Fr. Steve’s Reflections

Aging is an invitation to go deeper into life. It is the shift from doing to being. Often our adult life was so busy. We ran here and there just to make sure that everything got done, all the bases were covered, and nothing was left out. Success was finishing it all on time. Today I don’t accomplish as much as I used to. There are many empty spaces in my appointment book. I have more time to reflect. Early in my life as a priest, Father John Malone and I had the pleasure of working with Fr. Fred Mertz. Fred could never keep his schedule straight, he never carried an appointment book and … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – August 13, 2023

SUNDAY MASS IN CHEROKEE PARK Next Sunday, August 13, the annual Saint Matthew Sunday Mass in Cherokee Park takes place. This event is long standing, and has come to be seen as an important part of parish life. The gathering is informal; bring a blanket to sit on the grass or a summer folding chair. Bring family and friends and neighbors. This event is a good opportunity to introduce others to Saint Matthew in less than the formal setting of the church. The warmth and acceptance, the hospitality and welcome of Saint Matthew are strong invitations to others. And the “Mass in the Grass” is a … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – August 6, 2023

Regret is the ghost of aging. It prods me to look back and to question everything I have done. It awakens the “life of should” – I should have… Regret nibbles around the edges of the mind and we feel weary, listless and with no desire to do anything. It is not only the past that disappoints us when regret gets a foothold. The brooding slips over into the present. It sours the immediate, the here-and-now. The thought of what could have been eats at the center of the heart and dampens the glow of what we did do. Regret is not insight; it fails to recognize that there are many ways to the … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – July 30, 2023

BEING AN ELDER We are a youth obsessed people. Elders don’t count for much, rarely thought of as a resource. In the East and in the Southern hemisphere, there is a role for the elder; there is recognition that the elder has much to offer. We do recognize what it is to mentor, and in a sense mentors are elders; they see the opportunity to pass on to the next generation wisdom and experience. In the Adrian household there was a special day in the Christmas Season, New Year Day – it was sacrosanct, and required a command performance: bath, good clothes and manners. On that evening the best … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – July 23, 2023

TIME marks every aspect of life: “Too much time”, “Not enough time”, “How much time will it take?”, “Who’s got the time?”, “I want to see how much time I can spend working this raspberry patch.” The events of our lives give focus and shape to activities. They do not define them. As I grow older, time takes on a different perspective. Eight hours doesn’t seem like eight hours anymore. It seems less. When I was a child, the summer seemed sooo long; now the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day passes with the twinkle of an eye. Time is no longer that rippling pond of youth, the pond in … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – July 16, 2023

An Open Letter to Graduates Congratulations! You have arrived at a change moment in your life—whether you are graduating from high school, trade school or college. In ancient times, students were pictured as camels. These civilizations saw education as a time to provide what the student needs to be a good worker, a dedicated citizen and a person of ethical values. These values were to be borne by the student as the camel bears precious loads. In ways appropriate to your age and development, you have been provided with the following: You have learned to think critically; to seek the very … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – June 11, 2023

Today I offer for your reflection the four and fifth priority submitted by the Church of North America – the Catholic Church of the United States and Canada – to the agenda of the Roman Synod of October 2023. Priority Four: Addressing the unity and communion of the Church in the midst of various kinds of polarization and division. Some of the polarization arises within the Church, other originates in the wider society and are transposed into the Church. How do local churches promote a unity, rooted in Baptism and nourished by the Eucharist? How do we grow into seeing ourselves as “people of … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – June 4, 2023

The North American Catholic Church – Catholics from the United States and Canada – offer five priorities to be discussed at the October Roman Synod. Last week I wrote about the first of the five. The second priority: The Church has the challenge of welcoming those who feel excluded from participation in the life of the Church, and to do so in a manner that is authentic and faithful to the Gospel. Often this tension was obvious in the words of individuals and communities. People believe that welcoming and serving the wounded and isolated in the world and in the Church is an essential aspect … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – May 28, 2023

Beginning in 2021, Pope Francis called the universal church to prepare for a Synod, a month long meeting in Rome during October 2023. Synods have been gatherings of selected bishops, representing the whole church, coming together, and with the Pope, undertaking a reflection on current issues facing the Church; and discerning what the response to the issue should be. A process to implement the plan is then established. He asked that each diocese undertake a process inviting all to reflect, discuss and conclude what it is that the Church of the 3rd millennium must undertake to be a renewed … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – May 21 2023

For many centuries in the West, Christianity has to a large extent determined and shaped culture and society. Culture is the way a person inhabits his/her world. Culture structures all the components and dimensions of human existence. All people live on this earth, but they do not inhabit the earth in the same way. Thus, there are a plurality of cultures. At a time, all cultures were religious cultures; in religious cultures, religion plays a decisive role. Religion is not only one of the components in a culture, it is the determining factor in a culture. Religion is the frame of … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – May 14, 2023

This Wednesday, February 22nd is Ash Wednesday – the beginning of the Season of Lent 2023. Ash Wednesday Liturgy is at 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM. Lent is the annual opportunity for each of us to look at our Christian lives; and make some adjustments in our religious practice or attitudes. Mostly the season is the annual time to remember that our love of God is found only in our love of neighbor. We are called to see the face of Christ in our neighbor, co-worker, or family member – not always an easy thing to do. We are asked to see the social sin around us that so often is neglected or avoided … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – February 19, 2023

Continuing from last week: The second paragraph of the Introduction of the Vatican II teaching on the Liturgy focuses on the Eucharist – our weekly gathering at the altar. Once again, my comments are found in the italic script. Fr. Steve For the Liturgy, “through which the work of our redemption is accomplished”, most of all in the Divine Sacrifice of the Eucharist, is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church. Our Sunday liturgy is to both express who we are and witness to … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – February 12, 2023

As we approach the Season of Lent and strive more fully to enter into the celebration of the Eucharist, in which the very presence of the death and resurrection of the Lord is found, it seems an appropriate time to reflect on the principals found in the introduction of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of Vatican Council II. This is the first of two weeks reflection. I have written little statements in between the text of the Council. My remarks are in italic script. Fr. Steve Adrian Sacrosanctum Concilium – Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy – Second Vatican Council Promulgated by His … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – February 5, 2023

I am writing this while shut down by the Christmas freeze and blizzard. Like the shelter in place of the pandemic, being stranded because of weather is frustrating and advantageous. Frustrating because you are stuck and cannot go where you want to go; advantageous because you have time and opportunity to do things around the house that you normally wouldn’t get done. Finally, you have the chance to simply be quiet, read, reflect and pray. It enabled me, in the middle of winter, to reflect on the difference of not merely surviving, but thriving. What’s the recipe for this. What follows is a … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – January 29, 2023

Since the time of the First Vatican Council the practice in the church has been to see the leadership in the faith resting with the pope and through him with the bishops. Dioceses were seen as “branch offices” of the Vatican and bishops were the local “branch managers”, the representation of the pope. Meanwhile voices were heard in the Church, such as the voice of Saint John Henry Newman, which insisted that the laity must be consulted in any Church decision regarding faith and/or morals. Little, if any, attention was paid to the role of the believing community of the baptized as possessing … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – January 22, 2023

This Monday, January 16th, marks the annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it is known as MLK Day. Those younger than 65 years old have no personal recollection of Dr. King and the dynamic force he brought to the “cry for civil rights.” Dr. King was not a politician, neither was he a journalist nor a television personality. Dr. King succeeded his father as pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He framed the call for justice in the teaching of the Scriptures, the prophetic teaching of the Old Testament and the teaching of Jesus in the New Testament. King … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – January 15, 2023

Some have asked for a copy of the examination of conscience at the Penance Service on the Fourth Sunday of Advent. It is found below. Fr. Steve Adrian Examination of Conscience Can you set aside your need to be in control? Can you stop being judgmental, intolerant, and self-righteous? Can you let go of the grudges you have been holding onto? Can you be generous with your love and attention? Are you strengthening your faith through worship? Are you using your talents at the service of the common good? Are you faithful and honest in your relationships? Are you honoring … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve: Examination of Conscience – January 8, 2023

We say “goodbye” to 2022 and “hello” to 2023. The past year has been a difficult year for many; it has also been a time of joy for some. I know I can learn something about living in 23 from my experiences of 22. I keep a notebook, a kind of daily diary—just a few sentences each day which describe the day, events, people, thoughts, ideas, etc. Mostly I jot down the names of people with whom I had connection that day. This daily exercise began when I heard from one of my teachers that he kept such a list; he called the notebook “People I have Breathed On Today”. Each New Year’s Eve I settle … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – January 1, 2023

Years ago when people talked of simple living and ecology they championed “Small Is Beautiful”.  In some ways the Feast and Season of Christmas celebrates God’s dwelling among us in the small and the beautiful – in a condition a busy and commercial driven world at best disregards and at worst doesn’t even see. How to celebrate the immensity and at the same time the smallness of this Divine Mystery – the mystery of Emmanuel, “God with us”? The Christmas Event is not something to grasp intellectually – you can’t get your mind around it. This mystery is to be experienced; and the experience … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – December 25, 2022

Next Sunday, December 25th is Christmas Day, the Feast of the Birth of the Son of God. Christmas worship will take place on Christmas Eve, December 24th at 4:15 PM. A service of carols takes place before Mass. On Christmas Day, December 25th the Mass of Christmas is at 10:15 AM, preceded by a service of carols. Even though some people have little church participation in their lives, the Feast and Season of Christmas is often the time when they will once again come to church. I invite you to encourage family members and friends and co-workers to join you for Christmas worship. Sometimes … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – December 18, 2022