Father Tom's Blog &  Video Message

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The Gospel today contains one of the more familiar teachings of Jesus commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. Jesus declares as “blessed” many whom the world would not see as being blessed: the poor in spirit, those who are mourning, the meek, those who hunger and thirst, and those who are persecuted. Jesus is ushering in a kingdom where there will be a reversal of fortune for those who trust in him. Jesus reminds us that if we trust in his presence then even in the face of hardship and suffering we are blessed. We are invited to experience our lives through an eternal lens where we always have reason to rejoice and be glad because the reward of our faith is knowing Jesus and believing he has the power to bless us in all things.

This weekend begins the annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week. This is a time for the Catholic community to celebrate the gift of Catholic education and for parishes in particular to recognize the on-going commitment to provide a quality education to our children rooted in the beauty of our faith. Our parish has been blessed with a strong commitment to Catholic education for many decades. Every school day on our campus, 540 children attend our grade school which serves those in Kindergarten through 8th grade and approximately 220 children attend our Early Childhood Center which serves children from ages 1-5. Our ability to provide quality programs rooted in our Catholic faith is made possible by the support of our entire parish community. We thank you for your on-going stewardship. This weekend is a time to give thanks for the support of all our parishioners. We are also grateful for the families who send their children to our school and ECC, many of whom make sacrifices to do so. We are grateful for our dedicated staff and teachers and our Principal, Marianne Organ, and ECC Director, Cathy Koob, who share their gifts with our children each day. And we are especially grateful for the joy, life, and love the children bring to our community. They are a constant reminder of God’s presence. As we continue our commitment to provide Catholic education in our parish, let’s keep all our children in prayer and resolve to be inspiring examples of faith for them.
There is information, displays, and a video about our school in the Gathering Space and treats to go will be handed out by some of our students and families as you leave. Please share the good news of Catholic education at Presentation with your family and friends.

Please join me in welcoming to our staff our new Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministry, Michael Nations. Michael officially began this past week. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the position. You will hear more about Michael in next weekend’s bulletin. We look forward to the gifts he will bring to this ministry. Please extend a welcome to him when you get a chance.
Many Blessings! 

 

In today’s Gospel from Matthew, we hear about the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. After John the Baptist was arrested we are told: From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus called others to follow him. In today’s passage, Jesus calls Peter and Andrew and at once they left their nets and followed him. Jesus then calls James and John and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. The call of Jesus to these brothers comes amid their daily activities and their response to follow him is immediate. They did not know where the journey would lead or what the future would hold, but they trusted. The call to follow Jesus continues to come in our daily lives and activities. We know that it will lead us to greater purpose and meaning in life, but often we still resist the call to surrender our lives to Christ. Our parish theme this year of Just Disciple (and Pray) can serve as an important reminder each day to take time to be with Jesus through prayer so we can be the disciples we are called to be and lead others to Christ through our example.

Pope Francis established the Sunday of the Word of God to be celebrated each year on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, which is this weekend. As the Holy Father stated in instituting the observance, “Devoting a specific Sunday of the liturgical year to the word of God can enable the Church to experience anew how the risen Lord opens up for us the treasury of his word and enables us to proclaim its unfathomable riches before the world”. You can celebrate this day by viewing the Sunday Seminar Series about the Bible made available by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This series includes some of the best Catholic Bible scholars in the United States. You can access the videos at:
https://catholic.bible/sunday-of-the-word-of-god/ 
Take some time this week to enrich your understanding of the Word of God.

Next weekend, January 28-29, we will begin the annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week. Here at Presentation, we are blessed with a thriving Grade School and Early Childhood Center that combined serve over 760 children. This is a time for us to give thanks for the gift of Catholic education in our parish and to show our gratitude for the support of all our parishioners who help make our parish school and ECC possible. There will be information about our school available next weekend and refreshments after all the Masses.
In connection with Catholic Schools Week, we will take up a second collection for the OLP Catholic School Endowment Fund at all the Masses next weekend. Please support the Endowment Fund by using the designated envelope in your January packet, clearly marking your own envelope, or through Online Giving on our website. We appreciate your generosity and ongoing support of Catholic education.
Many Blessings!

 

As we have brought the Christmas season to a close, this week we enter into the season of Ordinary Time (Winter). This is a time when we “count” the Sundays and focus not on a specific aspect of Christ’s life but rather the general themes of his mission and ministry. On this Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, we hear from John’s Gospel and his version of John the Baptist pointing the way to Jesus. John the Baptist declares Jesus as the Lamb of God, as the one who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me, and as the one upon whom the Spirit comes down and remains. Like John the Baptist, we are to live these truths revealed to us through our faith and point the way to Jesus in our lives. As we take our theme of Just Disciple into the new year, this can be a focus for us as we seek to be good disciples.

This week our nation remembers the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and churches around the world observe the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The Dr. King holiday has also become a national day of service. This ties into Dr. King’s vision of people coming together in a spirit of service to break down walls of division and hatred. As we continue to pray for an end to racism and prejudice, we should also hear the call to serve and find ways to fight the injustices around us by seeing all people as our brothers and sisters. May we dedicate ourselves to service throughout the year and work to make Dr. King’s dream a reality through our efforts.
This week we also take time to pray for unity among the various Christian Churches during Christian Unity Week which runs from January 18-25 each year. While bringing the Christian Churches around the world together for greater unity may seem like a big undertaking, we can all pray for unity and find ways in our local communities and with our neighbors from other denominations to work together.

Please plan to join us this Thursday, January 19, at 6:30pm for our next Agape Latte. We are privileged to have John Hickey from Catholic Christian Outreach as our speaker. For those signed up for Discipleship Groups, this will serve as the kick-off event as the topic will be about discipleship. We will begin the evening in the church.

Next weekend is designated as Sunday of the Word of God in the Catholic Church. A reminder that the Word revealed to us in scripture is central to our faith and worship. We can also use this as a reminder to make the commitment in our lives to reading scripture daily and reflecting on the Sunday readings each week before attending Mass.

Next weekend is also one of our Celebrating Stewardship weekends. Plan to join us after Mass for some refreshments and fellowship.
Many Blessings!

 

I pray the NEW YEAR is off to an amazing start! As we enter 2023, may the light that came into our world through the birth of Jesus continue to shine brightly in our lives throughout the year. We continue our celebration of the Christmas season today with the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. The familiar story of the magi from the east following the star that leads them to Jesus is an epiphany that reveals Jesus as the Savior for all humankind. The magi represent people of all nations and help lead us to see all people as our brothers and sisters. This is a great feast for the new year because it reminds us who we are called to follow. Jesus is the light who overcomes the darkness in our lives. Jesus is the One who fulfills all our hopes and dreams. As we follow the light of Jesus in our lives, may the new year be filled with epiphanies of his presence.

The Feast of the Epiphany is the traditional time for the blessing of homes. In the bulletin is a simple blessing for your home with instructions for marking your doorway. We have provided blessed chalk in the past to use for the marking. You can reuse the chalk or there is a limited supply at church. The marking includes the first initial of the traditional names for the three magi – Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar – and the numbers for the year. This year it would read 20+ C + M + B + 23. As we come and go from our homes we are reminded of Christ’s presence and dedicate ourselves to being his presence for others. It’s a great conversation piece, so have some fun with it.
Because the Feasts of Christmas and Epiphany fell on a weekend this year, the Christmas season actually ends on a weekday. This Monday, January 9, is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This celebration brings the Christmas season to a close. Throughout the new year, may we remember our baptismal call and seek to serve Christ in all that we do.

There is still time to get into a Discipleship Group for the new year. Please take advantage of this opportunity to join with others as we grow together in our commitment to discipleship. Please call or email Mary Pat Storms to get signed-up. If you plan to participate in a Discipleship Group, please mark your calendar for our kick-off event, which will be our Agape Latte gathering on Thursday, January 19, at 6:30pm. The reflection that evening will be given by an international speaker on the subject of discipleship. This is open to anyone in the parish but there will be time for those in the discipleship groups to join together after the presentation.
 
Please keep in prayer the 120+ children in our parish who will be receiving their First Reconciliation this Tuesday. May they always know of God’s love and forgiveness.
Many Blessings!

HAPPY NEW YEAR & MERRY CHRISTMAS!! As we usher in a new year this weekend, we also continue our celebration of the Christmas season with the Feast of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. As we remember Mary as the mother of our Savior, we also recall her role as the mother of all the faithful. The beginning of the new year is an ideal time for us to call upon Mary’s intercession and follow her example of knowing and doing God’s will. The Gospel for today gives us insight into how she stayed tuned in to God’s will. After hearing the message being spread about her newborn Son, Jesus, we are told that Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. What a great way for us to begin the new year and live amidst the busyness of life. Let’s make time to reflect on God’s will for our lives and ponder the possibilities a new year brings. May 2023 be a blessing-filled year!

The new year reminds us that we have the opportunity to start fresh, make some changes, and commit to living our faith in new ways. Below are a few things I adapted from something I read that will hopefully help us stay headed in the right direction for the new year:
Make attendance at Mass and the practice of our faith our top priority, ahead of sports, entertainment, or other distractions. Get involved in the life of our faith community and find meaningful ways to share our gifts in service to others. Do something on a regular basis to serve the needs of the poor by participating in our outreach ministries. Make regular giving to the parish a commitment and practice sacrificial giving. Make a commitment to join a Discipleship Group and attend at least one or a few of our adult faith formation offerings this year. These are suggestions; there are many others. The important thing is to take action.

January 1 is also observed as the National Day of Prayer for Peace. I think we can all agree that our nation and world are desperately in need of peace. Take some time today to pray for peace and make it a regular practice throughout the year.

Please, please, please sign up for one of our Discipleship Groups if you haven’t already done so. Participating in a faith focused small group is a great way to begin the new year. We strongly encourage all adults to take part. To sign up, please use the QR code in the bulletin or on our website, email mstorms@olpls.org, or call the Parish Office.

We are grateful for all those who shared of their time and talents to make our Masses for Christmas Eve and Day so beautiful. A special thanks to our Mass Coordinators, Lectors, Communion Ministers, Greeters, Ushers, Servers, Musicians, Cantors, members of our various Choirs, and those who helped decorate the church. We are blessed by the generosity and service of so many.
Many Blessings today and throughout the new year!