October 19, 2025

 In our 1st reading this weekend from the Book of Exodus, we heard how God used Moses to help the people of Israel get to

the Promised Land. But in our case, the Promise Land that we are pursuing is heaven, and the Moses that will help us get

there is Jesus. Heaven is our goal. Hopefully, it is the desire of our hearts. And our Lord will do all that He can to help us get

there – even lay His life down for us. I have been discerning another way of looking at this these last few months.

 As you may know, I was looking at a different vehicle. Because of the large amount of miles (296,000) that I have on my car

and because of the snow that we potentially can get (at least I hope 😊), I thought about getting a Chevy Blazer, but not just

any Chevy Blazer, I like an orange one. Yes, I know I am weird. However, the only one that I could find was a 2021 model in

Blaine, MN. Although I would like to get the Blazer, I also would like to work with a closer dealer to help me. Because they are

more local (and I know that they will work with me and make sure I am getting a good vehicle), I decided to get it through

them, even if they charge a little more. Now, the reason I share all of this is because this is similar to our salvation story .

My desire to get the Blazer is like our desire of hopefully wanting to get to the Promised Land of Heaven. The local dealer is

like our Lord doing all they can to help me out. The one big difference is that they are not sacrificing anything whereas Jesus

did. Like a couple of our verses in our Psalm this weekend,

 “[Our] help is from the LORD, who made heaven and earth…The LORD is [our] guardian; the LORD is [our] shade; He is beside [us] at [our] right hand.” Again, God will do all that He can to get us to be with Him in the Promised Land. The question are we?

 Like the original cost and the additional cost to me of the vehicle, we also have a cost to our salvation. Now, I’m not saying we

have to do things to earn our way into heaven, but the original cost for us is to have faith in Jesus Christ and the additional

cost is for us to respond with love for our neighbor. And just like Aaron and Hur were there to help Moses with holding up his

arms, we are to be there for each other as well. Face it, all of us get weak or get overwhelmed by life sometimes – that is why

we need to be there for each other and support one another. God will do all that He can to help us get to the Promised Land,

God-willing, we do our part and respond with faith and love and be supportive of each other so that we can get there together.

And if we do all this, I guarantee we will get a great deal in the end. By the way, if anyone wants a Chevy Impala with high

miles, let me know 😊.

October 12, 2025

 He is gone again!! You might be thinking these words as you look at the bulletin this week. And, in a sense, you are right. I will be gone on Tuesday and Wednesday for Clergy Days. The theme for Clergy Days is “Being in the World, but Not of the World.” The presenter is Fr. James Mason (who is a priest form Sioux Falls Diocese and rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary). Although I am not sure what his talk will be about, the theme is a reminder for all of us.

 This phrase is a Christian principle, rooted in Jesus’s prayer in John 17:14-16, that calls believers to live within society but without adopting its sinful values or priorities. It means engaging with the world by working and interacting with others, but maintaining a

distinct identity and set of values aligned with God's kingdom, rather than the fallen system of this world. Although it is easy to say

this, it oftentimes is hard to live it out. It is hard to live out our faith and to put God and others first before our own needs and wants,

especially when our society tells us to focus on ourselves and to do what we want to do. However, not only is this a prayer of our

Lord’s, but we can be an answer to this prayer by staying focused on the next world. Everything we should do, should always focus

on the afterlife. And maybe that is the gauge we can use to determine our actions. Is what I am doing glorifying our God with the

hopes that I want to be with Him in heaven? If not, there is time. God is always willing to work with us, are we willing to work with

Him.

 And when it comes to working together, I will be working with a friend of mine to work on my deer stand (which is what I will be doing at the end of the week by taking a couple days off for vacation). Last year I was blessed by a parishioner who helped build my deer stand. This week, I hope to make some additional tweaks to it. And speaking of deer stand, I just want to put a plea out there for everyone to be safe – as hunters, as passersby . As we are in this season of deer, pheasant, goose, etc. hunting, please safe and smart. God wants us to be with him in the next world, btu He does not want us to force His hand. Please be careful! May God keep our hunters and all those in harms way safe, our farmers safe, and all of us safe as we battle against the evil one so that we can one day be with the Holy One!!!

October 5, 2025

 As you have been reading these last few weeks, we are working with LPI to help us with our bulletins. We are already using them for our website, and some are using them for our automatic giving. But now we are using them and their template and their printing capabilities to help us with the bulletin. I am excited about the new look. As you have been reading, please be patient with us as we make this adjustment.

 Speaking of adjustment, I would also ask that you bear with me as I make the adjustment of less announcements. Or at least, less repeating of them. Please read the bulletin! Oftentimes I am repeating what is already there. Also, as a suggestion, maybe read the bulletin with your calendar handy . This way, if there is an event(s) you are interested in attending, it’ll already be on your calendar.

 With that being said. I would like to only make announcements of events that are that day or throughout the following week, rather than repeating it several weeks in a row. Instead, I encourage you to read about it beforehand and then I would reiterate it and announce it right before the event. For example, if I were to have an event next week (Oct 12-19), I would not say anything this weekend (Oct. 4-5) but only announce it the weekend of the 11th-12th. I know my homilies tend to be long (sorry about last weekend), but sometimes I feel the announcements are even longer. Now, although I write all this, I hope I practice what I preach. I need to prudently decide what needs to be announced and what is left for the bulletin. However, sometimes I feel I have to say something for fear that people do not read the bulletin. Please be diligent in reading the bulletin. A lot of work goes into it (even though we are sending it out), and it is filled with helpful info.

 I know you all have people to see and things to do after the Masses, ultimately glorifying our Lord with your lives. Please help me to keep the announcements short so the proclamation can happen soon after the dismissal. Go in peace!