21st Sunday Ordinary Time, Year C, 2016

ANNOUNCEMENTS, HOMILY, READINGS, INTERCESSIONS

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. I will be traveling to Bethesda, Maryland the week of September 12-20, 2016.  I will be doing mission talks at all the masses at Saint Bartholomew.

2. Please let me know if there is anyone who needs to be confirmed.

3.  There is a priest retreat in Anchorage from September 5-9, which I will be attending.  It is a yearly retreat help at the Holy Spirit Retreat House in Anchorage.

4.  A new website is underway.  It will use the name holyrosaryalaska.org.  There will be a link to this blog from the website, but this blog will have a different name.


HOMILY

21 Ord C 2016 Gate Is 66:18-21, Heb 12:5-13; Luke 13:22-30

NO FENCES SHIP DIVIDED

The Air Force sent me to Iceland for a year.  In Iceland all the sheep freely roam the island.  There are no fences.  At the end of the year, all the shepherds get together on their horses and round up the sheep.  The sheep are divided up.  Each owner receives an equal number.

HEARD THROUGH NARROW GATE

In order to divide them, they have to drive them through a narrow gate into a corral.  The shepherds whoop and holler to get them through.  They might even kick a sheep to keep it going.  The sheep bock, bleat loudly, and struggle to avoid going through the gate.  After the sheep are divided up, their wool is shaved.  The Icelanders make beautiful wool sweaters, hats, and gloves.  Then the sheep are set free for another year.

NARROW VS WIDE GATE

The Gospel talks about a narrow gate.  The narrow gate is tougher to go through than the wide one.  The choice of gate we go through is up to us.  Entrance to the narrow gate involves sacrificial love and leads to life.  Entrance to the wide gate involves self-satisfaction and leads death.

SHEEP NO CHOICE-WE HAVE CHOICE OF GATE

The Icelandic sheep sacrificed a few hours of roaming free time to be shaved of their wool.  The wool helped the community.  The sheep did not have a choice to go through the narrow gate, but we do.  Jesus gives us a choice.

DISCIPLINED SELF-SACRIFICE

To drive us through the narrow gate Jesus teaches us about Disciplined self-sacrifice and suffering.

Self-Sacrifice might mean giving up a couple hours a week to volunteer your time to the church.  Disciplined Sacrifice is a long term giving of ourselves for the good of the church.  Sacrifice will light up the path leading to the narrow gate like the yellow brick road.

Through sacrifice, we learn to love effectively; we find God in a more intimate way.  That closer relationship with God also helps us to find the narrow gate.

HOPE/ADVICE FOR ENTERING NARROW GATE

The gospel gives us hope and advice for finding the narrow gate.  Luke’s states, “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”  Loving others and being last involves suffering and sacrificing.  Those approaching the Narrow Gate know how to love and let others love them.  They realize that submitting to the discipline of the Narrow gate leads to eternal life.

WHO WILL BE SAVED? WRONG FOCUS

Just who will be saved?  Jesus does not speculate about who will be saved.  He commands us, “Strive to enter the narrow gate.”  Don’t focus on who will be saved, but on the discipline of the narrow gate.  It is the struggle of resisting the wide gate that leads us into the narrow one.

CHOOSE THE NARROW GATE

If we choose to run with the crowd through the wide gate, Jesus is standing there like an aircraft marshal, whooping and hollering, corralling us toward the narrow gate.  If we are stumbling toward the narrow gate, Jesus is encouraging us forward with open arms (484 Words).

READINGS

Isaiah 66: 18-21: I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory.  I will set a sign among them; from them I will send fugitives to the nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory; and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.  They shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their offering to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.  Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.

Hebrew 12: 5-7, 11-13: You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons: "My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges."  Endure your trials as "discipline"; God treats you as sons. For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline?  At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.  So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.  Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.

Luke 13: 22-30: He passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.  Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" He answered them,  "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.  After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, 'Lord, open the door for us.' He will say to you in reply, 'I do not know where you are from.'  And you will say, 'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'  Then he will say to you, 'I do not know where (you) are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!'  And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out.  And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.  For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

INTERCESSIONS

Celebrant

The Lord who prepares the banquet for all will not turn away from our petitions.

Deacon/Lector

That Holy Scripture and the sacraments nourish and strengthen all believers, let us pray to the Lord.

That students and teachers starting a new school year make Christ and his truth the center of their studies, we pray to the Lord.

That our community not lose heart under the Lord’s discipline but learn humility and patience through it, we pray to the Lord.

For those of our community who have died (especially …………………………): and for comfort to those who mourn, we pray to the Lord.

In Silence let us now add our own intentions for our families, our community, our country, and the world…………………...………..We pray to the Lord.

Celebrant

God of Abraham, you know our works and our thoughts.  Gather our prayers and shower down your blessings.  We ask this through  Christ our Lord.

21st Sunday Ordinary Time, Year C, 2016

ANNOUNCEMENTS, HOMILY, READINGS, INTERCESSIONS

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. I will be traveling to Bethesda, Maryland the week of September 12-20, 2016.  I will be doing mission talks at all the masses at Saint Bartholomew.

2. Please let me know if there is anyone who needs to be confirmed.

3.  There is a priest retreat in Anchorage from September 5-9, which I will be attending.  It is a yearly retreat help at the Holy Spirit Retreat House in Anchorage.

4.  A new website is underway.  It will use the name holyrosaryalaska.org.  There will be a link to this blog from the website, but this blog will have a different name.


HOMILY

21 Ord C 2016 Gate Is 66:18-21, Heb 12:5-13; Luke 13:22-30

NO FENCES SHIP DIVIDED

The Air Force sent me to Iceland for a year.  In Iceland all the sheep freely roam the island.  There are no fences.  At the end of the year, all the shepherds get together on their horses and round up the sheep.  The sheep are divided up.  Each owner receives an equal number.

HEARD THROUGH NARROW GATE

In order to divide them, they have to drive them through a narrow gate into a corral.  The shepherds whoop and holler to get them through.  They might even kick a sheep to keep it going.  The sheep bock, bleat loudly, and struggle to avoid going through the gate.  After the sheep are divided up, their wool is shaved.  The Icelanders make beautiful wool sweaters, hats, and gloves.  Then the sheep are set free for another year.

NARROW VS WIDE GATE

The Gospel talks about a narrow gate.  The narrow gate is tougher to go through than the wide one.  The choice of gate we go through is up to us.  Entrance to the narrow gate involves sacrificial love and leads to life.  Entrance to the wide gate involves self-satisfaction and leads death.

SHEEP NO CHOICE-WE HAVE CHOICE OF GATE

The Icelandic sheep sacrificed a few hours of roaming free time to be shaved of their wool.  The wool helped the community.  The sheep did not have a choice to go through the narrow gate, but we do.  Jesus gives us a choice.

DISCIPLINED SELF-SACRIFICE

To drive us through the narrow gate Jesus teaches us about Disciplined self-sacrifice and suffering.

Self-Sacrifice might mean giving up a couple hours a week to volunteer your time to the church.  Disciplined Sacrifice is a long term giving of ourselves for the good of the church.  Sacrifice will light up the path leading to the narrow gate like the yellow brick road.

Through sacrifice, we learn to love effectively; we find God in a more intimate way.  That closer relationship with God also helps us to find the narrow gate.

HOPE/ADVICE FOR ENTERING NARROW GATE

The gospel gives us hope and advice for finding the narrow gate.  Luke’s states, “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”  Loving others and being last involves suffering and sacrificing.  Those approaching the Narrow Gate know how to love and let others love them.  They realize that submitting to the discipline of the Narrow gate leads to eternal life.

WHO WILL BE SAVED? WRONG FOCUS

Just who will be saved?  Jesus does not speculate about who will be saved.  He commands us, “Strive to enter the narrow gate.”  Don’t focus on who will be saved, but on the discipline of the narrow gate.  It is the struggle of resisting the wide gate that leads us into the narrow one.

CHOOSE THE NARROW GATE

If we choose to run with the crowd through the wide gate, Jesus is standing there like an aircraft marshal, whooping and hollering, corralling us toward the narrow gate.  If we are stumbling toward the narrow gate, Jesus is encouraging us forward with open arms (484 Words).

READINGS

Isaiah 66: 18-21: I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory.  I will set a sign among them; from them I will send fugitives to the nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory; and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.  They shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their offering to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.  Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.

Hebrew 12: 5-7, 11-13: You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons: "My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges."  Endure your trials as "discipline"; God treats you as sons. For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline?  At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.  So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.  Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.

Luke 13: 22-30: He passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.  Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" He answered them,  "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.  After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, 'Lord, open the door for us.' He will say to you in reply, 'I do not know where you are from.'  And you will say, 'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'  Then he will say to you, 'I do not know where (you) are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!'  And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out.  And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.  For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

INTERCESSIONS

Celebrant

The Lord who prepares the banquet for all will not turn away from our petitions.

Deacon/Lector

That Holy Scripture and the sacraments nourish and strengthen all believers, let us pray to the Lord.

That students and teachers starting a new school year make Christ and his truth the center of their studies, we pray to the Lord.

That our community not lose heart under the Lord’s discipline but learn humility and patience through it, we pray to the Lord.

For those of our community who have died (especially …………………………): and for comfort to those who mourn, we pray to the Lord.

In Silence let us now add our own intentions for our families, our community, our country, and the world…………………...………..We pray to the Lord.

Celebrant

God of Abraham, you know our works and our thoughts.  Gather our prayers and shower down your blessings.  We ask this through  Christ our Lord.

21st Sunday Ordinary Time, Year C, 2016

ANNOUNCEMENTS, HOMILY, READINGS, INTERCESSIONS

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. I will be traveling to Bethesda, Maryland the week of September 12-20, 2016.  I will be doing mission talks at all the masses at Saint Bartholomew.

2. Please let me know if there is anyone who needs to be confirmed.

3.  There is a priest retreat in Anchorage from September 5-9, which I will be attending.  It is a yearly retreat help at the Holy Spirit Retreat House in Anchorage.

4.  A new website is underway.  It will use the name holyrosaryalaska.org.  There will be a link to this blog from the website, but this blog will have a different name.


HOMILY

21 Ord C 2016 Gate Is 66:18-21, Heb 12:5-13; Luke 13:22-30

NO FENCES SHIP DIVIDED

The Air Force sent me to Iceland for a year.  In Iceland all the sheep freely roam the island.  There are no fences.  At the end of the year, all the shepherds get together on their horses and round up the sheep.  The sheep are divided up.  Each owner receives an equal number.

HEARD THROUGH NARROW GATE

In order to divide them, they have to drive them through a narrow gate into a corral.  The shepherds whoop and holler to get them through.  They might even kick a sheep to keep it going.  The sheep bock, bleat loudly, and struggle to avoid going through the gate.  After the sheep are divided up, their wool is shaved.  The Icelanders make beautiful wool sweaters, hats, and gloves.  Then the sheep are set free for another year.

NARROW VS WIDE GATE

The Gospel talks about a narrow gate.  The narrow gate is tougher to go through than the wide one.  The choice of gate we go through is up to us.  Entrance to the narrow gate involves sacrificial love and leads to life.  Entrance to the wide gate involves self-satisfaction and leads death.

SHEEP NO CHOICE-WE HAVE CHOICE OF GATE

The Icelandic sheep sacrificed a few hours of roaming free time to be shaved of their wool.  The wool helped the community.  The sheep did not have a choice to go through the narrow gate, but we do.  Jesus gives us a choice.

DISCIPLINED SELF-SACRIFICE

To drive us through the narrow gate Jesus teaches us about Disciplined self-sacrifice and suffering.

Self-Sacrifice might mean giving up a couple hours a week to volunteer your time to the church.  Disciplined Sacrifice is a long term giving of ourselves for the good of the church.  Sacrifice will light up the path leading to the narrow gate like the yellow brick road.

Through sacrifice, we learn to love effectively; we find God in a more intimate way.  That closer relationship with God also helps us to find the narrow gate.

HOPE/ADVICE FOR ENTERING NARROW GATE

The gospel gives us hope and advice for finding the narrow gate.  Luke’s states, “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”  Loving others and being last involves suffering and sacrificing.  Those approaching the Narrow Gate know how to love and let others love them.  They realize that submitting to the discipline of the Narrow gate leads to eternal life.

WHO WILL BE SAVED? WRONG FOCUS

Just who will be saved?  Jesus does not speculate about who will be saved.  He commands us, “Strive to enter the narrow gate.”  Don’t focus on who will be saved, but on the discipline of the narrow gate.  It is the struggle of resisting the wide gate that leads us into the narrow one.

CHOOSE THE NARROW GATE

If we choose to run with the crowd through the wide gate, Jesus is standing there like an aircraft marshal, whooping and hollering, corralling us toward the narrow gate.  If we are stumbling toward the narrow gate, Jesus is encouraging us forward with open arms (484 Words).

READINGS

Isaiah 66: 18-21: I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory.  I will set a sign among them; from them I will send fugitives to the nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory; and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.  They shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their offering to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.  Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.

Hebrew 12: 5-7, 11-13: You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons: "My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges."  Endure your trials as "discipline"; God treats you as sons. For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline?  At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.  So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.  Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.

Luke 13: 22-30: He passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.  Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" He answered them,  "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.  After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, 'Lord, open the door for us.' He will say to you in reply, 'I do not know where you are from.'  And you will say, 'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'  Then he will say to you, 'I do not know where (you) are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!'  And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out.  And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.  For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

INTERCESSIONS

Celebrant

The Lord who prepares the banquet for all will not turn away from our petitions.

Deacon/Lector

That Holy Scripture and the sacraments nourish and strengthen all believers, let us pray to the Lord.

That students and teachers starting a new school year make Christ and his truth the center of their studies, we pray to the Lord.

That our community not lose heart under the Lord’s discipline but learn humility and patience through it, we pray to the Lord.

For those of our community who have died (especially …………………………): and for comfort to those who mourn, we pray to the Lord.

In Silence let us now add our own intentions for our families, our community, our country, and the world…………………...………..We pray to the Lord.

Celebrant

God of Abraham, you know our works and our thoughts.  Gather our prayers and shower down your blessings.  We ask this through  Christ our Lord.

20th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C, 2016

ANNOUNCEMENTS, HOMILY, READINGS, INTERCESSIONS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

There will be a Potluck after Mass this Sunday, August 14, 2016. We will also discuss the painting of the Church.

I will be training children for First Communion and Altar Serving after Mass as well.

Please let me know if there is anyone needing to be confirmed or baptized.


HOMILY

20 Ord C 2016 On Fire, Jer 38:4-6&8-10; Heb 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53

In the Gospel, Jesus proclaims that he has come to “set the earth on fire.” Jesus is burning with zeal. He is on fire with love for God. For Jeremiah in the first reading being on fire for God meant martyrdom. He did not care if he was killed for preaching about God.

For us being on fire with love for God might lead to family conflicts, trouble with our neighbors, humiliation, sacrifice, and even death.

One day while on fire with love for God, I flew my Cherokee Warrior II to Clarks Point, a small Yupik Village of about 48 people. I was humiliated terribly. I had to say mass on Louise Gardener’s kitchen table because it was in winter and we had no heat in the small church. I spread my arms for the opening prayer and hit something. I heard a crash. I knocked Louise’s favorite coffee cup off the wall. She started crying.

Flying out in the Alaskan Bush can mean death. Father Kelly was on fire with love for God. He started our mission in Bristol Bay. He crashed into a mountain in severe weather and died. It was on Palm Sunday. I took his place.

Being on fire with love for God involves sacrifice. The Christan life aint always easy. Jesus sacrificed. Hewbrews tells us that "For the sake of joy Jesus endured the cross." The Gospel of love is signed with the cross; and if we are followers of Jesus then we too will be signed with that cross. When Jesus walked this earth he was attacked by people who loved only when it was convenient. They were willing to sacrifice nothing! These people never linked love to sacrifice. They were never really on fire with love for God.

Being of fire with the love of God is life-giving. Life-giving fire clears out layers of undergrowth, built up over time, that smother the soil and prevent new growth. A blazing fire is a beacon that gives guidance and attracts everyone to its light, warmth, and power.

When we are on fire with love for God, we attract others to our Christian religion through gentle power and warmth. Our old thinking is purged and fresh new ideas of kindness and generosity fill our thoughts. Fire helps us guide others to our Catholic Church.

As Catholic Christians we are striving for that prize at the finish line. Our prize is a life living with God forever. We get there when we burn from within with the love of God. We get there when we are not afraid to sacrifice a little of ourselves to love another.

Pope, Benedict the XVI helps us prioritize our sacrificial love, “Our first task is to preach the Gospel of Jesus. Our second task is to bring the FIRE of God’s love to the world (482 Words).”

READINGS

Jeremiah 38:4-6&8-10
"This man ought to be put to death," the princes said to the king; "he demoralizes the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such things to them; he is not interested in the welfare of our people, but in their ruin." King Zedekiah answered: "He is in your power"; for the king could do nothing with them. And so they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah, which was in the quarters of the guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud. and Ebed-melech went there from the palace and said to him, "My lord king, these men have been at fault in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah, casting him into the cistern. He will die of famine on the spot, for there is no more food in the city." Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite to take three men along with him, and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before he should die.

Hebrews 12:1-4
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God. Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.

Luke 12:49-53
"I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

INTERCESSIONS

Intercessions: Twentieth Sunday Ordinary Time Year C

Celebrant
In our brokenness we come before God, trusting that our prayers will be heard.

Deacon/Lector
For the prophets and martyrs of this age, that they may persevere in the path of Jesus, let us pray to the Lord.

For nations divided in ancient conflict, that their divisions may be healed, we pray to the Lord.

For divided and quarreling families, that Christ may bless them with healing and reconciliation, let us pray to the Lord.

For those of our community who have died (especially …………………………): and for comfort to those who mourn, we pray to the Lord.

In Silence let us now add our own intentions for our families, our community, our country, and the world…………………...………..We pray to the Lord.

Celebrant
God of power and might, we perish without your mercy. Hear the heartfelt prayers we offer. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

19th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C 2016

SAINT PAUL MISSION INCLUDES BRISTOL BAY AND THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN.
Pastor: Father Scott Joseph Garrett

There are three actual church buildings in the Alaskan Saint Paul Mission, Holy Rosary in Dillingham, Saint Theresa in King Salmon/Naknek, and Saint Peter the Fisherman in Clarks Point. There are some 30 other villages in the surrounding area. All of these make up the Saint Paul Mission. Saint Paul wanted to take the Gospel to the "Ends of the Earth."

Here is my homily for this weekend, the readings follow:

19th Ord C 2016 Watch & Ready, Wis 18:6-9;Heb 11:1-2&8-19;Lk 12: 32-48

In basic training at Lackland AFB, Texas, in August of 1975, we had to pull door guard duty in the middle of the night. One tends to get a little bored, sleepy, and tired. Nothing ever happened. One morning I was leaning up against the door, starched uniform, canteen, half asleep, and something happened. Someone beat on the door and aroused me into a state of immediate attention.

Through a six by six window the first lieutenant was yelling at me. “Open the door now!” he shouted. He acted like a madman. He had an emergency and needed to get in NOW! I was 17 years old, standing at attention behind a locked door, and scared. Fortunately Sergeant Beranger, my drill instructor, advised me to: be alert at all times, watch, and check for ID.

Finally the Lieutenant quieted down a bit. I asked, “Sir, may I please see your ID.” This request infuriated him. He yelled and screamed some more; I was insistent; finally the irate lieutenant pulled out his ID. I was about to let him in when I noticed something. On his official military ID card was transplanted a picture of Mickey Mouse.

My dorm guard experience could have been worse. Luckily I paid attention in class and was somewhat alert and ready. But the servants in the gospel were wide-awake. They were ready for their master’s return. Their lamps were lit and shining brightly.

Spiritually it is not easy to be ready all the time. We get tempted and sidetracked. We get bored and distracted. The gospel this weekend tells us that we can only be ready if we are prepared properly. We need instruction. We need experience. We need practice. We need Faith.

What being ready means is this: Faithful obedience to God’s commands and values. Faithful obedience means to be consistent in prayer. It means loving our neighbor and enemies every chance we get.

Being ready means doggedly searching for opportunities to help people in need. It means making sacrifices on a regular basis, such as volunteering our time to the church or another good organization. It means being ready for God’s coming by praying every day, going to confession, and getting involved in the church’s ministries. Most importantly, it means putting Jesus before money, material positions, and well, everything else.

Being ready means participating in the Eucharist every Sunday. There are 168 hours in a week. God is asking for .006% of that time to attend Sunday Mass. That is a small sacrifice to make for thanking God for our lives and all the blessings he has given us.

CHALLENGE – BE WATCHFUL BE READY
This week, I challenge all of you to be a little more watchful for opportunities to love one another. Be a readier by prioritizing your spiritual life. For, should he come in the second or third watch and find them ready, blessed are those servants (480 Words).

Wisdom 18:6-9
That night was known beforehand to our fathers, that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith, they might have courage. Your people awaited the salvation of the just and the destruction of their foes. For when you punished our adversaries, in this you glorified us whom you had summoned. For in secret the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice and putting into effect with one accord the divine institution, That your holy ones should share alike the same good things and dangers, having previously sung the praises of the fathers.

Hebrews 11:1-2&8-19
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Because of it the ancients were well attested. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise; for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God. By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age--and Sarah herself was sterile--for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore. All these died in faith. They did not receive what had been promised but saw it and greeted it from afar and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth, for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, of whom it was said, "Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name." He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol.

Lk 12: 32-48
Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. "Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." Then Peter said, "Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?" And the Lord replied, "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute (the) food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

Announcements: 18th Sunday Ordinary Year A

Dear Holy Rosary Mission Parishioners: Here are a few announcements.

Fantastic Send Off: Thank you all for raising money for an airplane ticket for me to fly back to Holy Rosary in the future. I was so happy to see everyone at Mass and to partake in the wonderful potluck afterward. Jacob Belleque knew I was leaving and asked his grandmother if I was going to Heaven! I hope so Jacob, I am definitely leaving Heaven on Earth.

Finances: Angie Venua will be taking care of the finances, i.e. paying bills and keeping an electronic check book in Quicken. Diana Swaim will continue to count the Sunday collection and make the deposit. Fr. Nelson (with help from parishioners) will count, collect, and deposit the water money.

Telephone: The parish phone number is forwarded to our parish cell phone. Angela Clark has volunteered to answer the phone while Fr. Nelson and I are in transition. She will be answering calls and returning messages from July 26 to August 16, 2011.

My Schedule: I hope you visit me in Wasilla at Sacred Heart. There will be a few weeks when I will be traveling and will be having Fr. Stan fill in for me. Fr. Stan is retired and an IFR and commercial rated pilot and lives in the Sacred Heart Rectory.

July 26: Leave for Anchorage
July 27-29: Work on Canon Law cases for Fairbanks, Juneau, and Anchorage dioceses.
August 1: First Day at Sacred Heart in Wasilla
Sep 5-15: Wilmington, North Carolina vacation
Nov 7-17: Oregon, my cousin's wedding and visit family

When you come to Anchorage please come and visit me!!!

Gospel: The readings point to the importance of charity. Please see homily and readings below.

Have a fantastic week and thank you for letting me serve you for the past six years (August 5, 2005 to July 31, 2011).

Homily and Readings:

18th Ord A DLG 2011 Charity, Isaiah 55::1-3; Romans 8:35&37-39; Matthew 14:13-21

When I go into a village, someone always meets me and picks me up on a 4-wheeler. During the summer, Karen brings fresh flowers and puts them below the Mary statue. When my mechanic changes the oil on my airplane, he usually donates it. Pat goes out and mows the cemetery.

These are all acts of charity. Saint Paul tells us that when it comes to faith, hope, and charity, the greatest is charity.

Charity resonates through the readings. Isaiah says, “All you who are thirsty, come to the water. You who have no money, come receive grain and eat.” The second reading from Romans tells us that we can never be separated from God’s charity.
All through history god has been charitable.

To help the Israelites reach the Promised Land, God showered them with, mana, which was bread from heaven.

Through God’s help, the prophet Elijah multiplied flour and oil to save a widow and her son from starvation.

Elisha did a bit better than his master, multiplying 20 barley loaves so as to feed 100, with some even left over.

According to our Catechism, “The fruits of charity are joy, peace, and mercy” (Catechism 1829).

“Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God (Catechism 1822).

The Apostle Paul also wrote that beautiful quote from Corinthians, "Charity is patient and kind, charity is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude.

Charity does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.

Charity bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (Catechism 1825).

Today’s gospel gives us several examples of charity. After hearing about the death of John the Baptist’s death, Jesus wants to be alone. He wants to get away and just make sense of it all. Have you ever felt like that...get away, leave me alone! But that does not stop him from being charitable.

In a state of grieving, Jesus performed three acts of charity. While still grieving, Jesus (1) healed the sick, (2) preached all day, and (3) fed 5000. The Little boy (4) gave up loaves and fish.

Today God is charitable. He will continue to be charitable in the future. He does that through the Eucharist.

Here are a few quotes about charity. I ask that you all try to perform one act this week.

Pope Saint Clement I: “Charity unites us to God. There is nothing mean in charity, nothing arrogant. Charity knows no schism, does not rebel, and does all things in harmony. In charity all the elect of God have been made perfect.”

Bob Hope: “If you have not got any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.”

Mother Theresa: “In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love” (Words 507).

Isaiah 55::1-3
All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David.

Romans 8:35&37-39
What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 14:13-21
When Jesus heard of it, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." (Jesus) said to them, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." But they said to him, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here." Then he said, "Bring them here to me," and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking 5 the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

Announcements: 17 Sunday Ordinary Time Year A

Dear Holy Rosary Mission Parishioners, here are a few announcements:

Last Trip to Clarks Point: Since the Cherokee is parked in Wasilla, I hopped on VanAir, Friday, July 15, for my last Mass in Clarks Point, Alaska. I baptized one year old Jack Thomas Slattengren in the Saint Peter the Fisherman Church.

Here is a picture after my last Mass at Saint Peter the Fisherman in Clarks Point.


37 Baptisms: During my six year term (August 2005 to August 2011) at Holy Rosary Mission I have baptized 37 infants, children, and adults. The late Father Kelly baptized 85 infants, children, and adults during his eleven year term.

Gospel: If you have not found the Pearl of Great Price, I pray you all will. All though you cannot fully possess it here on earth, I pray that you will continue to strive for it throughout your lives. Please see homily and readings below.

Potluck: Sunday after Mass will be a potluck. Please bring your favorite dish.

Thank you: Thank you to Pat Durbin and Bernie Venua for working on fixing the leak in our Church basement. Pat rounded up a load of dirt and Bernie taped a seam on the rubber mat outside.

Sunday Collection: Our collection was $175.00 last Sunday. That does not count several people who donated by direct deposit into the Holy Rosary Checking account or people who send in automatic donations through Bill Pay, i.e. Wells Fargo.

Have a wonderful week and see you Sunday...Fr. Scott.

Homily and Readings:

17 Ord A 109 DLG 2011, Treasure, 1 Kings 3: 5&7-12; Romans 8:28-30; Mat 13:44-52

Finding Treasure is exciting. I love reading novels about treasure hunts and sunken ships. I heard of one person who found a three million dollar stash with a metal detector. He was very very happy. In ancient times, people use to bury their money and valuable possessions in case an army killed them. This way, hidden treasure lay underground for future generations.

Once, while out jogging, I found a $100 bill lying in the street. What a boon. When my great grandfather, Grandpa Dale, built his house, Grandma Tony grabbed a couple of handfuls of silver dollars and dropped them down one of the walls before they sealed it up. Whenever we visited she showed me the wall and told me the story. When they died, I crawled down under the house and tried to find the treasure. No luck. Someone beat me to it.

In the Gospel, the Kingdom of Heaven is like buried treasure. A worker in the field finds this treasure. It is the key to happiness, peace, eternal life, and joy. Unfortunately this treasure is not his. The worker does not own the field, the man he works for does. So the worker re-buries this great treasure. He needs time to think and plan how he can own this great treasure for himself.

The man rounds up all of his worldly possessions, sells them, and takes the money to the owner of that field. He buys that field with every cent he had. He now possesses the knowledge of how to be happy and obtain eternal life.

The pearl of great price is the same type of story. A person finds a treasure, he sells everything, and then he possesses the treasure, the pearl of great price, this knowledge of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The people who find the pearl of great price risk everything to own it. Zacchaeus climbed down from the tree and was invited to the Kingdom. Peter gave up his fishing income for the treasure.

Today, in our money driven secular society, the treasure of the Gospel can lie deep beneath the hard earth.

Here is the message for all of us: we receive the sacraments, we pray, we struggle with our faith, and we go through the motions of going to church. Then suddenly, through God’s grace, the treasure may be discovered.

We come to the realization that there is only one real thing in life worth possessing: The Gospel of Jesus.

The gospel is the love of Jesus, his forgiveness, his divine presence, his promise of eternal life. This is the treasure. This is the one real thing in life worth owning. This is the Pearl of Great Price.

We cannot fully possess this treasure here on earth. We have to strive for it throughout our lives. As we strive for this treasure our lives are transformed. As our lives are transformed we become magnets. We become infectious. Others want what we have. We draw others into the Kingdom. As our faith grows and we become closer to the treasure, we realize there is nothing better to be had.

My prayer for all of you is that you never give up striving for that Pearl of Great price and that someday you will possess it (545 Words).

1 Kings 3: 5&7-12
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, "Ask something of me and I will give it to you." O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king to succeed my father David; but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?" The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request. So God said to him: "Because you have asked for this--not for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right--I do as you requested. I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you.

Romans 8:28-30
We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.

Mat 13:44-52
"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. "Do you understand all these things?" They answered, "Yes." And he replied, "Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old."