31st Sunday in Ordinary Time [11-03-24]

Bamboozled!  Snookered!  Hoodwinked!  These are perhaps not the best words to use for a movie review.  Be advised:  the following contains spoilers!  There were few people in the theater for the matinee showing.  As the film abruptly ended after two hours, all appeared stunned.  We simply looked at each other.  Fr. Wesly jumped up immediately ready to walk out – or better – run out as the credits began to roll.  The trailer had been enticing.  It looked like it would be a good movie, despite being sprinkled with fictional political intrigue of an ecclesial nature.  The cardinals would gather in Conclave to elect a pope.  It’s way above my pay grade, but I could just imagine the hushed and discreet canvassing conversations of the sequestered clergymen of highest rank.  From among their number, the next pope would be chosen.  The papacy is not an enviable job and no man on earth is truly worthy.  A newly elected pope immediately goes to a small antechamber in the Sistine Chapel known as the “Room of Tears,” (Stanza delle Lacrime) so immense will his burden now be.  Here he will don a white cassock for the first time.  The film is a typical Hollywood portrayal of the Church such that I expected the flaws of more than a few of the gathered clergymen to be exposed.  As we’re all now well aware, even cardinals are mere human beings subject to Original Sin.  So, a cardinal exposed as having fathered a child many years ago and another caught-up in a heretofore unknown financial scandal didn’t surprise me.  Both men were eliminated from among the papabili.  Other men were seen either as too liberal or too conservative.  Still others were too ambitious.  Only one was portrayed, in my opinion, as truly humble having absolutely no desire or interest to sit upon the papal throne.  He actually desired to leave Rome and enter a religious community.  Furthermore, he harbored some doubts, which all holy men and women do at times.  Recall the much-publicized writings of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  No, the one finally elected was the one least expected.  Sometimes, in the course of Church history that has been the case.  It’s not that John XXIII’s election was a complete surprise, but this so-called “place-holder pope” calling a Second Vatican Council most certainly was.  In the film, the unlikely surprise came at the very end as a rather new and obscure Prince of the Church was elevated to the Throne of Peter.  The problem in the surprise ending was, quite literally, physical.  “He” who had been chosen, had been scheduled to have a hysterectomy!  As I said, “surprise!”  At the end of the film, after the confession was made, the screen went black.  I thought to myself that this is perhaps the hope of many in Hollywood and elsewhere for the Church – that it might just turn off all the lights, go black, and go away as a relic of ages past having no place in a modern world of gender fluidity where walls between men and women; people and nations no longer stand.  I sat for a moment surprised and bamboozled.  The reality is that the Church is more relevant for our world now more than ever.  She is not a “black screen,” but that Light shining in the often thick darkness of modern days.  There are far, far better films to be seen on “Vatican intrigue.”  Cabrini, for instance, was a well-done film.  All of us need to be alert so as not to be “taken for a ride.”  There is much slick promotion of this, that, or the other thing in today’s world especially in election season.  All folks want is some Quality and Truth, whether it is a show out of Hollywood or a production made in Washington, DC.  The Church, Herself, founded by Our Lord remains now and always as a Beacon of Light shining forth that Quality and Truth that folks so much desire.  Our “show” doesn’t involve turning down the lights, but rather turning them up.  Our Surprise isn’t at the end, it’s at the Beginning just as It always has been – and always will be.  So, turn up the lights!  Enjoy the “Show,” but stay alert!  Don’t allow yourself to be bamboozled!                

Peace!

                                        Fr. Wilson

30th Sunday In Ordinary TIme [10-27-24}

Each time, it was closer.  The events certainly made an impact upon my life.  I’m sure they made impact upon many others as well.  All assembled for Mass this past week in the auditorium of the high school bearing his name.  I shared with the students my own encounters with the man and how, in each encounter, I came ever closer.  Mass that day also included installation of the student council members.  They are student leaders.  Leadership is a nebulous term.  Hundreds of book have been written on the topic.  What is it exactly?  Is it something beholden only unto extroverts and “quarterbacks” on playing fields, in the halls of congress, or those before the cameras of Hollywood?  Saint Pope John Paul II was a leader.  I’m certain that most would agree.  I, personally, think that the title, “the Great,” should be affixed to his name, because of the magnitude and profundity of his writings.  I encountered this greatness in person three times in my life.  The first time I was in high school just like my assembled listeners.  I stood on a crowded corner in Center City.  After a long while of simply standing and waiting, a noticeable roar went up among the crowd.  I stood tip-toed trying to see.  In a flash, the popemobile passed.  I only caught a glimpse of the white skull cap and the very top of the Holy Father’s head.  It was all so fast, yet I caught a glimpse of “the man.”  I went home tired, but satisfied.  It had been a long day.  The next encounter took place years later in Denver at World Youth Day.  I was an adult leader.  We gathered at Mile High Stadium on a dreary, rainy, overcast day.  There were preliminary speakers and thousands of restless youth.  Finally, the Holy Father arrived.  The air was electric.  He approached the microphone and opened his mouth to speak.  In that moment, the clouds parted, the rain stopped, sunshine started to appear, and a most brilliant rainbow appeared over the stadium.  The pope paused and pointed.  The whole stadium pointed skyward.  The rainbow is the symbol of God’s Promise.  It is a sign of Faith and Covenant.  We stood silently in awe for a moment with the future saint.  Also, in that moment, I knew that there was something special about this man.  I wonder how many seeds of Faith and Vocation were planted or nurtured that day as was my own.  My third encounter was much closer.  I actually shook hands with His Holiness.  I was in the seminary on my Spirituality Year.  Seminarians from the Archdiocese of New York also participated.  They were required to be present when the Holy Father visited their seminary just outside of NYC.  We were invited to join them.  The Holy Father prayed Evening Prayer with us and encouraged us.  It was strictly enjoined that we were not to leave our seats, but we couldn’t help ourselves.  As the pope was coming down our side of the chapel aisle, we rushed down to the edge of the pew stalls and leaned over with arms and hands extended.  To my surprise, it was my hand that was grasped.  He stared right at me.  His deep blue eyes were penetrating.  It was as if he was staring right into my soul.  I can never forget the feeling.  Mystical is the only way that I can describe it.  Something changed in me that day.  All of this I shared with my young charges this past week.  Pope John Paul II helps us to understand leadership.  True leadership encourages and unites.  Wherever the saint went, he brought people together and he, quite literally, brought down walls that divided such as those that stood at one time in Berlin.  This is what Jesus, Himself did.  He brought people together beginning with the Twelve.  He would come to bring Gentiles and Jews together while always continuing to invite those who stood yet apart.  It’s what a true leader does.  This is what student leaders are called to do and this is what all of us are called to do in our various leadership roles as student at PJPII, parent, priest, or “ordinary” Catholic in the pew.  Pray for leaders and leadership.  Pray to be a true leader yourself!  Pope Saint John Paul (the Great!), pray for us!    

Peace!

Fr. Wilson

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time [October 20, 2024]

The game is afoot!  It’s elementary, my dear Watson!  It is elementary – or at least, it should be!  I’ve always been a big fan of Sherlock Holmes.  I’ve enjoyed and continue to enjoy the various interpretations of the character that emerged from the depths of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s imagination.  I have also enjoyed the various actors that have that have played the part of Sherlock Holmes over the years with one of my favorites being Jeremy Brett.  And yes, of course, I too played Holmes long ago during one Halloween night of my youth.  Trick or treat indeed, my dear Watson!  There’s candy to be had!  Also in my youth, I remember pleading with my parents to please take me to see The Seven-Percent-Solution when it came out in the theater.  To my delight, they couldn’t turn down their young Sherlock enthusiast.  Holmes’ “Science of Deduction” always fascinated me.  Mr. Holmes would simply observe very keenly and then connect what he observed reaching a very logical conclusion – and solving a difficult case.  Holmes may have called it the “Science of Deduction,” but I always knew it as “Common Sense.”  I still do.  In a more recent portrayal of the mythic figure in a series that I have been watching on television, I must admit that I am somewhat disappointed with the interpretation of the famous sleuth.  Holmes, whose character might be said to be the Mr. Spock of the Nineteenth Century minus the alien blood, is portrayed as an atheist.  There cannot be and are not any ghosts or spirits, he claims.  This contradicts the facts observed and one can only conclude that the only “gods” are of man’s own making.  God “exists” because we want Him to “exist.”  I beg to differ Mr. Holmes. It’s all rather elementary.  I’ve never taken Holmes to be a nihilist and my own interpretation of Holmes and his “Science of Deduction” would lead not only to a solution – but would lead to The Solution solving the most “difficult case” of all time!  In my version of Sherlock, the famed sleuth with the deerstalker cap roams the environs of Jerusalem of old where within the walled city he occupies a small flat the address of which is 221B Baker Street.  Out and about trying to solve a mystery of some water changed into wine, his investigations quickly lead him to one Jesus of Nazareth.  The sleuth then conducts an interview.  Observing keenly, he immediately deduces that this individual is no ordinary man and when this Man even more so keenly observes him in return revealing his heretofore known-to-none seven-per-cent solution along with an accurate recounting of his every case including several unrecorded, the world’s most famous detective is led to an utterly astounding conclusion.  This is no ordinary man!  Indeed, He is the very Son of God!  Sherlock then falls to his knees and sheds uncharacteristic tears as he acknowledges his discovery.  It is all so elementary, my dear Watson! The Solution to the Mystery awaits us!  It is time for us and our world to employ Common Sense and the Science of Deduction once again in order to discover anew that which a First Century Semitic Sherlock Holmes most surely would and solving the most challenging case ever known – the Mystery of Life!  Come now, Watson!  The Game is afoot!          

Peace!

                                         Fr. Wilson

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time [10-13-24]

Although I loved playing with my Tonka trucks as a tyke, I never recall having a desire to be a truck driver.  I certainly never thought that I would be one – yet here I am.  My actual truck driving experience was rather limited.  My father did own a rather large pick-up truck for a time.  It had a long bed and a crew cab.  A short time after getting my license, I drove it some distance to a tree farm where my buddy and I cut our own Christmas trees that year.  It was quite the adventure for two teens.  My next foray into truck driving came years later.  It was even more of an adventure – darn near a fatal one.  The vehicle was a huge box truck.  It was a rental.  The Center City tech school where I worked had a suburban location that was closing.  Equipment and furniture had to be retrieved and stored.  Volunteers were needed.  I stepped right up.  Besides, it would get me out of the office for the day.  Three of us went on expedition that day.  There was one of my female co-workers – a pleasant, tomboyish young lady…and there was John.  John was our crack security and maintenance team all rolled into one great man.  John was not petite to say the least.   He looked like Chef from South Park and man, could he make some mean ribs!  One day we had an office party.  John parked his “rig” right outside our door in a no parking zone and blocked it off with orange cones so that the police would know that he was on “official” business.  His son’s big Ford truck hauled a flat bed trailer that had a large “grill” bolted to it.  It was a split and blackened five hundred gallon steel drum turned into the greatest barbeque grill of all time.  From it came the best BBQ ribs of all time.  As the smoked wafted along 30th Street, people started to stand in line thinking that they could buy them.  Even the police stood in line.  They were heavenly and I’m hoping to discover one day that they’re available there.  Office moving day arrived and our petite co-worker said that she would drive.  Chef gave me a look as he rolled his eyes.  It was an adventurous ride to say the least, but it was the merge on to the Schuylkill Expressway that changed things.  We almost had the opportunity to sample those heavenly ribs, because our tomboy driver almost got us killed.  Chef was seated in the middle between our driver and me.  He clasped my thigh very firmly with his huge hand and declared quietly in my ear: Brotha, you drivin’ home!  She gonna get us killed!  The homeward drive from Plymouth Meeting was less eventful except for Germantown Pike.  It was there that I discovered that a fully loaded box truck takes longer to stop.  The light turned red at the bottom of the hill.  I applied the brake and…nothing!  OMG!  I pushed harder – and then harder.  I almost put my foot through the floorboard.  The truck finally stopped after lurching a bit into the intersection.  Fortunately, there was no cross traffic at that point.  My co-workers didn’t really notice the problem that I had, but I’m sure that they heard my heart pounding.  Somehow I then managed the Schuylkill and some Center City streets before pulling the big box truck into our subterranean garage below the train station area.  It was quite the feat.  I was a truck driver.  Did you know that Jesus was a truck driver?  From weddings like Cana to funerals like that of Lazarus, sometimes the truck was fully loaded and hard to stop and other times it was empty waiting to be filled.  There were drives uphill to the mountain tops and downhill to the shores of Galilee.  There was one final transit to Jerusalem fully laden.  That delivery is still being unloaded.  Yes, Jesus was a truck driver.  All priests are.  I only realized this after I was ordained.  All those times playing with my Tonka trucks as a kid really paid off.   Jesus was constantly shifting gears.  The same is true for His priests.  Constantly shifting gears, they journey uphill and down day to day sharing in peoples’ joys and sorrows intent on delivering their precious cargo which is that of Jesus Himself.  So, buckle-up for the ride and remember to save room for some heavenly ribs! 

Peace!

Fr. Wilson

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time [10-06-24]

Godzilla is the man!  Or…Godzilla is the beast, I suppose.  I was always fascinated with the campy, Japanese monster and his films of wreaking havoc upon Tokyo and its environs.  My fondness for Godzilla probably stems from my early childhood days when my father would read to me at bedtime.  (Tip: Parents, read to your young children at bedtime! The only regret you will have is never having done so!)  It was the book on dinosaurs that I remember.  I would groggily ask my father to show me the pictures.  Tyrannosaurus rex was a fearsome creature with massive jaw and razor- sharp teeth.  He looked funny with his teeny-wienie “hands.”  My father would make a roaring dinosaur sound while pawing gently upon my face.  I would fall asleep dreaming of being a caveman in the days of the prehistoric beasts discovering only later in my education that these mysterious creatures existed and became extinct well before the earliest man or woman walked the earth.  My father was the man too, for taking the time to read to me.  I wonder if he then ever fell asleep dreaming of dinosaur exploits together with his young “cave son.”  I’m sure that he slept more soundly knowing that his son soundly slept despite all those dinosaurs roaming about in his head.  All of us could use a more sound sleep.  Usually, it is the many “monsters” of our daily lives that keep us awake.  They stomp about like Godzilla trampling everything underfoot.  In the Godzilla movies of old, the beast was sometimes the villain, but more often than not, the ole boy was the hero saving Tokyo from some other menacing creature.  The populace would be grateful as Godzilla wandered off to his lair to await the next call to duty.  Monsters becoming heroes in film is a screenwriter/producer’s prerogative.  In the reality of everyday life, such prerogative is God’s and we need to encourage and assist Him in His work.  Jesus came especially for those afflicted by “monsters.”  A child once wanted to know why there were no dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible.  The short answer is that the Bible is not a book on the science of paleontology.  It is a book on the “science” of God and, in fact, there are many “monsters” contained therein.  The various persecutions of God’s Chosen People in the Old Testament and the persecutions of the early Christians in the New were monstrous.  Disobedience before God is even more so.  Perhaps the path to sainthood is allowing God to “tame the wild beast” transforming afflictions into cures.  It was the Leviathan of the Cross with its suffering that became the crowbar prying back the door of the tomb from which our Risen Lord emerged.  The same will be true for us.  Though T-Rex may not appear in the Bible because he was prehistoric, my old friend was not a priori to creation.  This means that the Tyrannosaurus of my youthful dreams was part of God’s plan.  There was a rather unique stained-glass window in a former parish church of mine that illuminated this.  Behind the image of Adam and Eve, albeit rather small, there stood a dinosaur (a brontosaurus).  The pre-historic monster is small in comparison with the greatness that is the wonder of God’s creation of man and woman made in His very image and likeness.  We are “bigger” than our “beasts.”  Asking and allowing God to transform them will help all of us to sleep more soundly beginning this very night.  Stop by the cave later.  I’ll introduce you to my friend, T-Rex.  He’s a “big” Godzilla fan too!             

Peace!

Fr. Wilson

Reflection by Rev. Leonard N. Peterson [09-28-24]

Reflection by Rev. Leonard N. Peterson

We don’t usually think this way, but the shelves of your favorite supermarket are an example of tolerance. Just check out the cereal section, for example, the next time you’re there and notice the wide variety of types and brands competing for your attention. The colorful boxes almost shout: “Pick me!” But it is the store manager’s job to make sure all the makers get the chance to do it. Otherwise, a manufacturer’s rep might well protest.

Just so, God the Holy Spirit has abundant gifts and favors to extend to the world, but He will breathe where He wills and not just where we will Him to do so. Jesus makes that clear in the passage we are focusing on this weekend. The only condition He places is that whoever does the good work does it in His name.

You see, even among us faithful Catholics there is always the possibility that we will become exclusive in our thinking and acting.
Truth be told, we have no right to tell God what to do, much less how to do it and for whom. After all, we are only His creatures.

This means that the non-Catholic Church down the street from a Catholic Church just might form a Pro-life group in advance of the Catholic one, and whose prayers and protest lead to the closing of an abortion mill in the neighborhood. Praised be to God! A good work has been accomplished in Jesus’ name!

The warning posed by Jesus to His chosen Twelve is in no way a diminution of His choice of them to found a Church. It was to expand their minds and enlarge their hearts to embrace other believers in other faiths for their particular goodness. We call that “ecumenism” in our time. We can at least smile at our differences and learn from each other.

Once upon a time there was an unprecedented spiritual event at which every imaginable denomination was in attendance. During one well-attended meeting, a secretary suddenly rushed in shouting, “The building is on fire! The building is on fire! At which point:

The Methodists gathered in the corner and prayed.
The Baptists cried, “Where is the water?”
The Quakers praised God for the blessings fire brings.
The Lutherans posted a notice on the door declaring that the fire was evil.
The Roman Catholics passed a plate to cover the damages.
The Jews posted symbols on the doors hoping that the fire would pass.
The Congregationalists shouted, “Every man for himself!”
The Fundamentalists proclaimed, “It is the vengeance of God.”
The Episcopalians formed a procession and marched out.
The Christian Scientists concluded that there was no fire.
The Presbyterians appointed a chairperson to appoint a committee to look into the matter and make a written report.

Meanwhile, the secretary grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the fire.

God love you and give you His peace.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time [9-22-24]

Reflection by Rev. Leonard N. Peterson

Let’s pretend for a bit and project our times backward to the days of the Apostles before the resurrection where our gospel passage finds us. A young reporter named Rebekah for “Action News Jerusalem” is dispatched to interview ordinary people who have become followers of Jesus. Given a tip by Mordecai, the assignment editor, about a group of 12 who are currently in town, she asks a certain man named Thomas what the group is discussing at their meeting. Thomas shyly replies, “We’re trying to decide which of us is the greatest?”

Rebekah replies, “Our sources tell us that’s the kind of question that your Leader disdains. Isn’t that true?” Just then the Leader Himself comes into camera range. Rebekah notes the man’s good looks and regal bearing despite His drab clothes and asks him straight away “Sir, don’t you dislike talk of privilege and position among your followers?” “Surely”, He replies, in a voice that could enrapture any audience. These men are good people, but they have a lot to learn about My perspective on things.”

He goes further. “Rebekah, may I call you that?”  “Certainly,” she says, “our viewers call me that, and we’re anxious for your thoughts.”

Jesus at this point calls a little boy over from a group playing tag.  Putting His arms around the boy’s shoulders, He looks into the camera while also addressing His young followers and says, “Look, guys, and those of you watching on TV or online right now, “If you really want to be first, you’ve got to choose the last place. And if you receive a child like this boy here in My Name, respecting His innocence and his not angling for a position, you will be really receiving Me.  Or even better, you will be receiving the One, the Person I call “Father” or “Abba” (Daddy) who sent Me.  And we will always have your back.”

TV reporter Rebekah, taking back her mike, says into the camera, “Well, there you have it, everybody, an unexpected drop- in conversation with the Man himself, Jesus of Nazareth.  Now back to our studio.  I’m Rebekkah in Jerusalem for Channel 144, Action News.”

I trust that you here and now can see the major point of the gospel that I tried to dramatize.   True greatness comes from acknowledging who we are in God’s eyes, not the eyes of fellow human beings.  Setting goals like climbing social or corporate ladders, wishing for fame and fortune, or flaunting our possessions is so much a pursuit of nonsense. As for so many other teachings in Christ’s Church, humility is key. “The person with true humility never has to be shown his place; he is always in it.”

God love you and give you His peace.

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - 9/15/24 - Father Wilson's Pastor's Corner

The topic sounded interesting.  So, the other day, I attended a seminar held at the new location of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Lower Gwynedd.  Well actually, I attended the webinar.  Of course, attending virtually was rather appropriate, I suppose, since the forum was entitled, “The Pastoral Impact of Artificial Intelligence.”  AI, algorithms, and pastoral ministry – how 21st Century!  Fr. Neo and I are ready to take on the Matrix!  Today, we are surrounded by and immersed in, what we call, “artificial intelligence.”  We live in a world with GPS, smart homes, self-check-outs, curated music lists, and curated advertising.  We’re told that AI is expanding exponentially since computers compute much faster and therefore “learn” much faster than we can.  AI is already impacting the Church.  One can pull up the Scripture readings on a cell at Mass and today’s seminarians can pray the Liturgy of the Hours in a similar way in the new chapel at the new Overbrook.  Most parishes have their bulletins available online and some parishes have done away with paper bulletins altogether.  I’m not aware of a parish that has AI compose its bulletin yet, but it’s probably in the works.  The first speaker at the seminary forum pointed out immediately that some take issue with the term “artificial” intelligence, since it is usually understood that intelligence involves a rational being able to reason.  Basically, I suppose that it comes down to the fact that human beings have thoughts and feelings (not to mention, souls), whereas machines do not.  Machines can analyze data rather well, but they can’t emote.  In a pastoral setting, AI could help one make a moral decision (think of a palliative care situation), but only a human being with mind, body, and soul could make the final decision.  Otherwise, it is simply a statistical analysis which in a situation past would lead One to forgoing Cross and Crucifixion.  AI is here to stay and it can certainly be very helpful – but it does have its limitations.  GPS is a great tool without doubt, yet it seems that there was a greater sense of accomplishment having found one’s way after making use of that crinkled paper map stored in the glove compartment.  Jesus already knew the limitations of AI.  Maybe that’s why He came among us when He did some two thousand years before its advent.  Algorithms are the key to AI, but algorithms can be confused.  Again, Jesus knew this long before there was such a term in our modern sense.  He loved to throw off the “algorithms” of the Scribes and the Pharisees.  Often enough times, He throws off ours as well.  Crucifixion and death are a statistical “dead end” for our modern-day GPS algorithms of intelligence artificial tasked with finding the “best route” to our destination – unless One happens to be the very Son of God!   The seminary seminar was rather interesting, but the discussion of the interaction of human intelligence (authentic) with machine intelligence (artificial) and its pastoral applications will continue well into the future.  Just know that as such discussions continue Jesus is the definitive Way always showing us the best possible “route.”                    

Peace!

Fr. Wilson

Reflection - Rev. Leonard Peterson [09-08-24]

Reflection by Rev. Leonard N. Peterson

“God is in the details.”  That’s a thought attributed to the minimalist German architect Miles van der Rohe.  He was referring to the attributes of his many creations.  While it might at first seem to be too great a stretch to connect architecture with Holy Scripture, there is much about God’s words and actions in the Bible that feature details we should notice.  They can be profitable for our prayer and reflection. Heretofore hidden meanings emerge.  The divine presence lies just below the surface. Not immediately obvious.

Case in point: this weekend’s beautiful passage about the encounter of Jesus with a deaf mute.  Note first how the crowd already knew where to go and whom to see if they wanted a person to be helped.  Jesus.  His reputation preceded Him.  This “herd,” if you will, was attracted to the possibility of a miracle in their midst.  On the surface, they seemed not to care much for the sick man’s feelings.  

It gives me pause to think that sometimes that we have just wanted to “use” Jesus’ power and might for our own needs to be met. We forget that He is a Person, not a machine. A divine person no less, who took on our human nature to save us from hell. Not a dispenser of wish fulfillment.

We note the detail that Jesus leads the deaf man away from the crowd. Away from the raucous voices with mixed up ideas about God. Or the cheering cries of people that just want to make noise and enjoy mayhem. The Lord wants the man to have some well-deserved privacy. To look the Lord in the face and express with hand gestures his longing to be normal, even if he cannot yet voice it.

In a world filled with what are called “social media,” users are allotted an outlet to express themselves, however crude or misinformed they may be about a given issue. They can do it anonymously with their privacy intact. But they have no qualms invading ours.

Do we ever go so far as to prohibit God from entering our so-called “private space?” That place where we decide what to do no matter what the Commandments and the Beatitudes? That’s a detail in our story.

After touching the man’s ears and tongue, we note that Jesus “looked up to heaven” and “groaned.” In His prayer to the Father, Jesus took on the needy man’s pain and deprivation. Just as He takes on our own troubles every time, we request His help. A major detail in our lives: “We never walk alone.”

Lastly, there’s that detail wherein Jesus tells the crowd to keep quiet about what He did. St. Mark wants his readers to wait until the Passion and Resurrection story to learn Jesus’ full identity. Sometimes we must wait for God to answer our prayers. We must admit that we can either be deaf to His responses or mute in our thanks.

Let me quote the great Christian apologist C.S. Lewis for my closing thought today: “On the whole, God’s love for us is a much safer subject to think about than our love for Him.”

God love you and give you His peace.

Helmsdorf is the name of the town! - Father Wilson [09-01-24]

Helmsdorf is the name of the town.  It was supposed to take place in Dietelskirchen, but the church there is under renovation.  Hence, the nearby Helmsdorf Filialkirche, named for Stephanus, the First Martyr, hosted the baptisms.  Two months ago, I had the privilege of   baptizing two children there.  Johanna and Alexander are the children of dear friends.  I baptized Johanna’s older sister and was a close friend of her father, who died tragically at a young age.  It was her father that some time ago introduced me to the father of Alexander.  We first met during a football game…well, playing a football game actually…in snow and mud.  It was great fun despite my being just a bit sore afterwards.  At least I didn’t break any bones or get the wind knocked out of me like one guy.  He couldn’t breathe momentarily and we were all in a panic.  That panic passed as the guy soon stood on the sideline catching a smoke.  Then, of course, we continued the game.  With this in our background, Alexander’s father really wanted yours truly to baptize his second son.  That Sunday afternoon was beautiful and there was a large gathering of family and friends for the children’s reception of their first sacrament.  I had actually checked out the church ahead of time.  I had never been inside and wanted to get a “lay of the land.”  Fortunately, the church was unlocked and the sacristan was there.  It had been a little while since there had been a baptism.  The sacristan would set-up for the baptisms and he would be there throughout.  He told me that he was a little nervous.  He wanted to get everything “just right.”  His nervousness peaked as I noticed the “high pulpit” in the quaint little country church.  I simply had to climb it, even though it was no longer used.  I ambled up the steps as the sacristan frantically urged caution.  Looking down from above, I knew in that moment, that I had my baptismal homily.  On Sunday afternoon, the church was full and festive.  There were parents and grandparents.  There were young and old.  After the Gospel, all eyes were on me as I ascended the high pulpit.  From above, I looked down upon all as they looked up upon me.  The sacristan was even more nervous now hoping that I didn’t trip and tumble on my lengthy cassock.  This is Baptism, I said, God looking down lovingly upon all of us and our looking up to Him longingly.  God so loves us that He chose not to remain apart.  Since we couldn’t ascend to Him, He chose to descend to us and raise our dignity to His.  In Baptism, Our God comes to us.  I then, very gingerly descended from the heights of the high pulpit and stood among the people.  I stood in the midst of Johanna and Alexander and prepared to baptize them; transform them, and welcome them as God’s children raising their dignity that day to the Heights of Heaven.  Though they can’t yet ascend the steps of the high pulpit themselves, one day they will be able.  In the meantime, it is God Himself Who carries them.  The day of their Baptism was simply their first step – as it was for you and for me.  Now, please just be careful on the steps!  I’d hate to see you tumble getting the wind knocked out of you and merely standing on the sidelines of the Heavenly Heights catching a smoke!           

Peace,

Fr. Wilson

8/25/24 Reflection by Rev. Leonard N. Peterson

Reflection by Rev. Leonard N. Peterson

The cause of our disappointment can be anything from a car to a carnival; a rest stop or a restaurant; a movie or a meeting.  The frustration with whatever letdown happened ultimately makes us say, at least to ourselves, “I’m never going to buy, or buy into, that item again.

Something akin to that decision must have formed in the minds and hearts of many of Our Lord’s early followers on that fateful day when He announced the Eucharist.  It was altogether “too much” for them to accept what He said.  Time to walk away, back to their former way of life. 

In the wake of their shuffling sandals and their overheard murmurs, the Apostles were stunned into silence and confused by the mystery.  Then Jesus asked: “Do you also want to leave?”  For a few moments, there was a “loud silence,” if you get my meaning.  The birds still chirped overhead; the breeze still tousled their hair; images still troubled their thoughts. Eating flesh and drinking blood broke every law of Moses they knew.

But in the nick of time, our bold, brash, and impetuous first pope St. Peter broke the silence and asked the same question we sometimes ask, “Master, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  Indeed, He did and still does forever.

Yet, here was the perfect opportunity for Jesus to ease their minds and say: “My people, I was only speaking figuratively!”   Or “I mean for the bread and wine to be symbols.  Not my actual body and blood!”  But He never did.  In fact, that mistaken understanding is the very one that anchors every non-Catholic Christian church up to today. With due respect for the goodness in those churches, their founders exemplify what happens when hearers of the truth don’t like what they hear. 

The Bible stands strong here, when human weakness finds this teaching of Jesus unacceptable. How ironic that fundamentalists, who prefer to take literally what they read in Scripture, will not do so with words that Jesus said on Holy Thursday night.

At any rate, here is a powerful quote from the talk that Pope St. John Paul II gave at Phoenix Park during his three-day visit to Ireland in the Fall of 1979. He unknowingly but prophetically describes the situation we find right now in our own country:

“When the moral fiber of a nation is weakened, when the sense of personal responsibility is diminished, then the door is open for the justification of injustices, for violence in all its forms and for the manipulation of the many by the few.  The challenge that is already with us is the temptation to accept as true freedom what in reality is only a new form of slavery.  And so, it becomes all the more urgent to steep ourselves in the truth that comes from Christ…It is especially in the Eucharist that the power and the love of the Lord are given to us”

Thank you, St. John Paul, for pointing out the locus of true Love.

Stress! [8/18/24] - Father Wilson

Stress!  There is much of it in our world and in our lives today.  From aggressive driving to navigating construction zones or from election-year political antics to outrageous, blasphemous, Olympic Opening Ceremonies, ours is an undeniably stress-filled world.  Parish life too, can be filled with stress.  Believe me!  They say that it is not a good thing health-wise.  It can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, anxiety, sleep deprivation, panic attack, headache, and all kinds of heartache emotionally and spiritually.  Yet, we encounter it every day it seems, from the moment that we awaken.  Everyone and everything seems rushed.  Life is more complicated than ever.  Technology was supposed to make our lives simpler with more time for leisure.  Ha!  Instead, we have our heads down while staring at our phones with the expectation and, for so many, the need to be available 24/7.  I remember having a phone conversation with a priest friend.  At one point in our conversation, I heard some noise in the background.  It was the toilet flushing.  There is a reason it’s called a “rest” room.  My goodness, give it a rest and call me back for crying out loud!  In the Incarnation, God Himself, experiences the stress of our human condition.  Imagine how that first cry of the Infant Savior newly born must have reverberated unto the heavenly realm.  Angels most certainly wept.  The stress we experience in our lives is a stress known to Our Lord.  Perhaps, we encounter that Messianic Stress most poignantly as we recall a Savior in a garden praying intensely prior to His Passion with sweat as droplets of blood running down Most His Holy Face.   Can we bring Him comfort as we seek our own?   Come away by yourselves and rest for a while; come to me all you who labor and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest.  The Lord already knows every stressor that we have in our lives.  We might say that on Good Friday in Christ crucified, stress too was crucified.  The Cross was as a pair of scissors cutting all tension releasing stress and leading to relief – the Ultimate Relief of Resurrection.  We need to comfort Him in the Garden and on the Cross, because that is exactly where we will find the rest and relief that we so desire.  It is there that the Lord will transform and relieve all our stress enabling us to take our foot off the gas, slow down, and relax while rooting for our Church and Team USA!       

Peace!

Fr. Wilson

August 11, 2024 [19th Sunday in Ordinary Time]

Oftentimes, priests have an online profile.  There is perhaps a picture on a parish webpage and curriculum vitae of sorts.  It gives insight into just who Father is; his background; his studies.  The information often includes the year that he was ordained, seminary attended, and degrees held.  It may include family background, former career information, and any universities attended.  His profile will usually list his various titles, roles, and assignments had in his diocese or beyond along with any special notes of interest such as language abilities, awards won, or maybe an unusual fact, such as his being a former MLB player (like Fr. Ed Cipot of the Archdiocese of New York and a classmate from my Spirituality Year in the seminary).  Such profiles are fine and quickly inform those who might be interested.  In parish settings, I have been asked about such profiles over the years.  I have always been hesitant.  In a sense, for me, the fact of being a priest is really all that one needs to know – at least, at first.  I sometimes wonder what it would be like if Jesus had such an online profile, curriculum vitae, or some business card of sort.  Jesus of Nazareth, also known as Jesus the Christ.  Born in Bethlehem; the only Child of Mary and Joseph.  Popularly known as a rabbi and teacher though having had no formal schooling.  His native language is Aramaic, but speaks Hebrew and a bit of Latin as well.  Never really into sports, but quite the itinerant preacher.  Had a large following rather early in life and His exploits appeared to tragically end with an unjust crucifixion.  His greatest claim to fame is His own Resurrection from the dead, which inspired even more followers.  Jesus looks forward now to serving our parish and meeting each one of you!  Could the very Son of God really be explained in a one page profile or a little business card with contact information?  Jesus revealed Himself in what He said and what He did.  I feel inclined to do the same.  I believe that ultimately, all of us are called to do the same.  Jesus had the Evangelists - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to record for us His words and actions.  I don’t have such writers, but I can write – and so I do.  I owe a debt of gratitude to my elementary school teachers, among whom were the Sisters of Saint Joseph, who helped in this regard.  I hope that in my words written all will discover a priest revealed, but more importantly, I hope that they will discover a Christ known as Jesus – the only Child of Mary and Joseph, who had no online profile or curriculum vitae of His own, but made Himself known over time and most especially, in the Breaking of Bread.  I hope that in the end, I can be revealed there too and there I hope to discover you as well!     

Peace!

Fr. Wilson

Fairhill [08-04-24] - Father Wilson

Fairhill…it sounds so lovely; like a scenic overlook.    I don’t know the origin of Fairhill.  Perhaps it was someone’s last name.  There was definitely no scenic overlook, although there was most certainly a beauty and calm.  I wish that I could go back.  Fairhill was the name of the little street upon which sat our little house when I was a little kid.  The street did incline just a bit, but it was certainly no hill.  It was there that I learned to ride a bike, played baseball, football, and all sorts of games with the other neighborhood kids.  Long summer nights of Ghost-in-the-Graveyard or Kick, Kick, the Can were great fun.  It was there that I skinned my knees at times and went crying to my mother.  It was there that I smelled the honeysuckles as I played Godzilla among the little Japanese that curiously looked like ants.  It was there that I kissed a girl, fought with a friend, got into a little trouble, but far more good while simply learning about life.  They were good times and simple times.  Again, I wish that I could go back.  Fairhill was my street and my youth.  We all have a Fairhill.  What’s yours?  And what if we really could go back?  I find that with Our Lord, we really can.  When we take time with Him and are One with Him, we do go back all the while remaining firmly planted in the present.  The Lord of All Time brings comfort and consolation and takes us, at times, to the simplicity of your Fairhill and mine.  In the TV series, The Chosen, there is an episode in which Jesus visits with His aging ema, Mary.  Mom right away tells Jesus that His hair leaves something to be desired.  It needs a washing.  Oh, Mommmm!  The next scene shows Mary washing her Son’s hair just like she did when He was but a boy.  This has Jesus wishing for a simpler time and desiring to go back…back to His Fairhill.  Jesus, on His part, will in fact “go back,” but not until after some Resurrection preceded by a bit of suffering.  Then He will definitively return to His Fairhill.  Ask the Risen and All-Powerful Lord to now take you back.  For Him for Whom stormy seas and locked doors mean nothing, it is not impossible.  Today, the Risen Jesus will take you back if you but ask. Then, He will walk with you and play with you on that peaceful, calm little street that is your own Fairhill.  Have fun, smell the honeysuckles, and enjoy the view!  Just watch out for Godzilla!

Peace!

Fr. Wilson

We Are Family! [07-28-24]

We Are Family is the signature song of the vocal group, Sister Sledge.  Released in April of 1979, it has received countless hours of play in clubs and discos.  It has been heard in movies, TV shows, and commercials.  I’m pretty certain that I danced to it back in the day with my date at the senior prom.  The song describes a happy and hopeful family that invites everyone to get up to sing and dance with them.  I think that it should describe us, because isn’t this a family to which we all want to belong?  As Church, we are called to be family.  As Church, we are a Community of Faith in relationship with one another.  And it’s not a matter of dancing at the disco or at the prom - though that sounds fun to me – but it is a matter of dancing with our lives in loving relationship with one another.  It is just the beginning of the Ultimate Prom which in the end, we all hope and pray to attend.  Unfortunately, families sometimes fight.  Brothers and sisters sometimes fight.  The song is off key or the dance is refused.  My own father had a brother with whom he didn’t speak.  There is an uncle that I never met and cousins that I will never know.  Although without siblings, I did have a best friend that was like a brother to me.  One day early on as kids, just for “fun,” he had me in a tight-head lock for a time.  This resulted in his being shoved hard over a low brick wall.  For a bit, we cursed and stammered.  I rubbed my sore neck while he rubbed his sore back side and we’ve remained friends and brothers ever since.  During these times of transition and change at our parishes, there can be tension at times.  There can be “head-locks” of sort and all kinds of “shoving.”   Where there had been three priests now there are just two that neighboring parishes must share together with a grade school and high school to boot!  Mass schedules and other schedules need be adjusted.  What is one to do?  Well, perhaps begin with a song.  I think that Our Lord would have liked Sister Sledge’s song about family.  I’m sure that He would have danced to it had the DJ played it at Cana, because He knew about the importance of family.  He knew about hope and happiness; joy and forgiveness.  He knew about the call to family.  In fact, He invites us to be a part of His.  We are family – just like the song says.  Look!  The Lord is already out on the dance floor!  Together as One Family and One Church, let’s run out to join Him!  Enjoy the dance! 

Peace!

Fr. Wilson

6-23-24 - Father Wilson's First Pastor's Corner

He was up at 6:00 and by 6:15 he was ready to go.  Such was my father on the first day of our annual vacation to the Wildwood Crest during his company’s “two-week shutdown” in early days of my youth.  My father got up early for work anyway throughout the year.  This was kind of a late start for him.  He understood though, that I was a child in the midst of a whole summer off from school and that my mother would need a little more time to get ready.  I’ve always been more like my mother in this regard.  His aim was always to leave by 8:30 or 9:00 at the latest.  His little bag would be quickly packed: toothbrush, comb, bathing suit, a pair of pants, shorts, two shirts, three pairs of socks and undergarments.  The fishing equipment was already in the car.  He finished his first cup of coffee and then would start on his second.  Then, he would wait and wait and wait some more.  The sun was already up and temperatures were rising quickly.  My mother would pull me out of bed shortly after seven.  That wasn’t much of a problem since the thoughts of beach and boardwalk kept me up most of the night anyway.  My mother then continued her previously started packing and double checking everything that she had already packed…and it seems that my mother did, in fact, pack everything.  If it would have snowed at the shore that summer, we would have been ready.  Maybe it was the coffee that affected my father.  I guess he should have switched to Sanka.  By 10:30, he was beside himself muttering and cussing under his breath.  Why do you have to pack so much stuff?  We’re not going for the whole year! That actually would have been okay with me.  Then he turned his attention on me.  I had a whole bag just with my select toys that I couldn’t leave home without.  Really?  You’re going to be by the pool or at the beach all day!  You don’t need all this stuff!  Stop crying!  In between expressing his anger as to why my mother could not have packed things up earlier in the week and again asking why all this was needed, he employed my help in carrying things out to the car where he would strategically load up the trunk and the roof top luggage rack of our four-door sedan.  We would drive to the shore in a vehicle that looked like it could have belonged to the Beverly Hillbillies.  Just before noon, after bidding a fond adieu to our next-door neighbors and checking three times to make absolutely certain that the door was locked, the Minnow set sail.  Of course, first we had to stop by and pick-up my aunt and cousin who would be joining us on our three-hour cruise, so it would be yet another hour and a half before we truly set sail.  I could actually hear my father grinding his teeth.  Dad, you really need to switch to decaf.  When it comes to bags and baggage, I’ve always been one to over pack – just like my mother.  Yes, it is good to be prepared and there were times when we needed a light jacket, but a snow brush would be a bit much in July.  I suppose most of us are like this in terms of our Faith.  We so often focus on all those things that we supposedly need, instead of realizing all that we don’t.  My father knew that in the desolate outback of the Wildwoods, one could find not only beaches and boardwalks, but washing machines, supermarkets, and even toy stores.  All of us need to pack less especially in our baggage fee world of today.  In terms of our Faith, there have always been “baggage fees.”  Save money, time, and effort!  Get rid of the excess!  Get rid of the things not needed!  Get rid of all the unnecessary baggage in your life!  Jesus is Captain of the boat and it’s not a three-hour tour, but an eternal one that brings us to the shores of Heaven.  As great an effort and unnerving as it can be to pack, perhaps it’s the “unpacking” that’s even more difficult and yet more necessary.  Besides, it’s all quickly forgotten when one arrives at the shore late on a warm summer day and witnesses a beautiful sunset over the bay with wife and son by your side.

Peace!

     Fr. Wilson

Pentecost: It's Why I Believe

Well folks, I might as well come right out with and finally say it, and maybe you have already figured it out, but I tend to be a rather skeptical person. I definitely would fall into the “trust but verify” category.   It is not my normal way to just accept things, especially those things that seem to defy reason and logic without at least some kind of serious scrutinizing on my part.  In my late teens and young adulthood, which is probably at least somewhat typical, I did not know what I believed; I wasn’t even sure if I believed in God. I questioned pretty much every thing. And I truly questioned the Resurrection; I was not impressed by the fact that the stone was rolled away or even that Jesus’ body was not there.  I mean, really, if you were Mary Magdalen, would those circumstances have led you to conclude that Jesus was alive? I don’t think so.  Than we get into the eyewitness accounts, and while they do give more substance, I probably would still remain a doubting Thomas. I mean, after all, like Thomas thought, if the other apostles had seen the risen Jesus, then why did they stay locked in the Upper room?  As a matter of fact, they stayed in that room until guess when?  Pentecost would be the answer.  I have no doubt something really big and really special happened on that day. And whatever it was that did happen put their hearts on fire and allowed them to change the world and literally bring us to the faith today.  I have no other explanation for what happened after Pentecost, except that the apostles were literally transformed on that day.  It is pretty clear that they were going nowhere before Pentecost happened. But after Pentecost there was nowhere they didn’t go. Furthermore, it only makes sense that what they proclaimed was the truth and the inspired Word.  For me, Pentecost, is what makes it all make sense. Just look at what didn’t happen before and what did happen after.  I challenge any one to come up with another explanation.  The long and the short of it is that because of Pentecost I believe, and it just might be why you believe as well.

Father Maloney's Pastor's Corner [5/12/24]

With today’s celebration of the Seventh Sunday of Easter, we find ourselves between the time when Jesus has left His mission completely up to His Apostles, and before they were fully empowered by the Spirit to accomplish that mission.  That will not come until Pentecost.

For now, it is good for us to reflect on what Jesus says to us today:  “Holy Father, I pray not only for my disciples, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.” It seems to me as if what the Lord is saying is that if His teaching and presence to us on this earth are to be of any enduring value, they must be put at the service of the Lord’s will to bring all people together in faith in God the Father, so that the world may know that the Father has sent the Son, and that the Father loves all of us just as He loves His own Son. 

Right here, right now, we need to ask ourselves in a very practical way how the Lord’s gift to us can help us to accomplish the mission that the Lord has put before us. To help us to answer this question we need to look no further than the Words that Jesus will speak to us next week on Pentecost Sunday: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you always. “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Those who do not love me do not keep my words.”

Yes, it always comes down to this: loving Jesus means keeping His commandments. Any accomplishment that we achieve through the grace of God is fulfilled when we give to it the purpose of helping us to better keep His commandments and love Him, which by definition means to love all people as one in union with the Father and the Son.  We do need to ponder this truth, and even be awestruck by it, but at the same time we need to understand one of the lessons of the Ascension. 

Of course, the apostles were completely dazzled and utterly speechless as they saw Jesus ascend into heaven, but they were soon brought back to earth by the words of the angels who said to them:  “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking up at the sky?”  While we must reflect on the awesomeness of God and His message and His commands and how they relate directly to our accomplishments, we must not fall into the trap of admiring and marveling at Jesus so much that we forget to follow Him, that we forget that we must do what He does.  As Jesus forgives, we must forgive; as Jesus heals, we must be agents of healing; as He loves, we must love. When we get caught between the Ascension and Pentecost, we cannot allow ourselves to become so awestruck by the glory of God that it prevents us from doing His will.  Instead of just “standing there” we need to do His will, in the faith that the Spirit of Pentecost is right around the corner.

John 15:11 (5/05/24)

I know that I have said this many times before, but this is truly one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete.”  And this time I can prove it; this is the verse that I chose to have printed on my ordination holy card 33 years ago.  You might say that this verse is my “John 3:16.”  Why this verse, you might ask, out of all the others?  Well I suppose it is because, at least to me, this verse expresses very clearly the desire that is so much in Jesus’ heart-that His joy might indeed be our joy.  Isn’t that a wonderful concept? He wants His joy to be our joy and he wants our joy to be complete.  That is what he so desires for us; it is why He says everything He says; it is why He does everything He does; it is why He died on the cross-so that we might be full of joy.  At the time of my ordination I felt that these words expressed what needs to be at the heart of the mission and ministry of the priest; to express Jesus’ desire that all people might be full of true joy and to be agents of spreading the joy of Jesus to everyone.  To this day, I try, albeit very imperfectly, to use these words as a guide to all my thoughts, all my words, and all my actions. The priest is called to strive to be a bridge which allows people to have access to Jesus. To me, that’s what these words are all about. Of course, however, these words are not just meant for priests. They are meant for all of us. They teach us that Jesus’ primary purpose is to help us experience His joy. That is what it is all about- not sin, not suffering, not death, but joy-His joy.  But not only does He want His joy to be ours, He needs us to spread His joy to everyone. And the way that we do that is to live as if we believe it. If we believe that Jesus wants His joy to be ours, and live as such, then indeed we will spread His joy to others and our joy will be complete.

Love Lives. Love Accepts. Love Challenges (4/28/24)

Jesus, of course is the perfect personification of the love of God the Father, rose from the dead-on Easter Sunday and lives eternally. But Jesus is not only the embodiment of love.  He is the embodiment of love in action. Jesus is love in action.  He is perpetually acting in a loving way. He loves everyone exactly as they are, whether, it is the woman caught in adultery, the rich young man, Nicodemus, the man born blind, the ten lepers, etc. He accepts everyone, He accepts, us exactly as He finds us. But He does not stop there; love does not stop there.  He loves us as we are but then He calls us forth just as He called Lazarus forth from the tomb. He forgave the adulterous woman but then commanded her to sin no more. He looked at the rich young man with love but then challenged him to give his wealth to the poor. Love is accepting; but because love is love it is not satisfied with leaving us stagnant. Jesus loves us where we are and because He does He calls us, He challenges us to change, not to remain the same. Jesus calls to “Remain in His love,” and we cannot do this if we remain the same, we have to move, we have to grow and change if we are going to follow Him.  That is what the image of the vine and the branches is all about. He is the vine, we are the branches. Our challenge is to remain with Him, to stay connected with Him so that we might bear much fruit. This means that we have to change, that we have to be pruned so that we might become more like Him. If we do not change and grow with Him we will wither away.  Love lives. Love accepts. Love challenges.