The Emmaus Pastorate's Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Emmaus Pastorate
This weekend we share a letter from Archbishop Zinkula about the Journey in Faith initiative now taking place in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. For more information, please visit the website: www.dbqjourneyinfaith.org.
All good parents implement some discipline with their children. But discipline isn't intended to inflict pain or torture, even though kids might think so! Discipline is a teaching tool, much like rules, to guide us toward that which is better. We encounter discipline at school, work, and home, so we shouldn't be surprised when we see Jesus using it too. If our ultimate goal is to enter God's kingdom of heaven, we must have a sense of discipline. It won't be easy; following rules isn't always so. But the reward is priceless and eternal!
Sometimes, like Jeremiah, we're called out of our comfort zone. And we usually don't like it! But as disciples, we're still called to be like Jeremiah, to leave the familiar places and feelings and travel new and different ways. But there's a sweet comfort: Jesus is there every step of the way!
The Catholic Church has undergone multiple stages over the centuries. Today, we've returned to an apostolic age in which people don't participate in worship and parish activities out of habit as they have for the last several decades. The majority of people who participate today do so because they have been personally invited. This applies especially to the men and women entering the priesthood and religious life. Those who have discerned God's calling to enter vows or be ordained do so because someone asked them to consider it. Today, we are happy to welcome home our very own seminarian, Steven Kessler, who is continuing his priesthood formation this fall. We continue to pray for him, his classmates, and all those currently in formation for the priesthood or religious life.
Having stuff is OK, but there's ultimately no point to our stuff if we don't live a self-giving lifestyle. Let's ask ourselves if what we have is worth having just to claim possession of it. Or is there a larger use for my stuff? Perhaps our focus needs to shift from ourselves to others.
How can we get to know Jesus unless we listen? When we come to Mass, do we really listen to what we're hearing? The scriptures, prayers, and even music have so much to tell us, but it doesn't matter much if we don't listen. True, sometimes we need to take action and do certain things, just like Martha was busy serving her guests. But we also need to remember to listen and pay attention, just like Mary.
This weekend, the Emmaus Pastorate welcomes its new pastor, Fr. Paul Baldwin! In his first homily, he explains his background and roots. Everyone is our neighbor and deserves our care, love and support. As Fr. Paul begins his ministry here, he's counting on that from us. The greatest thing a priest can do is care for others in both the good times and bad. So, let us be there for him as he is there for us! Welcome, Fr. Paul!
Have you ever seen God as a mother? God wants to nurture, nourish, and grow us! But that requires us to be docile enough to accept such an intimate relationship. And how does God nurture us? Through other people! We are called to be both the nurtured and the nurturer! We are our brothers' keepers and our neighbors' caretakers. We belong to each other and are here to serve each other. Let us be the laborers but also the harvest.
This episode marks the end of Fr. John Haugen's time as pastor of the five parishes in the Emmaus Pastorate. We are very grateful for his leadership over the last 10+ years. We will miss his presence, preaching, and guidance. And we wish him the very best in his retirement!
With belief comes persecution, but all of us have a part to play. This is especially true in the 21st century and as the Archdiocese of Dubuque embarks on a long-range initiative titled Journey in Faith that will help shape the future of our parishes in northeast Iowa. Today's Mass also marks Fr. John's farewell at St. Joseph Parish in Elkader, IA. He will certainly be missed, and we wish him well in retirement!
In this bonus episode of the Emmaus Pastorate's Podcast, we are very happy to share the content of another great Catholic podcast, Catholic History Trek. Their hosts, Kevin Schmiesing and Scott Schulze, retell parts of Catholic history that relate to current practices and issues. One thread of their show is to showcase the Cradle of Catholicism in each of the United States.
For the last several years, the Archdiocese of Dubuque has conducted a special collection titled ArchdioceseOne for four specific purposes: seminarian education, priest retirement, legal immigration services, and cathedral church and campus repairs. Over the last year, the Cathedral has received new grading and drainage outside the church, repairs to the roof and foundation, restored Maplewood floorings, new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units, tuckpointing work, and repairs to the building’s façade. New flooring was added to the Cathedral Center along with plaster repairs and new paint. Paintings in the church were restored along with the stenciling and ornamentation on the walls. Although the church was first used again at the Chrism Mass during Holy week, this Sunday, June 29 a grand unveiling with tours receptions will be held.
If you have the opportunity to visit the cradle of Catholicism in Iowa, the Cathedral of St. Raphael, we highly suggest spending the time! Seated just a few blocks from the Julien Dubuque bridge in downtown Dubuque, Iowa, the Cathedral is one reason the city is nicknamed the Masterpiece on the River! The Emmaus Pastorate appreciates Kevin and Scott for sharing their research with us, and we celebrate the newly restored seat of our Archdiocese!
"Pray. Serve. Belong." That's the mission of St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center in Cedar Falls, IA. As Chaplain Fr. Mark Murphy explains, St. Stephen serves the spiritual needs of college students from the University of Northern Iowa, Hawkeye Community College, Allen College, and Wartburg College, all of which are in the Waterloo and Waverly areas of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Because St. Stephen is a student center instead of a parish, it receives no formal or regular source of income. If you are in a position to help serve the needs of these students, please make a donation! Gifts can be brought to either Emmaus Pastorate office in Elkader or Edgewood, mailed to the address below, or made online at the following link. Thank you for your generosity! And thanks to Fr. Mark for spreading the word about St. Stephen!
Make checks payable and send to St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center, 1019 West 23rd Street Cedar Falls, IA 50613.
Make online donations at https://bit.ly/ststephenuni.
The Trinity is a hard concept to understand. But that's alright. We mere mortals don't need to understand it. But as followers of Jesus, we do need to live the Trinity!
Come, Holy Spirit! Yes, indeed we need the Holy Spirit, perhaps now more than ever! Pentecost celebrates the birthday of the Church, the unofficial end of Christ's work on earth and the simultaneous beginning of people's work on earth. The Archdiocese of Dubuque is also undergoing long-term pastoral planning, considering how to best be the Church in northeast Iowa in this modern era. As we do so, it's important to remember what the Church is and what it's not. It's more than a building. It's really the people that gather there. But it's also the people who gather in other churches too! In this homily this weekend, Fr. John uses the hymn Sing a New Church to describe what the Church should be. We include the full set of lyrics here for your reflection:
Sing a New Church
NETTLETON/Delores Dufner, OSB
- Summoned by the God who made us Rich in our diversity,
Gathered in the name of Jesus, Richer still in unity:
Refrain: Let us bring the gifts that differ And, in splendid, varied ways,
Sing a new church into being, One in faith and love and praise.
- Radiant risen from the water, Robed in holiness and light,
Male and female in God’s image, Male and female, God’s delight: (refrain)
- Trust the goodness of creation; Trust the Spirit strong within.
Dare to dream the vision promised, Sprung from seed of what has been. (refrain)
- Bring the hopes of ev’ry nation; Bring the art of ev’ry race.
Weave a song of peace and justice; Let it sound through time and space. (refrain)
- Draw together at one table All the human family;
Shape a circle ever wider And a people ever free. (refrain)
Text: 87 87 with refrain; Delores Dufner, OSB, © 1991, The Sisters of St. Benedict. Published by OCP. All rights reserved. Music: J. Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, Part II, 1813. Permission to reprint and stream under ONE LICENSE #A-629030.
See. Judge. Act. These three steps have been used by saints and martyrs for centuries to discern the will of God and the direction he desired for their lives. On the Vigil of Pentecost, 15 students of the Emmaus Pastorate were confirmed by Archbishop Thomas Zinkula. He reminded them and all of us that the Church, that Jesus, needs us to be active in today's world and that as Christians we are called to live the vocation God has set for us. Using these three steps can guide our discernment now and in the future as we strive to follow God's plan.
The Emmaus Pastorate thanks Archbishop Zinkula for visiting with us and congratulates all who were confirmed this year! We pray that the Holy Spirit enkindles in them a fire of love and service for Christ and his Church!
Christian living and sacrifice go hand-in-hand. To have one, you must have the other to be true. One can't be a Christian and not live a life of sacrifice for God. To live a life sacrificing for your faith is to be a Christian. But we don't like sacrificing. The concept is sometimes even foreign to us! But as Jesus ascends into heaven this Sunday, we're left on earth with the question: what am I going to do for my faith? How am I going to spread the Good News Jesus gave me? The answer involves sacrifice!
New. Change. We tend to dislike these words because they involve something different than our status quo. They sometimes also require us to put down our own ideals, let go of our own desires, and allow something different to happen within us. In today's Gospel, Jesus gives a "new" commandment - that for Jews wasn't actually new at all - which requires people wanting to follow him to do new and different things, to allow God to perform changes within them. We don't always like these things, but if we do allow Christ to work within us, the possibilities are endless!
To whom do you listen? That's the question as we mark the Fourth Sunday of Easter, which is often called Good Shepherd Sunday. Certainly we listen to our moms - or we should anyway! With the election of a new Holy Father, hopefully we're listening to him as well. But Jesus is the Good Shepherd, to whom we should listen always. In 2025, with all the news and social outlets surrounding us, to whom are you listening?
Better and better! That's what Jesus makes us when we come to receive him in the Eucharist. Whether it's our first time or maybe we've received him faithfully for 50+ years, every time we receive Jesus' Body and Blood, we are made better and better disciples.
Congratulations to all of our First Communicants! We are very proud of you and wish you many, many blessings!
Miracles happen when people are unified in the Lord. Take St. John, stranded on the island of Patmos, for example. Even in that banishment, he still received the overwhelming message from Jesus to "be not afraid." Take another example from the Upper Room. Even as the disciples were terrified when Jesus appeared despite the door being locked, Jesus said, "Peace be with you." Miracles!
But then Jesus gave them all a job, the same job he gives us today: be merciful as God is merciful. Now mercy isn't getting even. It's about forgiveness. And before we can be merciful to others, we must first accept God's mercy upon ourselves. When we start thinking it's too hard to give or accept mercy, we need to remember that all things are possible with God.
Mercy is the great thing our country and world need now because we are so divided. Showing and granting forgiveness to others creates peace, concord, and unity - a miracle for those united in the Lord! In order for an alleluia to be on our lips this Easter, we must show mercy to others!
What difference does the empty tomb make? Flowers are nice, but what's it all about? It's about transformation, about change, and that's one thing people hate the most! God always accepts us where we are on our own spiritual journeys, but he never wants to leave us there. He always wants to draw us closer to him. So let's ask ourselves if we're more than Jesus than this time last year. This year, let us dare to be more like him! From the staff of the Emmaus Pastorate, happy Easter!
Beginning this Easter Sunday episode is Though Not Seeing You, arranged by Craig Kingsbury and featuring John Uhal on guitar. Following Fr. John's homily you heard Three Days, arranged by Jeffrey Honore. Both were sung by the St. Joseph Choir, conducted by John Uhal, and accompanied by Becky Gundacker. Permission to stream under ONE LICENSE #A-626030.
Why do we do this? Why do we gather late at night to celebrate a liturgy more different than any other? Well it's not for doctrine or dogma. Christ didn't come to set church teachings or a catechism, though he did do that. No, we come instead to share our faith. We come to share the faith that Christ brought us and the Good News is carries because Jesus desires that every person enter eternal life. But to share the faith we profess, we must also accept the crosses and burdens that come with it, just ask Christ did. The best thing we can do to express our faith is to share it with others regardless of the cost and with the aim of inviting new members into its fold through the sacraments. From the staff of the Emmaus Pastorate, happy Easter to you and your family!
Included in this episode is the Easter Alleluia, the first time "alleluia" is uttered since Ash Wednesday 40 days ago. It was cantored by mother and daughter Anne and Molly Franta. Deacon Paul Dolan proclaimed the Gospel, Luke 24:1-12. As Fr. John introduced, the Litany of Saints ends this episode. John Becker's rendition was cantored by Tara Ketoff. Both pieces were accompanied by Coleen Glaza, conducted by John Uhal, and featured the combined ensembles of the Emmaus Pastorate, Collen Moore on flute, and Steve Steinfadt and Marge Gaul on guitar.
The crucifying has continued. In every sin we commit, every time the innocent suffer, Jesus' crucifixion continues. But it doesn't have to be that way. It can stop with us.
Beginning this episode is the Responsorial Psalm for Good Friday, a setting of Psalm 31 by John Michael Talbot titled Father, I Put My Life in Your Hands. It was cantored by Tony Tjaden. Following Fr. John's homily is Tree of Life by Marty Haugen. Both are sung by the combined ensembles of the Emmaus Pastorate, accompanied by Susie Tjaden, conducted by John Uhal, and feature Colleen Moore on flute, Steve Steinfadt on guitar, and Israel de la Rosa on electric bass. Permission to stream under ONE LICENSE #A-626030.
Jesus gives us a model to follow. It's about loving each other and becoming His Body and Blood. It's a model to follow that will call us to a life deeper than we can imagine. It's a model that will lead us to heaven on earth.
Preceding this episode is Curtis Stephan's Bread of Angels, and following Fr. John's homily is Craig Larson's arrangement of How Beautiful by Twila Paris. Both are sung by the combined ensembles of the Emmaus Pastorate, accompanied by Kristin Fitzgerald, conducted by John Uhal, and featuring Colleen Moore on flute. Permission to stream granted under ONE LICENSE #A-626030.
Are you sleeping!? There's no napping in the Garden! Stay awake, and pray. Pray that you may not undergo the test, and pray to relieve someone else's test!
The Emmaus Pastorate is happy to provide our listeners with an extra bonus episode this week! As we near the end of March, which is Problem Gambling Addiction Awareness Month, we share an episode from Road to Purity’s podcast, Tell Them for Me. Titled Delving Deep: Healing Addiction by Tracing its Roots and Mending Wounds, this is excellent food for thought as we continue our journey through March and the season of Lent! The full, original episode description is below, and we appreciate Road to Purity for allowing us to share their content. You can find Tell Them for Me on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, and YouTube. We welcome any feedback on this or other episodes on The Emmaus Pastorate’s Podcast through our website: www.vibrantcatholic.com/contact.
Delving Deep: Healing Addiction by Tracing its Roots and Mending Wounds
by Road to Purity
In this episode we delve into the underpinnings of addictive behaviors, the significance of childhood wounds, and the construction of false identities. With a focus on how childhood experiences shape our behaviors and beliefs, we uncover the importance of resolving false identities and healing emotional wounds. Delving into the spiritual dimension, we discuss the role of spiritual warfare in the healing process and the profound insights found in the Theology of the Body. We also discuss the profound acts of forgiveness, renouncing lies, and tackling addiction and complex family dynamics as part of a comprehensive program we’ve developed.
Take Our Anonymous Survey to help shape our new program for families and Win $100: https://roadtopurity.com/surveygiveaway
Road to Purity is a Catholic nonprofit organization offering hope, healing, and guidance for individuals and families seeking growth in purity. Our mission is to address the struggles of pornography and sexual addiction by healing the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—while fostering a community rooted in God’s grace and purity.
Our Programs Include:
-Restoring God’s Foundation: A recovery program providing tools, healing strategies, and spiritual guidance for individuals struggling with sexual sin.
-Support for Clergy: Equipping priests and deacons with resources to assist their parishioners in overcoming challenges to sexual purity.
-COMING SOON: Family Programs: Educating parents to protect their children from exposure while fostering healthy, open conversations about sexuality and faith.
By engaging in these programs, participants can expect growth in purity, deeper understanding of intimacy, and the strength to make informed, God-centered decisions in today’s culture.
For more information, join the mission of building an Empire of Purity and find freedom through Road to Purity. Visit roadtopurity.com
Why can't we just come to our senses?! The prodigal son did! Why can't we? God will love and forgive us no matter what sins we commit so long as we're repentant. So come home, repent, and enjoy the party!
We thank Fr. Carl Ries for celebrating Mass for us and preaching this weekend. Fr. Carl filled in for Fr. John as he continues his recovery from a recent heart attack. Please join us on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 for confessions at St. Mark Parish in Edgewood, IA. A meal will be served from 5:30pm-7:30pm in the Parish Hall, and confessions will be heard by at least 8 priests from 6:00pm-8:00pm in the Church.
Forgive everyone everything. Plain and simple. Not always easy, but plain and simple! It's sometimes hard to let go of grudges, fears, resentments, and hurts. But if we want the reward of a life well lived (aka heaven), we need to forgive others and ourselves of the sins we all commit. And when we find it hard, God is always there to help us! We can never say that we can never forgive someone. We can always be forgiven and can always forgive others - but only if we want - and only if we ask!
Fr. Dustin Vu visited St. Joseph Parish in Elkader this weekend as Fr. John continues his recovery. Thank you for your ministry, Fr. Vu!
In this homily, Fr. Vu gives us the landowner's quarrel. Are we getting better? Or are we getting worse? If we're not getting better, then we are useless, perhaps even worse. Maybe we take up space and resources from others! Come judgement day, the landowner - aka God - will make his decision on where we go. But if we're getting better throughout our lives, perhaps the landowner decides to let us stay and flourish! As we continue on our Lenten journey, let's ask ourselves - even if bit by bit - whether we're getting better at being Jesus' disciples or getting worse.
Tend the ground. Actually, tend the holy ground. Sometimes we forget that the ground, the places on which we stand, are holy. Sure, churches, cemeteries, maybe other "holy" places are holy. But if God is everywhere, if God dwells in us all day long, then everywhere we go is a holy place. And if that's true, we have a lot of ground to tend! Let's let God into our lives by spreading some of the fertilizer and tending our seeds!
To what do you listen? On what or whom are you focused? As we continue the journey of Lent, we continue thinking about the ways we're tending the ground in our hearts, how we are (or aren't) making good, fertile places for growth. And this week after hearing the story of the Transfiguration, we can ask ourselves whether or not we're listening to God's voice or something or someone else. Just as Jesus was transfigured on the mountaintop, we can be transformed into something entirely new and divine too, but only if we let God work in our hearts!
Fr. Marvin Bries celebrated Mass on the First Sunday of Lent as Fr. John recovers and continues his cardiac rehab. In his homily, Fr. Bries reminds us of the power of the holy name of Jesus. Whenever you're in trouble, simply think, whisper, or shout his name, and all your troubles will abate!
Tend the Ground. What does it mean to tend the ground? Farming is more than just planting and harvesting. The field works also needs to be done. The ground itself needs tending. And so it is with our hearts. It's so easy to take the easy road, to go through the motions, to keep a stony heart. But this Lent, hopefully we aim for something more. Hopefully we're ready to tend the ground in our hearts so they're ready for God to grow and transform us.
Beginning today's episode is the St. Joseph Choir in Elkader, IA singing Tend the Ground by Steven Curtis. This is the song on which we'll focus over the next few weeks and referenced by Fr. John in his homily. Permission to stream and reprint this content is granted under ONE LICENSE #A-626030.
Fr. John also referenced the prayer he wrote for Lent 2025, and recording of that is included at the end of today's episode. The text follows:
Dear Jesus, I come before you in these holy days and this is my request:
Help me tend the ground.
The ground is my entire life and indeed, it needs tending.
The weeds of distraction have overgrown my heart, and my sinful habits have produced a hard, well-worn path where your love cannot find a space to grow.
Help me tend the ground.
Plow through my apathy or my fear of change and break up the clods of pride and the need to be right. Open up my mind and heart and plant your Word deep within, to grow and flourish. Sharpen my awareness that I might see the small green shoots of hope sprouting up through the darkness of my rebellious heart. Make of my life a fertile field yielding the fruits of justice and compassion and love.
I come before you in these holy days of Lent and this is my request:
Help me tend the ground, that I might become the person you’ve called me to be.
AMEN.
~ Rev. John Haugen 2025
As we mark the beginning of Lent, let us take time to consider the ways in which we'll tend the ground in our hearts through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. In this homily, Deacon Paul mentions the Rice Bowl program offered by Catholic Relief Services. If you'd like to participate, visit one of our parishes or one near you to receive a Rice Bowl and bring back to church after Lent.
The gift of sight is wonderful and makes life very enjoyable for those who possess it. But many things we encounter everyday have the ability to cloud our vision. It could be bad weather, poor eyesight, dirty glasses, or someone poking us. And our spiritual lives have eyes that long to see, too, eyes that long to see with the eyes of faith. And that sight can be clouded by many things too, mostly sin. And sin is everywhere in 2025! As we prepare to enter the season of Lent, may we consider the places where sin dwells in our lives so we can allow Christ to clean them. Then we might just be able to see with his eyes!
Let's put church teaching aside for just a minute. When Jesus spoke, did he actually mean what he said? And if so, what did he really mean? Whether it makes us comfortable or not, many of the things Jesus said were (and still are) counter-cultural, radically different than the norm. And those same things should shake us even today. If they don't, we need to ask ourselves if Jesus really meant what he said and what those words mean today. If he did mean what he said, then chances are that we need to do some soul searching here in 2025!
Is loving easy? Of COURSE NOT! Loving each other is usually very hard! It's so easy, especially in our culture, to let point fingers and demand what we want (want demand it now). But Jesus didn't ask us to like each other, point fingers, or be divisive. He commanded us to love our neighbors, no matter the cost! As we celebrate Valentine's Day, let's consider what REAL love is all about!
In his time on earth, Jesus had a penchant for calling some peculiar people to follow him. These people - like Simeon and Andrew, two average fishermen - didn't have a stellar resume or unique skills. They were just ordinary people. But still they were called by name to join Jesus and his ministry. They didn't have a schedule or agenda, no plans or schematics for what lay ahead. They simply had to trust Jesus, especially when he led them into deeper waters. Can we also cast our nets into the nerve-wracking deep waters? Can we trust Jesus enough to let him see us through all the challenges that come with discipleship? Greatness awaits us if we can!
"You suck at this! Go run that drill until you get it!" yells the coach at practice. It's not always nice, but that's how coaches coach you to be better. They tell you the long, hard truth that you're not great at this or that skill, and they help you fix it. A silversmith does the same thing by removing the dross from melted silver. Only when all the impurities are gone can the silver be used to make various objects. But running those drills or removing the dross is rarely a comfortable experience. It's usually painful to some degree and can be grueling at times. But the beauty is in the finished product.
God works in the same way. We come to worship to give glory to God, yes, but also be run through the ringer, to be told what we're not good at, to have our own dross removed. It's not comfortable, but it is the path of a disciple! And the beauty is what lies before us in eternal life!
Being a Christian, and a Catholic specifically, is no easy task. But Jesus never said it was going to be. Sometimes, maybe most of the time, being a Christian in a culture that can be very self-centered, paradoxical, and counter to the Gospel message might cause us more anguish than we currently endure. Still, our baptism calls us to work for justice and peace, to call out wrongs when they occur, to pray for all people (even people we don't like), and to speak up for people who have no voice. That's what Jesus did, even though it went against most of his own culture's teachings and beliefs. We are called to do these things because whether we believe it or not the Spirit of the Lord is upon us and has been since the moment of our baptism. Let's not forget it!
The wedding feast at Cana can be a quaint little story. "Mom, not now! It's not time yet! Don't you get it? Once I start, there's no going back!" says Jesus. But still, Mary comes to Jesus on behalf of the happily married couple in need of more wine for their feast. And Jesus delivers in a big way! This story reminds us of two things: 1) Mary is always ready - like any mom - to fill our needs and get us help, and 2) Jesus reminds us that the heavenly banquet will be so much better than our present.
What good does your baptism do you? Do you every think about that? What good does your baptism do you? Does it empower you? Does it challenge you? Hopefully it does both at different times in your life. If it does neither, ask yourself whether your faith is really worth anything. Answering those questions might just change your life!
(Disclaimer: this episode is Fr. John's homily from Saturday night, January 11, 2025 at St. Joseph Parish in Elkader, IA. Although Sunday Mass was celebrated, references to "tonight" are made because Sunday Mass was celebrated on Saturday night.)
Merry Christmas! In addition to our usual and extra homily posts, the Emmaus Pastorate musicians would like to share with you some of the Christmas music they've prepared for you this season. We hope it adds to your Christmas joy as we celebrate Christ's birth thru the feast of his baptism on January 12, 2025! In this episode, you'll hear from St. Joseph Choir at St. Joseph Parish in Elkader, IA, the musicians of St. Mary Parish in Strawberry Point, IA, and a few of the musicians from St. Mark Parish in Edgewood, IA. Please note these are live recordings from either before or during worship, so expect to hear a little background noise and/or a priest singing occasionally. The pieces in order of appearance are:
Child of the Poor (Scott Soper)
Go, Tell It on the Mountain (Spiritual)
Do You Hear What I Hear (unknown)
Noel (Chris Tomlin)
O What a King (Katy Nichole)
There Is Nothing Told (Christopher Willcock)
Holy Is His Name (John Michael Talbot)
Love Has Come (Matt Maher)
What Child Is This (GREENSLEEVES)
Be Born in Us (Ruth Elaine Schram)
We Three Kings (KINGS OF ORIENT)
Look up! Not down...look up! As we begin a new year and celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany, how are looking for God? How are we inviting him into our lives? The word epiphany really means "manifestation" or "enlightening." Yes, smart people came to visit him, but the Magi aren't the only people to whom Jesus came. He came for everyone found in the nativity story. He came for you. He came for your neighbors. He came for all Christians but also all non-Christians. He came for everyone at every period of time. So as we begin 2025 and continue to celebrate Christmas, how exactly are we seeing God and inviting him into our lives and those of others?
BONUS! Fr. John is slowly getting back into presiding at Sunday Masses, and we're blessed to hear his homily from the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to recover.
Families can be complicated, no doubt about it. They can be even more complicated in church too! Nonetheless, as Christians, we are called to set aside differences and build relationships that resemble those formed by the Holy Family. Easy? Nope! Our calling? Absolutely! How can you create better relationships and bring people to God in the new year?
The family is the central unit of human society, and for better or for worse it has a large hand in the people become. As we reflect on the Holy Family this week, how do our familial relationships compare to theirs?
The Emmaus Pastorate thanks Msgr. Jim Miller for celebrating Mass with us this weekend! We look forward to having Fr. John back on a regular basis in the next few months!
Merry Christmas! In addition to our usual and extra homily posts, the Emmaus Pastorate musicians would like to share with you some of the Christmas music they've prepared for you this season. We hope it adds to your Christmas joy as we celebrate Christ's birth thru the feast of his baptism on January 12! In this episode, you'll hear the music sung by the St. Joseph Choir on Christmas Eve 2024 at St. Joseph Parish in Elkader, IA. The pieces in order of appearance are:
The People That Walk in Darkness (Bob Dufford)
Away in a Manger (CRADLE SONG)
Pavane for a Silent Night (Patrick Liebergen)
See Amid the Winter's Snow (Richard Kingsmore)
Still (Kathleen Basi)
O Holy Night (Keith Christopher)
By Candlelight (Ruth Elaine Schram)
Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen, arr. John Uhal)
A Christmas Blessing (John Purifoy)
The Snow Lay on the Ground (Jody Lindh)
O Come, All Ye Faithful (ADESTE FIDELES)
O Little Town of Bethlehem (ST. LOUIS)
Silent Night (STILLE NACHT)
The First Nowell (THE FIRST NOWELL)
Et in Terra Pax (John Purifoy)
Joy to the World (ANTIOCH)
The extended version of the Christmas night Gospel has a few characters for us to examine. First, Gabriel, the archangel, has a message to deliver to unsuspecting shepherds. As Christmas begins, how might we hear the same message they heard, that the long-awaited messiah has been born for us? Second, all the focus is on a little, harmless baby. Babies and children are inherently disarming and therefore inviting. They invite us to let go of the protections and walls we create between our inner selves and others. They allow us to open our hearts and simply love the other. Can we do the same with each other this Christmas? Finally, the shepherds who visited the manger scene and saw the new born king went away completely different people. Having celebrated Christmas and remembered that Jesus also was born and walked this earth, could we also be different people this Christmas? Someone more hopeful, civil, kind, and loving?
We appreciate Fr. Carl Reis for celebrating Mass with us on Christmas Eve! The staff of the Emmaus Pastorate wishes all of our listeners a very merry Christmas!
We are pleased to welcome Fr. John Haugen back to another Emmaus Pastorate parish this weekend! We're glad he's getting back into a routine, and we look forward to celebrating the Mass and sacraments with him in the coming weeks as he feels able!
Rituals help define and shape our lives. From washing the floor before company arrives to polishing shoes before Mass on Saturday nights, rituals abound in our lives, even ones we maybe don't recognize. So as we prepare for Christmas later this week, what rituals are you performing? How are you preparing for Christ's coming? Hopefully you've been doing a little prep work here and there throughout Advent, but if you're a procrastinator, that's OK too! Let's prepare our hearts, our minds, and our souls - not for something that already happened thousands of years ago but - for something that should happen everyday of our lives!
Hope. Expectation. Joy. These are the themes of Advent that converge here on the final Sunday of Advent. The scene of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth is full of each of these themes, and out of them even come some phrases of the beloved prayer, the Hail Mary. Although Mary and Elizabeth haven't walked this earth for thousands of years, those themes still live on in Christians every day. As we look forward to celebrating Christmas later this week, are you full of hope, expectation, and joy? Will you be welcoming guests into your home and heart with hope, expectation, and joy? Might you welcome Christ too?
We appreciate Fr. Jim Miller stepping in for Fr. John this week! Because Fr. John won't be celebrating all of our Masses each weekend just yet, we'll continue to welcome guest presiders and homilists to our podcast for the next few weeks. From all the staff of the Emmaus Pastorate, we with you and yours a very merry Christmas!
"Rejoice!" Paul didn't say, "Be happy!" No, he said, "Rejoice! Again I say, 'rejoice!'" As we look at the last 10 days of Advent, we turn our minds from the penitential affect of the season to the joyful. Joy is a foundational virtue of a Christians' life. It reminds us that despite any unfortunate event in this life, there is a better result waiting for us: the Resurrection and eternal life! So whenever life gets a little drear, remember that there's always a light shinning for us. And his name is Jesus!
We'd like to also welcome back Fr. John Haugen! He has been recovering from a heart attack over the last few weeks. Although he's not back to full strength yet and he likely won't be featured on this podcast every week for a little while, we're glad to have him whenever we can!
Be Prepared. It's the century-old Boy Scout motto even non Boy Scouts know so well. As we look ahead to Christmas, John the Baptist cries out in the wilderness, "Prepare the way of the Lord!" It's good to be prepared for life, and scouting definitely helps young men and women be so. But what about our spiritual lives? Are our hearts and minds prepared for eternal life, for the coming of Christ in our lives (both then and now)? Consider cracking open your bible, going to confession, and adding something to your prayer life this Advent. Are you ROOTED in those habits? If not, there's still time to prepare!
Happy (liturgical) New Year! As we begin the season of Advent and prepare for Christmas, we also turn our calendars to another year in the church. It's time to reexamine our lives and our direction...hopefully they're both pointed toward Christ! But if they're not, this is a good time for course correction. As we wait for God's coming both at the end of time but also in our everyday lives, we can prepare our hearts, minds, and lives for those moments. Fr. Dave Ambrosy shares with us three ways we can prepare for Christmas in this holy season of Advent.
- Slow down - take time for God, for yourself, and for others. In the hustle and bustle of the season, let's not forget the "reason for the season"!
- Extra time for prayer - take an extra few minutes each day to talk and commune with God. In the morning, maybe around lunch, or before bedtime, find 5-10 minutes to spend with our Lord wherever you are.
- Go to confession - give yourself the best Christmas present ever by receiving absolution of all your sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation! Visit a priest anytime or join us on December 18 at St. Mark Parish in Edgewood, IA for confessions. We'll be serving a meal from 5:00pm-7:00pm, and several priests will be available to hear confessions from 6:00pm-8:00pm. Receiving absolution is a beautiful way to prepare your heart for the holy season to come!
What is truth? In the 21st century, where do we find truth? There are lots of places offering a version of truth: the internet, social media, political parties and leaders, maybe friends and/or family too. But what is truth at its core? Well only one person can provide that, and his name is Jesus! As we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe and the Global Celebration of Youth and Young Adults, let's ask ourselves where we're finding our truth as we end this liturgical year, look forward to Thanksgiving, and enter a new liturgical year with Advent next week.
Special thanks to Archbishop Thomas Zinkula for filling in for Fr. John Haugen this weekend as he completes his retreat and heart attack recovery!
Fr. Dave Ambrosy visited St. Mary Parish this weekend, and left us a message for these last days of Ordinary Time. As we prepare for the end of the liturgical year and the coming season of Advent, are we prepared? Are we ready for the coming of Christ at the end of time. It's something to think about as we enter these last and first weeks!
To whom are you faithful? As we near the end of the church's liturgical year, we can ask ourselves whether or not we're ready for the end. During these last few weeks, we hear scripture passages about the end times, the eschaton, the second coming of Christ. We get to ask ourselves as the year ends and as a new one (beginning with the season of Advent) begins: To whom are we faithful? Especially when the going gets tough, when life gets hard, frustrating, or maybe scary and unknown, do we keep our faith, hope, and trust in the God? Maybe that's a good thing to think about this Advent!
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. That was the lesson of last week's Gospel reading when Jesus gave us the greatest commandments. (Oh, and don't forget loving your neighbor as yourself!) This week the tables turn a bit, as have the political realities in our governments. Now we're asked to trust God entirely, no matter what the circumstance. Trust that he will always provide for our every need. Why would God do that? Because God loves US with his whole heart, soul, mind, and strength! Will you let him?
It's National Vocations Awareness Week in the United States, and it's a good thing too! We need to think about from where our next priests, brothers, sisters, and deacons will come. In your house, do you talk about the lack of priests and the decreasing numbers of religious brothers and sisters? Without priests especially, there will be no Eucharist! But take the question a bit farther, and mix it with our Gospel reading today about the greatest commandments. If we love God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, we must also love our neighbors as ourselves. What does that look like in your world? Loving God more than anything else can be very tricky in today's world with so much competition for our time and energy. And the polarization and division in our culture make it very easy not to love our neighbor as we should. So how is God calling you to serve him today and in your life?
Death does not have the final word. We as Catholics, like anyone else in the world, mourn the loss of our friends and family members. Grieving is a human thing to do - even Jesus mourned when Lazarus died! But we also remember that St. Paul writes that our baptism is a death in itself; we who are baptized in Christ are baptized into his resurrection. So while life on this earth will eventually end and with that comes sadness, we have a promise of a life everlasting thanks to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and his resurrection. So we gather every All Souls Day to remember those who have died, to pray for them and the repose of their souls, and to pray for us who long to join them. And we remember that the final word is not death's but rather Christ's, and his word is "Alleluia!"
Many of us think All Saints Day is time to worship or pray to the saints. Others think there's no way we could ever be as holy and worthy of heaven as those saints were, so why bother trying? But actually the Solemnity of All Saints is a time to examine the lives of all the saints, both those bearing the title Saint and those who also reside in heaven but who haven't been given the title, and ask ourselves what we can learn from their lives. Every saint shows us the way to eternal life and provides an example of how to live here on earth in God-fearing ways. Those ways boil down to two words that we don't usually like in today's culture: sacrifice and surrender. If we sacrifice our lives for the sake of others' and surrender the things we want to the things Jesus wants for us, heaven's gates will surely be open to us when we arrive!
In the Emmaus Pastorate this weekend, we celebrated the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick after hearing the Gospel story of Jesus curing the man born blind. All he wanted was to see, and when Jesus asks him pointedly, "What do you want me to do for you?" the man plainly replied, "Lord, I want to see." Today, though many of us are not blind, Jesus asks us the same question, "What do you want me to do for you?" What's your answer?
They wanted to be the GOAT! The Greatest Of All Time! Or at least they wanted to sit next to him when he's the GOAT. The problem is that to become the greatest, we first have to go through a series of trials, tribulations, sufferings, and hardships. Jesus calls these "drinking the cup he will drink" and "being baptized with the baptism with which he will be baptized." As we see in Jesus' final days of mortal life, becoming the GOAT is not easy task! We can't just ask for it; it won't just be given to us. He even went through beatings, crucifixion, and death for it! But that's the way we become great, isn't it, enduring all the pain and suffering of life for Jesus' sake? And of course the reward is totally worth it in the end!
Sacrifice. It's a word we don't like to hear and one that many of us probably misunderstand. What does it mean to sacrifice? What have we sacrificed for our faith, for Christ? Make no mistake: Christ sacrificed everything for us, even dying so that we might have eternal life. What can we do in return? Let's reexamine what it means to sacrifice for him, those around us, and our faith in 2024.
Intimate and affective. That's the kind of relationship Christ wants with his church. It's the same kind of relationship a bride shares with her groom for the whole of their lives. As we begin Respect Life Month and hear readings of marriage this weekend, Fr. John Haugen gives us an overview of the Church's teaching on marriage and annulments.
Great vs. Greatest? Who's the greatest, Jesus? Well the disciples were too ashamed to actually asked him the question, but they were thinking it! And, honestly, we think it sometimes too (maybe more often that we'd care to admit). But trying to rank ourselves against each other doesn't exactly sew seeds of peace. St. James reminds us that "the the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace." So if you want tranquility, greatness, unity, or peace, sew some peace!
"Who do you say that I am?" Jesus asked his disciples that question, and they had some legitimate answers. But then Jesus asks them personally, individually: Who do YOU say that I am? Catholics in Elkader, Iowa have been asking themselves that for 175 years this fall. From the earliest beginnings in the 1840s and the establishment of the parish to the building of two rock churches, from the construction and deconstruction of schools to the many outreach ministries present today, the Catholic Church in Elkader has seen good times and bad. Throughout its storied history though, and in a myriad of ways, St. Joseph has demonstrated who Jesus is: the center of our community. Happy 175th anniversary to St. Joseph Parish! Ad multos annos!
Also included in today's episode is the St. Joseph Choir singing Jubilee Song, a piece written by St. Joseph's former pastor, Rev. Paul Peters, on the occasion of the Year 2000. Becky Gundacker is featured playing the organ. Ending today's episode is the Choir singing Is He Worthy? by Andrew Peterson and Ben Shive, arranged by Heather Sorenson. It features soloist John Uhal. Both pieces are accompanied by Kristin Fitzgerald and conducted by John Uhal.
Do you listen? Better yet: How do you listen? Let us have ears for listening before mouths for speaking!
Journalist: "Mother (Theresa), I wouldn't do what you do for a million dollars!"
Mother: "Neither would I. But I'll do it out of love for Jesus!"
Fr. Joe Miller, SVD, a Divine Word Missionary currently stationed in California, brings us the message of an ecumenical nonprofit organization called Food for the Poor who helps build homes, find employment, and feed the needy around the world. If you have room in your charitable giving this year, a donation to Food for the Poor would be deeply appreciated! Donations can be brought to either Emmaus Pastorate office; our contact information is on our website: www.vibrantcatholic.com. Donations can also be made directly online at www.foodforthepoor.org.
We also thank Fr. Miller for visiting our parishes and celebrating Mass with us. He has retired after many years working in the Mission Office of the Divine Word Missionaries here in the United States.
"These sayings are hard!" they said. True, they might be, but hopefully they're a welcome comfort instead. Christ so deeply wanted to serve us that he gave us his very body and blood, his soul and divinity, everything he had (literally). He did that for us on the cross, and as a result, we have the Eucharist, a gateway for participating in his heavenly kingdom. If Christ desired to serve us that much, might we desire to serve others just as much? There are plenty of things to serve these days, plenty of ways to direct our attention, time, and money. But are those truly worthwhile in the end? Probably not. So "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"
We apologize for the technical difficulties with this week's episode! The incorrect audio file originally posted and didn't feature Fr. John's homily from August 18, 2024. Here is the corrected audio for your prayer and contemplation!
Is the Eucharist a person? Or is the Eucharist a thing? The answer makes a HUGE difference in how we perceive Jesus and the Body and Blood of Christ! Hopefully we see the Eucharist as a person, a person we receive at Communion. But then what good is it if we don't become what we eat? Get to church. Get to Communion. Get Jesus. And get eternal life!
Is the Eucharist a person? Or is the Eucharist a thing? The answer makes a HUGE difference in how we perceive Jesus and the Body and Blood of Christ! Hopefully we see the Eucharist as a person, a person we receive at Communion. But then what good is it if we don't become what we eat? Get to church. Get to Communion. Get Jesus. And get eternal life!
Contract or covenant? Each indicate a type of relationship. Contracts are usually over things, stuff that we own or agree to share. But covenants aren't about things and material possessions. Covenants - the relationship God wants with us - are about people. We live in an everlasting covenant with God, and the unique thing about that relationship is that it isn't just about us as individuals and God, it's not just a vertical relationship. It's also about our relationship with other people, it's also horizontal! How we come to church and receive the Eucharist - the sign of this covenant - should be reflected in the way we live our everyday lives. Indeed, there can be no Eucharist in a community whose members do not love one another. So, do you become what you receive?
Feeling hungry? That's not a bad thing! But for what are you hungering? Is it more time, more money, more space, or more of something else? Are you yearning for something that belongs to this world? The sad truth is, nothing in this world will actually satisfy the hunger growing in our hearts. There is only one thing that can slake that, and actually it's not a thing but a person. And when he satisfies our every need so well that there's even leftovers! That person is Jesus Christ!
Especially amid all the division and chaos in today's culture, we need some unity! But who can lead us toward each other, toward cohesion? Many of our "leaders" don't accomplish that. But there is one who will unify us every time - if we let him, that is. So, dearest sheep, who's your shepherd?
Isn't it so frustrating sometimes?! And it never fails! You're off to start this project or begin that task, and ding goes the notification or ring goes the phone! All of a sudden our plans are completely derailed because this friend is in crisis or a kid needs our help. UGH! But perhaps Jesus wants us interrupted. After all, when the bleeding woman touched him, she was healed! A minor inconvenience to Jesus of course, but to everyone else it might have caused the death of Jairus' daughter! No matter to Jesus; he was able to save both despite the delay, the call for help, the crisis. Maybe the next time we're faced with an annoying interruption, maybe we'll remember that Jesus is present even there, perhaps even calling us into it!
Sacred? Afraid? Terrified? Have you no faith?! Jesus - God himself made man - commanded the skies and seas, and they obeyed him of course. But he's not just the master of terrestrial matters; he can calm us, too! When we find ourselves overwhelmed, in the midst of a storm, and about to sink, he's ready to calm our waters. We just have to ask, and have faith.
How do we grow our faith in Christ? Prayer! And what's a great form a prayer? Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament! Join us on July 7 after the 5:00pm Mass at St. Mary Parish in Strawberry Point, IA for a time of adoring Christ in the Eucharist as the Blessed Sacrament is exposed. Adoration is a great time for silent prayer in church, and is a perfect way to calm any storm raging in our hearts! Please call us at 563-928-7200 if you plan to come or have any questions!
"Who told you that you were naked?" That was God's question to Adam when Adam and Eve were found naked in the garden. They realized they were naked after they had sinned, after separating themselves from God. The same happens to us when we commit wrongs against each other. Divisions and unrest enter our world. But Christ says to us that anyone who does the will of the Father is his brother, sister, and mother. If we want to fix the problems in today's world - and there are more than a few - all we need to do is recommit ourselves to the will of God. And with Christ's help, we can get there!
On this most ancient feast, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (formerly called in Latin Corpus Christi), we are faced a few self-reflection questions. The Eucharist - not just receiving Communion but the Eucharist itself - should be the very center of our lives, emphasis on should. But is it? Do we see what we are? Do we become what we receive? Do we make excuses for not coming to Mass and participating? Do we allow the Eucharist to change us, or do we try to change the Eucharist to suit our own desires? When we receive God in the Eucharist, we do become more like God?
In this year of Eucharistic Revival, these are some additional reflections:
- Regularity: do we regularly come to Mass at a regular place or just fit it in sometime?
- One hour fast: do we keep it?
- Church clothes: does now I dress for Mass reflect the respect I have for God and the Eucharist?
- Scriptural preparation: do I read through the Sunday Gospel before Mass?
- Arriving early: do I allow myself time to prepare my heart and mind for worship or just make it in time for the opening song?
- Spiritual preparation: before Mass begins, do I call to mind things for which I'm grateful and things for which I need prayers?
- Full, conscious, and active participation: do I fully, consciously, and actively participate in Mass, am I praying my own private prayers, or am I a couch potato?
As we continue this year of Eucharistic Revival, consider making these actions habits:
- Genuflecting toward the tabernacle and making the Sign of the Cross when entering and leaving a church
- Bowing at Communion just before receiving Eucharist
- Making time to visit the Blessed Sacrament for private prayer, even if it's not exposed and displayed in the monstrance
- Celebrating weekday Mass
- Making the Sign of the Cross when passing by a Catholic church to acknowledge the presence of the Blessed Sacrament
- Making a holy hour
- Keeping respectful conversations and behaviors in daily life
As we mark Trinity Sunday 2024, we also celebrate the 40th anniversary of Fr. John's ordination to the Priesthood of Christ. We are reminded that without community, there is no church. Without community, there is almost no purpose of the priesthood. And it's within a unified community that we find a rich diversity of people! Despite the perfect unity of the Holy Trinity, we still find three separate persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So it goes with God's people and the five parishes of the Emmaus Pastorate: though we are called to be one Body of Christ, unity does not equal uniformity.
The staff and parishioners of The Emmaus Pastorate congratulate Fr. John on his 40 years of faithful ministry and praise God for the gift of his vocation! Ad multos annos!
Got space? Like the milk cartoons and billboard advertisements of yesteryear, we need to ask ourselves very seriously (more seriously than milk) whether we have space for the Holy Spirit in our lives. If we don't, oh boy we're in trouble! But if we do intentionally, consciously make space in our hearts from the Spirit to move in and speak to us, we can accomplish anything because she gives us the gifts against which there is no law or rule!
This past weekend, the Emmaus Pastorate celebrated the Conferral of the Sacrament of Confirmation with Archbishop Thomas Zinkula. Archbishop reminded us that as creations of God, we are inherently good! But of course, we don't always act good! To live lives full of grace and goodness then, we have been given 7 Sacraments, 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and 9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit to help us. Using these, we can be actionable, visible disciples of Christ. Congratulations to the sophomores of the Emmaus Pastorate on this milestone in their faith journeys!
Believe, and do. As Jesus physically left earth, he instructed his disciples to do two things: believe all that he taught them, and do wondrous things in his name. It's a lofty goal, but not an unreachable one. This spring as we send congratulations and bid farewell to our graduating seniors, we challenge them likewise. Believe in all they have learned concerning Christ Jesus, and go bear witness to him. Hopefully as we all work toward that goal, we can see Jesus still among us!
In our culture, especially in 2024, the world is all about our own right to choose. From our breakfast, to our church, our school, our health care and life, to what we'll eat, choice abound for us. But in truth, God made a choice too: US! God has chosen us as a people set apart from the rest of the world for the betterment of the rest of the world. Now that could easily lead to some pretty self-righteous followers, but not so fast! In turn, we also have to make a choice. And if we choose to love God in return, our lives must become a sacrifice, a living sacrifice made every day for other people. Can you do that?
Have you ever looked at a living grape vine? It's a huge mess! It's a tangled web of vines, branches, and fruit all wrapped around a pole, wire, log, or whatever it can find! But that's us, isn't it? Our lives are also a tangled mess, and that's OK. Our relationships get a little distorted sometimes, and our connections to each other are rarely ever cut and dry. But nonetheless, the branches stay attached to the vine, because without it they would die. Such is also true of our own lives. Christ illustrates us as branches in today's Gospel, branches that bear much fruit, but only when they stay attached to him, the vine. How's your connection to the Vine this week?
If you've seen the 2024 priest appointments from the Archdiocese of Dubuque, it's pretty clear that we have shortage of homegrown priests in Northeast Iowa. One reason why might be a lack of vocation culture in our homes. In your family, do you talk about vocations to the priesthood and religious life? Do you plant the seed in your children's or grandchildren's minds? Do you ask them if to consider becoming a priest, brother, or sister when they grow up? Without more priests, we will have no more Eucharist! And the Eucharist is the central part of our lives, or at least it should be! As we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday and First Communions this Eastertide, let's consider how we're (re)building a culture of vocation in our homes and towns.
Without a doubt, the Eucharist is the central tenant of the Catholic faith. True, there are many important truths of Catholicism, but all of those either point to or support our receiving and becoming the Body and Blood of Christ. We could go so far as to say that a Catholic isn't really a Catholic if he/she doesn't receive the Eucharist! The good news is that we don't walk the journey alone. We always have companions walking beside us along the way to support us and share the Good News.
If the bread and wine change into the Body and Blood of Christ, should we not also change when we receive it?! That's the lesson we take from Doubting Thomas on Divine Mercy Sunday. Just as he was shaken to his core after putting his finger and hand into Jesus' nail marks, so should we be when we receive him the Eucharist. Jesus expects nothing less of us.
We Catholics have a reason to rejoice! Our savior has risen from the dead and delivered us from the Evil One once and for all! So what's stopping us from the hope and serenity of Easter? What stones do we need to roll away this spring? Let's fold up our burial cloths, give our brokenness to Christ, and embrace the joy of Easter! We are an Easter people, and alleluia is our song!
Thank you to Fr. Carl Ries for helping our parishes celebrate Easter Sunday!
From the staff of the Emmaus Pastorate, happy Easter!
St. Oscar Romero was Archbishop of El Salvador in the 1970s, and he was very disliked by the government for his outspokenness against their corruption. He was assassinated on March 24, 1980 while praying the Eucharist Prayer. This Easter, we take to heart his words as he reminds us that Christ is present in every person every where. That's the hope of the resurrection: that Christ came to save every one of us, regardless of our differences. The question we must ask ourselves is whether we recognize him, even if he's right in front of us. We are more united than we think, and Jesus is present in all of us, all the time, despite our divisions and brokenness!
But there is a catch. If we don't' believe in the resurrection, then we simply recall a guy who died a horrible death and an empty tomb. Our faith in this case, is worthless and a waste. BUT! If we do believe in the resurrection, then our joy in Christ's presence cannot be stopped or stifled! That makes us an Easter people, and therefore alleluia is our song!
From the staff of the Emmaus Pastorate, happy Easter!
Why is it GOOD Friday? We call it GOOD because the cross reminds us that we're a people set apart. The cross we venerate gives meaning and purpose to our pain and suffering. We don't come to Good Friday services just to relive or reimagine an event of long ago. We do do that with the reading of the Passion Narrative and through the veneration of the cross, but we don't stop there. We continue to bear our own crosses each and every day! Instead of running from the like we tend to do, we should embrace them! We need Good Friday because it makes sense of our daily sufferings and pain, because we're reminded that Jesus had them too!
The Eucharist is about change and transformation, and we hate change. Yet, that's what Jesus gives us every day at Mass.
Welcome to the Paschal Triduum. Let's begin!
Palm Sunday marks the final Sunday in the season of Lent, and over the last five weeks, the Emmaus Pastorate has focused on the concept of "Broken." How are we broken people? How has Jesus been broken for us? As we near the end of Lent and the start of the shortest and most important season, the Sacred Paschal Triduum, we remind ourselves that Jesus came to lead us out of our brokenness into the transformative light of the resurrection.
Palm Sunday is a holy day we celebrate every year. The Mass is a prayer we pray every Sunday and even every weekday! And yet these things are not dormant. They are not remembrances of events gone by. They are reality. Jesus was crucified almost 2,000 years ago, but we continue to crucify him in our sinfulness! But lest we begin our own pity party, let's remember that after Good Friday comes Easter Sunday. Remember that Jesus died for our transformation! As we enter the holiest day of the year, let's keep our minds fixed on the Way to transformation!
As St. Joseph Parish in Elkader, IA marks 175 years as a parish (and 125 years of the current church's building), we're reminded of the steadfast faith that has sustained this faith community since 1849! Thru legal persecution, wars, growing pains, financial strain, and more, the parishioners of St. Joseph Parish - like Jesus' foster father himself - have shown a steadfast hope and trust in Christ through the ages. And we will keep that faith for our own sake and that of future generations!
Happy anniversary, St. Joseph! Ad multos annos!
How's your Lent going? Now 5 weeks in, next week is Holy Week already! Have you kept up with your Lenten fasts? Have you needed to restart once or twice (or maybe more!)? That's OK! And if you stopped and haven't gotten back on the wagon, today is the best day to start. Our Gospel today reminds us that, like Jesus did for us at the Last Supper and on the Cross, we also need to die to ourselves, to all that keeps us from following Christ, so that we might have a newness of and everlasting life in, through, and with him. Hasn't been going well lately? No worries...let's (re)start today!
How do you get to heaven? Well giving up meat for fish frys and old fashioneds isn't really the ticket! Lent is a perfect time to remember the Catholic phrase of the week: Blessed are the poor in spirit. The first Beatitude reminds to think, act, and live like children do - without cares, without worries, with complete trust, and dollops of hope! As we continue on Lenten journey, let's take a look at our lives inside and outside prayer and how well we're allowing God into our hearts just like children do.
St. Joseph Parish was happy to host Fr. Eric Berns who visited his family's hometown of Volga this weekend. Fr. Eric is a priest in southern Wisconsin.
Why did he let that happen?! How could he?!
There's no doubt about it - bad things happen on this side of paradise. But it's not because God doesn't care about us. It's because we live in a world of imperfections. We also live in a world in which God (mostly) chooses to act through us, you and me. The fact is that heaven, eternal life itself, can begin right here and now! That's why Jesus came to us! God's so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that all who believe in him might have eternal life (John 3:16)! But we have to be open to God moving in us in order for heaven to be realized.
So how could God let bad things happen? Better yet, how could we let bad things happen?
We are broken. Plain and simple. We are as broken as the toys on the island Rudolph, Yukon, and Hermie found in that classic Christmas story! But the good news is that - once we've admitted we're also misfits with our own square wheels and spots - we have a maker who will fix us. Our good and loving Creator God will happily take us unto himself to clean us up, fix our broken and misshapen parts, and make us - not good as, but - completely new!
Lent is a great time to take a look at, to examine, and reflect on ourselves. Sure, most of us probably obey the 10 Commandments. But that doesn't mean our solus are all fine and dandy. All of us - to some extent - is broken. All of us have cracks, chips, and missing pieces, like a dish that fell on the floor. The Japanese art of kintsugi takes a broken object, perhaps a bowl, and fixes it using precious metal, either gold or silver usually. The result is a new object, once broken and worthless, that now has a beauty and value far beyond its original self. For broken Christians, our art of kintsugi is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. When we visit the priest and are absolved of our sins, we become a new creation, something once broken and devalued, worth far more than our original selves!
Please join us on Wednesday, February 28 at St. Mark Parish for reconciliation! Eight priests will hear individual confessions from 6:00pm-8:00pm in the church, and dinner will be served from 5:30pm-7:30pm in the hall.
And we are very pleased to welcome back Fr. John this week! Although his shoulder is still recovering, it's a blessing to have him back serving our parishes!
When the going gets tough this Lent and we'd rather not keep out fasts and observances, remember this season's Sunday Responsorial Psalm: Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble; be with me, Lord, I pray!
Thanks to Fr. Dan Knipper for presiding in Fr. John's absence! We very much appreciate your ministry!
Have you ever tried erasing something, only for the eraser to leave a smudge on the paper? That's exactly what Lent does for us, only the smudge is a promise. As we begin this Lenten season, let us remember to reconnect to God through prayer, to ourselves through fasting, and others through charity and almsgiving.!
If you'd like to learn more about and/or contribute to our Lenten mission, Sister Water Project, please visit our website at https://www.vibrantcatholic.com/sisterwaterproject. Also, each Emmaus Pastorate parish has a blue bucket similar to those used by the thirsty to carry water in Tanzania and Honduras. Drop your donation in a bucket when visiting our churches.
Trust. Surrender. Faith. When we have a God who is everywhere and all-knowing, it can be very difficult to believe that he actually hears us! And yet, when we really trust, truly surrender, and wholeheartedly place faith in him, we are never disappointed. Sometimes our prayers are not answered in the way we wanted, but we can be sure they are always answered - if we trust, surrender, and have faith!
Thank you to Fr. Dustin Vu for presiding and preaching today in Fr. John's absence!
Being a Christian is not a spectator sport. We're part of a team. True, sometimes we're injured in one way or another. Job and Simon's mother-in-law certainly were. But after receiving the graces they needed, neither stayed on the sidelines and watched. They both got right to work and resumed being a contributing member of God's family. Can you also say that you've used your gifts and talents to their fullest after receiving God's strength to use them?
Thanks to Fr. Jim Bergin, SVD, for presiding in Fr. John's absence! Fr. John is away recovering from shoulder surgery and is expected to return in time for the First Sunday of Lent. Please pray for his speedy recovery and give thanks for the priests serving us in the meantime!
What gets you down? What worries you? Is it the news? Is it politics? Is it the church? Maybe your job or family? Whatever it is, we can find solace, peace, understanding, and grounding in Christ! St. Francis de Sales and his confrere, St. Janes Francis de Chantal, have wonderful advice for us, as does St. Paul!
God wants to be in all parts of our life. If there's a part of your life that you're uncomfortable having God in, there's a problem, and it's not with God. So God wants to be part of your sex life, your financial life, your social life, your life at work, your inner thoughts. God wants to be part everything, and if you're not comfortable with some parts of that, then that's one of the nets that drags you down. That's one of the nets that holds you back.
If you really love someone, the only thing you want back is love! The extent to which we let God in our lives and allow him to change us is the extent to which we feel God's presence in our lives.
"What are you looking for?" Jesus asked. Andrew and Simon didn't say much, but they followed him. Likewise, Samuel didn't know exactly what he wanted - better yet, what God wanted for him. But nonetheless when he heard God calling him again in the night, he arose and answered, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." As we go throughout our normal day here in Ordinary Time, are we listening for God's voice in our lives? When we sit back and look at our lives as a whole, what is the thing we're looking for? Hopefully it's Jesus! And hopefully we have the courage to answer like Samuel did!
It's easy to find the darkness in today's world. It's easy to find the violence, despair, sadness, and anxiety almost everywhere. But we Christians are not called to darkness. We are called to the light! We are destined for Jesus Christ, the light of the world! And we are also called to spread that light into those dark crevices that are so easy to find! As 2024 begins, let us resolve to be lights in this world!
When it comes to family, plain and simple: all are welcome. Just as Abram's descendants were as numerous as the stars in the sky, so too is the family of God. Whether we're at home, around town, or in church, all are called to be children of God, to be brothers and sisters to each other. Happy New Year from the staff of the Emmaus Pastorate!
We hope you enjoy these Christmas musical selections from The Emmaus Pastorate as you celebrate Christmastide this year! The first ensemble is the St. Joseph Choir from St. Joseph Parish in Elkader, and the second ensemble is from St. Mary Parish in Strawberry Point. Merry Christmas from all the staff of The Emmaus Pastorate!
Reprinted and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-626030.
Jesus came into our imperfect world to make us perfect. He didn't need that. The Holy Trinity existed just fine before Jesus came. But nonetheless God wanted us to feel his holiness and perfection. In the midst of our Christmas celebrations, when not exactly everything goes according to plan, let's remember that Jesus lives in the imperfect! Merry Christmas from the staff of The Emmaus Pastorate!
So often - too often - we live in the dark. In all the little things that go wrong, the people that get sick, the relationships that go bad, we are surrounded by darkness. And yet the Prophet Isaiah tonight says, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light!" This Christmas let us invite the light of Christ into our lives and so enjoy his amazing presence! Merry Christmas from the staff of The Emmaus Pastorate!
As we gather at the outset of Christmas, our Gospel today - the Annunciation of Mary - reminds that that we are above all a people of hope and of promise. Despite all the dreariness this world has to offer, there is always a glimmer of hope and promise of better days to come. The question for us who follow Christ, then, is simple: Will we believe in the promise?
COME! LISTEN! What do you hear? What do you see? As we near the end of our Advent journey and celebrate Rejoice Sunday (Gaudete Sunday in the Latin), we're again reminded that Advent isn't just a season of three or four weeks. It should be a lifestyle we live. This week, in what do you rejoice? And where do you find Christ?
The only reason Jesus came was to save us from ourselves. That's it. He didn't need to be a baby. He didn't need to be from a poor family. He simply came to save us from ourselves. This Advent, take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation! On Wednesday, December 13 from 6:00pm-8:00pm at St. Mark Parish in Edgewood, IA, 8 priests will be available to absolve your sins in preparation for Christmas. A light dinner will also be served from 5:30pm-7:30pm. Please join us!
It's easy to confuse the Immaculate Conception with the Incarnation. After all, they both involved Jesus, right? And Jesus was certainly born without Original Sin! But no. The Immaculate Conception marks the annual reminder that Mary herself - the Mother of God - was also conceived without sin and that she also committed no sin during her earthly life. She so perfectly answered God's call with her fiat - her "yes to God's plan - that Jesus redeemed her from all sin even before Mary was born! Wrap that around your head! The question for us all these years later is: Can we also perfectly respond to God's call?
Come... That's what God invites us to this Advent season. Come... But come where? To do what? For what purpose? Remember that Advent isn't so much a season but a way of life. God wants to come into our lives so that we can allow him to come into other people's lives. In so doing, our lives will change for the better. In the zillion little daily ways, how are you coming to God in this new liturgical year?
Christ the King is here! (Well, the Solemnity of Christ the King is here anyway!) As we transition from one liturgical year to the next and wish each other a Happy New Year of Church, it's a good time to sit down and reflect a bit. Looking at the last year, has Christ been the King of our lives? Have we been good sheep following the shepherd's voice? Or have we been more like goats who ignore the master and go their own way? As we begin Advent next weekend, now is a good time for some internal preparation!
God has been LAVISHLY good to us! We have been given incredible gifts! And God is wondering about his return on investment. How have you been using what you've been given?
When it comes to being ready for the Lord's coming, you need to have your own oil! As Advent draws near, we're again reminded that we never really know the day or the hour when Christ will return or when we'll be called home to heaven. So, we must always be ready, just like the virgins had to be ready for the bridegroom to appear in the night. How's your stock of oil?
This week in lieu of a traditional homily, Fr. John offered the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick to all who were experiencing chronic or acute illness. If you would like to be anointed, remember your age does not matter, nor must you be on your deathbed. Simply contact a priest directly or a parish office.
Today's episode also features the song, Healed in Christ, by Sarah Hart. It is sung by John Uhal, Director Liturgy & Music and Webmaster for the Emmaus Pastorate, and accompanied by Becky Gundacker, accompanist for the St. Joseph Choir at St. Joseph Parish. All music is streamed under ONE LICENSE #A-626030.
At the end of the episode is the closing prayer and blessing from the Rite of Anointing.
Respect Life doesn't just mean protecting the unborn. Yes, it begins there, but it only begins there. Once we respect the lives of unborn children, we then have to continue respecting and protecting those lives until they naturally end. Images across mainstream media depicting children being washed up on shore because they couldn't make the treacherous journey from their homeland to a safer place do not bode well with the Catholic understanding of a consistent ethic of life. Protecting migrants in a Respect Life issue. Sheltering the homeless is a Respect Life issue. Feeding the hungry is a Respect Life issue. Loving one other with our whole heart, mind, and soul is a Respect Life Issue. Loving each other as God loves us is a Respect Life issue. As we end October, let's be truly prolife!
Being pro-life is much more than just advocating for the banning of abortion in your state or country. Sure, that's a good place to start, but it's far from the end. Professing a pro-life belief includes feeding the hungry, housing the homelessness, creating peace where there is violence, and providing for the safety and welfare of each individual person, whether young, old, sick, incarcerated, unborn, or of a different tongue or creed. And being pro-life is not just praying for all those things (and more), but taking actions as well.
In this homily, the study Fr. John references can be found at www.guttmacher.org/article/2022/06/long-term.
All are welcome. Not all are welcome but only if you're straight, white, normal, and dressed to impress. Nope. All are welcome, despite your abilities, despite your attire, despite your preferences, despite your accomplishments and failings. All are welcome in God's house. The question is: Do we believe and act like it?
Violence is everywhere we look these days. Even though we make it through the day without murdering, kidnapping, or stealing, we also can commit violence on the daily. It's simply engrained into our human nature! But it's not natural to God's nature, and that's the attitude to which we all aspire!
Change is in the air! Not changes to theology or doctrine - not a chance! But how we operate, how we think, how we live must change. As the Synod of Synodality begins this week, we pray for openness to the Holy Spirit so that we might more fully live as the Sacrament of Unity that binds us each Sunday.
News flash #1: God's ways are not our ways.
News flash #2: God's thoughts are not our thoughts.
Sometimes these hit us hard. We think, "Gee, I did more work than he/she did! Why does he/she get the same pay as me?!" But that's not how God works. God's version of justice isn't fairness. God's version of justice is equality. In his infinite goodness, God looks beyond our faults and failings and instead gives us - not what we deserve but - that which he wants to give us! And thank God for that!
And happy priesthood Sunday to Fr. John! Thank you for all you do for the Emmaus Pastorate!
Our First Reading and Gospel this weekend have a clear message: Forgive Everyone Everything. Period. End of Story. Forgive everyone everything. If we find it hard, that's OK. That's why we have a Savior to help us. But if don't forgive everyone everything, we're damned.
Being a Christian and "attending" Mass aren't spectator sports. They aren't something we simply absorb for an hour on Sundays. We ARE Christians - all day, everyday, even while sleeping! And we aren't called to be armchair disciples but active parts of Christ's body. No one should simply attend Mass; we are all participants in it, even from the pews. So what are you doing as a disciple these days? What sacrifices are you presenting as we worship?
Jesus didn't say, "Pick up your cross." He said, "Take up your cross." It's a subtle difference, but the meaning is huge. As Christians, each of us has a cross to bear, but the beauty is that we don't bear it alone. Who's helping carry yours? And who are you helping carry theirs?
Who is Jesus? Do you know him? Or do you just know about him? Who do you say that he is? The answers might be revealing!
"Todos, Todos, Todos," says Pope Francis. The Holy Father has reminded us from the start of his pontificate that the gospel message was intended for "everyone, everyone, everyone," Just look at Jesus, who spoke to a Cannonite (a no-no then) woman in public (also a no-no back then)! So who are you not spreading the Good News with today?
Why do we have holy days, these days that fall between Sundays when the church says we MUST got to church? They are established because they're keys to our faith, foundations on which we profess our beliefs. But what sets this holy day of obligation apart from others, especially the Ascension of Jesus? It's because of Mary's "Yes" that we celebrate her on the Solemnity of the Assumption. Because Mary said to the angel, "Let it be done to me according to your word," God honored her with sparing her a mortal death and instead brought her directly into the heavenly kingdom. The question for us on this holy day is this: can we be worthy of such a reward? It all starts with saying "Yes" to God!
In the First Reading this weekend, God asks the King of Israel a simple question: What is it you truly want? As king, he could have asked for anything, but instead he asks for the humblest of gifts: understanding! Take a look at your life (and maybe your pocketbook). What is it you really want?
And thanks to Msgr. Jim Miller for presiding this weekend in Fr. John's absence!
Be the good seed, the seed that falls on good ground, ground without any weeds, the seed that grows to produce much fruit! We need good seeds in our parishes and communities today, perhaps more than ever. Be that good seed!
And thank you, Fr. Ambrosy for filling in for Fr. John as he recovers!
What kind of soil are you? What goes into your soil? Are you monitoring it? Keep it healthy, and it'll yield abundant fruit!
When guests come over, usually our reaction is to offer a meat and cheese tray, maybe a vegetable platter, some fruit, and/or a drink or two. We provide some nourishment! That's all well and good, but there's more to being hospitable than dolling out some food and beverage. Hospitality is making room for others in our hearts, just ask Christ has made room for us in the City of God. In our self-centered culture, it's often hard to open space for others in our lives, and we're definitely not encouraged to do it. But the Gospel call us - ALL of us - to make some room!
By his divine authority, Christ renewed the sacrificial covenant between God and God's people at the Last Supper. By giving himself as the Lamb of God, he not only established the Sacrament of the Eucharist but also renewed the relationship between we mortals and God. By his authority - and by extension through all those ordained a priest - mere bread and wine transform into Christ's Most Holy Body and Blood. These days it's easy to question those in authority, especially with all the ranker, divisiveness, and corruption in the world, but we can take Jesus at his word. Let us all give a resounding "Amen" (meaning "I believe") when we come forward to share in the one loaf and one cup!
The mystery of the Trinity is almost impossible for humans to fully understand. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit, is not the Father. And yet they exist in so much harmony that they are, in fact, one being, one eternal God! This is the unity for which humanity is destined, but getting there isn't easy. The Trinity exists because of the love one person has for the other, and that love requires sacrifice. So called are we - to live lives of love by sacrificing our own needs and desires for those of other people. That's love, and that's how peace, tranquility, and unity come about! Happy 5th anniversary to the Emmaus Pastorate, five parishes striving for more perfect unity in our 450 square miles of Northeast Iowa!
What's the difference between John's baptism with water and Jesus' baptism with the Holy Spirit? POWER! Although usually only priests and deacons baptize today, Jesus sends us all into the world to spread the Good News and make disciples. And it doesn't have to be glorious or heroic action. It can be done in everyday interactions and conversations!
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." And later he said to Thomas, "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places." Jesus doesn't tell us the exact road map to get to heaven, but he does give us the direction and destination. We have so many gifts and talents to use on the way...that's our road map! But from who are you getting your destination and direction?!
I wanted to become a priest because of the witness of the priests and Sisters in my home parish, who themselves were shepherds—men and women who knew me and my family, who were familiar, trusted voices. They led me to a deeper faith and were examples of active lives of service. They were not perfect, nor were they sinless. But they were people in love with God and not afraid to lead, as best they could. And that brings me to the greatest challenge of all. Being a shepherd to one flock, one family, is challenge enough. Multiple flocks still need relationships, knowing and leading. True shepherding is hard to do online or with a program.
It’s about gathering. It’s not about only going to church, but being church; the human, messy, getting misunderstood, trying to be all-things-to-all-people kind of shepherding. And there is nothing else I would rather be or do or aspire to, than being a shepherd. And only Christ, the Good Shepherd empowers me to serve. Let us be profoundly grateful for the shepherds in our lives, and pray God will open more hearts and lives to shepherd for the Kingdom.
~Fr. John Haugen
What are the three most important days of our lives? For Catholics, they aren't what we normally think!
1) Our Baptism Day
2) Our First Communion Day
3) Our death day
These are the days we become united with Christ. As St. Augustine said, in receiving the Eucharist, we become what we receive! As we come to the Lord's table and partake in his Body and Blood, let's always remember to become Christ in the world!
Do you have doubts? Yes? Good! That's great! (If you didn't, we might be worried!) Christ came to save us and heal us, even our doubts! As an Easter people, "Alleluia" is our song, even if we have doubts about God and Jesus. The trick is not to hide them but rather make them known to Christ. That's how we're saved and healed, just like Thomas!
Our birth dates are pretty important days to be sure. But there are two dates even more important in our lives: the day we're baptized and the day we die! We are made for death and resurrection because we are an Easter people, and "Alleluia" is our song! Happy Easter!
Alleluia! We are an Easter people! "Alleluia" is our song because the Savior - promised from SOOO long ago - has finally come to redeem the world! If that doesn't make sense, if you can't understand that, don't worry. We don't need to understand it. We're still an Easter people because we simply BELIEVE it! We believe that Jesus Christ - the only begotten son of the eternal Father - was crucified, buried, and risen from the dead! And because of that, we can conquer anything and everything no matter what! Alleluia! We are an Easter people, and "Alleluia" is our song!
Were you there? Of course you weren't! But that's not question. If it was, anything we do around God's altar would be purposeless, and everything Jesus endured would be just a history lesson! The real question is: Are you there? Are you there when people are crucified? Are you there when people are nailed to a cross? Are you there when people are laid in their tombs? Are you there?
Do. Do it to the felon, the transgender, the gay, the illegal immigrant, and every other social outcast. Do. Want to be a disciple of Jesus? Do.
"Lord, it's hard to be holy."
Yup! Sometimes it really is! And sometimes we aren't very good at it. Just look at Peter. He denied Jesus three times and was named the first pope! We sometimes deny Jesus too, but Jesus' love and mercy for us overpowers those times and makes us holy just like the apostles! Can you turn to someone and say, "Truly, this IS the Son of God?"
Do you want to be resurrected? The obvious answer is yes, but sometimes we don't really act like it. Jesus is certainly trying to resurrect us - right from the moment we're baptized! But it's not something he imposes on us; we have to ask for and accept it. How's your Lent going five weeks in?
It wasn't flashy. It wasn't miraculous. It probably wasn't much fun. But it was important. It was obedience. And it was God's mission. St. Joseph isn't quoted at all in the scriptures, and we know very little about him. Most of what we do know comes from his dreams! But he has a lot to teach us despite his silence. Happy Solemnity of St. Joseph from St. Joseph Parish in Elkader!
Blind spots. The blind man had them, but so did the Pharisees. And so do we. What are yours?
Are you thirsty? Jesus was, but the women at the well was more so. She just didn't realize it until Jesus, a Galilean, struck up a conversation. For what did she unknowingly thirst? Jesus! The Word of God! In a word: salvation! And we thirst for the same thing. Go ask Jesus for some of that life saving water, and you might just be surprised with the hope that fills you!
IF! Small world...big consequences! "IF you are the Son of Man, then...," said the devil. IF we are Christians, then... we might just learn who the Son of Man is. Take some time this week and think about that. Who is this man? And what does that have to do with me?
"Be perfect as your Father is perfect," said Jesus. Sounds easy doesn't it?! And then St. Paul says, "Do you not know that you are temples of the Holy Spirit?" Sometimes we might feel good and holy, perfect and temple-like. Other times maybe not so much. But every time we look in the mirror and every time we look at someone else, we see a holy person, a person made in the image and likeness of God, someone striving for perfection. What do you see when you look across the aisle? What looks back when you look in the mirror?
Laws can be cut and dry. True, they keep society safe and orderly. But there is usually more to the law than what's on paper, the so-called "spirit" of the law. And Jesus is all about that! The Fifth Commandment instructs us not to kill others. But Jesus takes that one step further, saying even wishing harm to another person - not death, just harm - is a sin! It's the thought that counts, too, not just the action. And as difficult as changing our thought patterns can be, our reward is something so great that "eye has not seen, nor ear has not heard" the wonders God has prepared for us!
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven! Despite how difficult it can be to see it, we are all blessings, we are all blessings to each other, and we are full of God's blessings. As we begin a new year and approach the season of Lent, consider what blessings have been bestowed to you. If you're feeling less than blessed, never fear. Rejoice, and be glad! Your reward will be great in heaven!
Cataracts. They're aren't fun, finding them isn't the most pleasant experience, and they can cause us vision troubles. Our eyes can certainly suffer from cataracts, but our hearts can too. Spiritual cataracts are the impediments that blind us to God's kingdom here and now. They're what keep us from recognizing Jesus in others, from loving for our neighbor, and from ignoring God's call in our lives. Take a minute. What spiritual cataracts do you suffer?
Welcome back to Ordinary Time! Ordinary Time is that large part of the year that isn't Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter. It's where we spend most of our lives. But that doesn't mean it's ordinary! It's an excellent time to live extraordinarily, just as Christ calls us! The Gospels demand a response, and the new year, the new season is a great time to answer!
Epiphany is about more than just three men riding camels from somewhere in the East to the little town of Bethlehem. They made that long journey because of a revelation, God's revelation to them. They were not Jewish. They weren't of God's Chosen People. They were Gentiles, those "others." And yet God revealed to them good news of great joy! And God reveals that same news to us even today. How are you revealing God's presence this week?
We are all brothers and sisters - whether we like it or not. So how can we be a blessing to each other in the 2023?
What's Jesus giving you this year? Why? Better yet, what are you giving him in the New Year? From the staff of the Emmaus Pastorate, merry Christmas to you and yours!
Hope. St. Joseph had no clue what God had in store for him. A betrothed wife pregnant by someone other than him. An angel telling him tall tales. And the Son of God promised to be born. And yet he had hope. Joseph had trust and faith in the promises of God. And in silent acceptance, he became the foster father of Jesus! What can you do with hope?
Are you hopeful? Better yet: To whom are you providing hope? What is hope even? Hope is restoring the broken and downtrodden. So how are you spreading hope this Advent?
Stump. Let us be a stump. For from the stump of Jesse came our savior! Stumps aren't pretty when they start, and they need lots of tender, loving care for the plant to grow or transform. This Advent, let's be stumps and allow Christ to transform us into something beautiful!
Hope. Advent is all about hope. But hope it's aimless. It has specificity. The gospel message gives us hope, and with it we are called to respond. What's your response to God's hope?
As we look to the new (liturgical or church) year, it's a good idea to reflect on the past year. What's been the priority in my life? Who or what has had rule over me, my time, and my attention? As we celebrate the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, let's ask ourselves: Is Jesus the King of my life?
"Be not afraid." Those are the words Jesus spoke most often. "Be not afraid." And then we look at the readings leading up to Christ the King and are amazed when they sound just like the 10:00 news! But Jesus tells us, "Be not afraid." Salvation is coming, and we are called to play a part in its coming until it finally does. So, "be not afraid!"
Although Fr. John wasn't able to join us for worship this weekend, Deacon Paul was able to lead us in a Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest (SCAP) in which he preached on the impending arrival of God's kingdom. Question of the week: where are you looking?
How's your perspective? Zacchaeus, a shorter rich man, decided to climb a tree to both see and experience Jesus. He put in a little effort. He adjusted his vantage point. How's your perspective...your experience...of Jesus today?
As baptized Catholics, we aren't called to stand in church and cry out to God how wonderful we are. We are called to serve the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, to deliver justice to the oppressed. We are called to be missionaries! What's a missionary? Simple: someone who makes a difference in the life of another.
All of us - whether we realize it or not - have a desire to belong. All of us - whether we recognize it in others or not - are called to invite and include people in our communities. As we meet the homeless person on the corner or welcome the child through Baptism, "we are all hungry people," and "we are gathered together as one in the Lord."
Thanks to Fr. Sam Cunningham, SVD, for filling in for Fr. John this weekend!
Caring for migrants. Protecting the unborn. Feeding hungry children. Educating seminarians. Repairing our cathedral. Providing for our retired priests. If we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can do anything, even command a tree to be uprooted and replanted in the sea!
If we want our relationship with God to work well, he can't be just a piece of our pie. Giving only a part of ourselves to that partnership doesn't work. We have to give our whole selves to God's plan! That doesn't mean that we can't like other activities or building relationships with other people...those things are well and good too. But if we want to have a good life here and hereafter, a solid relationship with God will require God being our first priority, the foundation of everything we are and do.
Are you lost? That's alright. Jesus is trying to find you, no matter what led you astray!
What dose your faith cost you? If it doesn't cost you much, it probably isn't worth much!
Lord, it's hard to be humble and kind...at least when life is about me. But, when life isn't about me....humility just becomes a way of life!
Usually being narrow-minded is a bad thing. It chokes our relationships and creates discomfort between people. But for the Christian, being narrow-minded might actually be a lifesaver!
"Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen." ~St. Paul.
How strong is your faith? How important is it?
Where are you looking? To what is earthly or heavenly? In these dog days of summer, where is your attention and priority?
Perseverance and persistence. When dealing with people we don't always like and when asking something from God. We don't always get the answer immediately, but with perseverance and persistence, the door will open, we shall find, and we shall receive!
Who's on your list? Who, or maybe what category of people, do you look down upon? Who do you refuse to help or love? A member of the hated class helped a stranger who had been beaten and left to die. He was the Good Samaritan, despite his reputation, that of the beaten stranger, and the "faithful" Jews that passed on by. Who's on your list? Hopefully no one. Now, "Go, and do likewise."
As we celebrate Independence Day, we Catholic Christians are reminded that we have a moral obligation to continue creating "one nation, under God." Our one nation doesn't need to be uniform, but it does need unity. And that's our mission in the domestic church today! Happy Independence Day! Are you helping to unify our country?
People tend to accomplish the things or tasks most important to them. If that's true (and it usually is), where does discipleship fall on our priority list? Are we disciples even when it's difficult or inconvenient? Are we followers of Jesus all day every day in everything we do, think, and say? How important is our faith really??
Become what you receive! At least that's what we're supposed to do after receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. Become just that: Christ's Body, Blood, soul, and divinity in our world, the true presence of Christ to one another.
As Christians, we are born into and for each other. That's what it means to be a community, to exist in and for each other. And that's what the Trinity is at its very essence: three individual beings existing so harmoniously they aren't just like one being, but they are one being! As we welcome new members into the church and as we live our daily lives, may we remember that despite the hard times we all face as Christians we are still living in and for each other!
Come, Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love! Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and we will be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth!
Jesus has ascended. He's gone (in a sense). Now what? Do we stand here looking at the sky trying to understand everything? NO! We are witnesses of these things! And we must tell people about them! We must live this gospel in our lives in everything we say and do! That's how we share Christ with the world and share the hope and promise of the Resurrection. Maybe if the world sees more of that, tragedies wouldn't be so numerous.
Are you at peace? Seriously...are you at peace? What does that mean? What is peace? As an alleluia people, as an Easter people, we SHOULD be at peace! But are we? How do we get there? What's peace really mean for us?
We know the line. "They'll know we are Christians by our love." As the scripture goes, so does the song. And so should our lives because that's how a Christian's life is exemplified. People we know we follow Christ by our LOVE for each other! And in the context of a parish, there's no better way to do that than through all of the various ministries of Parish Life!
Congratulations to all our seniors as they graduate this weekend! Remember your Church family, but also remember to live with Jesus in your heart!
Who has your ear? To whom are you listening? There are so many people and ideas each with their own voice today, and all of them have something (good or bad) to offer us. But what about God? Does God - the Good Shepherd who knows you and calls you by name - have your ear? Hopefully the answer is yes!
"Come, have breakfast!" Jesus did such great things around meals: turned water into wine, fed 5,000 people, and told us how to live as Christians. He did the same thing after rising from the dead. He even cooks the meal this time! Such simple things can make us great disciples. So invite someone to breakfast, dinner, out for coffee or a drink. Little ordinary things can have such a big influence in peoples' lives!
What does the Eucharist mean? Why is it so important to Catholics? As we celebrate First Communion on this Divine Mercy Sunday (the Second Sunday of Easter), the First Communicants help Fr. John preach on the the meaning and importance of receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. Congratulations to all the Emmaus Pastorate students who received their First Communion this weekend!
What we celebrate on Easter Sunday - an empty tomb full of nothing - is strange. The way we Christians react to the world in 2022 is strange. What Jesus did on Easter was also very strange! We are an Easter people, and "alleluia!" is our song! Why? Because there is nothing that can overshadow that strange moment so long ago. We celebrate even today - every Sunday of the year and for 50 straight days during Eastertide. In every moment of life, thru every death, every victory, every sickness, and everything in between - we are an Easter people, so "alleluia!" is our song!
We heard all nine readings at this year's Easter Vigil. From Creation thru the Exodus clear to Isaiah and St. Paul we heard the whole story of salvation. And it's a long story because we, God's chosen people, are a little hardheaded! Sometimes it takes awhile for us to fall into God's embrace and allow him to love us. But like a parent wrestling a 2-year-old, sometimes we break away. Yet God kept on loving us and is still loving us today, as he does all those joining the church on this holy night!
Can you love like that? Grab a cross or a crucifix. Pray for a few moments. Imagine what Jesus experienced that day in Jerusalem and on Calvary. It was all for love. Can you love like that?
We are all one event away from being a different person. And on Holy Thursday, two events occurred that established two very important sacraments: Holy Orders and Eucharist. The question is this: Are we different persons because of these? The Eucharist, the sacrament is unity, is the pinnacle of Catholic life, and yet so many people willingly miss Mass! Are you a different person because of the Eucharist? Are you one event away from being a different person, namely Jesus?
We're 2,022 years into this Christianity thing. Have we learned ANYTHING?! Lord, have mercy!
So where are you in the story? Jesus is meet with the woman caught in adultery, and the Scribes and Pharisees are ready to stone her. What's in your hand? Where are you in the story? More to the point, what's Jesus doing new in your life?
Fr. John reflects on the Magnificat in light of the war in Ukraine during the ecumenical prayer service for peace held at St. Mary Parish on March 27.
Can you hear the music? The music of God's forgiveness is sweet to our ears! The sad truth is that we don't always hear it. The brothers in today's Gospel couldn't and for their own reasons. But can YOU hear it?
No one likes fertilizer. It's stinky, messy, and it's work. We especially don't like fertilizer on us! But that's just what Lent offers us: a 40 day retreat, a 40 day covering in fertilizer so that we can grow as disciples of Christ. Through the scriptures, through prayer, by fasting and charitable works, we grow as children of God. Hopefully we're cultivating ourselves. Hopefully we're striving to live, and live in Christ alone!
"Listen to him!" Those are the Father's words in Sunday's Gospel. "Listen to him!" But how exactly do we do that? In all the hustle and bustle, given our human tendency to be lazy and forgetful, and with all the other noise in our lives, how do we listen to God? Fr. John has some tips for us.
Ventricular Septal Defect - a heart defect that involves a hole in the heart. In children and infants, this makes living especially difficult. In adults, the effects are numerous. This physical defect can also happen spiritually though. It happens in stressful times and when we've gotten lazy on our spiritual and religious practices. Our hearts get "holey" when we spend too much time trying to fix ourselves and take on the worlds problems, or when they're thrust on us and we don't ask for help. The real problem comes when we try to treat this illness ourselves. We tend to allow other things besides Christ to fill that hole in our heart when instead we should live in Christ alone.
What's your perspective? How's your vision? As we approach the season of Lent on Wednesday, how are you seeing the world? Jesus talks about removing the sticks from your own eye before correcting the beams in others' eyes. How are we looking at our neighbors, spouses, friends, and family these days? Hopefully we see with Christ's eyes and bear good fruit, because living in Christ alone is the way to heaven!
This evening, the St. Joseph Choir sang a special selection for the people of Ukraine. We are very happy to share this bonus episode of The Emmaus Pastorate's Podcast with you this weekend, and we encourage you and your family to heed Pope Francis' request that we all fast and pray ever more this Ash Wednesday. Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!
Selected music: Save Me, O God by Marty Haugen. Reprint and broadcast permission granted under ONE LICENSE #A-626030.
Closing Prayer: Opening Collect for the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Roman Missal, Third Edition, ICEL.
Loving thy neighbor isn't always easy. In fact, it's downright hard sometimes! But depending on what's in your wallet, that mission might actually be the easiest thing you do all day. What's in your wallet?
The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is an often misunderstood Sacrament of the Catholic Church. Its propose is to provide hope, healing, and comfort to the living; it is not reserved solely for people near death. People suffering chronic or serious illness and the aging are particularly invited to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick early and often. And, of course, those in danger of dying are encouraged to be anointed too. This weekend, all parishes in the Emmaus Pastorate offered the Sacrament during weekend Masses. In this episode, Fr. John Haugen tells us more about this repeatable Sacrament, and the St. Joseph Choir leads the assembly in sung prayer while he anoints.
Copyright acknowledgement: All Is Well with My Soul: Text: 11 8 11 9 with refrain. Verse 1 text, trad.; fr. It Is Well with My Soul; Horatio Gates Spafford, 1827-1888. Verses 2-4 text based on Psalm 62:2-3, 6-9; 63:5; Carey Landry. Music: Philip P. Bliss, 1838-1876. Music arr. and verses 2-4 text © 2008, 2010, Carey Landry. Published by OCP. All rights reserved. Broadcast under ONE LICENSE #A-626030.
Today's culture is not what we'd call a "culture of vocation." Usually, vocation stirs in us images of high virtue or someone super holy. But actually, EACH of us has a vocation! Even St. Paul, someone who persecuted early Christians had a vocation, and he became one of the most prolific writers in the Bible! We all have a vocation, whether we think we're good enough or not. Remember, God equips the called; he does not call the equipped! How are you creating a "culture of vocation" in your home and community?
Real love, biblical love, is always about others. That's the message Jesus tried to convey in his hometown. As the prophets before him demonstrated though, a prophet usually isn't accepted in his hometown. The people listening grew angry and began to throw him out. But despite their uproar, Jesus offered them nothing but love because "love never fails," says St. Paul. People will know we are Christians by our love. So fall in love, and stay in love. It will decide everything!
“Many gifts, same Spirit!” Saint Paul continues his teaching on our “connectedness” this week with a “spiritual anatomy” lesson. “As a body is one though it has many parts, so also Christ.” (1 Cor 12:12) There is no mistaking his message- we are different, but we are all called to be one! Unfortunately, if we applied this passage to our society today, the body would be pretty dismembered! There are many parts of our country, our Church, our families and our relationships who are making decisions about not belonging to the body. Leaving, withdrawing, divisiveness, personal justification due to opinion and wants, and the like, are all excuses. We seem to have forgotten the “us” and the “we” in favor of “me”! It is going to take some grace-filled healing for the Divine Physician to restore health and wholeness to this fractured and injured body of humanity. St. Paul exhorts us “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.” But he precedes that line with this sobering thought: “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.” Whatever our differences we cannot deny that we share a common existence in Christ Jesus.
All of us have gifts. Those gifts are given to us at birth, and we all have them. St. Paul tells us that everyone has particular gifts, meant for service to each other. The trick is to find out what our own gifts are and how to use them. When the day comes when we see Jesus face to face, he'll ask what we did for him with the gifts we were given. What will your answer be?
John must have been really surprised when he saw Jesus - the Son of God! - come into the Jordan River to be baptized. Surely, Jesus was sinless and had no need of such a cleansing, right?! But the Sacrament of Baptism is more than just washing away sin. It's the moment in which a light is lit in the newborn Christian, a certain power is instilled in him or her. That light has a chance to grow as time evolves and the same Christian comes to the Sacrament of Confirmation. But don't be too quick to judge those who haven't received these Sacraments, because that same power can reside in any person - Jew or Gentile. God has no partiality, and woe to us if we judge or chastise someone whose light might be a little dimmer than ours.
On the Solemnity of the Epiphany, we're reminded that the day isn't just about three kings, wise men, the gifts they offered a newborn baby boy, or the distance they traveled. In fact, there might not have been three, and they probably weren't kings. But that they came is the point. That they followed the star, a revelation of divinity, is the purpose of this annual solemnity. Epiphanies happen all the time, even if we aren't aware of them. God reveals himself to every day really! The challenge is to recognize their occurrence and be willing to be changed by them. The wise men who followed a strange star allowed themselves to be transformed. As we start a new year, will you allow yourself to be transformed by the same Light of the World?
What is a family? How is a family defined? Deacon Paul Dolan, a husband and father, gives us several possibilities. In the end though, the common denominator is simple: love. The love between people defines family. Not the overly dramatic love of Hollywood and romance, but the true charity and selfless giving sort of love that focuses not on our own desires but rather on the needs of others. Ergo, ultimately everyone is included in God's family. The question, then, for us is simple but ever so complicated: Do we consider everyone we encounter our family?
What's the meaning of Christmas? Is the day intended to honor the blond haired, blue eyed baby we imagine was laid in a tidy little manger all those years ago? No. Christmas is a reminder of our baptismal call. Just as Christ came to bring grace, peace, and salvation to the world, by our baptism we are called to continue that work 21 centuries later. No, Christmas isn't the occasion to celebrate the birth of a child again. It's to remind us that that child should be born in us every day and he should be shared with the world through our day-to-day actions. Maybe, just maybe, in doing so our world will see the transformation God intended in sending his only son.
When?? When is the day?? When is the time?? We ask ourselves "when" so many times throughout the year, even throughout the day. TODAY is the day. TODAY, right NOW, is the time to allow Christ to renew our lives. THIS MOMENT is the answer. How's your Advent preparation going? If it hasn't started, start NOW.
During the first week of Advent, we heard about WHO, asking ourselves with whom we're in relationship. During the second week of Advent, we asked ourselves for WHAT we prepare during Advent. During this third week of Advent, Deacon Paul Dolan turns us to the WHERE. Where do we see Jesus today? Where are our energies focused? On this Gaudete (translated Rejoice) Sunday, where do we find our joy? Like a road that needs rebuilding, we need a foundation that is sturdy, dependable, and reliable. Hopefully we can consider Christ our foundation, the person in whom we find joy and worthy of our energies and focus!
"Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight his paths!" (Luke 3:4-5) These words from the John the Baptist call us to get ready for the Lord's coming. But 2,021 years after Jesus came, how do we do this? How exactly do we prepare our hearts, our minds, our bodies, our lives, our society for the coming of Christ? And how do we do that everyday, not just during the season of Advent? If this journey seems too daunting, fear not, for St. Paul tells us that Jesus Christ began a good work in us and will continue to complete it until he comes again (Philippians 1:6)!
So we've arrived at Advent! Happy (liturgical) new year! This Advent, the Emmaus Pastorate looks at four related words: Who, What, Where, and When. This first week, the question is: Who do we say God is? Is God a vending machine that gives us x, y, or z for three Hail Mary's or 10 Our Fathers? Is there something that we let pull us away from a closer relationship with God? Or is Christ the center of our lives, even more important than our proudest moments? Is Jesus someone for whom we long, a person we see in the people around us? Who is God to you this Advent?
What does the kingdom of God look like? Jesus describes it in several ways throughout the Gospels, and near the end of his life Pilate asks him whether or not he is a king and, if so, where his kingdom exists. In 2021 on the Solemnity of Jesus Christ KING OF THE UNIVERSE, we're asked the same questions. Is Jesus your king? What have you done to bring about his kingdom?
It's hard to be guilty of sin. It's easy to be forgiven and welcomed home into heaven. At least, that's true for Christians who see the world upside down compared to secular society. While the world is very quick to judge and condemn us for our misgivings, Christ is like the "running father" who saw his repentant child returning to him. As the liturgical year ends, let us rejoice in that fact that we have a forgiving Father who longs for us to dwell with him in heaven!
And thanks to Archbishop Jackels for visiting this weekend as Father John goes on retreat!
Those widows have something to teach us! One shared the last morsel of bread with a stranger, and another gave all the money she had to the temple. So we're faced the questions: Do we give everything we have, and do we give it from our surplus or from our livelihood? A further question to ponder: Do we give just our money and treasures, or do we also give our time and skills (i.e. talents)? Giving from our surplus is OK, but when we're personally invested in each other, in God, and in our Church, our sacrifices carry more. Let's learn from those widows!
Are you a good enough Catholic? When you come to Mass, give your charity, help out at various events, are you giving just enough of yourself? Today, Jesus challenges us - like the Hebrews before him - to love the Lord with all of our heart, all of our mind, and with all of our strength. We are asked to be not just good enough but to love and give our all. Can you do that?
So one day you see Jesus passing by with a crowed following you. You need some healing, some kind of assistance in your life, and you call out to him. Someone escorts you over to him, he looks you square in the face, and asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" What's your answer?
Are you an admirer or a follower? Jesus' two key disciples ask to sit at his right and left when the kingdom comes, and all Jesus can see are admirers: people who aren't committed to following in his footsteps. Being a follower is more than just looking on in amazement; it requires dedication, commitment, and - many times - sacrifice. Are you an admirer or a follower?
Do you possess things? Do YOU possess things, or do your THINGS possess you? This guy in the Gospel today, no matter his age, has observed all the rules. That's good! Following the 10 Commandments and obeying God's law are great actions and virtues! But Jesus says those aren't enough. It's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone whose THINGS possess them to enter heaven. The rich young man went away sad. When we get to heaven, will you be turned away sad too?
Do you love your Church? Do you love your parish? Do you love them like you love your spouse or family? Relationships, especially marital ones, get very rocky sometimes, and obviously there are times of great joy. In marriages though, spouses promise to be true to each other "in good times and in bad." Is the same true when it comes to your local parish? Do you stay true to the global Church in good times and in bad?
A disobedient follower does not a saint make. In days gone by, it was extremely rare to find people preaching against church teaching and leading people away from Christ's flock. But these days, such people are ever more common. Let us remember that divisiveness is opposed to Christ's mission, and woe to the person who leads God's people away from the Word. As St. Augustine once said, "There are those who seem outside the sheepfold who are really inside it, and there are those who seem inside the sheepfold who are really outside it." Do you lead people toward God or away from him?
In Fr. John's absence, Archbishop Michael Jackels visited St. Joseph Parish in Elkader and St. Mary Parish in Strawberry Point this weekend. In his homily, he relays this Wisdom: Rejoice in what is, rather than lament in what is not. Let us also be happy with what we have, rather than decry what we are without.
Happiness is an inside job. Happiness isn't something we can find through other people, activities, substances, or fame. Happiness starts with ourselves, by looking at ourselves and our priorities. If love of God, neighbor, and self are central to us, happiness will follow. But if something else takes priority, anything but happiness follows. Happiness is an inside job.
Centuries ago, there was a huge debate over the importance of faith and works and whether a person needed one or both to earn his/her way into heaven. Although that was one struggle in the 16th century Reformation, it's a struggle with which we still grapple today. As St. Paul tells us, a Christian must have a balance of both faith and works in order to present ourselves at the pearly gates. If we're focused on either extreme, a good Christian we do not make. Fr. John tells us more in his homily from the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Are you open? It's so easy for us in the 21st century to get closed off to hearing God's voice, and it's hard to see God working in our daily lives. It's important to set aside time and energy to hear him and allow him to speak and work. Are you open? Be opened!
Do you get heartburn? Heartburn is something some people develop after eating certain foods, after putting something not-so-good into themselves. Our spiritual lives also experience a kind of heartburn, but the difference here is that spiritual heartburn is not born of something we put into ourselves. It comes from things already inside us. Just like taking an antacid will help relieve our physical heartburn, there are some practices we can take on to relieve our spiritual heartburn. What kind of vices already exist in you? And what are you doing about it?
So we've come to a turning point in the Gospel. The goin' has gotten tough, and some people following Jesus have said, "This is just too hard! Who can listen to and do these things?!" And they left. Then Jesus turned to his disciples and asked them, "Will you also leave?" St. Peter answers back simply, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of everlasting life." So when you goin' gets tough, when your life gets rough, when you start to wonder why you believe in this Jesus, "Will you also leave?" Or will you respond like faithful Peter, "Lord, to whom shall I go?"
Happy Solemnity! Every August 15, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the day Mary was taken body and soul into heaven. Today's Gospel contains the Magnificat, Mary's song, during which she magnifies the Lord and rejoices in all the good he has done for her. We also have a visit from Dennis Rima from Clarity Clinic in Dubuque. Clarity Clinic is a pregnancy crisis center aimed at helping young women and men(!) experiencing an unexpected pregnancy. Dennis tells us stories of how Clarity Clinic helps young parents say yes to the gift of life, just as Mary did over 2,000 years ago.
If you would like to make a donation to Clarity Clinic for the holy work they do, please make checks payable St. Mark Parish and write Clarity Clinic Donation in the memo. Mail checks to St. Mark Parish, PO Box 365, Edgewood, IA 52042 or bring them to St. Mark at 203 S Locust Street in Edgewood. Thank you for your generosity!
Receiving the Eucharist is more than getting a ticket punched saying we've done our duty to attend Sunday Mass. That is the point of Sunday Mass of course - to hear the Word of God and to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. But that's not why we go. We receive the Body of Christ so that we can BECOME the Body of Christ, so that it - the Bread of Life - can transform us into something new and better. Handy as watching Mass online is, great as private prayer and devotions are, nothing in the world can replace the need to receive Christ in the Eucharist, an action that requires our physical, mental, and spiritual presence.
I AM the bread of life. As we travel through St. John's Bread of Life discourse, Jesus speaks these most important words this week. After all the pandemic restricts and strife, have we come to a deeper understanding, a stronger yearning for the Eucharist? Of course the Eucharist is more than just bread and wine, more than just physical sustenance. It's that which we need to live forever. Hopefully we can say with fervor, "Lord, give us this day our daily bread."
One bread, one body, one Lord, one Father of all. St. Paul has a message that humanity has needed to hear over the last 2,000 years, one that we still need to hear today. The virtue of unity is one to which each Christian is called by virtue of baptism. How are you doing at unifying the people around you this week?
The Emmaus Pastorate's Podcast is back! After a week off, we're happy to bring you the July 18 greeting from Fr. John Tigatiga, an African Salvatorian missionary priest visiting parishes across the United States. He shares stories of his home country and how his order is fulfilling Christ's great commission. To contribute to his work, please send donations to any Emmaus Pastorate office. You can find contact information on our website: www.vibrantcatholic.com.
Congratulations to Deacon Paul Dolan on his ordination to the permanent deaconate this past Saturday! In this episode, he preaches for the very first time as the deacon assigned to the Emmaus Pastorate. We look forward to many more of his homilies!
Faith is like going on a hike. You need a solid walking stick to get through the rough and uneven terrain, and you need to invest in that walking stick to make sure it's fortified. The same applies with our faith journey: we need to invest in it! Deacon Paul tells us how.
Just as Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Jonah were called to be prophetic voices paving the way for Christ, so we are called to be prophets here in the 21st century. But as these men can attest, being a prophet is not an easy job. It's worthwhile! But not easy. As the United States celebrates Independence Day, may we be the prophets our country needs, bringing liberty and justice for all.
When bad things happen, we need something on which to hold. Some turn to friends or family, some a job or set of tasks, others to substances. As Christians, we can mimic the hemorrhaging woman or Jairus, who both came to Jesus in their distress. She was instantly healed, and his daughter was raised. What will you hold onto this week?
Does your life feel like a storm sometimes? We all have those days, they're part of life, especially the Christian life. But just like the disciples, who were afraid for their lives, Jesus is with us to calm our storms. One only thing we have to do is let our faith rule over our fear!
As we enter the growing season in Iowa, we also look again at how we're growing our hearts. Do they need some tilling? Perhaps some fertilizer? How are your heart and soul growing in love for God and others? Fr. John has more in his homily from the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time!
This Sunday is the ancient feast of Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Fr. Dan Knipper visits us as well since Fr. John Haugen is on retreat. As Fr. Dan points out, the Eucharist - the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ - is central to our believes as Catholics. It's important that we mark this feast every year, just like we mark birthdays, anniversaries, and other annual celebrations. But Corpus Christi also reminds us of something else: to become what we eat! Receiving Christ is so important for us, but so is being Christ for others. As baptized Christians, we are called to be the body and blood, the hands and feet of Christ in this world. How are you doing at receiving and becoming Christ?
On the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Fr. John asks us if we're like a pipe organ. The Trinity is three divine persons in one, three distinct individual beings yet one person. And so are we called be. Just as when one flat or broken pipe in the organ affects the entire sound, so one person can affect all of society. Let us be unified like the Trinity!
Has your mind ever exploded from too much information? The disciples sure had that experience, and Jesus knew it. That's why he sent the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, to give them more and more guidance as they began the Church's ministry. To be faithful Christians, we need an experience of faith, an inner conviction, and to publicly witness to Christ. These baptismal callings aren't always easy, sometimes they're mind blowing, but through the Holy Spirit Christ will make them possible. When you need some treatment or healing, turn to the Advocate! Amen?!
As we celebrate Ascension Sunday and Baccalaureate at St. Mark this weekend, we remember the day Jesus went "up, up, and away." Although he didn't ascend in a hot air balloon, we rose to better things: heaven. We are also called to bigger, better things: discipleship. As we focus on getting out of our tombs this Eastertide, are you leaving aside the pride, selfishness, and need for control that keep you in your tombs? Are you going up, up, and away to the better things St. Paul describes? We can do that for each other!
Love one another. Friendship is as simple and complicated as that. To be my friends, you must love one another, Jesus tells us. Not love some people, or kind of love others. Love one another. How do we do that in 2021? How are you doing in that these days?
"I am the vine, and you are the branches. Remain in me, and bear much fruit." As with any crop, without the vine and proper care of watering and weeding, no branch would produce any grape for wine. Remaining close to Christ sounds easy, but in the day and age it's anything but that! Remaining close to Christ requires work on our part, and only after putting in the work will we bear much fruit. So how's your connection this week? How's your workload?
On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we hear about how a good shepherd lays down his own wants, desires, even his own life for those of the his flock. Such a shepherd is so loving that he knows the voice of each sheep, and they know his voice. As we traverse through the often confusing messages we encounter today, Jesus asks us a question. Who's your shepherd? Who's voice are you hearing?
"Nobody likes a liar." "We are what we eat." St. John may as well have used these phrases in today's reading. If we receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, then we should become the Body and Blood of Christ in our lives. And if we don't, as St. John tells us, we are liars! The First Communicants help Fr. John with his homily this week as they explore what it means to receive and live the Eucharist.
Easter is the season for saying "yes" in a culture that is constantly saying "no." Like Doubting Thomas, we often find ourselves living in our own tombs, afraid of saying "yes" to the Good News around us, doubting that there really is hope and joy in this world. But Divine Mercy Sunday and the season of Easter call us into something different, into a life of believing in those realities, even if we can't always see Christ or heaven with our own eyes. We are an Easter people. Alleluia is our song! It's time to get out of the tomb!
Jesus comes into our lives through everyday ways, like friends who come to visit and in sharing a meal with someone. Will you open the door and let him in?
Who is this God who loves us so much? And why does he care? He is Christ, our light! It is he who created us, loves us, desires us to grow, and wants communion with us.
The day Jesus died, there were four deaths: Judas, the indignant thief, the repentant thief, and Jesus. One hopeless, one heartless, heartless, one hopeful, and one holy. What will our deaths say about us? What will yours say about you?
What good is it if the bread is changed but I'm not? That's the question Fr. John poses to us as we begin the sacred Triduum in 2021. If the bread changes but we don't, what's the point? Join us as we celebrate the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Emmaus Pastorate. Visit our website for the schedule and other information: www.vibrantcatholic.com/live.
As we journey through holy week, the Emmaus Pastorate is happy to share the final four musical selections for your prayer and meditation. This edition includes Shelter Me, a piece of comfort by Fr. Michael Joncas written in 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic; two pieces in honor of Holy Thursday: Peace, My Friends and Pange, Lingua, Gloriosi/Tantum Ergo; and finally Marty Haugen's Where Your Treasure Is. We hope you have found these six music releases a helpful part of your Lenten journey. Please visit our website, www.vibrantcatholic.com, to see our Holy Week and Easter celebration schedule.
Could you be humble enough to play a pivotal role and still be anonymous? That's just what the woman did in today's Gospel. As we hear the beginning of the Palm Sunday Passion Narrative, a nameless woman appears, breaks open an expensive jar of pungent, aromatic oil, and pours it on Jesus' head and body. This act of foreshadowing is a big moment of the evening, but what significance does it hold for us? Fr. John Haugen breaks it down for us.
This final full week of Lent, the Emmaus Pastorate is happy to supply four more titles for your prayerful reflection. Featured this week are No Wind at the Window by John Bell, a piece perfect for the Solemnity of the Lord's Annunciation on March 25. In honor of the Solemnity of St. Joseph on March 19, Joseph's Song by Michael Card asks how could he be father to the Son of God. And Down to the River, the beloved spiritual, and Turn to the Living God by Lori True round out this release.
Jesus said in this week's gospel that "unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a seed." To be fruitful people, to be the disciples God calls to be, we need to die first. What's that mean? How do we die to ourselves and bear much fruit? Fr. John has three answers in his homily from the final Sunday of Lent.
The Emmaus Pastorate is glad to provide another week of meditative music for your Lenten Journey. Selections this week include More Precious than Silver by Lynn DeShazo, The Cross of Jesus by Francis Patrick O'Brien, and Tree of Life by Marty Haugen.
Nic was only comfortable coming to Jesus at night. Are we only comfortable getting to know Jesus in the dark? As faulty humans, we tend to prefer the darkness over the light; that's John's verdict. But Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." What's your verdict? Will you receive Christ into your life? Will it be in the dark or in the light?
The Emmaus Pastorate is happy to offer a third week of Lenten music for your prayer and reflection. Return to God by John Angotti, Sanctuary by John Thompson & Randy Scruggs, and Take Up Your Cross to the tune of O WALY WALY are included on this release. As you rend, lend, and mend this week, may this music lead you deeper into God's love!
Anger can be a terrible thing if it's misplaced, and if we're honest with ourselves it often is. Anger can be harmful to our relationships and ourselves. But righteous anger, such as Jesus' anger and overturning tables in the temple, is different. In his homily on the Third Sunday of Lent, Fr. John dives into the difference and asks us, "What does your anger say about you?"
The Emmaus Pastorate is happy to provide another few minutes of music to deepen your heart rending this week. Week Two's Lenten music includes Deep Within by David Haas, Return to God by Marty Haugen, and Canticle of the Turning by Rory Cooney. Permission to stream granted by ONE LICENSE #626030. All rights reserved.
Do you have faith enough to believe the impossible? Peter, James, and John believed Jesus was the Son of God, but even they wondered about rising to new life! The key to raising our level of faith and trust in God - blind as it needs to be - is to listen to him every day in every moment. How strong is your faith? How much stronger could it be?
A few minutes of seasonal music to add to your prayer this week courteous of the Emmaus Pastorate
An audio recording of the Town Hall Meeting held at St. Mark Parish on February 21, 2021
What drives you, and where does it drive you? Jesus was driven by his love for the Father, and it drove him into the desert for 40 days! As we enter the season of Lent - an annual desert-like experience - we should be reminded of all the things that should drive us all year, often things that don't. Where are your priorities these days? Do they need some adjusting?
As we begin Lent in the year 2021, we're reminded - as we are every year - that TODAY is the day and NOW is the acceptable time. How will you challenge yourself this Lent? How will test the devil as he tests you? How will you rend your heart, lend your hands, and mend lives?
Do you have leprosy? Probably not...at least literally. And that's a good thing! But maybe we all suffer from some leprosy today, and maybe we all treat some people as lepers. Do you? Have you? Fr. John explains how this disease might still prevail in the 21st century.
Somedays are just Job days, aren't they? Nothing seems to go right, and it would be so much easier to blame God and cruse him for it! But Job, Christ, and then St. Paul each show us how perseverance, discipline, and faithfulness have their rewards in the end. And what's more - our perseverance, discipline, and faithfulness will affect others in ways we just won't know. Fr. John gives us some tools to get through those Job days, even when the world says to just cave into pressures.
There are so many voices to hear these days, and the same was true back in Jesus' time. But back then his was a new voice, a strange one, so very contrary to the times. Perhaps it's just what we need today. Fr. John implores us, as did King David, "If today you hear God's voice, harden not your hearts!"
An audio recording of the annual Town Hall held at Sacred Heart Parish on January 25, 2021
Being a missionary doesn't usually work well if you go into a heathen town and proclaim everyone's going to hell, even if that's true. Building relationships - establishing and maintaining net(work)s - is far more effective. So what's that got to do with Jonah, the whale, and the sons of Zebedee? Fr. John tells us more in his homily from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
"The harvest of justice is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace." These are the words of St. James. The work of peace requires cultivation. To reap justice and righteousness, we must sow, labor for, and grow peace. Fr. John has this message as we pray for our country on the eve the inauguration of the next president of the United States.
As we begin Ordinary Time and 2021, we start to think about this new year. As we do, let us give God a chance to speak to us as young Samuel did. Let us say quietly, as if waking during the night saying, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."
A divided nation needs a united church. A divided church needs a united Emmaus Pastorate. A united Emmaus Pastorate needs you; it needs all of us. Fr. John has more on the need to be a unified people in this homily from the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
Just like the magi left the little Lord Jesus "by a different way," so we must also come to him and leave by a different route. How can we encounter Christ, and not be changed in some way? Fr. John has all this and more in his homily from the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord Jesus Christ!
At the New Year, we're reminded that Mary "pondered all these things in her heart." How are you at pondering things in your heart? Do you rush to judgement and action, or do you reflect, question, and ponder first? What does it mean to ponder? Fr. John leads us through some pondering in his homily from the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on January 1, 2021.
We all know that today's families aren't perfect, and neither was the Holy Family. But just like Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, our imperfection doesn't mean we can't be holy. What's a holy family look like today? Fr. John tells us more in his homily from the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!
On Christmas, we encounter a child. Typically, infants, children, even toddlers are silly and playful, really only needing care when hungry, soiled, or desiring attention. But this child, born of a virgin and conceived by the Holy Spirit, is a different child. And he wants our attention always. More importantly, WE need to pay him attention always. Fr. John has more in his homily from Christmas morning.
In this podcast, various musicians from the Emmaus Pastorate offer a selection of Christmas music for your enjoyment. We hope this brings you hope, peace, and joy during this unique Christmastide!
God's will is a mighty thing, and it's easy for us to become afraid and intimidated by it! But Gabriel has a message for us: Be Not Afraid! Fr. John has this and more in his Sunday homily.
The Emmaus Pastorate is happy to provide our annual Gaudete Sunday musical reflection. Missing Andrew Lange due to COVID-19, John Uhal sings a new piece by Matthew West titled The Hope of Christmas. May it help us find the right voice and allow the Word to become flesh this Christmas!
There are many voices talking - even shouting - at us these days. One of them is John the Baptist crying out, "Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight the path!" Are we focusing on the noise these days, or the voice of one shouting in the desert?
Also included this week is our annual musical reflection. Following Fr. John's homily, John Uhal sings a new piece by Matthew West titled The Hope of Christmas. May it help us find the right voice and allow the Word to become flesh this Christmas!
It's hard to celebrate an idea, which is exactly what the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary really is: the doctrinal teaching that Mary, the Mother of God, was conceived in St. Ann's womb without the stain of original sin. But what does that mean? Why is that important? The answer isn't revealed until an angel named Gabriel visited Mary in her teenage years. Mary's response to Gabriel changed history. Fr. John Haugen tell us more in his homily for this very holy day!
What's your comfort food? A bag of chips? Some pasta or soup? This season of Advent, and especially this week, we're reminded that we need to take comfort in the fact that Christ has cleared the way into heaven for us. All we need to do is let go of this world's trappings and walk the way! And that should be very comforting!
As Advent begins in this tumultuous year, remember this: when the world starts going to pot or when the clay just isn't centered anymore, go to the Potter!
On this Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Fr. John leaves us with three simple questions. Are you a sheep? Are you a shepherd? Who is king of your heart, mind, and life? Hopefully to the first two is a resounding, "Yes!" And hopefully we can always and honestly say that Christ is our king in everything. But...are we? Can we?
While Fr. John is on retreat, Fr. Cyrus Gallagher visits the Emmaus Pastorate this weekend. Fr. Cyrus represents Unbound, an organization that helps spread resources around the world. He asks us this question: as we live daily in the Mission Territory, are we using our talents or allowing them to stunt? For more on Fr. Cyrus' mission, please visit www.unbound.org.
Fr. John returns this weekend with a rousing homily on the realities facing us today and of what the scriptures remind us this month. First, we must be prepared. Second, we cannot rely on others for faith; we must grow our own faith. Third, despite the discord in the world, there is no disunity in the Sacrament of Unity, the Eucharist that we all aspire to celebrate in heaven. Let's get ready...for we don't know the hour when the Lord is coming!
Filling in for Fr. John, Fr. Dustin Vu asks how many of us want to become saints. The answer is tricky but simple: we should all want to be saints! And the Beatitudes give us some direction on to how to do it!
Although we are unable to celebrate Sunday Mass, members of the Emmaus Pastorate have gathered to pray a Liturgy of the Word, complete with music, the Sunday readings, and a message from Fr. John.
Jesus vs. Caesar. Church vs. State. Should there really be that separation? If a ruler's power is represented by his/her image on currency, God's power should be represented by his image on our hearts. Fr. John has this and more in this week's homily!
Every single day, we receive an invitation to interact with Christ, to join him at the great Wedding Feast. Every single day, we get to RSVP yes or no. Which are you choosing this week?
How many friends do you have who are people with whom you also disagree? That's a pretty good measurement of how we are or are not building the Kingdom. As we, the vineyard of the Lord, grow and intertwine with others, are we really professing that "all are welcome in this place?"
These days we usually don't like change, even if it's good for us. In his homily this week, Fr. John Haugen poses some really good reasons to change. Then he posits this questions to us: How is Christ calling you to change your heart and your attitude to make them more like his?
For my ways are not your ways, nor are my thoughts your thoughts, says the LORD. But how can our ways and thoughts become like the Lord's? Fr. John Haugen has the answer in this Sunday's homily.
Never. Never is a really long time. We are never done forgiving others, reconciling differences and injustices with others. God is never done forgiving us, washing us clean of our debts. Never is a REALLY long time. It might even be an eternity!
Why can't we just get along??!! That proverbial question rings true in almost every part of our life today. But Christ's mission was centered on reconciliation and forgiveness, on getting long...aka loving...each other. Fr. John Haugen dives into the concepts of forgiveness and reconciliation and what they look like in the 21st century.
How are you doing this week? Have you answered the question, "Who do YOU say I am" from last week? If so, now the question is: Have we given in yet, have we become like everyone else? Or, have we transformed ourselves by taking up our own cross, denying ourselves, and following Christ? Find out more in Fr. John Haugen's homily from the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time!
This week, Jesus is traveling. On the way, he asks the apostles about what people say about him, who they say he is. Then, Jesus asks the Twelve, "But who do YOU say that I am?" In your 30 second answer, who do YOU say Jesus is?
In his homily this weekend, Fr. John Haugen asks us a central question, "Am I bringing more division, or am I trying to bring things together?" How are you doing on the unifying front these days?