Sunday's Homily

Some have asked about my homily, so I am posting it here:

In today’s Gospel, John writes that as a result of Jesus’s teaching many no longer accompanied Him. In the Greek, the phrase is that they no longer ‘walked’ with Him. The word was used to describe the model of education Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, used in his own school – he and his students would walk and the various conversations or encounters on the way would provide the springboard for further discussion and education. It is not just about the activity of walking, but of learning from Jesus that they are walking away. There is a sadness we can feel as we hear Jesus ask, “Are you too going to leave?”
Peter responds , “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” It is as if he is responding “You speak the truth to us, and we long to hear it. We may not fully understand it now, but we will continue to follow and learn from you.”
What were the hard words, hard to accept, that Jesus had spoken? Jesus has just completed the Bread of Life discourse, in which he declares that to have eternal life, they must eat His flesh, and drink His blood, and that it is true food and drink. This is a thought that the Jews would have rejected repulsed, and perhaps rightfully so. After all, there is a law against eating blood, much less human blood and flesh. But Jesus does not back down, in fact, each time they balk at His teaching, He gets stronger. He states that there can be no life in us unless we eat and drink His flesh and blood.
So they just walk away. And Jesus allows them. He does not back down, explain it away, or compromise.
Almost 2000 years later, we have some understanding of the Eucharist, that the bread and wine becomes the Very Body and Blood of Christ. Maybe we have grown too accustomed to this. Maybe not, after all a large percentage of Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence. They do not walk away, they just stay.
But the truth remains. Truth is not what we make it, but we grasp it. God is the creator of truth, and either we recognize it, or we deny it. Truth is objective, not subjective. Truth is the minds’ conformity to reality, not bending reality to one’s mind. To give an example: Someone who was very much into the subjective nature of the truth could, without blinking an eye, state that the lights in this Church are off, when someone holding to the objective nature of the truth would deny this so-called ‘fact’. Recall my homily in February in which I tried to convince you're an artificial apple was indeed an orange? Why talk about this: to paraphrase St. Augustine, to believe only the parts of the faith that we wish, and to reject the rest, is to believe in only oneself.
Faith and doubt are not antithetical. We can reject truth outright, or we can question it and ask for faith. Assent is the embracing of a truth, even if not fully understanding, trusting in the Lord. To be clear, there are a number of teachings that are difficult, but require our assent to the truth of them all the same.
Our faith teaches us that marriage is between one man and one woman, and to define it thus is not a restriction of rights. To say this is not hate speech, despite what society tells us. It is no more possible to say that marriage is a right that can be extended to any individuals no matter of gender any more than it is possible to say that males are denied the right to physically giving birth. We are been given the task to define marriage as between one man and one woman on our ballots this next election – we must vote yes!
We remember that marriage is mutual covenant, permanent lifelong, and has a dual and intrinsically connected purpose of procreation and union of spouses. Though we see marriage, procreation, and sexual expression as three separate realities, they are intrinsically connected.
True, some marriages fail and ‘end’ in divorce, but that does not invalidate the truth that marriage is lifelong. Those that fail are to be examined to see if a sacramental marriage occurred, or while a legal marriage was contracted, the sacrament never occurred (and granted a declaration of nullity) before remarriage in the Church is attempted.
Our faith teaches us that physical sexual expression is best experience between husband and wife, when they mutual give themselves to the other holding nothing back, not even their fertility through contraception. Really, as husband and wife come together in the conjugal embrace, they could repeat the words of Christ at the Last Supper, “This is my body, given to you.” And that they give themselves totally to the other, including their fertility. As a result, every act of contraception is an evil, because it holds back fertility and one is not able to make a free and total gift of self. Every physical sexual expression outside of marriage is missing the mark of what its true intention is, and is a sin.
Our Faith teaches us that life begins at conception, and respect for human life is to be given from the first moment of conception through natural death. The direct and intentional taking of a life, whether it be through abortion, euthanasia, or murder is gravely evil. In our modern society, even capital punishment is no longer needed as it primary purpose when it could be legitimately used (the protection of society due to the impossibility of safely imprisoning the criminal) is no longer an issue, especially in the US.
Our Faith teaches us that we must respect every human person, no matter age, nationality, or gender. While we may disagree with opinions and call others on behavior, we still give them the respect that is due. Respect is expected for saint or sinner, law-abiding or criminal, native or alien. We must find ways to respect everyone, while remembering that we cannot condone sin or crime.
Our faith teaches us so much, and it is not limited to the creed. As Catholics, we know that our Creed is only the beginning of what we believe, and that we must live our beliefs in the practical. We remember that, as Pope Benedict XVI has said, our faith is not a set of doctrines, but an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ. This is where our shoes must hit the road – we are given the choice, too. Are we going to continue to walk with Him, or are we going to walk away? Are we going to continue to learn from Him, even if we don’t fully understand? I would hope and pray that we will join with St. Peter in saying, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Pregnancy is less likely after rape, leading ob/gyn says

Pregnancy is less likely after rape, leading ob/gyn says. He states that only 1.6% of women conceive following a rape (compared to 2-4% after consensual relations), and rape is only .01% of abortions. This means that about 98.4% of rape victims will not benefit from abortion to begin with, and the other 1.6% will face the double psychological effects of rape and abortion.

New Marriage Minute Video Released: "Children Raised by a Same-Sex Parent Are Significantly Worse Off Compared to Those Raised by Their Traditionally Married Parents" | Minnesota for Marriage | MinnesotaForMarriage.com

New Marriage Minute Video Released Episode 34: "Children Raised by a Same-Sex Parent Are Significantly Worse Off Compared to Those Raised by Their Traditionally Married Parents":
Gay marriage advocates have maintained for a long time that there are no differences in the outcomes for children raised by same-sex parents, as compared with those raised by a married mom and dad. The latest large-scale, random sample, peer reviewed study shows that this “no differences” claim is false.

The Gay Marriage Debate: Brought to you by Contraception

The Gay Marriage Debate: Brought to you by Contraception=: This article makes more explicit what my connections were in this Weekend's Homily...

Pastor's Notes for August 26

Dear Parishioners,
Congratulations to Mallory Elizabeth Selfe, daughter of James and Jennifer, who is baptized this weekend.
The last weekend of summer vacation for most of our students (though I know some are already in school because of the school district's options to start early). The school is ready - floors are clean, supplies are stocked, and the teachers are busy decorating and arranging their rooms. I am certain that this will be a great year, and look forward with joy to see our first class of preschool! We welcome Dawn Guetter to our school, and look forward to hearing the patter of (slightly smaller) little feet. One thing that was recommended by the St. Anne's Administrative Council in April was to raise tuition. It has not been raised in at least 6 years, and with the higher price of utilities and the just cause of raising salaries, we recommended raising it fro $660 for in AFC students to $700 per student. Hopefully, $40 is not an undue burden on our families. I am so thankful for you generous support of our school, too. Not only financially, by in the sharing of time and talent, many of our AFC have gone many extra miles to help our school succeed. Thank you, all benefactors and volunteers!
In Christ,
Fr. Todd

The Truth About the Homosexual Rights Movement

Ronald G. Lee, in an Article entitled "The Truth About the Homosexual Rights Movement" reveals what is behind much of the homosexual movement. An enlightenening, and heart aching, article.

“The Benefits to Children of Having a Mom and Dad Who Are Married to Each Other"

New Marriage Minute Video Released Episode 33: “The Benefits to Children of Having a Mom and Dad Who Are Married to Each Other".
Marriage is more than two adults coming together to form a committed union—marriage is also the most pro-child institution ever created. Simply put, kids deserve a mom and a dad.

Pastor's Notes for August 19

Dear Parishioners,
Welcome to Fr. Chuong Cao, C.Ss.R, who is with us this weekend for our annual Mission appeal on behalf of the Redemptorists. We wish him a warm welcome and stay. Welcome, too, to all the visitors to St. Mathias for the 333 Club!
I forgot to print a congratulations to Pat and Arnie Goblirsch on their 50th anniversary, and happy 60th anniversary this weekend to Francis and RIta Goblirsch. Many more happy years. Congratulations, as well, to Tyson Joseph Vogl, son of Joseph and Alicia who is baptized this Sunday afternoon.
Last week, Archbishop Lori of Baltimore, stated to the Knights of Columbus, “The question to ask is this: Are any of the candidates of either party, or independents, standing for something that is intrinsically evil, evil no matter what the circumstances? If that’s the case, a Catholic, regardless of his party affiliation, shouldn’t be voting for such a person.” It is a good reminder that we examine not just the persons in the race, but their positions, in addition to the platforms of the parties. We must face the truth that simply voting for our 'preferred' party is sometimes voting for an intrinsic evil, too, albeit unintended. There will likely be more bashing of candidates, more mudslinging, but as Catholics, we need to stand for life from conception to natural death (and against those that would support the direct destruction of life through abortion, abortifacients, euthanasia, assisted suicide, or embryonic stem cell research) and stand for traditional family of one man and one woman (and the proper ordering of sexual expression in marriage toward the good of children). Much is in the balance for this election, and we need to start now to learn the issues and vote not in conformity with a particular party, but rather in conformity with the faith. For those that are upset with me for writing this, consider the following: If a politician stated that he was in favor of 'eliminating' all people of a particular race, would you ignore this and ask about the rest of his stances? Would that not be an 'one-issue' disqualification? Why should the unborn, or the ill, or the elderly be any different?
In Christ,
Fr. Todd

New Marriage Minute Video Released: "Would passage of the Marriage Protection Amendment end the ongoing conversation that our state is engaged in concerning the appropriate definition of marriage?" | Minnesota for Marriage | MinnesotaForMarriage.com

New Marriage Minute Video Released: "Would passage of the Marriage Protection Amendment end the ongoing conversation that our state is engaged in concerning the appropriate definition of marriage?" Episode 32
No—the opposite is true. Without the Marriage Protection Amendment, special interest advocates could take their cause to activist judges and politicians who could redefine marriage without any input from the voters themselves.

The Amazing Story of the Hiroshima Eight

The Amazing Story of the Hiroshima Eight: How the Blessed Mother is credited for save the house and lives of 8 Jesuits who were just 8 blocks from ground Zero in Hiroshima, without any side effects of radiation, while others, many further away, died within minutes!

Pastor's Notes for August 12

Dear Parishioners,
Our sympathy to the family and friends of Larry Soupir, and continued sympathy to the family of Phyllis Hengel (sorry again about printing the wrong name). May they rest in peace.
Congratulations to Baylor Matthew Samyn, son of Matt and Andrea, who is baptized this weekend.
I have been troubled lately by something that has been growing more common, and that is that some who are scheduled for liturgical ministries are simply not showing up or finding a replacement. This puts the burden on me to try to find people. I realize that this is a summer thing, but I really encourage you to be responsible to find people. Lectors should be have looked over the readings more than 5-10 minutes before Mass, and this is difficult if I have to ask. Servers, too, are increasingly rare. It does no good, either, to call me 15 minutes before Mass apologizing for not being there - I won't get the message until after Mass! Even if it seems so minor, the aid that liturgical ministers provide is important. Perhaps I do not say thank you enough, so that is why many find it easy to be irresponsible. I am thankful, though, and I am especially grateful to those who show as scheduled, find a replacement, or swap days with someone else. Please know my gratitude!
This Wednesday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption, and it is a Holy Day of Obligation. We are having two Vigil Masses on Tuesday evening, and two on Wednesday. Please see the bulletin above for times and places.
In Christ,
Fr. Todd

"Shouldn't the government get out of the business of regulating marriage and leave it to adults to decide marriage for themselves?"

New Marriage Minute Video Episode 31: "Shouldn't the government get out of the business of regulating marriage and leave it to adults to decide marriage for themselves?" | Minnesota for Marriage | MinnesotaForMarriage.com
No. Marriage is not merely a private matter that exists only for the benefit of adults. Marriage serves an intrinsically public purpose to provide for the care and development of the next generation.

Pastor's Notes for August 5

Dear Parishioners,
Our sympathy to the family of Phyllis Hengel. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.
This week, I decided to write about one of my other hats than Pastor. For the past 8+ years, I have served as Chaplain to the only Serra Club (thus far) in our Diocese. It typically meets the first Thursday of every month at the Chapel of Divine Providence in Sleepy Eye. Serra is named after Blessed Junipero Serra, the missionary priest of the Pacific coast who founded 9 of the 36 original missions. The organization of Serra exists to assist those discern a vocation to the priesthood, deaconate, or religious life and those those already responding, as well as growing in their own vocations as lay Catholic men and women. It has been a consistent highlight of my month, to gather for rosary and Mass, a little social time, and a great program. The programs usually consist of either someone in a Church vocation already, sharing their vocation story, or of someone in the discerning stages, and their story thus far. These programs build up faith, give insight into what we might do to promote a culture of vocations, and encourage us to live our faith. Guests are always welcome to attend. I would like to add to the number of parishioners that are already members (Al Guetter, Jerry and Lucy Moldan, and Mike and Annette Rohlik). Come to a meeting to see what Serra is, or talk to one of the members.
In Christ,
Fr. Todd