I am pleased to let you all know that my Sunday homilies have been updated. They are current through last Sunday 21 February 2016. I hope that you find them helpful. They are also sorted by date and each year has its own page. Happy listening.
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Wow, how quickly time goes by. We are halfway through Advent and Christmas is just around the corner. My first Christmas as a Priest of Jesus Christ. I am so excited to celebrate the Birth of our Lord.
I have gotten behind in the posting of my homilies. Sorry about that. Converting them to a “You Tube” format takes a bit of time on each and I just haven’t taken the time to do it. Thus, I have all of my homilies on CD, I just have to convert them. I am hoping to get this done over the next couple of weeks. “Cause the Christmas season is so relaxing!! I just finished posting my most recent columns from our bulletin. Check them out HERE. I hope that you are all enjoying you Advent and preparations for Christmas. I wish you a blessed Advent and pray that the peace of Christ will be with you all on Christmas morning. Today is Veteran’s Day. I hope that each of us takes the time to reflect on the great sacrifices that our Veterans have made for us. Not just those who died, but all Veterans. They have sacrificed time away from home, time with their families, comfort, security and much more for us and our freedom. Scripture says “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) Each Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to The United States of America for an amount of “up to and including my life.”
To my brothers in arms, to the Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines, I say “THANK YOU!” Thank you for all that you have done for me and my country. May God continue to bless each of you. To those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice – May they Rest in Peace. While it is not yet Christmas, I think the following expresses the sentiments for Veteran’s Day well. T’was the night before Christmas, He lived all alone, In a one bedroom house made of Plaster and stone. I had come down the chimney With presents to give, And to see just who In this home did live. I looked all about, A strange sight I did see, No tinsel, no presents, Not even a tree. No stocking by mantle, Just boots filled with sand, On the wall hung pictures Of far distant lands. With medals and badges, Awards of all kinds, A sober thought Came through my mind. For this house was different, It was dark and dreary, I found the home of a soldier, Once I could see clearly. The soldier lay sleeping, Silent, alone, Curled up on the floor In this one bedroom home. The face was so gentle, The room in such disorder, Not how I pictured A United States soldier. Was this the hero Of whom I'd just read? Curled up on a poncho, The floor for a bed? I realized the families That I saw this night, Owed their lives to these soldiers Who were willing to fight. Soon round the world, The children would play, And grownups would celebrate A bright Christmas day. They all enjoyed freedom Each month of the year, Because of the soldiers, Like the one lying here. I couldn't help wonder How many lay alone, On a cold Christmas eve In a land far from home. The very thought Brought a tear to my eye, I dropped to my knees And started to cry. The soldier awakened And I heard a rough voice, "Santa don't cry, This life is my choice; I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more, My life is my God, My Country, my Corps." The soldier rolled over And drifted to sleep, I couldn't control it, I continued to weep. I kept watch for hours, So silent and still And we both shivered From the cold night's chill. I didn't want to leave On that cold, dark, night, This guardian of honor So willing to fight. Then the soldier rolled over, With a voice soft and pure, Whispered, "carry on Santa, It's Christmas Day, all is secure." One look at my watch, And I knew he was right. "Merry Christmas my friend, And to all a good night." I came across this fascinating video that I wanted to share with all of you. I never ceases to amaze me how wonderful God has made our world and how intricately He designed it. This 4 ½ minute video is well worth the time. I think you will find it as fascinating as I did. I hope you enjoy it. I would love to hear your thought about the video. Just click the "comments" link above. How Wolves Change RiversThis is just a quick entry as we begin a new wonderful and blessed week. Over the weekend, I was able to upload my ordination and First Mass videos and pictures. I have created a new page for them that can be found HERE. Also, this week’s column has been added. There is no homily since here at St. Dominic Parish the deacons preach the first weekend of each month. As we begin November please remember, in a particular way, to pray for the dead. On that note there are indulgences available for praying for the dead and visiting a cemetery. I have noted the particulars in this week’s column which can be found HERE. I pray that you all have a wonderful and blessed week ahead. Well, after a year plus, I am back and I hope to be able to maintain this site much better than my previous attempts. As you may already know, I was ordained to the Catholic Priesthood on June 7, 2014. The good news is that I am done with seminary. The better news is that I am a PRIEST!! I am now assigned to St. Dominic Catholic Church in Security, Colorado. If you are in the area, please feel free to stop by and say “Hi”. While the rigors of academia are over, the demands of being a parish priest have begun. It is like life at light speed and I am enjoying every minute of it.
Over the next few weeks I will be adding new material to my website here such as a page for my recorded Sunday homilies, new photos and a few other ideas I am thinking about. I hope that the content and a more timely updated blog will peak your interest and bring more readers on board. For you dedicated fans (All 3 of you J) thank you for sticking with me. This is all for now as I want to update other parts of my site (like changing the word “Deacon” to “priest”). I wish you all a wonderful day and I hope to chat more with you soon. A friend of mine and brother seminarian who also happens to be a fellow apologist has posted and excellent article on evil and the problem atheists have when they try to use it to prove there is no God. You know, the age old arguments that if God is all-powerful, He could stop evil and if He is all-loving, He would stop evil; thus since there is evil, there is no God. Anyway, it is an excellent article so I am reposting it here for your perusal. Joe also has an excellent blog called Shameless Popery. I encourage you to visit it. Many atheists are fond of using the argument from evil to debunk the notion of God. It goes something like this: Written by Joe Heschmeyer. Until May 2012, Joe Heschmeyer was an attorney in Washington, D.C., specializing in litigation. These days, he is a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, and can use all the prayers he can get. Follow Joe through his blog, Shameless Popery or contact him at joseph.heschmeyer@gmail.com. Here is a little tip I picked up on Facebook. Don't know if it works, but it is worth a try. Let me know how successful you are with this.
HOMEMADE MOSQUITO TRAP: Items needed: 1 cup of water 1/4 cup of brown sugar 1 gram of yeast 1 2-liter bottle HOW: 1. Cut the plastic bottle in half. 2. Mix brown sugar with hot water. Let cool. When cold, pour in the bottom half of the bottle. 3. Add the yeast. No need to mix. It creates carbon dioxide, which attracts mosquitoes. 4. Place the funnel part, upside down, into the other half of the bottle, taping them together if desired. 5. Wrap the bottle with something black, leaving the top uncovered, and place it outside in an area away from your normal gathering area. (Mosquitoes are also drawn to the color black.) Change the solution every 2 weeks for continuous control. It is good to be back in a parish!!! Yesterday I started my assignment as St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Southgate (the southern tip of Colorado Springs). It is a parish of about 1,500 families and I am looking forward to my two months here. The pastor, Fr. Gregory Golyzniak has been so very warm and welcoming. I eagerly anticipate this coming Sunday where I get to meet the whole parish.
This being my first week, I am spending the time trying to get settled in, meet the staff and wrap up some leftover items. The Bishop has also been kind enough to allow me to serve as Deacon at some of the Diocesan events this week, so there is no lack of work. As I get adjusted to my new routine, I hope to return to more regular and frequent blogging. Of course, if you have a topic you would like me to address, a question to ask or a suggestion, those are always greatly appreciated. In the mean time, please continue to pray for our Holy Mother Church, Her Clergy, vocations and our men and women in uniform. See you at the Tabernacle! As I slow down to below light speed...
The ordination was WONDERFUL and now the busyness of friends, relatives, receptions and dinners begins to be replaced by the everyday schedule. What a FANTASTIC time the last week has been. Thank you to all who were able to join me for my ordination to the Transitional Diaconate and to all of you who sent in kind words and supported me with prayer. It seems like the last month has been a blur. I think it started with finals and rapidly accelerated. It is nice to know that I only have one year left at the seminary. I am sure that will go by very quickly and before I know it, I will be writing about my ordination to the Priesthood. I hope to have pictures of my Ordination back in the near future from the photographer and when I do, I will post them on the site, so stay tuned. I also hope to return to more regular postings once I move into my new assignment. You may also note that the subtitle of this site has changed. Speaking of assignments, I will be serving at St. Joseph the Worker in Southgate (southern Colorado Springs) this summer. I am looking forward to my new assignment. Thanks again for all the wonderful support from you readers and followers. By the way, if you read my blog and are on Facebook, please click on the “Networked Blogs” box to the right and sign in to your Facebook. It will update you when I post and help me with my website ratings. Thanks!! Talk to you all again soon. |
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AuthorI am a Roman Catholic Priest for the Diocese of Colorado Springs. I am currently assigned to St. Dominic Catholic Church in Security, CO. Follow me on Facebook by clicking on "Follow this blog" below.
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