As we begin this Lenten Season, we are all striving to listen to the voice of God calling out to us.  We are all looking for a personal renewal, for repentance and forgiveness, and the willingness to follow Jesus, as he carries the Cross of life, all the way to Calvary.

As your servant, I am now in my fifth year of being your deacon.  What a blessing this calling has truly been to one who is unworthy.  We never know when God is calling us to further service. We need to find that quiet moment and listen, in prayer, to the voice of God.  “Whom shall I send?”  “Send Me.”

This is a good time of the year to listen for the voice of God, and if you feel he may be calling you to the diaconate, please take that to prayer, and really consider it.  No one becomes a deacon because of the title, it is truly a calling of further service in the Church. Diaconate means “servant,” the very reason why the deacon wears the dalmatic, the vestment that has sleeves in it.  The sleeves look like they are rolled up, preparing that person for the work of the church, in charity.  Roll up your sleeves and go to work for the Lord.

The Diocese of La Crosse has an excellent diaconate formation program, so much so that it encompasses the Dioceses of Madison and Superior.  The whole program is five years of study, once you are accepted by the diocese and complete background checks.  The first two years are very much discernment driven, for this is the time when you will know, and the Church will know, if this is right for the both of you.  It is not failure to step back from the program, it is discernment that you must take to prayer, and in prayer the good Lord will let you know.

A new class will be beginning in the fall, if you feel called—if you have even the littlest bit of interest—that may be God calling you. The program is set up so that those who apply should be ordained before age 65, with some exceptions.

All priests, bishops, and even the pope were ordained deacons first.  Some are transitional, meaning they will be ordained to the priesthood within a year. Others, like myself, are permanent deacons, I will  go no further.  Deacons can be married as long as you are married before ordination. Being a permanent deacon, for most, is a volunteer position, an unpaid position, but a very rewarding answer to God’s call.  “Send me Lord.”       

We are all called to a vocation in life. A call to take our God-given talents, and use them for our benefit, our own improvement, but more importantly for the betterment of those we meet in our everyday lives. Whether we are single, married, religious life, or clergy, God calls each one of us to be that difference. A ripple in the water of life that will touch and will influence society in a positive way.

Abraham heard the call and followed in faith. John the Baptist understood his calling in life, listened, and was obedient to the will of God. Jesus, in our own humanity, understood his calling and was obedient to the will of the Father.

In a society that sounds a continuous call for personal autonomy, a call that resonates for personal self-rule, and for a subjective belief in what is the truth, it becomes a culture where truth becomes relative. Accepting for themselves what is right or wrong, and that like a ripple in the water will affect all of society.

It takes moral courage, something that is rare in a society of this self-truth, to accept even for a moment in life, that there is something bigger than all of us and acting on that belief. As stated in a recent homily, this “Moment of clarity,” came to light, when a critically injured football player, brought two opposing teams and a nation to their knees in prayer for his recovery. In that moment, those who were watching football that night, saw an announcer ask for a moment of prayer. Not a moment of silence, but a moment of prayer, and he personally led that prayer for over a minute. He wasn’t thinking of any consequences for leading a prayer to someone bigger than all of us.

We are all called in life to have that moral courage, to use what is instilled in our hearts by God for our benefit. More importantly for the betterment of our neighbor. Like the ripple in the water, that moral courage has an impact on all society.

This is a beautiful Christmas Story that was part of a homily a couple years ago-it is so worth retelling. The story is about a local school that would be holding their annual production of the Nativity play, and also about Wally, who was nine years old at the time and in second grade, instead of fourth grade, due to the fact that he had challenges that made it difficult for him to keep up with the other children.  Wally was that type of kid, bigger than the other kids, but well-liked.  Wally was very excited to be part of the Christmas play that year, for he was able to play the innkeeper.  The play’s director liked Wally and wanted him to be able to be a part of the play and yet be able to remember his lines, so with Wally playing the innkeeper, she would be able to stand behind the door of the set and prompt him if necessary.

On the night of the Nativity play, everything was going along just as rehearsed, when it came time for Joseph to appear at the Inn.  Joseph slowly and     tenderly guided Mary to the door of the Inn, knocked on the door and it was then that Wally appeared    saying; “What do you want?”  “We seek lodging,”    Joseph said, and Wally right on cue said; “Seek it elsewhere, the Inn is filled.”

 Joseph spoke again; “Sir, we have asked everywhere in vain, we have come far and are very tired, and again Wally hit his cue, and sternly said; “There is no room in this Inn for you.”

Joseph then said; “Please, this is my wife Mary, who is heavy with child, and needs a place to rest, there must be some small corner for her, please, she is so tired.”

This time there was silence, and the prompter had to tell Wally to say the words; “be gone there is no room.”  Wally was quick to repeat it; “Be gone there is no room.”

It was then that Joseph on cue placed his arm around Mary and with her head on Joseph’s shoulder, the two of them started to move away.  It was then that people began to notice that Wally had not gone back into the Inn, but instead was watching, now with a distant look on his face. Those present saw his mouth open and his eyes full of tears, and it was then that the Nativity Story, this pageant would be different from the others, for it was then that Wally called out to Joseph; “DON’T GO JOSEPH, BRING MARY BACK, and then his face grew into a bright smile when he said, “YOU CAN HAVE MY ROOM.”

What Christmas is all about, seeing Christ in  others, making room for Him, in our hearts. Merry Christmas.

On November 11th the United States stops to honor those who have given of themselves, all through our rich history, to maintain the freedom we so many times take for granted.

Whether it was in peace, or wartime, millions of men and women have served this great nation, to maintain that freedom.  In a world that is slowly allowing our freedoms to be challenged, and to be slowly taken away, these brave men and women remind us that those freedoms came at a price.  We must continue to pay that price to preserve them.

This Republic stands on the principle of being blessed by God, and that all, not just a specified group, were made in the image and likeness of God.  When we are not willing to stand up for these ideologies, then we will fall for the ideology of self-glory, authority and power.  These ideologies  seek to undermine these principles.  They hover over how each of us live and think, all the while putting God aside.

As we remember the great sacrifices that each of these Veterans gave to hold up those precious freedoms of this Republic, let us all stay alert to those who strive to take away those inalienable, these absolute, undeniable rights, for their vain glory, their self-promoting, never-ending quest for power over all of us, and  fight for the ideology that says that we all have the right to life, the right of speech, the right to pursue happiness, the right to worship our God, the right to be an American.  These rights we hold sacred, for we are and will fight to always be one nation, under God, indivisible, inseparable, with liberty and justice for all.
 

We are now just a few months past the overturning of Roe, turning the direct killing of a child in the womb, back to each individual state.  The Catholic Church has been in the forefront in their pro-life stance. For that stance the Church has seen brutal attacks on pro-life centers, vandalism and defacing of many Catholic Churches.  The onslaught of the cancel culture continues to demand that an innocent child in the womb of life, can be deliberately murdered, canceled, right up unto birth, for any reason.  For two thousand years the Church has spoken out about the intrinsic evil of abortion. (Which means this act of murder is always evil). Catholic   Principles of Morality- “Any direct attempt on an innocent life as a means to an end is unlawful.” Pius XII

“Every human being, in the mother’s womb has a right to life…hence there is no man, no science, no medical, eugenic, social, economic, or moral indication that can produce a valid judicial title to a direct disposal of an innocent life.”

“You shall not kill by abortion the fruit of the womb and you shall not murder the infant already born.” —Apostles 90 A.D.

“To prevent birth is anticipated murder.  It makes no little difference whether one destroys life already born, or does away with it in its nascent (growing) state, the one who will be a man is already one.” —Tertillian A.D. 150-240

“But the man or woman is a murderer…who takes medicine to procure an abortion.”  —St. Basil A. D. 374

“Some…with child, use drugs to procure abortion…laden with guilt of adultery against Christ, and child murder.”  —Saint Jerome.

“Why then do you abuse the gift of God…and make the chamber of procreation a chamber for murder.” —St John Chrysostom A.D. 391

Let us all continue to pray for all life, for all life is so sacred, and all life matters.  The Catholic Church  continues to spread the message of truth.  Continue to have that moral courage to stand up for the rights of the unborn, and say no to any perceived law that    deliberately kills an innocent child in the womb, the womb of life.
 

It is hard to believe that we have had the stained-glass windows for a little over a year already here at Our Lady Queen of Heaven.  In just a little shy of two weeks in time, we had all of the new windows paid for through generous  donations.  At this time, we are asking those who donated, to stop by near my office  and you will see a clipboard with the names of those who   donated.  Please print what you would like to have on a small plaque that will be placed near the stained-glass windows.  (e.g.,  In memory of Wallace and Janet Anderson)  Thank you again for your generosity, and may God Bless you.

We are always looking for men to come forward and serve at the altar.  We have a few men who serve each day at Mass, and on the weekends. We are always looking for more.  Please consider this ministry, it sends a beautiful message to our young people, and to all our Church family.  We will be setting up a loose schedule for the adult men.  We would like to have an adult serving at every Mass.  

We are also in the process of setting up a server schedule for our younger, school-age servers.  If you are interested please make contact with me.  Leave a note on my door, or feel free to call my home phone.  Thank you in advance for this beautiful ministry.

Saint Padre Pio was once quoted as saying; “The rosary is a weapon for our times.” I quote this because an article was written in The Atlantic that said “….the rosary has acquired a militaristic meaning for radical-traditional Catholics.” This, according to the writer of the op-ed, says that the rosary is seen “as a weapon” to those calling themselves traditional Catholics. It goes on to say that basically Catholics—extremists and traditional Catholics— have literally weaponized the rosary. Visually or literally, Catholics are using violence against groups, our faith may not agree with. The article is not worth reading, but it ends with the following statement: “The sacramental rosary isn’t just a spiritual weapon but one that comes with physical ammunition.

It is true in one sense, in that we are the Church Militant. We are a group of believers in the Church fighting at any given time, against the evil of the devil, and in that regard the rosary is truly a weapon. The article basically depicts that the rosary is so many times used by extremists and traditional Catholics for hatred, in the literal sense. We all know that the rosary is never for hatred. Yes, it is a weapon, a weapon of love, a weapon of spiritual combat.

According to Phil Lawler, the intent of the article was to bring out a feeling that the traditional Catholic prayer of the rosary is a sign of extremism; that those who pray the rosary should be looked at with suspicion, thinking wrongly that this weapon, the rosary, has been turned into something dangerous. Hence the original title of the article, “How the Rosary Became an Extremist Symbol.”

Saint Pope John Paul II encouraged all of us to pray the rosary every day. Whether that be heading to work, when we wake up, or before Mass, as we do each day here at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish. There is plenty of evil in the world. Catholics are very much a part of the group which is being attacked. We stand up for life, we stand up for gender identity, how God made you from birth, male or female. We do stand for marriage between one man and one woman. Who can find nothing better than to take the beauty of the rosary, truly a symbol of love, for centuries, and tie it to a dangerous extremist cult.

As Catholics do say “We must be battle ready.” We, who are still on this earth (the Church Militant) must fight this type of so-called reporting. We do fight with the rosary in our hands, carried in full view, as some of our religious do. We have concealed carry, ready at any moment where it is needed.

As Father had mentioned a couple of weeks ago, we have been busy constructing a new ambo for the Church. This new ambo will now house the sound equipment and have extra space for additional liturgical books, a larger area for the readings. There will be a new pull-out drawer to accommodate the children when they read at the Children’s Mass during the school year. The new ambo is made out of oak and should last for many years to come.

In addition we are also in the process of remodeling the altar fronts. Our next project will be the smaller altar, where the height will be adjusted somewhat, and the whole front design will be updated. It has served us well for many years, but it is beginning to show its wear. In the next couple of weeks this smaller altar will be our focus. You will see a change to the front design, but at the same time we will keep the foundation of the altar itself. The altar will match the ambo in color and in type of wood.

We are also in the process of redoing the main altar. This altar has shown its wear over the last few years and the veneer is starting to chip away and the top candle shelf is splitting apart. The same type of design will be used on both altars. As we remodel them we will be using the main foundation of both altars. They will be updated with oak fronts and trim. The tops of both altars and the candle stand top will all be addressed with a new quartz-like product that will not only look very nice, but will hold up for many years to come, and is in the marble look. Enjoy watching as this process takes place. All of this was made possible with two parishioner donations.

As Memorial Day comes upon us, we pause to remember those who have given of themselves to defend the freedoms that we enjoy. So many times they are taken for granted, in this country.

We thank our Veterans this Memorial Day. Let us never forget the causes for which they fought. What they gave of themselves, especially those who gave their all, their very lives, the true price of freedom that we all enjoy. Just as our Savior gave his very life to free us from the oppression of sin.

Our Lord said; “The greatest love one can have, is to lay down his life for his friends.” That is what our Lord did for all of us.

There is a beautiful poem by Lawrence Binyon which states; “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”

We ask our Lord to bless those who left this soil, to serve their country in wartime, and in peace. May our Lord Jesus always walk with those who did not return. To my fellow veterans, to all who served and are serving, may God Bless you. May we have the courage to stand up for the freedoms we enjoy.

The Gospel message for the third week of Lent, is referred to as the “Last Gospel,” for it talks about how we are battered in life.  We are scarred and damaged by our sins.  Yet, we find that each and every day of our lives the good Lord gives us that second chance to experience “Metanoia” that change to our heart and soul.  We are given that second chance by the touch of the “Master’s Hand.”

Every year now for the past several years, myself and other Deacons from the area, minister to the inmates at the local county jail.  This is a very humbling experience. I would like to repeat a story of one inmate who found these two-hour visits to be the turning point in his life.  I will call this inmate Mike, who we met, while in jail, a couple of years ago.  It was a few months ago that I was approached by a young man who stated he was Mike, the one who we visited in jail, and he thanked me profusely for talking to him about turning one’s life around to Jesus.  Mike was able to go back to that fork in the road that led him down a life of addiction and crime.  He saw the narrow path, the path that put Jesus number one in his life.

Mike overcame his addictions, was forgiven, and did his time, the consequences for his actions.  Since that time Mike met a beautiful young lady and now is making a life together with her, and their newborn daughter.  The “Metanoia” in Mike’s life, his change, is apparent as I have talked to him now several times, to the point where once he goes through the necessary procedures, will join us in our jail ministry group.  Mike will be able to empathize with the inmates, for he has walked the walk.  Now he can talk the talk of one who found Jesus in his life. Please pray for Mike as he must stay focused on the light of truth.  For in life’s difficulties it can be so easy to revert back to the wider path of the world.

Lent is that season that we are reminded of second chances, of the one who loved us first.  A season where we strive to cultivate our own lives with the truth of the Cross.

I repeat again the beautiful poem that states;  Is anybody happier because you passed his way?  Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?  The day is almost over, and its toiling time is through; Is there anyone to utter a kindly word of you?  Do you give a cheerful greeting to the friend who came along?  Or a rude sort of “Howdy” and then vanish in the throng?  Were you selfish pure and simple as you rushed along the way, or is someone mighty grateful for a deed you did today?  Do you say tonight in parting with the day that is slipping fast, that you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?  Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said; does a man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?  Did you waste the day or lose   it, was it well or sorely spent?  Did you leave a trail of kindness or a scar of discontent?  As you close your eyes in slumber do you think that God would say,  YOU HAVE EARNED ONE MORE TOMORROW BY THE WORK YOU DID TODAY?