Wednesday, February 14th is Ash Wednesday. Even though it is also Valentine’s Day, it is a day of fast and abstinence this year. I would encourage you to schedule your Valentine events for either Tuesday, February 13th or Thursday, February 15th. The scripture readings for Lenten Masses are some of the most ancient texts of the Church, many of them dating for their use to the second century. In particular, the Gospel readings for the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent are particularly significant. They are taken from the Gospel according to John and are directly connected to the … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – February 11, 2024

February 4th is Scout Sunday; a day to recognize and celebrate the gift scouting brings to a nation. All my years as a parish pastor, I was privileged to serve a congregation that sponsored a Scout troop. Scouting provides young people with skill development, an experience and understanding of collaboration and teamwork. Scouting seeks to build character. Ultimately, scouting is about leadership. I especially cherish the chance I had to work with dozens of young people as they worked toward and achieved “The Eagle”, the pinnacle achievement of Scouting. As part of the work involved in … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – February 4, 2024

As a young priest, I was assigned to a parish in South Minneapolis. At the end of the block was the Braecount House. Lavina Braecount, the lady of the house, was a gregarious and hospitable person. Her ancestry was Eastern European and she held firmly to the conviction that the Christmas Season runs far beyond the “Twelve Days” of the West. For her, the Season came to an end on the evening of February 2nd. She hosted a Christmas gathering on that evening for the neighbors. She provided fine foods and drink. Neighbors looked forward to the annual event. At the end of the evening, … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – January 28, 2024

This Thursday, January 25th, is the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul — the patron saint of our local church and of our capital city. This date also marks the last day of the annual observance of prayer for Christian unity. The great scandal of the church is the disunity within the body of Christ. The unity of the church is to call all people to faith in Jesus Christ. “I pray that they all be one, as you Father are in me and I am in you, that they may be one in us, that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Christian unity is not found in words, but in deeds. The partnership of … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – January 21, 2024

Monday, January 15 is a national holiday, the observance of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National holidays are meant to call us to reflect and act on what we celebrate. Dr. King was the conscience of the nation. He reminded us of our best selves and the need to recommit ourselves to the proposition “that all are created equal with certain inalienable rights.” In our day, once again, the cancer of “white supremacy” is strong, vibrant and determined to deny human dignity and value to citizens of color. Our nation experiences the movement to deny the vote to people of color, the … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – January 14, 2024

Pope Francis tells us that the way the Church works must change from a top-down model to a bottom up model. The first model is the pyramid model—the Pope at the top, next the bishops of the Church, then the pastors and at the bottom of the pyramid is everyone else. Those at the top are the “teachers” and those at the bottom are “learners”. The assumption is that those at the top have a special type of holiness. Pope Francis says that the pyramid must be turned the other way around. The base now becomes the top; and the top represents the whole People of God—clergy and laity, all the baptized. … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – January 7, 2024

On this New Year I was reminded it is nearly impossible to remember that, from Moscow to Jerusalem, there was once a time of promise. Between 1989 and 1995, the following happened: the fall of the Berlin Wall and the liberation of Eastern and Central Europe; the collapse of Soviet Communism and the seeming end of the Cold War; the brief appearance of a pro-democracy movement in Beijing and other Chinese cities; the end of South African apartheid; and the signing of the Oslo Accords by the Israeli leadership and the Palestine Liberation Organization. In many nations people, who had endured so … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – December 31, 2023