Thanks JP and all priests who assisted
I want to thank Friar Johnpaul Cafiero for his presence here at Holy Family during my time away on retreat. Many of you commented how great it was to have him here for a prolonged period of time. He responded to several requests for the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, he covered our regularly scheduled time for emergencies at Northwest Community Hospital, presided at funerals and other requests that arose.
I also want to thank all of the other priests that helped as well and, in fact, help on an ongoing basis with morning Mass, Monday evening Reconciliation, funerals and weddings. Fr. John Hoffman, Fr. Bill Zavaski, Fr. Charlie Bolser, Fr. Brian Simpson and the most recent addition to our presiders schedule, Fr. Britto Berchmans. All of them are retired and I know you will agree that the wisdom and experience that they all share greatly enhances our worship and sacramental experience.
Thanks to all of them.
Are you in Spiritual Shape?
This year our Adventures in Grace invites us to experience an Ignatian Spiritual Fitness Program we are calling BE MORE. St. Ignatius of Loyola leads us to discover God in everything by actively participating in the Spiritual Exercises that he wrote during his powerful conversion in the 16th century. The ideal way to experience these Exercises is through the 30 day directed experience that I just had on my retreat, but we want to offer the experience to all of you this coming year. We will host a series of five evenings here at Holy Family beginning in the fall in collaboration with our Jesuit friends at Bellarmine Retreat House in Barrington.
We will follow a similar format as we have in the past two years including homilies focused on the various “weeks” or sections of the Exercises with a presentation the following Wednesday evening.
If you have ever wondered how Ignatius became such a spiritual giant, this year’s adventure will tell you.
Join us to experience the freedom to BE MORE of the person God meant you to be, to love and accept love, to make good decisions, and truly experience the wonder and awe of all God’s creation. Ground yourself in God’s unconditional love that Ignatius believed is the basis for all of our spiritual awareness and development.
BE MORE through the spiritual wisdom and structure of Ignatian spirituality. Learn more. BE MORE. Just as you become more with a physical fitness program, Ignatius will guide us to BE MORE in a spiritual fitness program.
Fr. Rick McGurn, S.J. from Bellarmine will get us started on this unique spiritual fitness program with an overview of Ignatian Spirituality at all Masses the weekend of October 7 & 8 and then on Wednesday, October 11.
Much more information will follow. Please look for it. Look to BE MORE.
Peters Sinking Courage
This weekend’s Gospel passage from Matthew tells of a dramatic encounter between Jesus and the disciples, particularly Peter. Jesus physically separates himself from the disciples following the feeding of 5,000. This is a preview of the way he physically distanced himself from them after his death. The initial reappearance on the wind-blown and wave angry lake is met with fear and a lack of recognition by the disciples. This previews the struggle of the early church to recognize him after he rose from the dead.
Once Jesus assures the disciples that it is he and not a ghost on the sea, Peter makes a request. He invites Jesus to command him to join him in the chaos and danger of the sea. When Peter’s spiritual consciousness is focused on Jesus, he walks above the chaos and danger. When his spiritual consciousness shifts to what is churning in danger beneath him, he sinks.
In the storms of our life, let us keep our spiritual consciousness focused on God through Jesus Christ.