tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44538417112950877722024-03-13T07:17:30.714-07:00St John Vianney and Holy Family Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453841711295087772.post-56664269777279230272016-04-19T08:57:00.001-07:002016-04-19T08:57:49.020-07:00Book Report on the BibleGreetings!<br />
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Sometimes kids come up with the craziest things. I want to visit this today. A child was told to write a book report on the entire Bible. This is his story.<br />
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In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, "The Lord thy God is one," but I think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, "Give me a light!" and someone did. Then God made the world.<br />
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He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden. Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars.<br />
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Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel. Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.<br />
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One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.<br />
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After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.<br />
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Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name is Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh - after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.<br />
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God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff. Oh yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother. One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua, who was the first Bible guy to use spies.<br />
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Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town. After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me.<br />
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After Solomon there was a bunch of major league prophets. One of these, Jonah, was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed upon the shore.<br />
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There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.<br />
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After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of the New Testament. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, "Close the door! Were you born in a barn?" It would be nice to say, "As a matter of fact, I was.")<br />
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During his life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and Republicans. He also had twelve opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.<br />
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Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount. But the Republicans and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.<br />
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Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.Father Peter Schusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917781386160000191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453841711295087772.post-64714499147679873992016-01-29T11:32:00.000-08:002016-02-01T06:47:10.954-08:00God in SufferingFather Joe Kempf, in his book <a href="https://www.osv.com/shop/product?ref=article&productcode=T1298" target="_blank"><u>No One Cries The Wrong Way: Seeing God Through Tears</u></a> (Copyright 2012, Our Sunday Visitor), deals with the issue of God and suffering. In that book, he shares the following.<br />
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"The humble beauty of the presence of God with us in our suffering is illustrated for me by Solomon Rosenberg's story of his family's experience in one of the Nazi death camps. This particular camp was a work camp-as long as a person could work they could escape the death chambers. In the family of Solomon Rosenberg, the first to go were his aged parents who were well into their 80s, and who broke quickly under the inhuman conditions.<br />
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Solomon knew that the next to go in his family would probably be their younger son David, who was slightly physically disabled, and was able now to work less and less. Each morning the family would be separated for their work assignments, and each night when they came back to huddle together in the barracks the father returned frightened-wondering whether this might be the day that David would be taken. Each night, as he entered the barracks, his eyes quickly sought out his little boy David, his oldest boy Jacob, and his wife, the mother of his children.<br />
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Then came the night that he feared. As he walked into the barracks, he could see none of his family and became frantic. His eyes searched again for the precious faces of his family members. Finally, he saw the figure of his oldest boy Jacob, hunched over and weeping in the corner. He still could not see David or his wife. He hurried to Jacob and said, "Son, tell me it isn't so. Did they take David today?" "Yes, Papa ," he said through his tears, "today they came to take David. They said he could no longer do his work." And Solomon could feel his heart break. "But Mama, where is Mama? She is still strong. Surely, they wouldn't take Mama, too?"<br />
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Jacob looked at his father through his tears and said, "Papa, Papa. When they came to take David, he was afraid, and he cried. So Mama said to David, 'You don't have to be afraid, David. I will go with you and hold you close.'"<br />
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And she did just that. Jacob's mother went with her son to the gas chamber, holding him close so he wouldn't have to be afraid. <br />
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I (Father Joe Kempf) am convinced that, together, they were held by God. For that is the kind of God we have-one who does not cause our suffering, but rather embraces it with us. At the very end of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus said, "And know that, I am with you always, until the end of the world." There is no place we can go, no situation we could ever find ourselves in, that God is not already there filled with love for us, embracing our sufferings, weeping with us, and holding us close" (Pages 14-15).<br />
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Well stated! Father Peter Schuster<br />
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<br />Father Peter Schusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917781386160000191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453841711295087772.post-33483231071962445812015-11-06T11:13:00.000-08:002015-11-06T11:13:03.753-08:00The Right HandsMatthew Kelly in his book <u>A Call to Joy</u> (pages 82-84) shares the story of Amanda Wellings. Here is her story. Amanda Wellings was nine years old and living in Princeton when both her parents and her teacher, Mrs. Bobak, were prepared to admit that she had a problem with mathematics. The adults met to discuss the problem and decided on individual tutoring. Yet, even with tutoring, nothing changed. Amanda failed her mathematics test every week.<br />
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At this point both the parents and teacher agreed that mathematics was not one of Amanda's gifts. Perhaps she should be encouraged to change her focus.<br />
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Not long after, Mrs. Bobak called in Amanda's parents and congratulated them for their work. Mrs. Bobak mentioned that week after week Amanda's results in mathematics had been improving; she was now at the top of the class and had for the last three weeks not made a single mistake. The parents were stunned, sharing with Mrs. Bobak, that they had not done anything.<br />
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When Amanda's parents returned to their home, confused yet eager to know what had caused this remarkable change in their daughter's mathematics ability, Amanda was already asleep. So the next morning at the breakfast table Mr.Wellings asked, "Amanda, what has caused your grades to improve in mathematics?" The little girl replied, "I heard about a man in town who was good with numbers. So the day Mrs. Bobak told me that she would not be tutoring me anymore, I stopped at his house. Tommy, the boy who sits next to me in school, had told me where he lived. I knocked on the door and explained my problem to the man. He was very nice and patient. He listened to me, and then when I finished he told me to come to visit at the same time every day after school. He said he would help me." She continued, "Daddy, this man knows everything, even more than you. He taught me mathematics. It was the same stuff Mrs. Bobak had tried to teach me, but it was different."<br />
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Amanda's mother interrupted to ask, "What is the man's name?" The young girl replied, "I'm not sure, because it has all sorts of letters and its confusing. But it's something like Einstein."<br />
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Both parents just sat back and stared at each other. Amanda continued, "He told me that some of us are slower than others, but we all get there in the end."<br />
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Isn't it amazing what is possible when we place ourselves in the right hands? If what Einstein did with Amanda left her parents speechless, what is possible with the hands of God?<br />
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God's blessings! Father Peter Schuster<br />
Father Peter Schusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917781386160000191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453841711295087772.post-21767642587598005172015-07-02T13:22:00.001-07:002015-07-02T13:22:23.260-07:00You and Your WordMatthew Kelly on pages 51-52 in his book <u>A Call To Joy</u> shares the following story. <br />
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There once was a successful businessman who owned a very large company. Business was not too good, however, and his company was in a lot of trouble. It looked like the company might go down, and his competitors were ready to pounce on his market share. But this man had a plan that he knew, without a doubt, would revive his company.<br />
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It was Saturday morning and he was preparing a speech to give at his company's annual staff dinner that evening. In his speech, he wanted to show them the first part of his plan. But more than that, he wanted to emphasize that if his plan was to be speedily and successfully implemented, it was dependent on the individual response of each one of his employees.<br />
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That morning while writing his speech, his wife had to go out shopping. Ten minutes after she left, he heard a knock on the study door. There stood his seven-year-old son, who complained, "Dad, I'm bored." The father attempted to play a game with the boy and write the speech at the same time. This went on for nearly two hours until the father realized that unless he could find some other way to amuse his son, he was not going to finish his speech in time. So he picked up a magazine and flipped through the pages until he found a large, brightly colored map of the world. He tore the page out and ripped it into many pieces. Throwing the pieces all over the living room floor, the father said, "Son, if you can put the map of the world back together, I will give you a dollar."<br />
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The child rushed to the task, eager to earn some extra money, while the father returned to his study believing that he had just bought himself two or maybe three hours to finish his speech; he knew that his seven-year-old son had no idea what the map of the world looked like. But within ten minutes, he heard another knock on the study door, and there stood his smiling son with the completed puzzle in his hands. Amazed, the father said to the child, "Son, how did you finish to so quickly?" The child smiled larger than ever, "Well, dad, I had no idea what the map of the world looked like, but there was a picture of a man on the back. I put a piece of paper down on the floor. Then on top of that piece of paper I put the picture of the man together. I put another piece of paper on top and turned them both over. I took the top piece of paper off and there was the world, complete and in order."<br />
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As the father stood there in awe, the boy continued, "Dad, I figured if I got the man right, the world would be right."<br />
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And so, the moral is simple. Get the man (woman) right, and the world will fall in order! A great lesson to have before us.<br />
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Father Schuster<br />
<br />Father Peter Schusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917781386160000191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453841711295087772.post-27836615998443615342015-01-23T13:56:00.001-08:002015-01-24T14:24:18.572-08:00Thoughts on PrayerIn his book <b><u>Catching Fire Becoming Flame: A Guide for Spiritual Transformation</u></b>, Father Albert Haase addresses our spiritual relationship with God. On pages 46-47, Father Haase writes about two of the most common concerns regarding prayer.<br />
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"Dryness in prayer is a sign that something is happening. There is a common misconception that if prayer becomes dry, boring, dissatisfying, or meaningless, we are doing something wrong. Nothing could be further from the truth. Dryness is always an indication that our prayer techniques are flaming out as God takes over and teaches us new ways to communicate. When we are not getting anything out of prayer, it's important that we continue to remain faithful to it. Just showing up every day and going through the motions is a bold act of fidelity that is blessed by God." (page 46)<br />
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"The goal of prayer is not a mind free of distractions but a surrendered heart of love. Every time I (Father Haase) pray , I have distractions. My mind seems stoked with green wood that crackles, hisses, pops, and shoots sparks everywhere. My attention follows those sparks and I become discouraged as I struggle to rid myself of the distractions; to make matters worse, the very effort to rid myself of them becomes another distraction! Distractions are not as bad as you may think; they can be great teachers in the spiritual life. They sometimes indicate what we are really passionate about and invested in. They might also point out areas where we tend to throw water on the kindling. In both cases, distractions can tell us exactly where are are and become the topics for our heart-to-heart conversation with him by whom we know ourselves to be loved. The aim of prayer is not the attainment of some Zen-like, thoughtless state of consciousness. Its fundamental aim is a heart-to-heart conversation in which we learn openness to the call and challenge of the Spirit to lovingly serve our neighbor." (page 46-47)<br />
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In these words, Father Haase provides us words of encouragement. Dryness sometimes happens in prayer and distractions can point us in the direction we need to take in prayer. Simply put, whatever comes our way, the important thing is that we pray.<br />
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God's blessings! Father SchusterFather Peter Schusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917781386160000191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453841711295087772.post-31135736597580353302014-12-03T10:59:00.001-08:002014-12-03T10:59:12.376-08:00Christmas StoryIn the depths of the forest there were three trees growing side by side, and one day they got to talking. One of the trees started the conversation, voicing his ambitions, saying: "When I get cut down I want to be a cradle to hold a baby, because cradles are the center of attention and affection for everybody within a household." With this the second tree spoke up in a loud voice: "When I get cut down I'd like to be a sailing yacht to carry rich and famous people to all the harbors of the world." A few moments passed and then finally the third tree spoke, saying quietly, "You know, if I am ever cut down I'd like to be a signpost to direct people along the right path. I would like to show people the way when they are lost and have gone astray."<br />
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Time went by and before long the three trees were cut down and taken off to the mill for processing. Soon a man came to the mill and took the first tree away. The first tree had expressed a desire to be a cradle. There was nothing wrong with that, but something else was planned. The man took the tree away and turned into a dirty old stable to house sheep and cattle and donkeys.<br />
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Then another man came to the mill for the second tree. This tree wanted to be a sailing yacht and there was nothing wrong with that, but something else was planned. The second tree was turned into a filthy old fishing boat constantly filled with the smell of dead fish.<br />
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Before too long the third tree was also taken from the mill. The third tree wanted to be a signpost-truly a noble plan for a humble tree, but there was another plan. This third tree was taken away by a centurion and made into a cross for crucifying criminals.<br />
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Now it would seem that the plans and ambitions of the three trees had disappeared. It would seem that they had failed in all they had desired to achieve.<br />
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It was not long, however, before, on a cold winter's night, a young man and his wife came along. The wife was pregnant and they had nowhere to stay. So they decided to make that stable their home for the night. That mother was Mary and she gave birth to Jesus our Savior that night in the stable.<br />
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The stable, the first tree, wanted to be the center of attention and affection. It thought that to do this it had to be a cradle. It didn't. It needed to be a stable, because it was by becoming a stable that it became the center of attention and affection not only for the people of those times but for the people of all times. Even to this day that stable is still the focus of our attention and affection in our homes and churches.<br />
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The Child grew up. He was the Christ, and He walked and talked through the streets of the world proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven. The second tree, the fishing boat, got to carry the richest and most famous person ever to walk the face of the earth. The second tree had believed that to carry important people it would have to be a sailing yacht. The tree was wrong. It needed to be a fishing boat. As a fishing boat it became the platform from which our Savior delivered His message not only to the people of that time but to the people of all times.<br />
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But this man, Jesus, was just a young man, and He spoke His message far too clearly and uncompromisingly. Where there was darkness He was trying to shine a light, while other people were guarding the light switch. He challenged the people both above Him and below Him to change in a way that was far too direct for their liking. So as people always do when they don't like the message, they killed the messenger. They dragged him outside the gates of the city, and on that cross, the third tree, they crucified Him.<br />
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The third tree wanted to be a signpost, and indeed it became the greatest signpost of all times. The cross is the signpost that leads us along the right path. The cross is the signpost that leads us back to the right path when we are lost and have gone astray.<br />
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The lesson of the story is simple. Abandon ourselves and trust in God!<br />
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Have a blessed Christmas season! Father Peter Schuster<br />
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P.S. The story is taken from Matthew Kelly's book entitled "A Call To Joy." The story is found on pages 29-31.Father Peter Schusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917781386160000191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453841711295087772.post-71532302449530032522014-10-28T12:29:00.001-07:002014-10-28T12:29:45.791-07:00Advent and St. NicholasCardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) wrote a book entitled <u>Seek That Which is Above</u> (Ignatius Press, Copyright 2007). In the Advent season, we keep the story of Saint Nicholas. But what is his story? Cardinal Ratzinger writes, "Nicholas is one of the first people to be venerated as a saint without having been a martyr. During the persecution of Christians, those who opposed the pagan state power and gave their lives for their faith had quite automatically become great examples of faith. When peace was concluded between Church and state, people needed new models. Nicholas impressed them as one ready to help others. His miracle was not that of great heroism in the face of torture, imprisonment and death. It was the miracle of constant kindness in everyday life" (page 31).<br />
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The Cardinal continues, "Another of the legends expresses it beautifully in this way: Whereas all the other miracles could be performed by magicians and demons, and thus were ambivalent, one miracle was absolutely transparent and could not involve any deception, namely, that of living out the faith in everyday life for an entire lifetime and maintaining charity. People in the fourth century experienced this miracle in the life of Nicholas, and all the miracle stories that accrued subsequently to the legend are only variations on this one, fundamental miracle, which Nicholas' contemporaries compared, with wonder and gratitude, to the morning star reflecting the radiance of the light of Christ. In this man they understood what faith in God's Incarnation means" (page 32).<br />
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Thus, the Cardinal concludes, "This, at the deepest level, is the message of Saint Nicholas: from the light of Christ we are to light the flame of a new humanity, caring for the persecuted, the poor, the little one-this is the core of the legend of St. Nicholas" (page33).<br />
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Advent readies us to the mystery of the Incarnation; namely, God has come to His people. St. Nicholas reminds us that God's people is all people. We pray through the intercession of St. Nicholas that this Advent we may see and be the face of Christ to all people.<br />
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Happy Advent!<br />
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Father Peter Schusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917781386160000191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453841711295087772.post-91227192709315853232014-06-17T11:40:00.000-07:002014-06-17T11:40:30.899-07:00"The Grandma and the Duck"There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back to dinner. As he was walking back he saw grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it.<br />
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He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile only to see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.<br />
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After lunch the next day grandma said, "Sally, let us wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes.<br />
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Later that day, grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper." Sally just smiled and said, "Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help." She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help with supper.<br />
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After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to grandma and confessed he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. But because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you?"<br />
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What thought does the story provoke? Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done and the devil keeps throwing in your face, you need to know that God was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.<br />
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So today, ask for God's forgiveness and let us get on with it!Father Peter Schusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917781386160000191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453841711295087772.post-43114673570852268202014-04-15T12:17:00.001-07:002014-04-15T12:17:29.591-07:00EasterWhat does the word "Easter" mean to me?<br />
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E = everything. Without the power of Easter and the resurrection, we have no life. Life as we know it would be the end. With the resurrection, we have a reason to live in this life - in anticipation of the next life.<br />
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A = Alleluia. The Alleluia has been absent during Lent as we anticipate its proclamation with Easter. Alleluia means "praise" and we have much to praise. We praise Jesus for his saving ministry.<br />
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S = Sanctity. As mentioned above, the resurrection leaves us with a purpose in this life. In that purpose, we are called to live and the life we are called to live is sanctity, it is holiness.<br />
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T = Time. The Season of Easter is timed to be fifty days. Seven signifies the fullness of life and is the perfect number. Square the perfect number and we come up with forty-nine. The fiftieth day marks a new beginning and it is Pentecost - the birth of the Church.<br />
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E = Everyone. To state that Jesus died for only a certain group or nationality is foolishness. Jesus Christ came to suffer and die for everyone, that all my have life in him.<br />
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R = Resurrection. As I say many times, we can all suffer, which we sometimes do, and we will all die. But the resurrection? That belongs to Jesus Christ.<br />
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The above is what Easter means to me and now I ask, what does it mean for you?<br />
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Have a blessed Easter season!<br />
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Father Schuster Father Peter Schusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917781386160000191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453841711295087772.post-6900208704855364152014-02-28T11:49:00.000-08:002014-02-28T11:49:02.377-08:00LentOur Lenten journey begins on March 5. Every year, I ask the school children a series of questions on Lent. Let us take a look at the questions. <br />
1. On what day does Lent officially begin? The answer is Ash Wednesday. Every Ash Wednesday the words of the gospel remind us, during Lent, to pray, fast, and give alms.<br />
2. How many days mark the Lenten journey? Answer: 40 days. Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the desert. Our Lenten journey is the found in the desert, a place that calls us away form chaos to quiet and prayer. <br />
3. We are asked to abstain during Lent? From what do we abstain. We abstain from meat as the word "abstain" means to stay away from/rid ourselves of something.<br />
4. At liturgies, what color does a priest wear during Lent? Primarily, a priest wears violet. Rose is optional on the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Violet symbolizes preparing, for Christ's sacrifice upon the cross, and penance.<br />
5. On Ash Wednesday, we receive ashes on your forehead. Where do ashes come from? Answer: Old palms. The palms that the people waved on Palm Sunday hailed the new king. The shouts of the people would differ greatly on Good Friday when they asked for Jesus' death. How often we hail Christ as king only to discard him through our self-centeredness. Palms are burned, as our sins are to be burned, and placed upon our foreheads to remind us of where salvation is found, in Jesus Christ.<br />
6. Can non-Catholics receive ashes? Yes, provided they desire to turn from sin, believe in Jesus, and follow him. Many non-Catholics receive ashes in Catholic Church's on Ash Wednesday throughout the world.<br />
7. In the Bible we read that Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the desert. What did he do for 40 days and nights. Answer: Fasted and prayed. As mentioned earlier, the gospel of Ash Wednesday calls us to pray, fast, <u><b>and</b></u> give alms.<br />
8. What is the purpose of Lent? Lent reminds us that Jesus came to destroy sin, die on the cross for our sin, and rise to new life cleansed of our sin that we may have life with him.<br />
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May your Lenten journey be filled with grace and blessings!<br />
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Father Peter Schuster<br />
<br />Father Peter Schusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917781386160000191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453841711295087772.post-71136986131161970212014-01-19T10:23:00.006-08:002014-01-19T10:23:59.222-08:00Ordinary TimeAs we begin our journey through the season of Ordinary Time, a word that is tied to the word "ordinary" is unexceptional. This is not the Church's definition of "ordinary." Thought of from the eyes of the Church, the word "ordinary" means the most frequent. 34 weeks of the 52 weeks of the year are tied to Ordinary Time. There are exceptions: The First Sunday in Ordinary Time celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord and the Thirty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time honors the Feast of the Christ the King. Outside of these exceptions, week after week is Ordinary Time - the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, etc. As we would expect, Ordinary Time begins with the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry, his baptism, and will journey through Matthew's gospel. As we weave our way through Matthew's gospel, may we continue to be in awe of the wonder of Christ and his saving work for mankind!Father Peter Schusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917781386160000191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453841711295087772.post-36657848509700553242013-12-10T12:25:00.001-08:002013-12-10T14:03:19.396-08:00Christmas and the UnexpectedThe Christmas story and season is really a story of the unexpected.<br />
1. God comes to earth? Yes, that is true. God, from heaven, came and took his place within the womb of a woman named Mary. Conceived through the Holy Spirit, Joseph has to come to grips, through the message of an angel, that his wife has not been unfaithful. We look for words of wisdom from this poor carpenter in the pages of the Bible yet not a word is quoted of Saint Joseph.<br />
2. Shepherds herald the good news. Yes, stinky shepherds are the first to proclaim the Christ-child. Why shepherds? We know the intention of Herod, to kill the Christ-child; thus, King Herod would never announce the birth of another king. As for shepherds, what do they have to hide? Nothing. Too, it is shepherds, not a single shepherd, meaning there is more credibility in many voices.<br />
3. John the Baptist baptizing Jesus? That is what the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord teaches. John insisted that it not happen; however, the voice of Jesus intervenes, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15).<br />
4. God born in a stable and laid in a manger? That is what we teach (cf. Luke 2:7).<br />
5. As for the men from the east, we really are uncertain of what they were. Magi? Kings? Astrologers? Yet, they come. We know their story - they arrive from the east following a star, inquire of King Herod, lay their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh at the feet of the Christ-child, and return home by another route. To their story, there is something I believe we miss. Imagine in their travels the bitter cold of crossing the mountains of Persia, the expenses it took to stay in inns and feed the camels. Was there hunger? Sleepless nights? Possibly. Still, they persisted and were rewarded with the gift of all gifts - the beauty of God.<br />
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All of this is a lesson for this Christmas season. God takes the unexpected and makes it exceptional.<br />
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God's blessing's! Father Peter SchusterFather Peter Schusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917781386160000191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453841711295087772.post-44772382896254477472013-11-27T08:41:00.000-08:002013-11-27T09:54:58.760-08:00Blessed Advent!Blessed Advent!<br />
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As we embark upon a new Church season, it is important to recall that seasons have meaning. The Christmas season celebrates the birth of a Savior - Jesus Christ (Christmas) and his manifestation to the whole world (Epiphany). Lent embarks upon forty days of prayer and fasting with Jesus in the desert. Advent means "coming." God, in the person of Jesus, came to save us from our sins. Christians throughout the world anticipate Christ's coming at the end of time. And, Jesus comes to us at every moment of our lives; he is the one who feeds us, showing us the path to the Father while respecting our free will. As Advent has dawned, let us reflect upon symbols of this season.<br />
1. The Advent wreath helps us to remember that Jesus came as light into the world. In the midst of these short days, sunlight being less than half our day, we realize our dependence upon light. We need light to live and grow, and Jesus is the one who provides.<br />
2. Violet is symbolic of repentance and preparing. Advent prepares us for Christ's coming. To prepare ourselves, we must remember the need to be repentant people. The voice of John the Baptist, on the Second Sunday of Advent, tells us, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 3:2) The word repent begs us to change from our sinful ways and center ourselves upon Jesus. Prayer, charity, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation point us to repentance.<br />
3. Four is a symbolic number to our faith. There are four evangelists, four gospel versions, and four Cardinal virtues. Advent is marked by four weeks. With the fourth Sunday of Advent, we know in the week ahead, the story of Christmas will be told. Christmas can fall from the Monday after the fourth Sunday of Advent till the following Sunday; however, that fourth candle on the Advent wreath celebrates the nearness of Christmas.<br />
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The above are only a few of the symbols, yet they mark the uniqueness of Advent. May our celebration of Advent be filled with God's grace as we ready ourselves for Jesus Christ.<br />
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Father Peter SchusterFather Peter Schusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917781386160000191noreply@blogger.com0