Blog Archives - Articulating Hope

Cathedral of St. Mary Parish Mission / March 18--22

2/28/2017

The last time I was scheduled to preach a parish mission at the cathedral I ended up missing Monday and Tuesday evening due to being hospitalized. We are ahead of the game this year. We proactively scheduled two different preachers for those first two evenings anticipating my failure to show. The pastor is always thinking ahead. You let him down once and he does not take any chances in the future. He replaces you. (Just joking. This was designed intentionally to give a variety of speakers.)

Seriously, I am looking forward to preaching at all six of the weekend Masses and the closing night of the mission. My travel schedule does not allow for frequent preaching at the cathedral these days. Thus, it will be nice to make it to all of the Masses and see many folks that I have not seen in a while. I believe the three nights of the mission will provide three very different perspectives and styles from those of us doing the preaching. Hopefully, parishioners will be able to connect well with one or all of us.

If you live in the Cheyenne area please mark your calendar and make plans to join us.

St. Joseph's Parish Women's Retreat--Cheyenne

2/27/2017

We are less than three weeks away from the 3rd annual women's retreat at St. Joseph's Parish in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Although the "Year of Mercy" has concluded, that does not mean we simply forget about mercy. Last year our retreat theme was "Come Celebrate God's Love." This year we are going to focus our attention on mercy as we gather to "Come Celebrate God's Mercy!"

Specifically, we are going to reflect upon God's mercy in ourselves, in our homes, in our Church, and in our world. Finally, we will look at ways we can then extend that mercy to others as we "go forth glorifying the Lord by our lives."

It has been a wonderful gathering each of the last two years with over forty women in attendance both years. I look forward to another vibrant gathering. I hope you'll plan to join us if you are in the Cheyenne area.

Seventh Annual RCIA Retreat Is In The Books

2/27/2017

There are instances in which I become profoundly aware of just how quickly time is passing. This past Saturday I presented the annual RCIA retreat for the seventh consecutive year at St. Joseph's Parish in Cheyenne. I moved to Cheyenne on November 1, 2009. We had the first retreat in 2011 and have been having it ever since. It started with just St. Joseph's Parish but has expanded to include the other parishes in town as well. It is wonderful to gather with people eagerly awaiting their initiation into the Church at the Great Easter Vigil.

This retreat marks the beginning of a very busy season. Ash Wednesday will usher us into the Lenten season. Thursday will find me reading to students at St. Mary's School for Dr. Seuss' birthday. On Thursday night the Cheyenne Lions Club will be hosting their annual Eagle Scout Recognition Banquet. I have been asked to be the keynote speaker for this event, and I am looking forward to spending this evening with some successful and dedicated individuals.

On Friday my road travels will begin. First up--a retreat and a three night parish mission in Green River, Wyoming. I will be leading a retreat on Saturday for all of the volunteer parish ministers. This is a beautiful opportunity to renew and refresh ourselves as individuals and as a parish community working and praying together. It will be my privilege to preach at the weekend Masses and lead a three night mission. I was in Green River in 2014 and 2015 to lead parish missions. After a year break I am looking forward to returning again.

Letters From Children

2/24/2017

There are times when teachers have their students write thank you notes to me for one reason or another. I received a bundle of notes and cards recently that students had written in honor of celebrating Catholic Schools Week. The notes thanked me for my service as a deacon. None of the notes mentioned my role as Superintendent of Catholic Schools. I wonder if that is because it is easier to spell the word deacon as opposed to the word superintendent?

Anyway, I want to share a couple of samples with you that really caught my attention. One student was telling me a little about himself. He said, "My favorite animal is a turtle because they don't do anything." I will admit that I had never considered the life of a turtle in that way.

I will write the next quote just as the student had written it to me. That includes the parentheses. He said, "I am thinking about being the first North American Pope (or listening to my mom and becoming a Radiologist)." Let that sink in a little bit and then consider his follow-up lines. "I guess it would be fun becoming a Radiologist because I would just have to look at X-rays all day long. I mean I would have to go to school a lot either way so win win." The discernment process appears to be relatively simple.

The purity and simplicity of children can serve as a good reminder to all of us who may have become more than a bit tainted and cynical through the years. During the upcoming Season of Lent I invite to you become more child-like, just as the Sacred Scriptures encourage us to do.

We Each have Our Struggles--How Do We Respond?

2/23/2017

This is a "guest post" from an individual I greatly admire. Her few words are powerful, and the photo speaks volumes. I am grateful that I was given permission by Christina Thomason to share her story. I invite you to check out her website after reading the one paragraph summary of a lifelong journey. If you find yourself with a similar struggle, please know that help is available and hope remains.
stpeterspt.wixsite.com/website

Christina Thomason

Today marks a milestone in my journey towards health. Five years ago I made a commitment to myself to live a healthy lifestyle in recovery from an eating disorder that consumed me for many years. I have seen this horrible disease kill beautiful people and destroy relationships. For me It caused multiple hospitalizations, including an attempt to fix the damage I had done to my heart. If you would have told me five years ago that I would be married, a business owner, a personal trainer, and pregnant I would think you were crazy. I'm grateful for those in my life who've helped me through my worst, especially Brett. Living in recovery isn't easy but it's amazing.

Helping the Hurting

2/23/2017

While we were in Missouri last week my wife and I attended a fundraiser to assist an individual with immense medical bills as she fights brain cancer. We arrived shortly before the event officially began and had a chance to look around before the crowds arrived. Raffle items lined the walls. Generous individuals and businesses were striving to make this fundraiser a success with the donation of these items for the raffle. The restaurant where the event was being held was also donating 20% of all proceeds as well. The gathering was a clear reminder of the many good people who step up to help others when times are tough.

The amount of pain and suffering that is present in our world is almost incomprehensible. We see news stories on television or read accounts in the media about poverty in third world countries. We see natural disasters bringing devastation and destruction to communities across the globe. We see wars and violence on a continual basis. We see the slaughter of Christians in the Middle East. The suffering is real.

We can feel helpless when we survey the magnitude of the suffering. We may think, "What can I do? I am only one person." It is evident that I do not need to go to another country to witness pain. There are days when the local hospital is filled to capacity. Is there anyone I could go visit while they are in the hospital? Is there anything I could do for them at home while they are ill? When was the last time I visited someone in the local nursing home? Have I visited anyone lately who is lonely because they are homebound?

We have ample opportunities to live out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy in our day-to-day lives. Are we seizing these opportunities?

Enjoying the Warm February Temperatures

2/16/2017

The snow in the Colorado Rockies looks beautiful, especially as I enjoy the view in 65 degree temperatures. I took a few days off to extend my three-day weekend, and it is a blessing indeed. I don't remember too many days of being able to go outside without a jacket in February. It is truly refreshing.

Ash Wednesday is fast approaching, and I have been diligently preparing for the season of Lent. I usually only book two parish missions during Lent, but this year I booked four in an attempt to accommodate as many parishes as possible. The only two weekends not booked in Lent with a parish mission are weekends in which I am involved in diaconate formation.

As I have been preparing my homilies and presentations, I have been drawn into a reflective mindset about my own Lenten journey. I obviously want to expend my energy for God's people as best as I am able. However, in order to do that well, I must be rooted in prayer myself. I cannot give to others what I myself do not possess. I need to be well-prepared for my teaching and preaching, but the first step must always be prayer. If God's Holy Spirit is not at work in me I have no power to proclaim the Sacred Word in a way that cuts to the heart.

Subsequently, I am going to use these days of rest and relaxation to enter more fully into prayer, reflection, and just listening for God's quiet voice in my inner soul. This will also be a time to give some thought to Lenten resolutions. What do I want to experience this Lenten season? Why? What do I need to do to make it happen?

How about you? When Easter arrives, what do you want to be able to see as you look back at the prior 40 days of Lent? How will your life of prayer be enhanced? What works of charity will you do? What will you study and learn? Give some thought to this now. Do not let this holy season pass you by without growing in union with God.

Ash Wednesday is March 1, 2017. Will you accept the invitation to turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel?

Saint Valentine's Day--Society Could Use Some Love!

2/14/2017

Flowers, candy, and romantic dinners will be part of the day's festivities for many couples this Valentine's Day. Whether you enjoy this "holiday" or not may depend on a number of factors. Are you in a relationship with someone? Has your relationship recently ended due to a break-up? Has the love of your life died and you find yourself lonely? Frequently, an event that brings joy to one person will bring heartache to another because of different circumstances.

Some people perceive Valentine's Day to be an economic holiday which enhances business at local florists, bakeries, and greeting card companies. It is possible that this writer may subscribe to that philosophy, but I would never admit that in writing. (I'll be back in a minute. I need to go order flowers for my wife.)

As I read the news headlines each day in the secular world and in the inner circle of the Church, I yearn for civility and a little love in our political discourse. I intentionally used the words "political discourse" because it seems that everything is now viewed through a political lens regardless of the topic. Social media is anything but social since the last presidential campaign. It is now a political venting machine. I clicked off this morning after seeing that Ivanka Trump sat in the desk chair of the president in the Oval Office. Let's have a meltdown on social media over her sitting in her dad's desk chair. Seriously?

Unfortunately, the divide in the Church seems to grow more with each passing day as well. Posters in Rome against the pope show a sharp divide between conservatives and the papacy. Hitting the four-year mark of Pope Benedict's "resignation" on February 11, also reignited some of the conspiracy theories as to why he left the papacy. Some laud the pastoral approach approach of Pope Francis. Others think he is changing Church doctrine. Some think that if you disagree with the pope you get demoted. Enter the name of Cardinal Burke as a reference point. Cardinal Burke is in the news on a frequent basis. He gets positive press from the conservative outlets and sharp criticism from the left. Where is the truth in all of it?

Bishop Barron is now in the hotseat for some of his comments in an interview with Dave Rubin. Were his comments helpful for evangelization, or did he simply miss an opportunity to teach the faith? The answer to that question will depend upon the viewpoint of the person being asked.

The divisions within the Church are nothing new, but I will admit that it is a bit exhausting to follow all of it. It breaks my heart to see some of the pain and confusion generated by some of these stories. We have a long way to go to be "one flock under one shepherd."

I am looking forward to the season of Lent. My schedule is full with more than 30 preaching and teaching opportunities from March 2, through April 5. I will be entering into these weeks of penitence with great anticipation of seeing the Lord move powerfully within our midst. That will be a welcome reprieve from the political in-fighting of the Church that sometimes diminishes the beauty of God's grace in our lives.

We are two weeks away from the start of Lent and five weeks away from the start of spring. Let the sun shine. Let the snow melt and the grass turn green. Let the Light of Christ shine in our hearts!

Pro-Life Holy Hour, Mass, the March, and the Banquet

2/1/2017

Our Holy Hour on the evening before the pro-life march in Cheyenne has typically been led by the bishop. Since we are currently without a bishop I had the privilege of leading this year's time of adoration. Being in the presence of our Lord is always time well spent.

Saturday morning began with Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary, complimentary breakfast in Hartmann Hall, and then it was down to the Historic Depot to prepare for the march to the capitol. (We stopped short of the capitol this year due to construction and finished in the street between the capitol and the state supreme court building.)

Over 400 people endured the cold and wind to participate in the march for life.

Dr. Alveda King spoke briefly to the crowd at the end of the march.

I offered the closing prayer immediately after Dr. King finished her statements. It was cold and windy enough that I didn't bother to adjust the microphone to the right height. Can I get an "Amen" to brevity when we are enduring the cold and wind?

Dr. Alveda King was the keynote speaker at the evening banquet.

Having a photographer sitting at your table means you get your picture taken. He told Margaret and I to act as if we actually like each other. (I think we pulled it off.)

My thanks to Matthew Potter for all of the photographs above. My thanks to Laramie County Right to Life for all the work that goes into this march and banquet each year. My thanks to the clergy and staff at the Cathedral of St. Mary for assisting in the organization of the Holy Hour and Eucharistic Liturgy on this weekend each year. My thanks to the ladies of the Cathedral Guild who graciously prepare breakfast for us each year. My thanks to the Knights of Columbus for leading the march and providing lunch after the march. Thanks to all who marched. We are making a difference because each of you choose to get involved. Thank you for your support of life from conception through natural death.

Fog and Ice Are Much Different Than Sand and Sun

2/1/2017

It seems that many of my plans recently have come to a screeching halt. Is it simply the ebb and flow of life, or is it something much more disconcerting? There are times when discernment in such matters is an absolute necessity.

The collapse of the publishing company has kept my book from getting released just before Lent as I had been anticipating. I was looking forward to having my book available to people who attend the retreats and parish missions that I lead. I wanted it to be a resource which would encourage them in their own dark days of suffering and affliction. Unfortunately, with the closing of the publishing company I am back to square one as opposed to my book being released on February 28.

My Lenten schedule is full so I was going to attempt to get some rest and relaxation in the warm sunshine this week before things really ramp up. I attended all of the pro-life activities on Friday and Saturday in Cheyenne. I came home Saturday evening after the pro-life banquet and immediately finished packing and loading the car so I could leave early Sunday morning. I was going to drive to Missouri to pick up my brother-in-law and then we would head to Gulfport, Mississippi where the forecast was for three days of sunshine with high temperatures of 70 degrees. My body could already get a sense of the heat and humidity.

Sadly, as I finished loading the car and got ready for bed, I suddenly knew something was not right. I could feel that my heart was back in atrial fibrillation. My prayers for it to go back into rhythm on its own were not answered in the manner in which I had desired. It would require some medical assistance. Vacation had to be cancelled.

In the midst of these obstacles I am striving to discern any relevant spiritual aspects connected to these events. It is at least a reminder that as aggravation and frustration enter into the picture, I must root myself even more deeply in prayer to combat any spiritual assault that is involved.

I do not have any pictures of the Gulf of Mexico to share with you, but I can share some morning photos of beautiful Cheyenne, Wyoming. Have a blessed start to your February!

Don't forget--the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is tomorrow (Thursday) and St. Blase (Blaise) is on Friday. Get your throat blessed on Friday in your local parish.