Holy Family Shrine - December 17, 2011 - Eric

What's Happening:
This past Wednesday I had dinner with a friend of mine from high school. We went to Marian Central Catholic in Woodstock, Il. Tony and I were two of four friends who hung out all the time. We talked about church, and we talked friends and family, and we talked about some the dumb things that we did as kids. We were your typical suburban teens; full of pride, listened to no one, didn't care about anyone's feelings, and did what we wanted to do ... yet somehow we made it through. My friends, I was an idiot, and I'm sure I wasn't alone. Do I want to be remembered for the stupid things I did almost three decades ago? No, I don't. Not everyone responds to God's call with change, but we have to encourage them to do so, to give them the opportunity to do so. Does this mean that we should put ourselves in harms way? Probably not, but it isn't always the safest thing to deal with people living in sin and/or crisis, but it is still our calling to help. God offers redemption to all, let us be remembered for choosing Him and helping others, rather than being remembered for the sins of our youths.

Me, Marilou, Beth, Ronny, Tom, Frank, and Joe.

I love Holy Family Shrine, it is so easy to feel at peace there. It is also easy to get very good pictures. It's not so good if you want to pay attention at Mass; I get caught up in watching the cars go by on the highway, or looking at the wonderful view of the Platte River valley. You can see all the pictures from our Advent Mass Chaos tour right here.

Gospel:
"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham...” Matthew 1:1

God is thorough. His son could have been born to any person in any generation and still made the difference in the world. However God wanted to make certain that we, frail and question humans that we are, had no way to point away from, or question the authority of Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of the all the prophets and kingship of David. Saint Matthew wants this to be obvious from the very beginning of his gospel. Jesus is the heir of David, the king above all others, and our Lord.

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