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On FIRE about our Catholic Faith - The Church of the Blessed Sacrament

On FIRE about our Catholic Faith - The Church of the Blessed Sacrament

On FIRE about our Catholic Faith - The Church of the Blessed Sacrament

On FIRE about our Catholic Faith - The Church of the Blessed Sacrament

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Eph 2:8-9

I don’t know about you, but I was really disappointed with the NCAA championship game. Yes, I was a little jaded, and no I didn't watch much after the last Kansas team was eliminated, but I thought I could turn on the last game and see some fireworks, the culmination of a hard road. It made me think of my lent. Moments of brilliance in a long unimpressive performance. It can be easy to stay frustrated, to look back and wish you had done something differently. But we are a people of the present, and we have a God of the present. You will notice that even though the game wasn’t great, the celebration held the same joy. It still ended with a national championship, there was still reason for exuberance. Easter approaches, and we can still feel that joy.  If nothing else a poor performance is opportunity for growth and humility. A recognition that without God we are lackluster.  I encourage you, if you have not made a good confession, get there. There is still the Easter Triduum, and there are still boundless graces waiting to be poured upon you the moment you allow it. You could almost say Palm Sunday is halftime, and we have the buzzer beater, Good Friday, still to come. Let God draw up your play, and follow through, nothing is more glorious than the Resurrection.

“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:40

-Fr. Benjamin Green

Penance Service - Thursday, April 10, 2014, Church of the Blessed Sacrament

Vatican City, Feb 19, 2014 / 04:57 am (CNA).- During his Wednesday audience, Pope Francis encouraged the pilgrims filling St. Peter's Square to receive the sacrament of reconciliation.

"Everyone say to himself: ‘When was the last time I went to confession?’ And if it has been a long time, don’t lose another day! Go, the priest will be good. And Jesus, (will be) there, and Jesus is better than the priests – Jesus receives you. He will receive you with so much love! Be courageous, and go to confession,” urged the Pope on Feb. 19.

Acknowledging a popular objection to the sacrament, Pope Francis noted, “someone can say, ‘I confess my sins only to God.’ Yes, you can say to God, ‘forgive me,’ and say your sins. But our sins are also against our brothers, against the Church. This is is why it is necessary to ask forgiveness of the Church and of our brothers, in the person of the priest.”

"While the celebration of the sacrament is personal, it is rooted in the universality of the Church," which "accompanies us on the path of conversion," he explained.

“Forgiveness is not something we can give ourselves,” cautioned the Pope. “One asks forgiveness, one asks it of another person, and in confession, we ask forgiveness from Jesus.”

“Forgiveness is not a result of our efforts, but is a gift. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit who showers us with mercy and grace that pours forth unceasingly from the open heart of Christ crucified and risen.”

The Pontiff went on to recognize that many people feel ashamed at the idea of confessing their sins and might say, “but Father, I am embarrased!”

“Even embarrassment is good. It’s healthy to have a bit of shame… it does us good, because it makes us more humble.”

“Don’t be afraid of confession,” Pope Francis stressed. “When someone is in line for confession he feels all these things – even shame – but then, when he finishes confessing, he leaves (feeling) free, great, beautiful, forgiven, clean, happy.”

“The sacrament of reconciliation is a sacrament of healing,” he pointed out.

“When I go to confession, it’s for healing: healing the soul, healing the heart because of something that I did to make it unwell.”

The Pope pointed to the biblical story of Jesus healing a paralyzed man, which expresses the “profound link” between “forgiveness and healing,” since “the Lord Jesus is revealed at the same time as the physician of soul and body.”

He also recounted the parable of the prodigal son, who sought his father’s forgiveness and was welcomed home with open arms.  

“But I say to you,” he stressed to the many pilgrims, “every time we go to confession, God embraces us.”

April 6, 2014 - The Fifth Sunday of Lent

Greetings!

For many years, the rate of Mass offerings, sometimes referred to as Mass stipends, was five dollars. On January 17, 1014, the Bishops of the province of Kansas, decided to increase the offering to ten dollars. The new rate will start on May 1st and is in conformity with most dioceses around the United States.

This is a good opportunity to consider the practice of Mass offerings in the Church as there are many misunderstandings. The canonical history of Mass stipends is both extensive and complicated. The legitimacy of Mass stipends has been sustained from at least the 8th century. It was at this period of history that Mass stipends took the form in which they have been practiced during the past century. Since their origins, even in the midst of abuse and misunderstanding, the magisterium has continued to defend their legitimacy. The history of the special benefits received from the offering of a Mass has a long and extensive history, which, due to the confines of this article, will not be treated here. Suffice it to say that since their origin in the 8th century, Masses applied to a specific intention were deemed to be effective means for obtaining a special grace. However, what exactly that grace is has been greatly contested. The Church has not officially characterized the nature of this special grace.

The 1983 Code of Canon Law does not clarify the issue. In fact, renowned canonists derive somewhat different conclusions regarding the fruits of the Mass. John Huels in reference to both Paul VI’s motupropio on Mass offerings and the 83 code states that neither of these “claims that the offering of Mass for a certain intention produces any benefit at all for that intention.” On the contrary, Julio Manzanares notes the practice of Mass stipends demonstrates an expression of faith in the power of the Church to mediate on behalf of the 

faithful. In regards to c. 945, Joaquin Calvo-Alvarez commented that the canon implies the traditional special fruits of the Mass. It was noted in the committee reports studying the draft De Sacramentis for the revision of the Code of Canon Law that canons 109-129 were based upon a “theory of merit and the fruits of the Mass.” 

One can be confident that the Church’s long-standing tradition of priests offering the sacrifice of the Mass for a particular intention does produce a special fruit directed to the donor’s intention.

You can schedule a Mass to be offered for a specific intention by contacting the parish office. A priest can apply the Mass to anyone, living or dead (c. 901). And, yes, the person for whom the Mass is offered does not have to be Catholic.

Ad majorem Dei gloriam,

Fr. John F. Jirak

Spring Cleaning Fundraiser!

Help us raise funds for TWO LOCAL CHARITIES!!!

Goodwill is providing a truck from 10AM-2PM this Saturday at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Wichita. See below the list of what will be accepted.  Goodwill has agreed to give us TEN CENTS for every pound we collect to go the St. Vincent de Paul Society.  Consider donating what you don't use any more that will help others.  If you can't get to the church Saturday, please call John at 316-208-6773 to arrange for a pick up at your home.  Additionally, there are collection bins in the Commons and the school entry way.  Thank you for all that you do to help us.  Please spread the word! 

March 30, 2014 - The Fourth Sunday of Lent

“So much the more the report went abroad concerning him; and great multitudes gathered to 

hear and be healed of their infirmities. But he withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.” 

(Luke 5:15-16)

Yup, Jesus took retreats. There are all kinds of retreats out there. The spiritual life center puts different ones on all the time. We have several each year. I write this week to remind the men of this parish of the opportunity April 12 here at Blessed Sacrament. There is going to be a retreat here for men ages 16 and older. It will focus on prayer.Sadly it’s only from 8:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m,  a very brief respite, but God is never outdone in generosity. I went on retreat this past week, with all the “new” priests of the diocese. It’s a joy to see these guys who I don't see as often as I would like, but it’s even more of a joy to step back for a day or two. To bring the focus back on who I am and what I do. We were given a book by Fr. Walter Ciszek, a Jesuit priest who was imprisoned for 20 years in Russian prisons. The book “He Leadeth Me” was about his time incarcerated and how he found God’s will through the suffering and the humdrum. There is actually a whole chapter on retreats. Now being in a communist prison camp working 12 hours of hard labor a day does not lend itself to the retreat experience we think of, but Fr. Ciszek recognized something so necessary in taking time for the Lord that he managed to carve out time for himself, and then to carve out time for others.

For Fr. Ciszek and the other priests in that camp their ultimate enemy was the loss of hope. I would argue that that is the ultimate enemy for all of us. The prison camp used mind numbing routine, exhaustion and hunger in an attempt to bend the will of those priests and those men. We don't have the hardship of a prison camp, but we do have the same battle. Boredom, frustration, unrest, failure in virtue- these all lead to us look at our feet and plod on. We lose sight of the hope that ultimately is what should drive us. Attend the retreat, or encourage your husbands or your fathers to go. We need to give the Lord time to let Him reveal Himself in our lives, to restore that hope which carries us through anything.

“To survive in this situation, a man needed more than food or even intellectual sustenance, he 

needed spiritual strength. Accordingly, I organized a retreat movement in each of the camps 

as best I could. I began with the priests, who agreed to the idea eagerly. They, more than 

others, certainly realized the need for a strong spirit of faith, a deepened spiritual life. Many 

of them, too, felt this need especially because they were on the brink of discouragement and 

sometimes of despair... Every moment of every man’s life is precious in God’s sight, and none 

must be wasted through doubt and discouragement.” (He Leadeth Me)

-Fr. Benjamin Green

March 23, 2014 - The Third Sunday of Lent

“If you knew the gift of God who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”  These words of Jesus to the woman at the well contain a powerful message of good news to those of us looking for something more in life. Jesus offers us the “living water” of God’s love to be received and spilled over to others. 

This week I had the opportunity of meeting with our Encore Leadership Team. Encore is a new ministry directed to serving those parishioners 55 years and older in living a more personal, passionate relationship with God and with others in our parish family. During the meeting, I shared a passage of St. Bernard from the book, Soul of the Apostolate, about the relationship between the spiritual life and the active life/ apostolate. “’If you are wise, you will be reservoirs and not channels.’ . . . The channels let the water flow away, and do not retain a drop. But the reservoir is first filled, and then, without emptying itself, pours out its overflow, which is ever renewed, over the fields which it waters. How many there are devoted to works, who are never anything but channels, and retain nothing for themselves, but remain dry while trying to pass on life-giving grace to souls! ‘We have many channels in the Church today,’ St. Bernard added sadly, ‘but very few reservoirs.’”

After sharing the above passage, one of the members of the group stated, “I see in those people who are aging, a reservoir that is filling, filling, filling. But the gates are locked up.” Her observation brought home to me a very important truth. Many of those who are aging have reservoirs filled with the love that comes from God and are ready to burst in their desire to share it. Unfortunately, the overemphasis of our culture upon strength, vitality, success and utility often lock up the gates to this reservoir of Divine love. Life becomes more about achieving than being.

What if we saw the aging among us as reservoirs of God’s love ready to be poured out? What if their love is a draught of the “living water” that Jesus comes to give us? Our world is thirsting and Christ is offering us a drink of “living water.” He is here in our midst and, I believe, in a special way among the aging members of our parish, whose “reservoirs are filling, filling and filling.”

Ad majorem Dei gloriam,
Fr. John F. Jirak

March 16, 2014 The Second Sunday of Lent

It has been a year since Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI resigned the Petrine ministry and
nearly a year since Pope Francis began his papacy. It has been an interesting year for
the Catholic Church. Pope Francis’ leadership has led some to worry about the future
direction of the Catholic Church. Some of the louder voices cry that he is changing
Church teaching and others, he is “getting with the times.” It is true that taken out of
context some of his comments on matters of sexual morality and the sacraments may be
interpreted as changing Church teaching.

The Pope’s vision of pastoring is the interpretative key to understanding his teaching
and preaching. Pope Francis is a very pastoral pope. He has commented that shepherds
should “take on the smell of the sheep.” In an address to the priests of Rome on March
6th he emphasized the importance of priests being with their flocks, which involves
“a suffering with the people, like a father and a mother suffer for their children, and I
would say also with anxiety.”

This is very pastoral approach doesn’t change doctrine, but does change the Church’s
focus to the circumstances of each individual challenged to live Christ’s teaching.
This focus came out clearly in a response Pope Francis recently made on the subject
of contraception. On March 5th, an Italian newspaper printed the Pope’s response to
a question on changing the Church’s teaching in Humane Vitae. He stated that “the
question is not that of changing doctrine but of going deeper and making pastoral
ministry take into account the situations and that which is possible for people to do.”

It is easy to know the teachings of the Church, it is not so easy to reconcile ourselves with
those teachings when weakness, sin, broken relationships and personal woundeness
enter into the picture. Such circumstances demand a gentle, compassionate and patient
approach. The approach is difficult and not near as black and white as we would like.
I believe that the Catholic Church is being blessed and stretched right now with a Pope
who will reconcile many people back to God. He is challenging all of us in how we live
out charity towards our neighbor. He is also introducing a model of the Church that
looks different from the Church as the Perfect Society. This came through clearly in an
interview last year when he stated, “I see the church as a field hospital after battle.”
How would the model of the Catholic Church as a “field hospital after battle” effect the
way that we live and experience the Christian life?

Ad majorem Dei gloriam,
Fr. John F. Jirak

March 9, 2014 The First Sunday of Lent

“Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is 
its own evil.” (Mt 6:34)

I think I've said this before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, it’s amazing how the readings tie into our lives. These past two weeks have been great, they've also been a little frustrating. I love the mountains, I prefer to be outdoors, and I have been blessed to do both. But I've let things worry me. Instead of relaxing on my vacation, or soaking in the mountain air with the CYO I've been worrying about the work piling up, skiing
conservatively so I don't screw up my new knee, and tracking what’s going on in Russia. I think it’s safe to say that 15 minutes watching any major news station will leave you wondering what in the world is happening to our country and our world.

I said Mass in a group room at a condo in Colorado for the Blessed Sacrament group,
and I preached about not letting worry into our lives. It’s prideful to worry. Worry
means we trust ourselves more than God, and we don't have the power to change much
as it is. Yet in the back of my mind was worry. It’s a good time for Lent. Lent is our opportunity to focus on turning back to the Lord. It’s also our chance to do something about our worry. Pope Francis implored us in his Angelus address to “combat evil with weapons of prayer, fasting and mercy.” Ash Wednesday’s Gospel expounded on our Christian duty to pray, fast and almsgive. Really we are being reminded of our
weapons to combat evil, our weapons against worry. " is Sunday we hear Jesus undergo temptation. After the devil tempts Jesus a third time He responds: “Get away, Satan! It is written: "the Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” This is what Lent is about. Turning back to God, repenting of our sins, giving to God those things we worry about so that we can focus not on ourselves, but on what God
wants from us. It’s a reminder of the power of those weapons- prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It’s a preparation so that we can experience the joy of Easter, the joy God has planned for each one of us in our daily lives.

Listen for the Lord this Lent. He is constantly urging us. I was reminded multiple times. One beautiful ski run on the last day I paused at the top of a steep descent to look down. Flexing my leg I wondered how my knee would do. Pete skied up next to me and said “you should talk about this in your homily.” I looked up and saw what he was looking at, a beautiful sunny day, mountain peaks in every direction, pure beauty and
majesty. Give up something this Lent, add some prayer, show mercy to those that need it, and let God take your worry. Let Him remind you of the beauty He has created, the care He has for you, and the joy He has prepared for those who trust in Him.

-Fr. Benjamin F. Green

Opening The Word Scripture Study Week 3

Join us Saturdays and Sundays during Advent in the Bishop Gerber room for the Opening the Word Series! Saturdays: 4:30-5:10PM and Sundays: 8-8:50AM and babysitting will be provided for the 10-10:50AM session.

Catholics today are hungering to understand the Bible better - especially the Sunday liturgy!  Opening the Word will help you unpack the Sunday reading and you will be able to apply it to your life in a profound way!  During Advent, join us.  We will read the Sunday readings, watch a short video related to the readings, use a prayer journal for reflection and resolution, a small group sharing then all wrapped up with a closing prayer.

This 3rd Sunday of Advent, learn that sometimes God doesn't work in our lives the way we expect, but He has us exactly where he wants us to be for our perfect good and perfect growth in holiness.

You will break into small groups and share your own experience of a time of discouragement and what positive ways you worked through it. We will discuss how Jesus' answer to John's question, "Are you the one, the Messiah?" can bring encouragement and increase your faith. 

Opening the Word app is now available.  With this app, you will have the Sunday scripture reading for the entire liturgical year in the palm of your hand! You'll have commentary from scripture scholars revealing the messages and helping you. 

Click here to register.  If you want to learn more about Opening the Word, click here.

Special Lenten Message from Father Jirak

Special Lenten Message From Father Jirak

Happy Lent,

I am excited to join you in making this a great Lent!  As a parish we are most fortunate and blessed to have the following opportunities available to us:

Opening the Word   -  Saturdays at 4:30 PM, Sundays at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM in the Bishop Gerber Room Opening the Word is a resource that helps you unpack the Sunday reading and apply it to your life in a profound way.  Babysitting offered during the 10:00 session.  For more information about Opening the Word:   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jCki9gAeVw

Stations of the Cross - Fridays at 2:40 Pm and 7:00 PM in the main church 
Spiritual devotion of reflecting on the saving events of Christ's passion.  Nearly every saint had a devotion to the Stations of the Cross.  For more information about Stations:
http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/documents/ns_lit_doc_via-crucis_en.html

Lenten Soup Suppers - Fridays at 6 PM in Bishops Hall  
Altar Society will host a Soup Supper before 7 PM Stations of the Cross

Lenten Vespers - Sundays at 5 PM in the main church
Vespers, also called Evening Prayer, is part of the Liturgy of the Hours. In the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church fulfills Jesus' command to "pray always" (Luke 18:1; see also 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Through this prayer, the people of God sanctify the day by continual praise of God and prayers of intercession for the needs of the world.

Lenten Journey Series - Tuesdays at 7:00 PM during Lent
March 25, 7pm: Galileo, Science and the Catholic Church: Myth and Reality presented by Dr. Kenneth Howell.  April 1^st, 7 pm: Authentic Feminism: Righting the Wrongs of Modern Feminism by Getting to the Heart of the Matterpresented by Erica Zurita.

Penance Service – Thursday, April 10th at 7 PM in the main church
8 priests will be available for confession at our Lenten Penance Service.  For more information about the need to confess one's sins, see Pope Francis message:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-be-courageous-go-to-confession/

Lenten Devotionals - If you have not received one yet, please stop by the parish office. You can choose the Magnificat daily devotional, Magnificat Lenten Companion or Not by Bread Alone from Liturgical Press

Forty Days for Lent – Sunday before all Masses
The Knights of Columbus and St. Vincent de Paul ware inviting us to help stock God’s Food Pantry by setting aside a can or carton of food each day during Lent and place in grocery cats at the entrances of the church each Sunday before Mass.

March 2, 2014, The Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time

Last Thursday, February 20th, early in the morning as I was in the chapel, a text came across that we might have a new bishop. A few minutes later a Google Plus text popped up that we indeed had a new bishop. His name was Carl Kemme. As I left the chapel, I thought about making an announcement to the 6:30 am Mass goers. However, I held back because I didn't know how his name was pronounced. Was the second “e” pronounced or not pronounced. Maybe it was a short “e” and not a long “e.” I certainly did not want to mispronounce the name of my new boss.

After Mass, I headed down into Bishops Hall for our Thursday, Junior High Scripture Group. The religion teacher was waaayyyy excited! She enthusiastically approached me, “Did you hear about the Bishop.” I responded with a less than enthusiastic, yes, which kind of surprised me. As I listened to people celebrating the announcement of Bishop-elect Kemme, I did not really understand why I was not yet “feeling the joy.” My reserve started to shake off as I read his bio and found out that he was a farm boy; moreover, later in the day someone shared with me that he raised hogs! Oh my, this is good news! You can't go wrong with a hog farmer. :-)

Over the next several days I thought some about my hesitation to celebrate the appointment of a new bishop. For priests, the appointment of a bishop is the arrival of a new boss. A lot of our happiness is connected with our relationship with our boss, the bishop. Naturally, a number of questions arise in a priest’s mind on the appointment of a new bishop. Will he be a bishop that likes to move priests around?; Will he approve of the things that we are doing at our parish?; Will we relate to each other well?; Is he traditional or progressive?; and, of course, will he like K-State or KU?

It wasn't until Saturday, the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, that I realized the foolishness of my thinking. The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter is the celebration of Christ establishing the authority of the supreme authority of the Church, namely, the pope. The Gospel of the day is Mt. 16:18 where Christ tells Peter that he is the rock on which the Church will be built. Peter was given a special authority through the reception of the “keys.” It would be God’s plan to provide a shepherd’s care to each generation through the authority of the pope founded on the Chair of St. Peter.

It all became clear to me when Bishop-elect Kemme stated that he was humbled by Pope Francis’ choice in selecting him as the next Bishop of Wichita. This was how the good shepherd Jesus Christ was going to care for me and the people of our parish over the years to come. All of a sudden those questions about his style and background didn’t really matter anymore. Christ is at work shepherding us and, by the Chair of St. Peter through Pope Francis, we have been graced with Bishop-elect Carl Kemme. Of course, it doesn't hurt any that he was a hog farmer.

Ad majorem Dei gloriam, Fr. John F. Jirak

The Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - February 23, 2014

“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” 
1 Cor 9:25-27

There is something truly special about the Olympics. The games enthrall me. The stories, the skill, the sheer weight of a competition that only happens once every four years. I don’t think any other time you would find me standing and yelling at the TV during a cross country ski race. You definitely would not see any form of figure skating, but somehow even that catches my attention every Olympiad. There’s an element of admiration in the skill these athletes have. A definite respect for the work they've put in to even get there. A true sense of pride in our country.

What’s ironic is that these athletes are competing every year. There are circuits and world cups, qualifying and exhibitions, but I don’t pay any attention until there is a firehose of events at all hours on a couple channels. We fall into the same trap in our spiritual life. The big moments in our life get special attention. We fall on our knees and beg for guidance or strength, perseverance and courage. The rest of the time it’s humdrum. We should be in training. Always pushing, always growing, honing our techniques. Saints don’t spring out of the woodwork every 20 years, God creates new ones each day and He created one in you.

It’s true we don’t pay much attention to the athletes that finish out of the top ten. But even those competitors have done something astounding. I am quite sure that if you talk to them they are proud to have been on that stage, and they are hungry to get better for the next chance. We aren't in competition with St. Peter, or Francis, Agatha or Therese. These giants we will see on the podium. But I'd be darn happy to finish the race, and to be in their company, you can count on that. So catch some of the Olympics while they are still on. Then, get back to work, there is plenty of training to do before we are called up.

“Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own fl esh will from the flesh reap corruption; be he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.” Gal 6:7-9
-Fr. Benjamin Green

Keep Your Kids Safe Online Presentation, Wednesday!

IMPORTANT:  Wednesday, 7PM, New Gym

Does your child have a smart phone, IPod Touch, tablet or computer?  Do you know what all those apps on those devices do?  Do you know what your child is doing on the internet, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, etc?  Who else is looking at your child's pictures and profile?  Learn how to protect your children and yourself from the pitfalls of the internet and social media.  Blessed Sacrament School's Student Activities Council is proud to present Rebecca Martin, and FBI agent, trained in this area.  Her presentation is amazing and so helpful in protecting our children.  Child care will be provided.  Middle school kids will receive a homework pass for the class of their choosing if their parent attends.  We look forward to seeing you. 

New Bishop of Wichita

"As Pope Francis' first Consistory revs up, the longest Stateside vacancy has likewise been resolved: at Roman Noon, Papa Bergoglio named Msgr Carl Kemme (left), 53, vicar-general of Springfield in Illinois, as bishop of Wichita.

In the Kansas post leading 125,000 Catholics – home to one of the nation's largest crops of seminarians, a rare tuition-free school system funded through active stewardship and all around, an unusually energized ecclesial hotspot – Kemme succeeds Michael Jackels, who was named archbishop of Dubuque last April in one of Francis' first major US appointments.

Having pastored five parishes in Illinois' capital church, Kemme – a product of St Louis' Kenrick Seminary – was named vicar-general by then-Bishop George Lucas in 2002, while keeping his full-time ministry in the trenches. After serving as diocesan administrator for the year between Lucas' 2009 transfer to Omaha and BishopThomas Paprocki's arrival, the "Holy Goalie" kept today's appointee as his top deputy.

In a tweet announcing the move, Paprocki said that Kemme's ordination is set for May 1st."

WHISPERS IN THE LOGGIA

February 16, 2014 - The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor, and for enabling them to be fully a part of society.  This demands that we be docile and attentive to the cry of the poor and to come to their aid.”
(Evangelii Gaudium 187)

This month you might feel like you are being hounded with requests for donations. There are a lot of groups doing various good works.  The Junior St. Vincent de Paul is having a warm clothing drive for the homeless; warm wool socks, hats and gloves are needed.  The Girl Scouts and grade school students are creatively
finding ways to raise money for the Walk in Sisters’ Shoes campaign. There are still spots left on the CYO mission trip.  If there are others, I apologize, I get a lot of emails. There is a temptation to shut it all out, or to give once and call it good.  I would like to encourage you on two fronts.  First, as such an integral part of the Gospel and of our evangelization it’s important that our children are raised with a concern for the poor.

These activities are a hands-on way for them to experience both the plight and the joy of doing something for the poor.  Each “drive” that you are asked to donate to means that these kids have been educated about some aspect of need in our society, and how their efforts mean something.  Why do the homeless need wool socks?  Well the homeless are out in the cold, do not have a lot of changes of clothes, and they need the properties of a wool sock that cotton socks don’t have. Second, the poor are not going to go away anytime soon.  These drives highlight a need, but you’ll notice other groups throughout the year.  The Knight’s of Columbus offer their brawn and brains.  The St. Vincent de Paul works tirelessly, often in the shadows, helping those in need.  Circles groups engage the effort in a very personal way. There is a fundamental need for us to address the issue of poverty. It can get overwhelming, and I know that eventually you might run out of “extra” to give to these groups, but persevere.  As long as the problem of poverty remains we have an obligation to address it.  I encourage you to take up the efforts yourself.  Join one of these groups, or get creative.  In the end we aren't throwing clothing, money, time, food, or whatever else at a problem, we are giving to a person.  We are giving to a very real, very serious need, that undermines the dignity of one of God’s loved ones.  Feel free to say no when you have to, as long as you can say yes, I have done what I can in my heart.

The Church has realized that the need to heed this plea is itself born of the liberating action of grace within each of us, and thus it is not a question of a mission reserved only to a few. “ The Church, guided by the Gospel of mercy and by love for mankind, hears the cry for justice and intends to respond to it with all her might.”  In this context we can understand Jesus’ command to his disciples: “You yourselves give them something to eat!” It means working to eliminate the structural causes of poverty and to promote the integral development of the poor, as well as small daily acts of solidarity in meeting the real needs which we encounter.  The word “solidarity” is a little worn and at times poorly understood, but it refers to something more than a few sporadic acts of generosity.  It presumes the creation of a new mindset which thinks in terms of community and the priority of the life of all over the appropriation of goods by a few. ” (Evangelii Gaudium 188) -Fr. Benjamin Green

Jesus and His Sacred Heart

Today, a Parishioner sculpted this "snow statue" of Jesus and His Sacred Heart. People from all over Wichita are stopping and taking pictures and asking what church this is. What a fabulous way to evangelize.  

February 9, 2014 - The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Does Stewardship Undermine Faith?

There is a striking account of King David finding disfavor in the eyes of the Lord. In the second Book of Samuel, King David made the decision to command Joab to tour the tribes of Israel and “register the people, that I may know their number” (2 Samuel 24). Joab reported back to King David that there were 1.3 million men ready to serve in battle. This accounting was incredibly displeasing to the Lord. The Lord disciplined David by requiring a choice between three alternative grievous punishments.

At this point, the reader might be thinking, “God severely punished David for the decision to count the number of men ready to be activated for battle?” It would seem that counting the number of soldiers in one’s army would be the prudent decision of a commander.

So what was it about the counting that made for such a grievous sin? David’s counting of the soldiers was a violation of faith and trust in God. In the counting of the soldiers, David moved from faith in God’s support and strength to his own self-sufficiency. He took the work into his own hands and trusted in his own resources rather than God’s providential care. Accordingly, his pride reflected the violation of faith committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

In light of the circumstances of David’s rise and fall, does the Stewardship Way of Life undermine the faith God demands of a disciple? Stewardship is about recognizing and receiving God’s gifts and part of “recognizing” is to take an account of the talents and skills that we possess. If recognizing our talents results in an attitude of self-sufficiency as it did in King David then we have truly compromised faith and we are living a pseudo type of stewardship. In such a case, we will find ourselves as those who grew up with Jesus in his native place. Jesus “was amazed at their lack of faith” and he “was not able to perform any might deed there “ (Mark 6:6).

As long as recognizing one’s talents results in receiving them with gratitude from God as a gift, Stewardship will be a way of life that brings about great victory because God will be with us in the battle of life.

Ad majorem Dei gloriam,
Fr. John F. Jirak

Learning From The Homeless

Many of you know or have heard of Bob Johnson. He founded a street ministry that is active every day of the year. His group is open to anyone on Sunday afternoons. They meet at 1:30 p.m. at the tennis court parking lot in Riverside Park. Anybody is welcome to come help, so as you can imagine, it can be a bit chaotic, but it is amazing how it just all falls together. The first 30 minutes consist of a prayer, figuring out who has brought what and getting the hot meal organized. There are some homeless people that live at the park or under the bridge a short distance away. Once they have been served, the entire group caravans over to Nafzger Park and this is where the majority of the work begins. Trunks of cars open up to reveal used coats, scarfs, hats, gloves, socks, boots, toiletries and many other items. A pick-up truck hatch is opened and the homeless line up to receive a hot meal donated by individuals.

Several members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul have gotten involved and participate in these Sunday rituals. I think it is safe to say that we have all had our eyes opened up to what it is like out there. Of course, you have the people who have a substance abuse problem; some just can't seem to get it together. They are addicted to alcohol/drugs and use it as an escape from their life. I admit, they can be pretty fun to talk to, but the laughs are a mask to a much deeper pain; a pain that hopefully most of us will never know. Sadly, you see many Veterans, mostly from the Vietnam war. The ones I have spoken with talk a great deal about their younger years, but once the point in their life comes up that they entered the war, they tend to stop talking about themselves and eat quietly. You almost get the feeling that they think their life stopped during the Vietnam War and now they just exist and aren't truly alive. The eye-opener for all SVdP members who have spent a Sunday or two at the parks is how many working poor come to these events. The first few times I saw cars pull up and people get out to receive a new coat or a meal, I was a little put off.   I thought to myself, “if you have a car, surely you have a home and don't really need to be here."  I have never been more wrong in my life. I think these are the people who need this service the most. Many of these people have jobs and are doing what we as society have told them to do and that is “get a job.” Due to their jobs and the fact they work evenings, nights or weekends, they can't get to the pantries during working hours, or the one car they have is with the working adult while the other adult is at home with their children; this makes it impossible to get to the Lord's Diner. They make too much money to qualify for aid, but not enough to make ends meet. A lot of their money is tied up in high interest rate loans because they made the horrible mistake of going to “one of those places” for a cash advance to pay a gas or electric bill. Thus, the vicious circle begins and continues for most of them. While this is going on, their children see it and accept it as a way of life and will have a very difficult time breaking the cycle. I have no doubt that many of them made horrible decisions and would do anything to have the opportunity to do things over again, but none of us get to turn back the clock, so we are all left to play the hand we are dealt.

We see a man who comes for the meal, but more so because he wants people to talk to. He definitely has a colorful past. He joined a circus at the age of 13 after getting kicked out of his house by his abusive stepmother. He married at the age of 14 and eventually both his wife and daughter died. He turned to alcohol for comfort and is struggling to keep it together; he has been sober for 2 years. He has a cat, an apartment, odd jobs and this Sunday group; this is his life.

I think the most tragic story I have heard so far was from a man who told me about how horrible it is to be sitting on a park bench or on a sidewalk and have person upon person walk by him and look the other way. Trying to find the positive in something bad, I said something like at least they were not throwing things or cursing at him. His response sent a chill up my spine. He said he would much rather be cursed at or spit upon because at least then he was being acknowledged.

"The greatest injustice we have done to our poor people is that we think they are good for nothing; we have forgotten to treat them with respect, with dignity as a child of God.  People have forgotten what the human touch is, what is is to smile, for somebody to smile at them, somebody to recognize them, somebody to wish them well.  The terrible thing is to be unwanted" - Mother Teresa
-Gina Adams, Blessed Sacrament Parishioner

February 2, 2014 - The Presentation of the Lord

This year was the best March for LIfe I've been on.  It was my 7th march, 6 as a seminarian in exile out east. This was my first as a priest.  It had a different feel of course, but I can point out one moment that really stood out for me.

It was the beginning of the actual march, a group of women and a few men stepped out into the street.  They held high signs that said, I regret my abortion.  I was kind of taken aback.  I was proud of them, for their courage, for the obvious healing that had occurred in their lives, but I didn't know what to do.  I was so dumbstruck I asked a kid next to me what do we do?  I don't think we should cheer, how are we supposed to react? The the kids yelled the most perfect response.  Something I was embarrassed I didn't think of, something that started with a few and grew.  "We love you!"

The March for Life is a powerful event. An awakening of the church militant, and a great sign to us who may wonder what is ahead for our country.  But, if we go to the march, or stand up here, ready for a fight we'll find one.  If we seek to impose our teaching, to bend another's will we won't find success.  It is frustrating that hundreds of thousands of people march every year, no matter the weather, and nothing seems to happen.  We have contradicting laws, and it seems to obvious why doesn't everyone get it?  The answer lies in the mouths of those outh.  We love you.

It's a conversion of heart.  Logic aside we have to learn how to respond with love.  I'm still figuring that out, thank goodness there were kids from our diocese that knew what to do.  That's something that should give us great hope, and something we can be very proud of.

"Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  In this is love, not taht we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the expiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."  (1 John 4:7-11)

MISSION STATEMENT: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED

(Author unknown)

I AM A PART of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.

The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is in God’s hands. I am finished and done with low living, small planning, the bare minimum, smooth knees, mundane talking, frivolous living, selfish giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, applause, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, the best, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith. I lean on Christ’s presence. I love with patience, live by prayer, and labor with the power of God’s grace.

My face is set. My gait is fast, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, and my mission is clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and spoken up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I am a Catholic. I must go until He comes, give until I drop, speak out until all know, and work until He stops me. And when He returns for His own, He will have no difficulty recognizing me. My banner is clear: I am a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.

Adapted from the original (author unknown) by Patrick Madrid

http://patrickmadrid.com/

JANUARY 26, 2014 - THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Greetings!
Pope Francis recently wrote in his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii gaudium, that the parish is “the Church living in the midst of the homes of her sons and daughters.” Another way of saying this is that the parish is the family of God present in our own domestic setting. Consequently, those elements that make for a successful home life/domestic setting are similar to the elements necessary for a thriving parish. Probably the most important element for a successful home life is the presence of charity. Charity is not an abstract concept for the Christian. Charity takes form in the thoughts, words and actions that we use when relating to our family members. I would like to reflect for a moment on how words can compromise the charity necessary for a thriving family or parish life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks about a number of sins concerning the way we use our words towards one another. The Catechism places sins with words against one another as violations of the 10th Commandment. Some of these sins include the following:

•  Rash judgment: without sufficient knowledge assuming something as true concerning the moral fault of  a neighbor.
•  Detraction: without a valid reason sharing another’s faults and failings to a person who did not know  them.  
• Calumny: harming the reputation of another by speaking remarks that are false about the person. Pope Benedict XVI once said that because of our fallen human nature we gravitate towards pointing out the negative in our neighbor.

My observation as a priest is that most of these violations with words occur against those closest to us, i.e., in our domestic family and parish family. Avoiding rash judgment, detraction and calumny is not easy as Pope Benedict alluded to in the above statement. This means that we must be intentional and not passive about refraining from undermining charity through harmful words toward or about another in our home and in our parish families. Pope Francis recently challenged the members of his staff , i.e., the Roman Curia, to avoid gossip. He said, “be conscientious objectors to gossip, in particular, in the office. For gossip is harmful to people, harmful to our work and our surroundings.” I would like to conclude with a few words from St. Paul, “Say only the good things men need to hear; things that will really help them” (Ephesians 4:29). When we feel the temptation to rash judgment, detraction and calumny, let us stop and first say a prayer for the person.

Ad majorem Dei gloriam,
Fr. John F. Jirak

Dead Days

The dead days of my life are every day that I do not abide with the Holy Host, and regrettably they added to many years. Christ's words resonate in my mind, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you" (John 6:53). Therefore, every day I do not eat and drink the Holy Host, I do not live. Since I belong to the Heavenly Father, I must dine from the banquet of my Father. Thus, I consider myself and essential participant in the Holy Feast of the Heavenly Father, and not a spectator.

A priest is an essential participant of the Holy Feast, thus his presence is expected early before the mass celebration begins, and that should not differ from what is expected from you and I. The rich symbolism of the Mass and of the passionate death and resurrection of Christ prompted me to value the events as a sacrificial conjugal love. I view the celebrations as a conjugal sacrificial love, because they contain the essential elements of the marital love, where the people involved become physically transformed into one body. Christ stated in John 6:56 "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them." Therefore, to abide in Christ and for Christ to abide in me is a conjugal sacrificial love that transforms those involved into one body. Christ did not institute the celebration of the Mass to transform the bread and wine into Christ, so that Christ may live quietly into the Church's Tabernacle. The Mass is not a complete conjugal sacrificial love without the willing receiver saying "Amen" and repeating what the Virgin Mary proclaimed in Luke 1:38, "let it be with me according to your word". Then the father priest, who is the visible image of the invisible the Heavenly Father, is authorized to witness the feast.


Therefore, I consider every Mass to be an incredible wedding feast of bodies abiding in conjugal sacrificial love of Christ’s body, my body, and the Bride Virgin Mary. So, every Christian who abides in Christ’s body becomes likewise abided in mine. Thus, we all become branches in the vine tree of the eternal life. When a qualified man and a woman unite in conjugal love, they physically transform to produce one body, and in nine months they may give it one name. Christ’s Holy Host abiding daily with a willing participant will transform the person, perhaps in less than nine months, into an heir and coheir of Christ.

Catholic priests who are the authorized visible image of the invisible Father radiate their love of the Eucharist to the family of believers. I am speechless at the relentless generosity of Christ and His priests in offering their time and love to forgive our sins time and time again. If a president comes to visit you today, you would take great care to prepare yourself, your clothes, and your home for the occasion without missing a second of it. Christ, the Redeemer stands in the visible priest waiting to hear the confession of your sins and waiting to guide you to receive Christ’s Holy Body worthily. Christ and His mother are waiting for you daily in the visible bread in the Perpetual Adoration to grow and nourish your bond together into one body. A valid husband and wife retain the same physical appearances after the marriage, but truly they have become transformed into one body. Likewise, the visible bread and wine retain the same physical external appearances after the consecration, but physically become permanently Christ’s.

You are an essential participant in becoming one with the Holy Host, so that you become a living Holy Temple of Christ. Without your essential participation, Christ will be waiting for you in the consecrated Bread. Christ encouraged us to develop a deeper understanding by stating in Matthew 12:48-50 “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? ....For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” We belong to Christ and the Heavenly family of Christ. We cannot become one everlasting family even with our biological families without becoming one body abiding with Christ and the Holy Veiled Virgin Mary.

So, I invite you to join me for a daily Eucharist, daily prayers, Perpetual Adoration visits, and to take advantage of the generosity of our Father’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of reconciliation so we approach the Holy Altar worthily. You may feel a strong sense of belonging with your classmates, teammates, sports-mates, neighbors, community, club association, political association, profession, organization, or country. However, none is lasting except the bond with those who abide with Christ. I certainly had excuses for not living my faith as I should, but were they valid?

-A very blessed Blessed Sacrament parishioner