New Year, New Me

Merry Christmas! On Wednesday, we begin the Christmas season in the Church and we will celebrate it until January 12th which is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. We also celebrate next Wednesday, the Feast of Mary the Mother of God on January 1st or New Year’s Day. It is a day in which we remember Mary’s role in the life of her Son, Jesus Christ. We often celebrate secular New Year’s Day with promises or resolutions like, “New Year, New Me.” Often, the new year’s resolutions only last a few weeks, the gyms are full for the first few weeks of the year, but then attendance drops off pretty quickly.

Instead of a “new year, new me,” how about “new year, and I will do my best to be the person God wants me to be.” The struggle with this is that we need to find out what that is and the best way for that is to ask Him. The best way to do this is to draw close to Him in prayer, but there is a challenge with this and that is that when you ask God where he wants you to be is that he will answer it and we may not always like the answer. This is because we sometimes have one idea of what we should be doing, but God has another. If we actually follow where God is leading us, it will always lead us to joy, even if it can be a lot of work or go through some suffering. The Apostles and many saints did not have an easy life, but they did enjoy eternal life with God.

The whole idea of “new year, new me” is that there is something in our life that we need to change or work on. The struggle is that most of us focus on the physical or material, like losing weight or working on being financially better, or reading more, but if we start off with our spiritual life the rest of it will be better. This is primarily because if we draw closer to God who is love and the source of love, it will change our attitudes.

Studies show that it takes about six weeks to build or break a habit, good or bad. If we make the effort for six weeks straight to do something good in our lives or stop doing something bad, we have a better hope of making it stick. In this upcoming new year, we should take some extra time to pray and ask God where He wants us to be so that we can become the person that Jesus Christ wants us to be. We celebrate the upcoming Christmas season in which God himself came to live the life that we lead and to preach, teach, and give us an example of how we are to live our lives in the way of Christ. Find some good Christian resources, especially during these cold months, so that we can build the life of prayer in our lives. Remember to not get tired of Christmas until the end of the Christmas Season.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Our 14th Parish Anniversary

This Tuesday, we celebrate a special anniversary on December 17th 2010, then Bishop Pates announced the creation of a new parish for the diocese located in Ankeny, our Parish of St. Luke the Evangelist. The parish began with a few families meeting in the basement of the Our Lady Immaculate Heart rectory to discuss the plans for the new parish. Wow, have we grown in these last 14 years! We are now over 860 families and we continue to grow about 75 families a year. We are still doing lots of Baptisms and seeing many children at our Masses here. This will continue to be the case for a very long time, and with that growth in people comes a growth in space. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the next phases of construction that we need to do, and while it is challenging, it is a wonderful thing to see. Anniversaries are a wonderful time in which we can look back on the things that have happened in the years past. Just like wedding anniversaries, when couples look back at the wedding and the years that have happened in between. In my over five years here, the parish has grown and continues to be a wonderful place with many young families, and I feel so blessed to be here. You have all been a great blessing in my life, and I thank you for the opportunity to continue to serve you people of God, here.

This weekend we will also be lighting the pink candle as well as using the rose or pink vestments. One of the things that this means is that Advent is over halfway over and the coming of Christ in Christmas is getting closer! We only have a week and a half until we celebrate the coming of our Lord and Savior as a baby. You have heard me say this many times, but we are called to be joy-filled or joyful Christians in the world, no matter what is happening in our lives.

As we continue to prepare ourselves for that wonderful coming of Christ again in the Christmas season, let us always remember to rejoice for the Lord is coming because that is the whole reason that we are celebrating this season of preparation- preparing ourselves for that coming of Christ. Even though we often get caught up in the material preparation, we still need to remember to take some time to prepare for the coming of our Savior in a spiritual way. Picking up Scripture for a few minutes a day is one way, but there are also many other ways we can be an example of prayer for ourselves and others. In the last week or so of the Advent season let us remember to be ready for that great coming of Jesus our Savior in the world.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

The Lure of Advertising

During this time of year, we are inundated with advertisements trying to get us to spend our money with this particular company, or in this particular way. Do you want to surprise your husband or wife, buy them this new car and they will love it.  Do you want your kids to love you how about this new really expensive toy.  Now, I really would not recommend purchasing something as large as a car without discussing it with your spouse for your own sake!

The secular world has no problem recommending that you go into huge debt to buy the things that you really do not need. There is a psychology behind advertising, and that is to try and convince you that you or someone you care about is lacking if they do not have this particular item. The true value in something is only as valuable as it is to the person who has it or the person who wants it. One of the most wanted gifts for many would be the newest and greatest gaming console and it would be of great value here. However, I had a conversation with someone from a remote region of Africa one time and they asked me how often the power goes out here in the United States. I responded very rarely, and he told me that in his village, the power is shut off every night to save fuel.  It also goes out many times during the day if the power plant is running short. They also have very limited access to the Internet. So, a brand new fastest gaming console would be of very little value, nor would they even want it. Cell phone manufacturers are also masters at leading you to the newest and greatest model.

In the end, advertising relies on pride and envy. Pride in that I have to have the best thing to be seen as the best, and envy in that I need these things that others might have in order to keep up with others. We as Christians know that the things that we own can end up owning us. We are called to really desire one thing, and that is the kingdom of heaven, and the things of the world can help us toward that, or they can hold us back from it. As we begin this season of Advent, we need to remind ourselves that while the material gifts are wonderful and exciting, one of the greatest gifts that we can give to others is our faith. This is something that will not break, it is something that can never be taken away from us, it is something that we will have forever. The gift of prayer and worship of God is a gift that will strengthen those around us and can make them to be a better person in the world. Keep praying and as we approach Christmas, keep in mind why and for who we celebrate this wonderful time.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It is once again time for Advent, this is the new year for the Church. We get to start off another liturgical year within the Church with this Advent season. Advent is another preparatory season, one that we are preparing for the coming of our Lord and Savior. He came as a humble child, one that was reliant on Mary and Joseph to take care of Him. He is also relying on us to help Him to carry out His mission in this world and that mission is to show the love that God has for us.

This is the time of the year that many people call the season of joy. It is a time in which we are getting ready to celebrate Christmas. But it is still a time in which we prepare for Christmas and it is not the Christmas season within the Church. The stores are trying to push us to celebrate Christmas earlier and earlier because if we do, it makes more of a profit for them. You will notice that the churches are decorated in purple for the Advent season and then will be decorated for Christmas on Christmas Eve the beginning of the Christmas season and it will not end until January 6th on the feast of the Epiphany. The song the 12 days of Christmas is based on the 12 days between Christmas and Epiphany. In many cultures, most gifts were not given on Christmas day, most of them were given on the feast of the Epiphany, which is the day we celebrate the child Jesus being given the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Advent is a season of preparation for the coming of our Lord and Savior, but also, from Thanksgiving until about New Years, is a time in which many families get together to celebrate these holidays. These parties often require preparation as well; we clean the house just a little bit more, we get extra food to serve, we prepare special family dishes, the list goes on and on. Even though this time of year is busy with many things going on, I really enjoy this time because we get to celebrate quite a bit. I know that in my own case, my family does not get together near as often as we would like, and like we did in the past. My schedule is all over the place, and my sisters’ children are growing, and they are even becoming parents themselves. For many families these holidays, as well as weddings and funerals, are the only times they really get a chance to get together. It really is a wonderful season to be with families. So please take some time to ready your hearts for the coming of our Lord and Savior during this Advent season and remember, don’t get tired of Christmas, before we celebrate that great season of joy, and have a blessed Advent!

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Perspective on the upcoming holidays

On Thursday we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. It officially was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 during the Civil War, even though it had been celebrated earlier than that. It is a day in which we give thanks for the many things that we have been given. Sometimes we want to ask ourselves “What is there to give thanks for?” Especially with everything that is going on in our world today. It is a trying time right now, so why do we want to give thanks?

Thanksgiving is also the unofficial kickoff of the holiday season. It is a time that will get busy with family and friends. As we are giving thanks for all of the gifts God has given us also ask Him for strength for the challenges we have in our lives. We spend a day with our families and have a feast, a feast to remember the many gifts God has given us. This is a day in which we usually over-indulge in food and drink, watch some football, or many other things; after all, we are celebrating. We can turn any event into a time to celebrate and over-indulge, which leads us to the evening and the next day… BLACK FRIDAY. I find it interesting, that the day we give thanks we begin to line up at the malls trying to get ready to beat out our neighbor for the best deal of the season. I myself have only been out in the morning of “Black Friday” a few times and that was enough. The stores call it Black Friday because they are making a profit, going from red to black. I really think that it is called black because of the darkness that can come from our competition to save a few dollars.

The word that we use for the Blessed Sacrament is Eucharist, this word is transliterated from the Greek word Eucharistia and the word translated means thanksgiving, so in essence we are celebrating a feast of thanksgiving every Sunday and every day when we celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Mass is a celebration of giving thanks to God for the gifts that He has given us, as well as a remembrance of the sacrifice that He suffered. We are called to play a part in both of these elements of the Holy Mass, the sacrifice and the thanksgiving. As we celebrate our Mass for the Thanksgiving holiday, remember to thank God for all of those things that we have been given. Just like in our celebration of Thanksgiving Day, we have choices on how we will participate. We can choose to not participate at all, we can eat and go on to the next thing, we can eat and sleep, or we can eat and participate with our Church, our earthly family, and our heavenly family. Remember also that as we begin our Advent preparations looking forward to the celebration of Christmas, that we should be mindful of those people around us, those who are in need as well as our own families.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

The Basic Hierarchy of the Church

A while back, I was asked about how the hierarchy of the Church works. We as Catholics sometimes hear the terms that are thrown around and we know them, but we don’t always know how it works. For the clergy, we know about deacons, priests, and bishops, but there are different titles that are also used, like pastor, parochial vicar, associate pastor, arch-bishop, etc. For the priest, there are a few terms, while I am a priest, I am also the pastor here at St. Luke’s. This means that in the end, I am responsible for the parish and the care of the Sacraments here. I also have final say in the decisions that happen here, yes, I do rely on the committees that we have to help me make those decisions. Fr Ryan is the associate, or parochial vicar, which pretty much mean the same thing. This means that he is a help to me and one who assists me in this duty of the parish as well as performing his priestly duties of the care of the Sacraments. Some of the other priests of the diocese have the title of Monsignor, this is an honorary title given to them, it does not hold any other duty, but is given to a priest who has distinguished himself in the service of the Church.

Each diocese has a bishop in charge of it and is also called an “Ordinary” and this comes from the fact that he has ordinary powers, authority, and care of the people within the diocese. The authority for both Fr. Ryan and I to perform the Sacraments comes from the “Ordinary” of the diocese. Not all bishops are Ordinaries, there are Auxiliary Bishops as well, these are priests who have been ordained a bishop, but are not in charge of a diocese, but help out in a very large diocese, for example, the Archdiocese of Chicago has a Cardinal Arch-Bishop and 6 Auxiliary Bishops. To be ordained a bishop, a priest would be recommended to Rome for ordination, and then the recommendation gets researched and then the Holy Father makes the final decision. The bishop is the one who is the shepherd of all of the people within the diocese and is like the pastor, but the pastor of the entire diocese. Another title you will hear is Arch-bishop, and that is given to a bishop of an Arch-Diocese, which is a diocese of special significance, the Arch-Diocese for Des Moines is Dubuque. The Arch-bishop does not really hold any authority over the other bishops, but is because of the special significance of the diocese. You will also hear the title of Cardinal, and this is given to bishops of diocese of special significance or size, the closest Cardinal is Cardinal Cupich of Chicago. Currently, there are seven active Cardinals in the United States. One of the benefits of being a Cardinal, is that as long as they are under the age of 80, they vote on who will be the next Pope. Now, there are many other titles that we have within the Church, but most of them you will not come across around here, but mostly in Rome and other parts of the world. Keep all of us clergy in your prayers.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Phase III On The Horizon

This may not come as a big surprise, but beginning in the spring of next year, we will be kicking off our capital campaign to add on to the building. I wanted to lay out the framework of Phase III. Two years ago, we received an extension of our variance from the city of Ankeny for the portable classrooms that will extend to August of 2027. The plan is to continue to do some soft fundraising that we have already been doing, and then to do a more active fundraising in the spring. Also, in the spring we will be getting a building committee together and getting bids for architects. Shortly after that, we will get bids from builders, the process has not been finalized on whether or not we go with a design of the building and then out to bid for contractors, or to do what we did in phase II which is to have an architect and builder work together to design and then build. The goal is to be done with gathering pledges next summer with payments continuing through 2028; then we can break ground spring of 2026 with a completion date of winter of 2027.

The plan is for six or more classrooms, and five more offices. Both of these will have their own challenges during construction, but we will deal with that when we get there.

Here are the numbers, inflation adjusted costs for Phase III is estimated at $4.5 million! But, here is the good news, with our soft asks, between pledges and donations, we already have just under $2 million raised, and the cash assets are being invested in safe and stable investments, and we are earning interest and other income on those assets as well. So right now, we still need to raise $2.5 million and I have every confidence that we can achieve it. However, if we raise more than our goal, we would like to build a new rectory that is more suitable for two priests, the current one works but is just a bit too small. We would estimate that it would cost $200,000 more than we could sell the current rectory for. The other thing we would like to add is a dedicated cafeteria and it would cost around $1 million. This would allow for us to more easily have funeral dinners here, as well as also be able to have P.E. classes while lunch is going on.

So, with that, if you would like to make a donation during this tax year, we have our “Future Phase Fund” currently open though our donation site and that is a great way to help us out. But for those who have to take required minimum distributions from an investment account, there is a great way to donate to the Church and minimize and you can talk to your tax advisor for options. We have a couple of people who already do this. I wanted to thank you all for your past and continued generosity.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

The Feast Day of St. Martin De Porres

Bulika! Or for the 4:30 Saturday evening and 6pm Sunday evening Mass crowds, Zanoori!

These greetings in FraFra, the local dialect of the people in Zuarungu, Ghana, (Upper East part of Ghana) mean “good morning” and “good evening.”

Today is the Feast Day of St. Martin De Porres, November 3rd. Just as we celebrate St. Luke’s Feast day at our parish every year with “Oxtoberfest”, so the people of our Sister Parish, St. Martin de Porres and the 7 Outstation parishes connected with St. Martin De Porres, celebrate their parish Feast Day on this Day in Zuarungu, Ghana.

We just celebrated the feast of All Saints Day which always seems to remind me of the Catholic or “Universal” nature of the Church. Saints from so many different time periods, places, family backgrounds, nations, struggles, and, of course, victories are almost too innumerable to count! Yet, many, if not most of us, at the very least know of, or even have a very strong relationship and spiritual connection with a particular saint friend in heaven and ask for their prayers and help at different times in our lives.

The Saints help us to remember that our Church really is a divinely established, universal Community of divine faith, hope, and love, founded on the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus, the Word of God made flesh. I remember a couple summers ago when Bishop Agyenta, Bishop of the diocese in which our Sister-Parish is located, visited us at St. Luke’s. He commented on how the Sister-Parish relationship between us and St. Martin De Porres is a living, concrete example of the “Global Village” (as he called it) that we live in in today’s world and how it is also a concrete and living reality of the Catholic dynamism and mutual solidarity of cultures united in the common and one Catholic faith.

Today, let’s remember our friends in Zuarungu, Ghana at our Sister Parish in prayer. Let’s also share in their joy, as they celebrate their great feast day of a great saint, St. Martin De Porres. May we, like St. Martin De Porres and St. Luke the Evangelist, answer Jesus’ Call and summons to strive to be modern-day saints, striving together as brothers and sisters in Christ in our “Global Village.”

Fr. Ryan

All Saints Day and All Souls day

This Friday is the feast of All Saints Day, and Saturday is the feast of All Souls day. On All Souls day, we remember those who have died this past year, and we are reminded to pray for all of our family members who have died. A few years ago, a priest that I greatly respected and served with, Fr Bob Hoefler, died. While he was in the hospice center with the final stages of his cancer, I and some other people were visiting with him and he made a comment to all of us who were there, he said that at his funeral he did not want anyone to canonize him. He did not want people to constantly say that he was in heaven.  Don’t get me or him wrong, he really wanted to go to heaven, but what he wanted was for people to pray for him because if we always say that someone who has died is in heaven, there is no need for us to pray for them anymore, and they may still need our prayers.

The feasts of All Saints and All Souls are important feast days for us as Catholics. We celebrate these days in order to remember those who have gone before us to eternal life. While they are similar in the fact that we are celebrating those who have died, they are different in what we are praying for. For those that are in heaven (All Saints) we pray a prayer of thanksgiving, one that is also asking those saints to pray for our needs. For those who are not in heaven yet, those who are in purgatory (All Souls) we are praying for their needs that God will speed the time of their purgation of sin and bring them lovingly into the kingdom of heaven. At a funeral, I will always tell people that the person who has died is in the loving and merciful hands of God now.  I will not say that they are in heaven, because I am praying that they will be there and I want them to receive the benefits of our prayers. We pray for them, not in the body that is on earth which is dead and buried, but for the soul which is eternal and is entrusted to God’s hands now.

On All Saints day, we celebrate all those who have served the Church in a special way, those who have fought the good fight of their lives and have been examples of holiness. Most of the people we celebrate are the countless examples of how to live holy lives. Only one of the saints in our history has been a perfect example, which is Mary the mother of Jesus, who was also perfect because He was God. Even though the saints are not perfect, they are still examples that can lead us to holiness. In the month of November, we remember our loved ones who have died. Here at St. Luke’s, there is a book in the entry of the church to write down the names of our loved ones, and you are welcome to write down the names of any of your loved ones who have passed away.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Looking Back

A while back, someone sent me a list of inspirational quotes about moving forward in their life. Some of them were kind of cliched, but others were pretty good. One that I remember goes something like “you cannot safely go forward if you are constantly looking behind you.” In our spiritual life we can easily have that constant urge to look behind and see those sins that we have committed, or the failures that we have had in our lives. I remember also a quote from Thomas Edison that said “I have not failed. I have simply found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

I know that in my own life, I can look back at the thousands of times I have failed at something, whether it be something as a child, or even later in life. Many of the failures that I have done led me to some of my greatest changes in life. In my vocation story, I mention that some of my failures would be using the material things to try and make me happy. I was in the Technology industry for 12 years and would always like to get the newest and greatest gadgets. For example, I was an early purchaser of the Apple Newton, which was a very early tablet device. It did not work very well and it ended up being more of a digital calendar and then after a while ended up getting dumped into a box of extra electronics.

The failure of the things to make me happy ended up in leading me into praying more, and asking God where he wanted me to be in my life, and that extra prayer, led me to seminary. Even in seminary, I had some challenges, but I kept moving through them year after year and relied that God was continually leading me on this path to the priesthood. Yes, I often look back at my life and cringe at the mistakes I made, but I often remind myself that I cannot change the things that I have done in the past, but can only use those things as a way to remind myself to not do them again.

The devil wants us to see those things so that we “know” that we are unworthy of God. The thing is, it is Jesus himself who makes us worthy of him. This is the entire reason why we have the Sacrament of Confession, to give up those mistakes, even if we do them over and over, keep coming back. In our lives, we need to continually move toward that kingdom of Heaven that God is calling us to. We need to continue to strive toward following the two great commandments to love God above all things, and our neighbors as ourselves. Another great quote that I use is from St. Mother Theresa, and it is “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” The best way to love our family is to help them forward to God and his kingdom. Keep moving forward to him.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

About St. Luke

This Friday, October 18th we will celebrate the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist. I always like to do my article about him. One of the common symbols of St. Luke is the Ox, and this is why a number of years ago we switched our parish festival to Oxtoberfest. Since we are celebrating the feast of our namesake, I thought that it would be good to write about him again, as I do every year. The ox comes from the prophet Ezekiel who had a vision about a creature with four faces: that of an ox, that of a man, that of an eagle, and that of a lion. The ox is a symbol because this was an animal that was used for sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and St. Luke begins his Gospel with the sacrifice of Zachariah, while he served as a priest in the Temple.

First and foremost, we know St. Luke was the writer of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, we say writer and not author because the author of all of scripture is God, humans only write them with the inspiration of God. Another reason for the ox is that St. Luke’s Gospel has a heavy focus on the mercy and forgiveness of God. We have St. Luke to thank for the story of the Prodigal Son and the woman who washes the feet of Jesus with her tears.

We also know that he was highly educated, because he was a physician, and we know this from a couple of different sources, first from St. Paul who calls him the “the beloved physician” and second from Church historians like Eusebius, St. Jerome, St. Irenaeus who all refer to St. Luke as a physician. There is also a discussion about where St. Luke came from, most would claim that he was Greek and was a Gentile who became a disciple of Christ. There is evidence because he is not listed when Paul mentions in the Letter to the Colossians those who were “of the circumcision” which would mean the Jewish people, but he is mentioned later along with someone called Demas. There is also a theory that St. Luke was a slave. We also know that St. Luke joined St. Paul in many of his journeys but not always. St. Luke first met up with St. Paul in Troas and traveled with him for quite a while then were apart for about seven years when they traveled again through Caesarea and Jerusalem. He was most likely with St. Paul when he was arrested and thrown in prison in Rome, even though it does not seem that he was in prison with him.

St. Luke also is one that has a special connection with the Blessed Mother, because he was the only one who has the account of the Annunciation as well as the Magnificat prayer. He was also the one who put the account of the Presentation in the temple, as well as the finding in the temple. He is also the one that we have to thank for the first part of the Hail Mary prayer which comes from the Annunciation and from the Visitation.

There are some conflicting stories of St. Luke’s death, but most say that he was martyred around the year 84, and his relics are in the Basilica di Santa Guistina in Padua, Italy.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Marriage, Divorce and Prayer

This weekend we hear the readings relating to marriage and divorce. I know that this can be a very emotional topic. I know that we do have many people in the parish that have been involved or affected by divorce and I do pray for healing for people who have been affected. Within the Catholic Church, we do teach what Jesus tells us in the Gospel this weekend. When Jesus is asked about whether or not it was lawful for a husband to divorce his wife, he responds that Moses allowed it because of the hardness of our hearts. But then he goes into bringing in the book of Genesis and tells us that God made us male and female and that we shall be joined as husband and wife, and that the two shall no longer be two, but one in flesh, and what God has joined, men must not separate.

When I do a wedding, I usually issue a challenge to the couple that they will be joined as one, and that they each have a new mission, and that is to get their spouse to heaven. I also recommend that one of the best ways to do that is to pray with each other and for each other. I was reading a study a while back and it discussed divorce rates, but I cannot seem to find the study again. It stated that the average divorce rate in the US is roughly 45%, of which, 40% are first marriages, and subsequent marriages are higher. Catholic marriages were slightly lower, but the single statistic that stood out that strengthened a marriage is when a couple actively prays together, this means something beyond Mass (or other service for non-Catholics) and prayers before meals, but couples that sit down and pray with each other at other times. Couples who did this on a regular basis had a 2% divorce rate. That was a staggering number for me. I almost always mention this to couples that I am preparing for marriage.

So, here is my recommendation, if you and your spouse are not doing this, find a way to do it! Inviting God into your marriage will only help you to strengthen it. If you are not married, and are discerning marriage, pray for your future spouse. If, however, you are divorced, and would like more information on the annulment process, either Fr Ryan or myself would be happy to talk to you about the process. I pray every day for strong marriages and families.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Cleaning out your "Junk Drawer"

Most of us have that one drawer in the house that is the junk drawer. That particular drawer that you put all of those things that you cannot seem to find a place for and we can never seem to find what we really need in it. That short piece of rope that you may need some time, the remote from that VCR that you haven’t used in ten years, the collection of paint can openers, miscellaneous batteries for something you may need again later, that charging cable from the phone you had 12 years ago, and the many other items that you may or may not use in the next few decades. It is the drawer that you do not ever want to clean and organize because you know what will happen, you will pull the items out of the drawer and then all of the stuff will just end up back in the drawer.

Have you ever thought the same thing about confession? The sacrament of Confession forces us to do something that we may not want to do, and that is to open up that drawer full of junk and empty it. To take the time and go through all of the junk we do not need and get rid of all of it, but then the trick is to not try and fill it up with junk again, but fill it with stuff that will be useful and beneficial to us. Sins that we do in our lives are the things that we know we should not hold onto, but we do anyway. We keep collecting them until the drawer is just too full or we start putting them in other places and either we become hoarders of sin, or finally go through it and get rid of the stuff we don’t need.

Sometimes I hear people say that they do not want to go to Confession because, like the emptying and refilling of the junk drawer, they will end up doing the same sins again and again. Even if that is the case, we still need to do it. I know in my own case, I tend to do the same sins, even after I go to celebrate the Sacrament. We get into the habit, even if we walk out of the confessional with the intention to not do it again, it can be challenging. One of my professors reminded us that it is better to do the same sins (unless they are very serious) than to go through the Commandments and decide which ones we are going to do this time. I also know that it can be difficult to go to Confession because it forces us to look at the things that we have done wrong, but in the end, it is a wonderful way to unburden ourselves with the junk that we have been collecting over the many days, weeks, or years. Take that time and dump the junk into the accepting arms of God.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Are you wealthy?

A while back, I was flipping through the channels on TV early in the morning, and ran across one of the prosperity gospel preachers. The theme with them is that if you are living your life well, God will reward you with wealth on this earth. This preacher was trying to reconcile the fact that Jesus states that we should not store up treasures on earth with the idea that you should be materially wealthy. He states that what Jesus meant was when we are in heaven, we don’t need any treasure, so when we do good works God stores up treasure for us from the good things that we do and then, He will give it to us on earth in the form of a good spouse, nice house, nice car, etc. My reaction to that, is according to that logic, the Columbian drug lords must have been really good, because they have great treasure on earth, while all of those other people in developing countries must be horrible people, since their lives are a financial struggle. This idea basically states that God is the giant ATM in the sky who gives us money and houses and airplanes because we are good. Umm … NO. Jesus follows this up with the statement “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” and “You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being wealthy, money is only a tool, in so many ways, each of us are wealthy. In fact, most parishes benefit greatly from the wealthy, because they tend to have more disposable income to be able to donate to larger projects. So, yes, money is just like any other tool that we use. We gain wealth by trading our work, services, or ideas for the exchange of currency of some kind. Instead of trading objects, we now use currency or investments to be able to store our wealth easier. Even the idea of being rich is a matter of perspective, depending on who you are, your needs, where you live, and many other factors. The median yearly income for a household in the US is around $73,000 but, the worldly median income is $9,733, and in Liberia it is $781. Could you imagine trying to live on $781 a year? If you have a place to live, a mode of transportation, and three meals a day, you are in the top 50% wealthiest people in the world.

So, in the end, it is really not about wealth, it is about what we do with it. I am always concerned when someone states that you can tell how morally good or bad someone is by how wealthy they are, because that is not the point of faith, the point is to bring us to the glory of heaven, where there is no need of anything else. God gives us many different tools in our lives to store up treasures in heaven, He gives us wealth and abilities so that we can share them with others, He also gives us other gifts so that we use those as well to show the kingdom of God to all we meet.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

What is hell like?

What is hell like? I sometimes get asked questions about what heaven and hell are like. For some, heaven is a beautiful golf course in which every shot we hit goes exactly where we want it to, and hell is a golf course in which you miss a six-inch putt. While this example may be simplistic, we all have some image in our mind in which we can think of heaven or hell.

There are many different images of what hell can be like from Dante’s epic work the Divine Comedy – Inferno, in which Dante takes his journey through hell. Hell is depicted as having seven levels in which the upper levels are where the punishment of the less serious sins happens and the lower ones for the more serious ones. At the upper regions, the damned are constantly chasing the things they chased on earth, for example those who commit the sin of lust are desperately trying to hold on to another person in a great wind storm. In the lower regions, people are encased in ice either right side up or upside down and the three worst sinners are spending eternity being chewed up by Satan.

I was watching a movie and it had an interesting take on what hell was like; it was a place in which you spent eternity watching all of the bad things that were happening to those you loved. I can only imagine what that would feel like, seeing the pain and suffering of those that you cared about forever. St. Theresa of Avila once spent some time in hell and she said that if anyone could see what she saw, they would never want to sin again. In the New Testament, Jesus himself gives us a couple of images of hell and it is equated to the Valley of Gahanna, which is the place where they threw the trash and burned it. He says that hell is a place “where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” Jesus is hinting that the people who end up there are thrown out like refuse and burned.

In one of my favorite passages, Mt: 25, Jesus discusses the way to get to heaven or hell and that is up to us, but it was not originally created for us, it is “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” In essence, hell was not created specifically for us, but he does let us make the choice. Most of us would not consciously choose to go to hell, but Jesus does state that we will be judged for our actions. He is telling us that in the end, it is our own choices in life that determine where we will end up for eternity, hopefully it will not be there, but in the kingdom of heaven with him. As the Act of Contrition states, we should really fear the loss of heaven and the pains of hell.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Where do you like to go?

Have you ever been going through some pictures, either on your phone, a folder on your computer, or even the old-fashioned photo albums and found one that brings back a special memory? This could be a person that is/was very special to you, or a wonderful experience that you had. I will sometimes just go through some of my photos just to bring up a memory of an experience.

As many of you know, I really enjoy traveling. I love to see new places and experience different, or even re-experience places that I have been to before and enjoyed. I have traveled with a few different friends to different places. Yes, I have a few favorites, Rome and the Holy Land are two of the places that I would go again and again, primarily because of the history of the faith. To be at the places where Jesus walked and taught, and did some of his miracles is a wonderful thing to do, or to get close to the place in which Paul was executed, or to be able to be next to the tomb of St. Luke or other saints can be very moving. Some of the other things that we get to experience when we travel is to see the wonderful gift of God’s creation. Another one of my favorite places is Glacier National Park in Montana. To see the beauty that is in the world can be quite moving as well.

The question is, do we need to travel to a National Park, to the Holy Land, or Rome to grow our faith? The answer is of course not, prayer is the primary thing that we need to do to grow our faith. Mass of course is the highest form of prayer that we have, it attaches us to the altar, and in turn to the one altar in Heaven. In Eucharistic Prayer I, there is a part which states “In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God: command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy Angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty. So that all of us, who through this participation at the altar receive the most holy Body and Blood of your Son, may be filled with every grace and Heavenly blessing.” So, in the Mass, we are not only in the building of the Church, we are also in the presence of the altar in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the Mass, we, in a sense, visit not only the beautiful and holy places on earth, but we also get a glimpse of a picture of Heaven! During the Mass, we not only get to see the wonderful things, but we also get to participate in them and receive them as we receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ.  No matter how beautiful a building is, or how breathtaking a site of nature is, they pale in comparison to the single most beautiful thing that we can participate in, the Holy Mass. So, as we think about that time we get to spend with Christ, let it be the best time that we can spend.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

Have A Thankful Labor Day Weekend!

This weekend, we will be celebrating Labor Day. It is often seen as the last hurrah of summer and the beginning of fall. The holiday is sometimes dubbed the “working man’s holiday” because it was begun by the labor movement in the 1880’s. Many people take the opportunity on this weekend to do the last vacation, or the last big cookout of the summer. Still others take this long weekend as an opportunity to do some work on the house or yard. Whatever we do on this long weekend I would encourage everyone to take a few minutes to thank God for the many gifts that we have received.

We could also take some time to pray for those who do those jobs that we do not want to do. Another thing that we can do is to take some time to pray for those who want to be working and either do not have a job or do not have a job that they would like to have. Especially in this time in which many people may be out of work. There is a great fear in many people these days, whether it be someone who is out of a job and is worried about their livelihoods, or those who are currently working, or so many other things to worry about.

Saint Paul reminds us to do the work that we have to do without complaining and do it with joy. The work we do is to raise and support ourselves and our families. But it can also help others around us. I am amazed at the generosity of the people here all the time, when we need something, it is always provided for, and that is thanks so much to all the people here. I am so grateful for the many blessings that we have received here at St. Luke’s in the five years that I have served here.

Each of us has a passion to do something in life, and one of the most satisfying things is to be able to work at something we love. I have heard the phrase, if you work at something that you love, you will never work a day in your life. I know in my own case, this is where God wants me to be at this time, here at St. Luke’s. Being able to hear where God is calling us to be can make our labors joyful, even if they are hard work. I know that this is the case with many of our staff here at the parish and school as well. We work for less financial compensation than in the secular world, but the other benefits are out of this world. So as we are in this long weekend, remember that it is great to have some time off, but it is also great to be able to get paid doing something you love. Enjoy the long weekend and remember to pray each and every day. Pray especially in thanksgiving for the many gifts God has given each one of us.

God bless,
Fr. Ken

What is going on around the Parish?

This article is going to be a few pieces of random information about what is going on around the parish.

First of all, we are getting ready for RCIA for those who are interested in joining the Catholic Church. We will begin the classes in September, if you know of someone who is interested in joining the Church, or is just curious about the faith, have them contact Fr Ken, Fr Ryan, or Mary Jo Schechinger for more information.

Second, we are still in need of some volunteers to help with Religious Education for the year. We NEED a good number of catechists, please consider helping. We are also in need for substitute catechists, small group leaders, as well as helpers in the classrooms. If you feel called to help the 375 kids we serve in our Religious Education program, please contact Mary Jo Schechinger for more information.

We are still looking for parent or grandparent (or other) volunteers in the school. We utilize a good number of volunteers to help with lunches here at St. Luke. It is a good opportunity to help the students and see the excitement of the students around the lunch times here.

Fr Ryan is planning on leading another trip to Ghana to visit our sister parish in June, and Fr Ken is leading a pilgrimage to Italy for the Holy Doors in March over Spring Break.

Many have probably heard or guessed, we will be starting the process for Phase III of Construction. The estimate for the construction is $4.5 million. Yes, this is a lot of money, but we do have a pretty good start, thanks to some special donations to our Future Phase Fund that people are contributing to. We are in need of more classrooms for the school as well as for religious education. The project will be about 6 classrooms and some new office space. Right now, Fr Ryan and I share an office, Mrs Hade, Mrs Hazel, and Mrs Mathas share an office, and Jeremy and Nick share an office. We would like to add 4-5 more offices in this project. We do have some extra projects that we will add on if we can get over our goal. One is to build a rectory, the current rectory is decent, but it would be nice to have dedicated space for each of us, as well as a good place to hold special dinners. This would be around $200,000 more than we could sell the current rectory for. The other option is a dedicated cafeteria, this would allow for PE to go on during the lunch times, and it would also allow for a better option for funeral dinners if they are needed. Currently, if we have a funeral dinner during the school day, the kids have to bring a sack lunch and eat in their classrooms.

Finally, keep praying for staff, faculty, volunteers, and the many different things going on here at the parish and school. While it is very busy around here, it is really a wonderful and energetic place to be!

God bless,
Fr. Ken

It's Back To School!

This week we welcome the children back to school. It will be good to have them back in the building again. As of me writing this article we will be having around 380 kids here this year, a growth of 30 new students. In the time that I have been here, we have seen the school over double in the number of students that we have. Just to put it into perspective, the school year before I arrived, which is the same year that Mrs. Hade arrived, we were at 153 students. We have also gone from a total parish and school salary of $573,000 a year to $1,200,000 a year! Wow have we grown, and it is not just the school side, we are expecting over 375 kids to be in our religious education programs this year as well, and we are adding level one of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd this year as well.

The beginning of the school year has a lot of nervousness and excitement that goes along with it. There are the new kindergartners who are coming in and some are really excited and some are terrified. I remember a couple of years ago when one particular kindergartner was super excited to come in, but when they found out that they had to come the next day, there were upset, they thought that it would only be one day! The older kids, while they are not necessarily excited to come to school, they are happy that they will be seeing their friends again on a regular basis. One of the wonderful things that I get to do as a pastor here is to celebrate the Holy Eucharist with the kids for the Wednesday school Mass. It usually is at 8:30 and parents are welcome to come, however, this Friday for the first day of school, we will have Mass at 9:00 instead, so that the teachers can get the kids settled a bit, and the kindergarteners will not be there until the next Wednesday. However, the school Mass on Wednesday does NOT take the place of the Sunday Mass, we still have the Sunday obligation of attending.

Sometimes I also hear that parents do not bring their children to Mass because they don’t want to go, they would rather stay at home and sleep or play games, so they let them. What is the difference between Mass and school?  While school gives them an education to get through this life, the Mass gives them an education to get to eternal life. We bring our kids to school even if they do not want to go because we know that it is good for them, we should also do the same with Mass and their faith. We ourselves should be a joyous example for our children in the practice of the faith, even in challenging times. When our children ask us questions about the faith or why we go to Mass, we should help them to find the answer even if we do not know it. This is something that will help us with our own faith life. We want our children to be the best that they can be and with the help of God, they can be, but we need to help them to see that gift that God is for them by showing them our own love for God.

 God bless,
Fr. Ken

The 2024 National Eucharistic Congress

The National Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis this past July 17th-21st was the first such Congress in the United States in about 80 years. The last such Congress prior to Indianapolis was held in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1941.

From the people I have talked with, to the news that I have read, all indications are that last month’s National Eucharistic Congress was an exceptionally graced moment in the history of United States Catholicism. The graces of which will continue to unfold in years to come. Many people of have likened last month’s Eucharistic Congress to Saint Pope John Paul II’s visit to Denver, Colorado for World Youth Day in 1993.

So, what does this mean for St. Luke’s Catholic Church and School?

Unsurprisingly, I think that a couple Scripture passages from this weekend’s Gospel can illuminate a path forward. Jesus says in the Gospel, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him” and, “Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.”

The primacy of listening to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, is prominent in these passages. In fact, our whole Christian journey of faith and our eternal destiny depends on this “listening”, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”

What was the difference between the disciples who stayed with Jesus after the Bread of Life Discourse and those who up to that point followed him, but after this Discourse, left him because they couldn’t accept His teaching that He is the Bread of Life, come down from heaven?

Faith.

The only motive or reason that we, today, and Peter in the time of Jesus’ public ministry 2,000 years ago, can say along with Peter, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God”, is the totally gratuitous gift of divine faith in Jesus as the Son of God.

Faith will tell us Christ is Present, when our human senses fail.

May we pray for a renewed outpouring of living faith in Jesus truly Present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in this great Sacrament we hail. May we have that disposition and posture of attentive and active listening that our Mother Mary showed at the Annunciation and in so doing, through faith, bear Jesus in ourselves in Eucharistic faith, as Mary bore Him as His Mother.

In Christ,
Fr. Ryan