recent role was at Saint Mary Catholic Faith Community in Hales Corners, where I served as associate pastor from 2013-2014 and then as pastor from 2014-2021.
I departed from St. Mary in 2021 to pursue graduate studies at the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School in Center City, Minnesota. This chapter of my life culminated in my graduation this past April with a master’s degree in counseling, specializing in addiction counseling. I am now excited to be serving the Family of Five Parishes for three-quarters of my time and dedicating the remaining one-quarter to ministering to individuals and families affected by drug and alcohol addiction.
I left all of you in 2012 to be treated for alcohol addiction. Today, June 27, as I write this article, I am celebrating twelve years of sobriety. My recovery is integral to who I am, to my ongoing health, and to helping me be the best person and priest I can be. God has been so good to me over these years. I have a great sponsor, and I attend several Twelve Step meetings each week.
I cannot adequately express how happy I am to return to the Family of Five Parishes. I will do my very best to serve you with compassion, inclusion, generosity, and, most of all, love. Please be patient with me as I start to get to know you. I look forward to celebrating our Faith and growing together with you as disciples of Jesus Christ.
