Saint James - Christmas 2010 - Eric

What's Happening:
Two weeks in a row we've had homilies about the same subject: time. Last week at Saint Frances Cabrini, Father Clifton gave a technical discussion about time, and how God exists apart from it. This week Father Reiser talked about time also. So I thought maybe it's time to talk about time.

Time is a funny thing, you don't have enough of it, you can't get more of it, and you can't really change the flow of it. Or can you? You can certainly do two things; you can give yourself the best opportunity to enjoy the time you have, and you can work to remove the anxiety that goes with worrying about the past and the future and enjoy what it is you have right in front of you.

Giving yourself the best opportunity to enjoy the time you have can be boiled down to one word; quality. I'm a point in my life now where getting myself into quality time involves getting enough sleep, staying active, dedicated prayer time, and eating right. I also try to keep the drama in my life to a minimum and (try to) keep my own focus off of me. All this works together to lower my momentary stress level, and helps to keep me positive and in the moment.

Living in the moment also reduces stress, because it helps you to eliminate worry. This moment is a divorce from the past, and freedom from the future. When you take one moment at a time, you don't have to relive the mistakes of the past nor be burdened by the future. In the entire existence of the universe, the most important time is now.

Ben, Kat, Frank, Lindsay, me, and Brianne. I know you've heard this before, but this is the serious picture.

Location and Architecture:
Saint James, 9025 Larimore Avenue, Omaha. I drove by Saint James for years going up and down 90th Street in Northwest Omaha, and I didn't notice it much from the street. However, once you get in the parking lot, it becomes more impressive, and once inside the real beauty of the building can be seen. Once inside the high ceiling and wide expanse of the church provides the feeling of being outside. The church was beautifully decorated in celebration of Christmas.

You can see all of my pictures of our visit to Saint James here.

Gospel:
"And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rest" Luke 2:13-14

I am fairly certain more has been written on the subjects of the birth and death of Jesus, than any other subject in the history of mankind. I am also fairly certain I cannot add any insight that has not been added already ... but, this is okay. There is a reason it is one of the most written about events. The birth of Jesus changed the world.

The birth of a child is never an ordinary thing. Jesus however was exceptionally exceptional for so many reasons, and if you somehow missed all the other signs, here comes a multitude of angels to announce the birth ... and we praise you for it.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
Tom who is being deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
Amy and Shannon for protection on their missions.
Kevin as he prepares for his final year of seminary and the priesthood.
Marcus as he has been accepted into seminary and will be discerning the priesthood.
My friend M., who is pregnant, please pray for her and her baby.
My mother Judy to have her back healed.

Next:
January 2nd @ 1100 Holy Cross Parish, 4803 William Street, Omaha.

Peace, Eric

Brianne's Blog - My Experiences as of Late...

When I began this Mass Chaos journey, I was very much looking forward to taking a year long sabbatical from St. James, and exploring what other churches the Archdiocese had to offer. I've always felt that the journey was my favorite part of life - the twists and turns, the changes.



Here we are, with 36 churches down, and 21 more to go, and I've started to get a little antsy. This year has been full of big transitions for me; 2010 saw me through a divorce, 2 moves, 2 new jobs, and a complete lack of continuity in any part of my life. I've found myself yearning lately for a home. I miss going to church and feeling like part of a community. I miss the involvement in a parish - music ministry, lectoring, etc. But even bigger than that, I miss stability. Not just in my faith life, but in every aspect of my life.



I have every intention of finishing my Mass Chaos commitment - it is important to me to finish what we've started - but I cannot wait to reach the "finish line" and start making a home. I've found so many parishes I'm fond of, but what they've all had in common was a great sense of community. I imagine that after Easter, 2011 will be full of me re-visiting some of those parishes to discover where I fit best, and what parish I can best serve in, and where I feel "at home". The anticipation excites me, and I pray God will guide me in the direction I'm meant to go.



What I'm focusing on now is my relationship with my Mass Chaos friends - I know that one of the hardest transitions is going to be when we reach church number 57, and we all (potentially) return to our home parishes or find parishes of our own. It has been such a good (and God) experience to share this adventure with such an amazing group of people. They've helped me grow my faith in God, and my faith in people. To imagine an end to these relationships is impossible; I know they will be in in my life indefinitely. However, these relationships will be another change...



This holiday season, I thank God for the gift of friendship, and I pray for the blessing of stability.



Happy Holidays to all my Mass Chaos friends and blessings to you during this Christmas season.

Saint Frances Cabrini - December 19, 2010 - Eric

What's Happening:
I think there might be something wrong with me. I just don't care for gifts. I am certain that I liked them as a small child, but probably since I was ten it hasn't been my favorite thing. As far as items go, I admit I have a few items that hold sentimental value, but with the possible exception of a chair that came from my grandmother's estate, I have nothing that holds real worldly value.

I'm not going to get up on any high horses about how this season is overly commercialized nowadays. Why? Because I've heard those words my entire life. I imagine that my great grandparents heard the same thing, and their great grandparents before them. My point is that this time of year can be kind of awkward for me.

I don't want anything for Christmas, and I have a lot of reciprocal "no gifts" agreements with friends. Typical conversational questions like "Did you get all your shopping done?" or an after Christmas "What did you get?" kind of are lost on me. I just don't participate.

I do, however, like to anticipate. The coming of our Lord is amazing to me. Since Jesus has been here, done that, we certainly can't complain to God that He doesn't know. He does, He understands all of our temptations, but Jesus set the example for us on how to put our fellow human beings in front of our own concerns and temptations. Whenever you are weak, you can consider the coming of our Lord, and how He came into the world as a helpless child.

Thank you Lord.

Frank, Lindsay, Me, Joe, Teri, Patrick, Frank, Brianne, Jen, and Vesper. Thank you to the parishioners who took our pictures and told us about the history of the parish.

Location and Architecture:
Saint Frances Cabrini, 1334 South 9th Street, Omaha. This parish probably goes against all of my usual style preferences, yet I loved it. The building is long and narrow with dark wood pews and ceilings. It was brightly lit despite not having large stained glass windows. Being an older church, it has statuary everywhere, which suits me just fine. I loved the artwork of the church. I also appreciated the passion of the choir.

You can see all of my pictures of our visit to Saint Frances Cabrini here.

Gospel:
"When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home." Matthew 1:24

First Mary said yes to God. Now Joseph does. We see a glimpse of Joseph's character right away in today's reading, verse 19 "Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly."

I can imagine that Joseph feels injured when Mary is found to be pregnant. Yet, Joseph does not wish to see Mary harmed, regardless of the situation. Before he can end the relationship, he is visited by an angel and told the situation.

I marveled a few weeks ago about how Mary just says yes to God regardless of the worldly impact. Joseph also says yes. While it may be true Joseph doesn't have as much to lose as Mary did, he still agrees. I find it tough enough to get God's ten commandments close to right, yet Mary and Joseph say yes willingly. God certainly chose correctly in the earthly family He chose to raise his only Son, our savior.

Lord, help me to be more like the example of Joseph, let me say yes when you ask.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
Tom who is being deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
Amy and Shannon for protection on their missions.
Kevin as he prepares for his final year of seminary and the priesthood.
Marcus as he has been accepted into seminary and will be discerning the priesthood.
My friend M., who is pregnant, please pray for her and her baby.
My mother Judy to have her back healed.

Next:
Midnight Mass: Friday, December 24, 2010 @ 11:40PM, Saint James Parish, 9025 Larimore Avenue, Omaha.

Peace, Eric

Our Lady of Guadalupe - December 12, 2010 - Eric

What's Happening:
Fellowship leads to friendship, and friendship leads to intimacy. To me, intimacy is knowing someone inside and out and still loving that person. When the relationship between two people runs both ways into intimacy, issues can be freely talked about. It allows you to examine freely admit your character issues, and once they are out there, you have the opportunity to grow. I feel like this is the phase of life that Mass Chaos has brought me to.

God wants us to grow, and teaches us with many methods, many times for me it is through others, God's children. This weekend I had an epiphany about myself as I got to know Tom. We were discussing communication styles, and I realized something about myself that had evaded me, and caused me to feel bad about myself for years. What it was isn't as important as God taking the time to put Tom and I in the same space and opening my mind to what I was hearing.

Intimacy is something that is modeled by God, He knows us completely, and loves us knowing our flaws better than we can know them ourselves. Let us pray that we are able to follow the example God set for us.

Teri, Joe, Frank, Me, Julia, Kat, and Tom. Thank you to the nice woman who took our picture, I've met so many great people on this journey.

Location and Architecture:
Our Lady of Guadalupe, 2310 O Street, Omaha. Really, I was not paying attention to the date when I put Our Lady of Guadalupe on the calendar for December 12th. This is the feast day for Our Lady of Guadalupe, and hence the church was a busy place on Sunday. I'm not certain what is normal for this parish, but what was decorated for the feast day was beautiful. The altar was surrounded by (rows and rows) roses, we probably were fortunate to get the few pictures that we did. This church has one architectural oddity, it extends to the side, but only to one side.

You can see all of my pictures of our visit to Our Lady of Gaudalupe here.

Gospel:
"...what did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?" Matthew 11:7

These questions have struck me my entire life. What did they go out to the desert to see? John the Baptist is the answer. He was hardly a reed swayed by the wind, he was the Herald, making straight a path for the Lord's arrival. Did these people go out to the desert to see a prophet, a spectacle, or one sent by God to announce the coming of the Savior?

The same people looking to see a spectacle were probably not looking for the arrival of God's own son in the form of a human child. Were they able to see Him in a man who taught about humbling oneself, and living a life of service? Could they recognize Him in His Passion?

What are we looking for from God, someone to make our lives easier? Or someone who is here to teach us, help us to grow, and wants us to use our lives to better those of others?

John was sent to be the forerunner of our salvation. John put up the flyers, Mary provided the venue, and Jesus is the song of our eternal lives. He is King, but not with power that is limited to this world, His power is eternal. He can bring us to Himself for the rest of time.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
Tom who is being deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
Amy and Shannon for protection on their missions.
Kevin as he prepares for his final year of seminary and the priesthood.
Marcus as he has been accepted into seminary and will be discerning the priesthood.
My friend M., who is pregnant, please pray for her and her baby.
My mother Judy to have her back healed.

Next:
Sunday, December 19, 2010 @ 1100, Saint Frances Cabrini Parish, 1334 South 9th Street, Omaha.

Peace, Eric

Saint Gerald's - December 8, 2010 - Eric

What's Happening:
Wednesday we visited Saint Gerald's for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The choir was fantastic, they sang "Mary Did You Know" and "Holy Is His Name" back to back at Communion, a combination that guarantees that I am going to cry. Brianne says that she has only ever heard "Holy Is His Name" twice, both with me, and I've cried both times.

I've been in choirs on and off my adult life, and I love it, but sometimes I am happy to sit with the rest of the congregation. The difference is that in being part of the choir, I am leading the rest of the parishioners, but I can't actually let myself get carried away emotionally. In the congregation, I can let myself get caught up in the moment, but it doesn't meet my desire to serve.

Fortunately, it's not a choice between two bad things, it's a choice between two good things. There are times to serve, and there are times to be served.

Lord, thank you for blessing us with music.

Brianne, Frank, Me, Julia, and Teri. I know it looks like I got a new lens, but I didn't.

Location and Architecture:
Saint Gerald, 96th and Q Streets, Omaha. This church, has many of the architectural elements I like in modern churches. A fountain in the back, a sloping floor, good acoustics, and (for lack of a better term) a cool chapel. I think the statue of Mary is amazing. The tiny lambs scattered around the altar were a nice touch too.

You can see all of my pictures of our visit to Saint Gerald's here.

Gospel:
"...Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Luke 1:38

This is going to be short. Mary blows my mind, she just simply says yes to God. Regardless of the possible implications to her earthly life, which were hefty given her cultural conditions, she just says yes. I pray for the grace to do the same.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Prayers:
Please pray for:
Tom who is being deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
Amy and Shannon for protection on their missions.
Kevin as he prepares for his final year of seminary and the priesthood.
Marcus as he has been accepted into seminary and will be discerning the priesthood.
My friend M., who is pregnant, please pray for her and her baby.
My mother Judy to have her back healed.

Next:
Sunday, December 12, 2010 @ 1030, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, 2310 O Street, Omaha.

Peace, Eric

Immaculate Conception - December 5, 2010 - Eric

What's Happening:
I think it's funny when I get my comeuppance. We went to the Latin Mass at Immaculate Conception this week. I got lost in the middle of the Mass, I got confused following in the Latin Mass documentation, I didn't understand what was happening. So I turned to Kat, and I said I was too confused to enjoy it, I wouldn't be back. I was further frustrated because being the age that I am, the Latin Mass is right at the edge of my memory, so it was something that I could almost grasp, but not quite.

After Mass, Teri commented how much she enjoyed it, and since I respect her, I started to think maybe I was just being uptight. On the first Sunday of every month they introduce the Latin Mass and explain what is going on. So we went downstairs after Mass, the first thing Father Brancich said was "We get two kinds of reactions, people either love it or hate it, and we recommend that you come at least five times prior to forming an opinion." Message received. I'll shut my mouth now.

As Father explained the Mass, he said to not even use the books the first couple of times. His knowledge of the Mass and it's history really helped to bring it in perspective. As a person who values the connection Mass provides with every other Catholic in the world, not just present, but past and future also, I should have appreciated how this version of the Mass connected me to the way people worshiped God for so many centuries.

In the midst of my frustration, I focused on myself, rather than on what was going on around me. Ironically, Father Gordon spoke to this in his Homily when he quoted "He must increase, but I must decrease." I should listen. In retrospect, the Latin Mass itself was beautiful, I'll be going back to connect myself with billions of Catholics who have, are, and will experience the same celebration in Latin.

Lord, regardless of my emotions, please bless me that my focus is on you, rather than on myself.

Joe, Kat, Teri, me, Ron, Vesper, Ben, and Tom. We must have enjoyed this experience, we're all smiling big.

Location and Architecture:
Immaculate Conception, 2708 South 24th Street, Omaha. Immaculate Conception is a parish of the Omaha Archdiocese that is dedicated to the Latin Mass. The church itself was originally a Polish parish, and the names of the saints on the stained glass windows are still in Polish. This church has one feature that I don't believe we've seen before in any other parish, the altar is against the back wall, so the priest faces away from the congregation, which is traditional. I'd like to give a special thank you to the parishioners who sat with us as Father Brancich explained the Latin Mass.

You can see all of my pictures of our visit to Immaculate Conception here.

Gospel:
"...and do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones." Matthew 3:9

Yeah! God will turn these stones in children of Abraham! That's right! ... um, what??!? Hold on, He's going to do what?

What the heck is John talking about? How can anyone turn stones into children of Abraham? It just doesn't make any sense at all. Abraham is dead, and in heaven. Stones are, well, dead also. Even if we neatly skipping over the problem of getting DNA from Abraham, who is contributing the other half of the DNA? How does a rock obtain a soul? Since the people John is talking to are descendants of Abraham, are the newly formed rock people related to the people present? How does that work? I bet there are a half dozen questions I'm thinking of off the top of my head. This would violate so many physical, metaphysical, and biological laws I'm not sure they could be enumerated. How is God going to pull this one off?

The rules that apply to we humans, matter, space, and time do not in the least bit apply to God, the Creator of everything. God can simply do it because God is God, and He does not need to conform to your idea of what is possible or not, nor anyone else. One of the most difficult things for me to comprehend is why the almighty cares about me in such a personal, devoted way. My brain 'understands' it is because He loves me, but it's still difficult to digest.

Not only does He love me, but He came to our existence as human being, a baby, completely helpless, born of a woman. Small fragile, in need of everything. This is the Lord of the Universe, laying in barn, being waited on by humans and animals, and being announced by angels. In less than three weeks, we celebrate His birthday, and our salvation, and that, compared to turning stones into descendants of Abraham, is a real miracle.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
Tom who is being deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
Amy and Shannon for protection on their missions.
Kevin as he prepares for his final year of seminary and the priesthood.
Marcus as he has been accepted into seminary and will be discerning the priesthood.
My friend M., who is pregnant, please pray for her and her baby.
My mother Judy to have her back healed.

Next:
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception: Wednesday, December 9th @ 7:00pm at Saint Gerald's 9602 Q Street, Omaha.

Peace, Eric

Saint Patrick's, Elkhorn - November 28, 2010 - Eric

What's Happening:
Last week was my first week of missing a scheduled Mass Chaos since we started this adventure, so I have one on the make up list. It was kind of disappointing, but every once in a while my migraines take a nauseous/dizzy turn, and the only thing that helps is sleep. I was kind of disappointed, it was our first visit to a Spanish language Mass at Saint Agnes, and I've not been to one before. I was excited to try something new.

I've spent the last several years trying to get stability under me, now I'm feeling more adventurous. It's a pretty classic Maslow, I've been struggling to meet basic needs, now that I've got that taken care of, I'm ready to find opportunities to grow. God has taken care of my needs all along the way, and assisted me in finding the right opportunities.

Now He wants me to grow. This is not surprising, God stretches us so we grow, all good parents challenge their children to more, and God isn't just a good parent, He is the best parent. Sometime this is unpleasant, but God knows best, I just pray I have the grace to go where I am led.

Frank, me, Patrick, Ron, Tom, Jen, Kat, and Joe. This is the serious picture.

Location and Architecture:
Saint Patrick's, 20500 West Maple Road, Elkhorn. Saint Patrick's pulls off that really neat trick of seeming larger on the inside than it looks on the outside. The circular design with the altar near to the center of the church means there isn't a bad seat in the house. Saint Patrick's low ceiling makes it seem all the more cozy. This is all done without any interior support columns, so it's a nifty piece of engineering on top of being a nice church.

You can see all of my pictures of our visit to Saint Patrick's in Elkhorn here.

Gospel:
"Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come." Matthew 24:42

I might approach this Gospel a little differently than others. The primary message I take away from this is "You don't know when, so stop your worrying about it." People have pulled me aside and said before "Can you see the signs? The end is coming" Well, no I can't, and in fact you don't know either. Jesus says very clearly that know one knows.

If you knew you were dying in exactly one week from right now? What would you do differently? Would you try to cherish every moment? Would you tell your family and friends that you love them? Would you try to get right with God?

My question is; since you don't know when it will be, why aren't you doing those things right now? It's not just that Jesus could be knocking at the door in five seconds, you just don't know what can happen to you at any moment. A car accident, a harsh storm, an earthquake, a bus falling from the sky; the point is any moment could be your last, or the moment Jesus returns in glory.

Don't waste your time worrying about when this will occur, spend your time being prepared. Get yourself right with God, let your friends know how much you care, cherish every breath you have.

My friends, I want the impression that I leave you with is how important you are to me. I hope that the last words you hear from me is how I love you. I pray my last words are praising God. If I have to do these things every moment for the next sixty (or more) years before my end or all of ours, then it is my sincerest wish that I do so joyfully. I encourage you to do so too.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
Tom who is being deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
Amy and Shannon for protection on their missions.
Kevin as he prepares for his final year of seminary and the priesthood.
Marcus as he has been accepted into seminary and will be discerning the priesthood.
My friend M., who is pregnant, please pray for her and her baby.
My mother Judy to have her back healed.

Next:
Sunday, December 5th @ 9:00am at Mass: Immaculate Conception, 2708 S 24th Street, Omaha. This Mass will be in Latin.

Peace, Eric

St. Agnes - Brianne

First off, let me note that Eric was sick this week - it was the first week we've missed him at Mass Chaos, so I felt extra pressure to make sure a blog got up. I apologize for being brief, but I wanted to make sure none of the parishes went without note on the blog!

This week's Mass Chaos took us to our first non-English mass; we attended mass in Spanish at St. Agnes (22nd & Q). Ron agreed to be our fearless leader, being a fluent Spanish speaker, and I had the benefit of sitting next to him.

Though I am what I'd consider a "bilingual listener," it is amazing how difficult it is to keep up when people are speaking so quickly!!! I've attended mass in Spanish before, and though it is easy to understand where you're at in the Mass, it is nearly impossible to respond (or read responses in Spanish) as quickly as everyone else is. Despite my frustration, I really enjoy the Mass in Spanish. Jen brought up the the point that when the language isn't your own, you listen extra hard to try to understand what's going on. Though I'm sure some of the homily was lost on me, I did a decent job of keeping up...

What I've always enjoyed about any of the Spanish speaking masses I've been to in the Omaha Archdiocese is that they are always FULL. Mass was near standing room only! I also love that there is a great sense of community - people conversed before and after mass with the people around them.

After mass we decided to walk up the street to 24th and enjoy some Mexican food (keeping with our theme of faith, fellowship, and food!). Yummy!

Saint Benedict the Moor - November 14th, 2010 - Eric

What's Happening:
There is one invention that helps us improve relationships with both with our fellows and God. This invention is simple, it is a flat piece of metal, a piece of silvered or otherwise backed glass, or even still water. It is called a mirror, and it works like this. Stand in front of the mirror, call to mind what makes you mad, and say "My biggest problem in dealing with ______ is" and look in the mirror, and tada, there's your problem. This is not an easy thing to do. So expect some resistance from the person that you are accusing.

Once you get it through the head of the person in your mirror that they are the issue, you will now have the opportunity to change. Take these things in prayer to God, and you will (possibly very quickly) find your perspective will change.

I've been unhappy with these confrontations lately. I have been examining how my relationships are going, and after being forced to the mirror by unhappiness in my (in particular romantic) relationships, I've had to examine my attitudes about them, in particular my sense of entitlement. I have walked away from the experience believing that I am indeed the biggest problem I have, and I am determined to change my attitude, and as best I can, make amends to people who have been hurt by me in the past.

Along the way I've learned more about myself, I've come closer to God, and being free of my own sense of injury, I believe I can approach all my relationships in a new light of service.

Dear Father, help me to remember your Son's words, and to remove the beam from my own eye before attempting to remove the splinter from my neighbor's. Amen

Tom (Welcome!), Kat, Me, Brianne, Ben, Julia, Lindsay, Frank, and Frank. After lunch we all looked considerably, um, wider.

Location and Architecture:
Saint Benedict The Moor Parish, 2423 Grant Street, Omaha. I try really hard to not play favorites with the parishes that I have visited, but the sense of community that was present at Saint Benedict the Moor was tangible. I would like to thank the parish community for making the Mass Chaos group feel so welcome, and thank you for the invitation to return, I am planning on it. Also, the music was absolutely fantastic.

You can see all of my pictures of our visit to Saint Benedict The Moor here.

Gospel:
"...for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute." Luke 21:15

(I am going to go out of context on the Gospel reading for this week (Luke 21:5-19) and pull out this one verse.) For me, the greatest joy that I have is when I know that I have just done something or said something that God wanted me to do. A few weeks ago, I was chatting with a friend and I said something to encourage her that was so smart, so irrefutable that our friends all said immediately that they loved it. My reaction was "That just came out of my mouth?". Anytime that I say something with wisdom, I consider it to be God talking through me, rather than anything inherent in me.

The verse immediately preceding this one talks about not preparing ahead of time, and just letting God work through you. As I thought about this beforehand (i.e. preparing), I was going to mention something about a willingness to be God's instrument being a vital part of the process, but I quickly 'remembered' a couple incidents where God used some pretty unlikely people to make a point to me, so God will use who He wants, when He wants, and who are we to complain? He's God.

This being said, it is hope of mine that the more that I suppress my own desires, and make my entire life available to God, the more likely it is that it is he'll use me. "Here I am Lord", use me.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
Tom who is being deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
Amy and Shannon for protection on their missions.
Kevin as he prepares for his final year of seminary and the priesthood.
Marcus as he has been accepted into seminary and will be discerning the priesthood.
My friend M., who is pregnant, please pray for her and her baby.
My mother Judy to have her back healed.
My foot for healing.

Next:
Sunday, November 21 @ 11:00am at Mass: Saint Agnes Parish, 2215 Q Street, Omaha. This Mass will be in Spanish.

Peace, Eric

Saint Charles Borromeo / Holy Family Shrine - November 7, 2010 - Eric

What's Happening:
(I hope I remember this correctly) When Father Lordemann was at Saint Mary's in Bellevue, he gave a Homily about the chalice that he used when he said Mass. He said that his chalice was given to him by an uncle who was a priest, and likewise his uncle got it from his uncle. If I remember correctly, he said that he would be able to pass it along to his nephew.

We visited Saint Charles Borremeo this past weekend. It is a new church, and from the drawings I saw there, and on the website, it is obviously not completed as of yet. The windows on the church were all glass and led to a bright open feel to the church. There was, however, one stained glass window behind the altar (see picture below). We were told later that the stained glass came from Saint Richard's, which in turn came from Holy Angels.

These items are outward and visible signs of the church's presence. If these things, which are perishable, have been used to the glory of God for almost a 150 years, how much longer will the non-perishable parts of God's church last? My friends, your body may be perishable, but the spirit that God has put in you is not.

Lord, please grant me the wisdom to not get caught up in the moment, but instead help me to be focused on the everlasting.

Happy birthday Brianne! Teri, Frank, Nonnie, Marla, Brianne, Paul, Joe, and me.

Location and Architecture:
Saint Charles Borromeo, 7790 South 192nd Street, Gretna. As I observed above, this is a new church (I thought I saw on their website that the first Mass was celebrated there on Pentecost this year, but when I went back to it, I couldn't find it), so everything is clean, modern, and brightly lit. I am unsure as to what other parts of the church are new and which came from Saint Richard's. I thought the statue of Saint Mary was stunning. I also liked the largest lamb in the stained glass, from my angle he appeared to be smiling.

You can see all of my pictures of our visit to Saint Charles Borromeo here.

After Mass we got some food and went to the Holy Family Shrine, 23132 Pflug Road, Gretna. This was my first visit to the Shrine, and unfortunately, part of the center was under construction, so not everything was as put together as I would have liked ... which means I'll have to take another trip back! It was a fantastic experience, a place of peace just yards away from the interstate.

You can see the rest of my pictures from the Mass Chaos visit to the Holy Family Shrine here.

Gospel:
"...and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." Luke 20:9

A few weeks ago I was given a compliment through Brianne about my thoughtfulness when I write something in this space. This is humorous to me right now, because this week, I got nothing. However I am filled with joy today over the things that God has provided. A job, a home, friends, and food. I am also thankful for a changed life (mine) and the opportunity God has given me to move from my sinful 'dead' life, to one that is full of life and opportunity. I am alive, and alive eternally.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
Tom who is being deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
Amy and Shannon for protection on their missions.
Kevin as he prepares for his final year of seminary and the priesthood.
Marcus as he has been accepted into seminary and will be discerning the priesthood.
My friend M., who is pregnant, please pray for her and her baby.
My mother Judy to have her back healed.
My foot for healing.

Next:
Sunday, November 14 @ 9:30am at Mass: Saint Benedict the Moor Parish, 2423 Grant Street, Omaha

Peace, Eric