Blog Archives - Roncalli Newman Catholic Parish

Where can i run

8/31/2017

A thought for the day
Thursday, the 21st week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus

Readings for today’s Mass

For today's reflection, i'd like to visit yesterday's responsorial psalm, a continuation of Ps. 139. Two days ago, the psalmist stood in wonder at the marvels of God's creative power and intricacies, particularly in the creation of the human form. Even with the immensity of creation, in the second half of the psalm the poet is aware of the intimate and individual attention that God gives to just this one creature. Within all of creation, this one poet is at the center of God's undivided attention. Here is how it is expressed:
Where can I go from your spirit? From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
If I take the wings of the dawn, if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me, and your right hand hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the darkness shall hide me, and night shall be my light"–
For you darkness itself is not dark, and night shines as the day.
The same is true for each of us. All the hairs of your head are counted. Mt. 10:30. No one is ever apart from God, even if we will it. God is always present, always near. Such individual attention to even the least speaks of the immensity and power of God.
Have you ever been caught up in a moment such as that expressed on Ps.139?What is your response to to it? How do you express gratitude?

Be prepared

8/31/2017

A thought for the day
Thursday, the 21st week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus

Readings for today’s Mass

Jesus said to his disciples: "Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come." There are many opinions about what the Kingdom of God, as Jesus announced it, is all about. What will it be like when the Son of Man comes? For some it involves the hereafter, getting ready for life after death. For others it’s passively trying to be a good person by not causing conflict with others, simply getting along, live and let live. Some put their energies into private prayer and personal devotions while others become the activists for social change.
Surely, each of these is part of the whole and each has a place in kingdom building.
While Jesus has much to say about it as well, he is never too good on the details. We like details. One time it is like a mustard seed; or yeast added to bread dough; it’s like a man finding a treasure in a field or our response to the downtrodden we see on the streets downtown.
Whatever you believe about the coming of the Son of Man, i hope you are aware that he is already here. The kingdom is among us. In some way, each of us is adding to it or taking from it wherever we find ourselves at the moment. Today Jesus reminds us of an important reality. Since the details have not been fully revealed, the more incumbent it is that we are always ready for a time when it will be least expected. Like a thief coming in the night!
For a very long time, the signature of my emails includes a brief Latin phrase: Dum tempus habemus, oporemur bonum. Sometimes students click back to me and ask what it means. i loosely translate it as: While you have the time, do something good. Of course, the kicker is, the only time you really have is now, the present moment. How are you using it to prepare for the coming of the Son of Man who might come while you are too busy texting. i hope you are using this now moment wisely and are ready for what you might least expect.

When did we see you

8/30/2017

A thought for the day
Wednesday, the 21st week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Jeanne Jugan

Readings for today’s Mass

If St. Jeanne Jugan relived her story today, here in La Crosse, it might be something like this: When she was quite young, her father dies in a boating accident. Mom struggles to raise eight kids alone, has to go on public assistance to survive - medicaid, food stamps. Jeanne works at a burger place to help make ends meet and saves leftover food at the end of the day and gives it to the people living in the camps and downtown parking ramps. She attends classes at WTC to become an LPN and gets a job at Mayo hospital where she meets Sr. Mary Thomas of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. Inspired by the work of the Franciscan sisters, she becomes an affiliate of their Order. Later, Jeanne and a friend started teaching CCD at the Cathedral Parish and hanging out with the folks living in Cameron Park.
Other women started noticing what they were doing and joined them in welcoming guests into their home. As more women came to her, she opened other house of hospitality, welcoming the poor and elderly. Eventually, all the women would become the Little Sisters of the Poor and receive formal recognition as an Order from Pope Francis.
All these things factor into the life of Jeanne Jugan. I present her this way because saints can often seem distant and far removed from our lives. But when we hear her story in a familiar setting, her life becomes more real. And i dare say i know people in town whose story sounds like Jeanne's. Tho her life was far different from the great scholar Augustine of two days ago, what she did was no less recognized as the ideals of Christian living. Keep today's saint in mind when you think about volunteering at the Salvation Army or the Warming Center, or when you visit the Catholic Worker or the Hospitality House. Who knows, a Jeanne Jugan might be right there next to you.

How precious to me are your designs

8/29/2017

A thought for the day
Tuesday, the 21st week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Martyrdom of John the Baptist

Readings for today’s Mass

O Lord, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. Have you ever had a religious experience? One of those profound moments when you are overcome with the presence of God in your heart and soul?
As i read this beautiful Psalm 139, today's responsorial, i envision a poet who is caught in such emotion. Or maybe it's a first time father or mother who marvels at the delicate complexity of a newborn baby, of the human form. "You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know. My bones are not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, fashioned in the depths of the earth"
Perhaps the poet goes beyond himself and knows his interrelationship with other life forms. Maybe the poet has just discovered his own creative spark that enables him to work with God in the creative process. Surely he is overwhelmed with the power of the Lord to do marvelous things which leads to a profound expression of gratitude.
In his encyclical Laudato Si, Pope Francis also reflects on the wonders of God's creation and challenges us all to responsible participation in it.
In varying degrees, i think we all carry a creative spark that lets us stand in wonder of all that God has done. How might you express gratitude for all that God has done? For the wonder of yourself?

God, i was just kidding

8/28/2017

A thought for the day
Monday, the 21st week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Augustine of Hippo

Readings for today’s Mass

Today we remember Augustine of Hippo, a bishop and doctor of the Church. He was a brilliant 4th c. scholar, philosopher and theologian whose thought and writings continue to influence Catholic thought today. While his body of works are still studied ad infinitum, there is one line penned by the young Augustine that has received no small bit of attention. "But I, miserable young man, supremely miserable even in the very outset of my youth, had entreated chastity of You, and said, Grant me chastity and continency, but not yet. For I was afraid lest You should hear me soon, and soon deliver me from the disease of concupiscence, which I desired to have satisfied rather than extinguished." How often do you hear such candor from the scholars and theologians of the Church?
This tells us something important about Augustine. Clearly, he had a keen understanding of the human condition, of human frailties. He was aware of the powerful conflict between what we wish for ourselves and what we actually choose. These words of Jesus should come to mind: "Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." Perhaps Augustine is also expressing his reluctance to give up a favorite sin, even when he knows it's the right thing to do. Consider an alcoholic who is determined to quit drinking tomorrow, but not today. Repentance and conversion begin with such self awareness.
Another thing this quote tells us about Augustine is that he had a sense of humor. i like that. Who prays to God saying "Make me chaste, but not right away." Are you kidding me? i see some of that candor and humor in Pope Francis in ways i don't usually expect from Church leadership. This could be the start of something very good indeed.
Click on the above Saint of the day and read more about this scholar, philosopher, theologian and humorist of the Church.

Keys to home

8/27/2017

A thought for the day
Sunday, the 21st week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Monica

Readings for today’s Mass

I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. With these words, the Catholic tradition holds that the papacy was begun. Seen here, an often used symbol of the papacy has two crossed keys with the papal tiara or triple crown.

The keys, of course, reflect Jesus' words to Peter regarding the keys to the kingdom of heaven. The tiara is a high headwear with a trinity of crowns encircling, one atop the other. As the first pope, it is doubtful Peter ever had one. The tiara was used for the coronation of a new pope and for ceremonial purposes. Pope Paul VI wore the triple tiara at the beginning of his papacy in the mid 1960s afterwhich it has pretty much disappeared from the papal wardrobe. It can be a rather heavy hat to wear, upwards of 15-20 pounds. Today. popes 263-266 were not crowned to the papacy, but were installed or inaugurated.
This all started with those immortal words of Jesus to Peter. What faith Jesus must have had in the one who would deny him three times; the one who, time and time again, just didn't get it. To this one, he entrusted his life's work.
Maybe sometimes you have your own doubt and misunderstanding of Jesus. Think of Peter and the tiny mustard seed. A very little bit can take you far.

Spirit and Letter of the law

8/26/2017

A thought for the day
Saturday, the 20th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Joseph Calasanz

Readings for today’s Mass

Do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. You have heard it said: "Do as I say, not as I do." In referring to the Jewish keepers of the law, the scribes and pharisees, that seems exactly what Jesus is saying today. The purpose of the law was to maintain an orderly social structure among the Jews for the sake of a common good. Today, Jesus calls attention to another dynamic in the observance of the law. He cautions that, while the scribes and pharisees know the law and teach it well, they don't always make good examples of how the law is put into practice. While they know how to use the law to maintain social order, they also know how the law can become burdensome for the common people. They also know how it can be used to benefit themselves.
Our political leaders today have that same understanding. They know how the law is suppose to keep good order, they also understand how it can hold people back. At the same time, they know how it can work for their own gain. When a politician is accused of legal or ethical misconduct, the response i most often hear is "I did not violate the law." This is about the letter of the law. Their practice of of the law is not always a good example to follow.
Today Jesus invites us to understand the intent of the law and to act accordingly. It is one thing to know what the law says and another thing to know how to appropriately put it into practice for the common good.
Are there laws that you struggle with? Is it because they infringe on your freedom or because they do not serve the common good?

Love God and neighbor

8/25/2017

A thought for the day
Friday, the 20th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Louis of France

Readings for today’s Mass

The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments. In the Torah, one can find over 600 laws and commandments the Jewish people were expected to adhere to. As the Word of the Lord, you might expect Christian groups should also abide by these laws. For the most part, the purpose of all these was to govern right relationships between the people and God. right relationships between members of Jewish society and proper relationships between the Israelites and the gentiles. i guess they were a good idea, but who has time to study them all? Seems a bit overwhelming.
Similarly, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is also a lot of words; even moreso that the Torah. It is divided into four parts; each part is divided into multiple sections which are divided into even more chapters. Then there are articles and paragraphs before each ends with a summary - "In Brief". If you want to start studying it, there is a link to the catechism on our web site - Other Sites of Interest page. Plan for a long read!
When asked to comment on the Torah, i think Jesus' response might also fit well with our catechism. When a scholar of the law asked him, Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
Seems like a pretty good summation to me. In case you need a refresher on that, take a look at Lk 10:29-37.

Fidelity

8/24/2017

A thought for the day
Thursday, the 20th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Bartholomew

Readings for today’s Mass

There is precious little to be said about today's saint. Bartholomew is mentioned in passing only in two listings of the twelve. As Nathanael, he gets two mentions, when he was first invited to be one of the twelve, and in a post resurrection story where Jesus is cooking fish on the lakeshore in the early morning. Some scholars will argue that Bartholomew and Nathanael are the same person. Still, there is little mention of either. On the Church calendar, he is celebrated as St. Bartholomew. So how does he get to be a saint?
From the little we have, we can certainly say this about Bartholomew. From his life of fidelity to the Lord, he was someone worthy of admiration and imitation. He was one of the twelve who was there at the beginning of Jesus' public life; he was there at the end of the gospels after the resurrection. For three years of Jesus' public ministry he was part of the movement, being faithful to his calling thru the thick and the thin of Jesus' life and death. That sounds like one way you get to be a saint.
Do you see Bartholomew as someone you might imitate? What can you do that expresses your admiration of this subtle disciple?

The kingdom is like . . . .

8/23/2017

A thought for the day
Wednesday, the 20th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Rose of Lima

Readings for today’s Mass

Today the gospel serves up another metaphor for the Kingdom of God. It is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. Really, he went out at five different times of the day to hire more workers; the last at 5:00. They all worked until evening. In telling the story, there are two important details that can't be missed. The day started at dawn, first light, and ended at evening; and the payout started with those who had worked the fewest hours. To the dismay of the all-day workers, everyone took home the same amount of wages. To their grumbling, the landowner challenges back: You got what you worked for. What ls it to you if i want to be generous?
This reminds me of another passage from Matthew's gospel: I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? Mt 5:44-46.
It's important now to remember the point of the story, the metaphor. It's not about the landowner, the workers or their wages. It's about the Kingdom of God which is like a landowner who was very generous to those who enter, even if you were only able to invest a little time, You will still share in the same sun and rain as is needed for the kingdom to grow. All who enter will be blessed by the same fullness of God.
Here is a thought for the day. It's a fill-in-the-blank: For you, the kingdom of heaven is like . . . . . . . What metaphor works for you?

Eagle Catholic

is a daily devotional based on the Mass readings of the day, the saint of the day or any other topic worthy of reflection in light of Catholic tradition.
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