11/6/2022

Remember that this weekend is our Stewardship Renewal weekend. We will estimate our contribution for the year, then put it into a collection basket. It will be brought up in the regular collection to be offered to the Lord along with the bread and wine. Why are we doing it this way?
The short answer is that the sacrifice you are offering should be placed along with the sacrifice of the Mass, the ultimate, sole, perfect offering of obedience of his Son Jesus Christ. It is not just important, but amazing to realize that the Mass is the ONLY sacrifice that is pleasing to the Father. We are invited to add to this perfect sacrifice our own sacrifices – our prayers, works, thoughts, joys, sorrows, even our tithe – along with the perfect sacrifice of Christ. It only happens at the Eucharist, and those who are qualified are only those who are baptized. It is only fitting that we give our best along with Christ’s total self-gift to the Father. It is one of the places where we can connect regular life with the worship we do on Sunday. Eventually, we are meant to include ALL our lives into the ultimate sacrifice, living as Christ did, offering all to the Father. So it is at Mass that we find ourselves encountering the living, risen Savior who takes our own offerings to the Father and delivers them, along with His. What a privilege! So don’t just fill out the form. Make it part of the greatest prayer on earth, the Sacrifice of the Mass.
Last Sunday I was laid up as I tested positive for COVID-19, Omicron variant. I plan to be back on my feet and as I write this am out of isolation. This time was easier than last time, if for no other reason than that we are used to the drill. I am thankful to Msgr. Gaalaas for taking Masses for the weekend through the Feast of All Saints on November 1. So he got to do some of my favorite work: The Blessing of the Child in the Womb over the weekend, and then bringing six new members into the Church: Ryan and Amber Vogel with their two children, Autumn and Carter, Jesse Stark, and Hallie Ginther. Congratulations to this group, and thanks to Megan Johansen and her group for bringing them along successfully to this wonderful conclusion.
Some of you who have been asking about Communion under both species of bread and wine. In each diocese, this decision falls to the bishop of that diocese. Bishop Johnston did ask us in the Presbyteral Council a couple of months ago what we priests thought, and it led to some animated discussion. The result was that he does not think we are ready to do this quite yet. As the normal flu season approaches (as can be seen by the ads for Flu Shots), I would not get my hopes up about this until after the winter. If you remember even before the pandemic, we periodically would have a flu outbreak serious enough to warrant stopping the distribution of the cup for a month or two. We have an opportunity to exercise PATIENCE. I hope it can return sooner than later, but we might have to wait a few months.
It is a privilege to be your pastor!

Father Albert, O.S.B.