Messages from Fr. Bob

One of the pastoral ministry resources to which I subscribe is called, Celebrations which is a National Catholic Reporter publication. Because in a number of ways it is a valuable resource, I contacted Denise Simeone, the Editor-in-Chief, and asked her for permission to include all or parts of articles in our Sunday Bulletin.  Denise graciously gave her permission and this weekend I am happy to share with you a commentary on the gospel entitled “You Can Make Me Clean” written by Sr. Mary McGlone, CSJ. Did you ever notice how time seems to slow down during the most meaningful moments of life? … [Read more...] about You Can Make Me Clean! (Reflection)

It was on the First Sunday of Advent in 2012 when the new edition of the Roman Missal was first used for the celebration of the Eucharist. The most noticeable changes in the new edition are the prayers offered by the presider. The prayers use a more formal style of English and a somewhat politer tone that addresses God with more humility. We are told that the translation is more faithful to the Latin text. And as we have heard, the prayers have an abundance of euphemisms. A euphemism is a word expression that is used whenever what we are talking about is considered to be too blunt and too … [Read more...] about “The Lord Be With Your Spirit!” (Fr. Bob reflection)

On the Feast of the Epiphany, there are a number of images, metaphors, analogies, and similes from the scripture readings we hear, from the hymns we sing, from the legends we have heard, and from the personal experiences we have had that give both personal and collective meaning to our celebration. If we were to sit down with a piece of paper and pencil with the intention of writing down what comes to our mind when we think about the Feast of the Epiphany, what would we write? Undoubtedly, some of us would write the words: "shining star," "magi," "three gifts," and more likely the words … [Read more...] about God’s Gift (Fr. Bob reflection)

When I have the opportunity to be at home with my family during the holiday season, I often find myself sitting at the dining room table with my mother, sisters, brothers and a few nieces and nephews sharing information and stories about other family members. More often than not, my mother will ask the whereabouts of one of her twenty-seven grandchildren or eight great grandchildren. Sometimes, a voice is heard, “She or he is with friends and is becoming more and more like a stranger to us every day!” As parents, as grandparents, as aunts and as uncles, we are concerned for our young family … [Read more...] about Family – Then and Now (Fr. Bob reflection)

One of the teaching tools that most middle school, high school, and adult education teachers learn to use is called an “ice breaker.”  An ice breaker is an activity that helps people to share something about themselves so that other people get to know them. For me, a colorful ball of yarn served as an ice breaker that I often used on the first day of class. I tied the ball of yarn to one of my fingers and then I tossed it to one of my new students. The student who caught the ball of yarn said their name and shared something about him or herself like a favorite song, a most enjoyed food, or … [Read more...] about One Like Us! (Fr. Bob reflection)

Advent is a time of waiting, listening, holding back, and watching the beauty of both the day and the night take place. It can be a good time for spiritual reflection by asking ourselves important questions like: “How am I different this year than I was last year?” “What has changed within me?” “What has changed around me?” “What seems to be the same?” “How do I need Christ in my life and my world this year?” But let’s be real! Advent is also a time of preparing for Christmas. This year the Fourth Sunday of Advent is also Christmas Eve which shortens our preparation time for Christmas all the … [Read more...] about Prepare the Way! (Fr. Bob reflection)

We often make denigrating remarks about time – about being early, about being late, and about being right on time. This is because no matter who we are, none of us has complete control of our time. So we deal with it the best way we can.  Bluegrass songwriter, John Cadley, sings about the difficulty we have with time in his song called “Time.” “When I was young, I dreamed of being older. Now that I am older, I dream of being young. There are times when I complain about having no time. Then I wonder where that time has gone. Things I plan, I never do. Things that I never planned, I do. Once … [Read more...] about Advent – a Time for Waiting (Fr. Bob reflection)

During recess in grade school, my classmates and I would look for a pile of snow in the winter and a mound of dirt in the spring and fall. The biggest and strongest would scurry to the top and claim the royal title, “King of the Hill.” Those of us remaining at the bottom were then challenged to climb up and overthrow our friend and make ourselves into royalty. This weekend we are not competing to become King of the Hill but celebrating the Feast of Christ the King. A feast that is both old and new. What I mean by both old and new is that its biblical origins are found in the scriptures and … [Read more...] about “King of the Hill” Or “Christ the King?” (Fr. Bob reflection)

After a little thought and some reflection about our lives, I believe that we can all share some good examples about perseverance. Our examples might come from books we have read, movies we have seen, or people with whom we have lived and/or worked. But the best and perhaps most important examples of perseverance come from our own life stories.      Maybe you persevered when trying to pass a class in mathematics. Maybe you persevered when more and different demands were made by an employer. Maybe you persevered through the pain of hip or knee surgery. Maybe you are persevering with … [Read more...] about Our Hope, Our Light! (Fr. Bob reflection)

As the month of October comes to and end and the month of November begins, most of us can remember what we know about Halloween, All Saints Day, All Souls Day, and Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in a split second.  But we can go on for hours recalling and telling our experiences of death and dying. Grandparents, parents, spouses, children, other relatives, and friends have or are sharing with us their journey to eternal life with God. While I can easily recall the loss of different members of my own family and close friends, one particular person comes to my mind every November. Mary … [Read more...] about Dying, Death, And The Meaning Of Eternal Life (Fr. Bob reflection)

In today’s gospel the Pharisees are trying desperately to get rid of Jesus. If he says you can pay taxes to Caesar, then he's on the side of the Romans and the Jewish people who hated the Romans would become his enemy. But if Jesus says not to pay Caesar, then he's guilty of treason and they can hand him over to the Romans. Somehow, Jesus saw straight through this. His answer was not just clever. It had a very basic message that we often forgetGod is in control, not us! We don't need to try and manipulate God or others. If we are faithful to God, and work within our situation, God will do … [Read more...] about A God of Surprises (Fr. Bob reflection)

I believe that most people would agree with me that a parable about a wedding feast is a difficult one to understand. How do we make sense of a story where all the invited guests refuse to come? Because the invited guests refuse to come their city is destroyed. Some street people then find themselves invited to a wedding party they never dreamed of attending. Furthermore, one of the guests who the king calls “friend” but who really isn’t a friend is singled out, confronted, bound, and thrown into the darkness for not wearing a wedding garment. At first, it is a very peculiar … [Read more...] about The Divine Life Of God! (Fr. Bob reflection)

As we join together to celebrate Oktoberfest at the Church of St. Matthew, I want to welcome the different communities that are a part of our St. Matthew family:  Current Parishioners, Casa Guadalupana, Community of Saints Regional Catholic School, West Side Summit Charter School, Loaves & Fishes, St. Mary’s Health Clinic, Neighborhood House, and the People of Praise.  I also want to welcome former parishioners from the Church of St. Matthew and St. Michael as well as our St. Paul neighbors and business partners. When we gather to celebrate long-time relationships that are nurtured by our … [Read more...] about The Love Song We Sing! (Fr. Bob reflection)

A few years ago, I came across an article in the Psychology Today magazine. The article described what the author called "HOT” WORDS.” Whenever we hear a hot word our blood pressure rises, our hearts beat faster, and our body temperature climbs. Psychologists found that the one word that had the biggest effect on people is the word "CHANGE." No matter if it refers to a physical change like moving from one place to another, a mental change like trying to remember our doctor’s directions, or a spiritual change like trying to accept a loss, people react adversely to the word "CHANGE.” As human … [Read more...] about Flourishing Is Never Easy! (Fr. Bob reflection)

​On Wednesday, September 20, the Church of St. Matthew began its Faith Formation Program with students from Grades 1 to 8 under the direction of Janelle Rohr, our Coordinator of Faith Formation. As a volunteer for many years, Janelle has organized and directed the formation program that cultivates the faith our students who attend public schools and helps them to prepare for their First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation along with our students at Community of Saints Catholic Regional School. Responding to the needs of families, Janelle guides parents in having their child(ren) … [Read more...] about Parents and Community Sharing Our Faith (Fr. Bob reflection)

The Feast of St. Matthew is on Thursday, September 21 in the Roman Catholic Church and on November 16 in the Orthodox Church.  Matthew, the Evangelist who wrote the Gospel that appears first in the Christian scriptures, was born in Galilee, the son of Alpheus (Mk 2:14).  His original name was Levi until it was changed by Jesus. He is first mentioned in the Gospels in lists of the disciples, except in the Gospel of Matthew, which tells the story of his conversion (Mat 9:9). Matthew was different from the other Apostles. Many people felt that he was unworthy to be a chosen as a follower of … [Read more...] about St. Matthew, Our Patron, Our Feast! (Fr. Bob reflection)

After World War II, Simon Wiesenthal, who was a prisoner in a German concentration camp and who after the war became a Nazi hunter, wrote a book he called, The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness (Schocken Books, 1976).  The book begins with a true experience he had while he was in a German concentration camp. One day he was taken from a work detail and guided up a back stairway to a dark hospital room. A nurse led him into the room, then left him alone with a figure wrapped in white, lying on a bed. The figure was a badly wounded German soldier, whose entire face was … [Read more...] about Redemptive Responsibility (Fr. Bob reflection)

In the Walt Disney movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, seven short men invite Snow White into their everyday world with the words, “Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho. It’s off to work we go!”  A song about work by those who do work invites us to look at the spirituality of work during the 2017 Labor Day Weekend.  There are many examples of a spirituality for work in the scriptures. The story of Peter fishing is a good example (Lk 5:1-11). Peter and his partners, James and John, have been working all night at their fishing profession. Their work provided money for housing and food—a livelihood for their … [Read more...] about A Spirituality for Work! (Fr. Bob reflection)

In his book Years of Minutes: The Best of Andy Rooney from 60 Minutes (Essay Productions, 2003), Andy Rooney makes some comments in his essay “On Mixing Flavors.” “Obviously, I like to eat,” writes Andy “but I do have some rules. I don’t mix flavors. I like vanilla ice cream and I like chocolate ice cream but I don’t put them in a dish together. Friday, I went to the deli across the street and took a sandwich and a Coke back here to my office. I opened the Coke, took a gulp and almost spewed it over the papers on my desk. I looked at the label and it said VANILLA COKE. Well, I like Coke and I … [Read more...] about For Everyone! (Fr. Bob reflection)

Because I am writing this reflection on the 8th of August, the Feast of St. Dominic, I will share with you my thoughts on “study,” the one pillar of Dominican life from which no friar is ever excused from doing. The other three pillars are “prayer,” “ministry,” and “community” which could be postponed for the sake of study.       For me, the benefit of study is wisdom. But it seems to me that wisdom is a lost virtue for us today, especially for those of us who were born after World War II. We have grown up immersed in information, obsessed with technology, and addicted to quick fixes. … [Read more...] about Study in the Dominican Tradition (Fr. Bob reflection)

August 8th is the Feast of St. Dominic.  I am taking this opportunity to share with you a brief overview of the Dominican Order and a quick glance at Dominican spirituality. The Order of Preachers (better known as Dominicans) was started in 1216 by a Spaniard, named Dominic de Guzman (1170-1221). Dominic was known for carrying the Gospel of Matthew with him and it is likely he contemplated the Parable of the Sower (Mt 13:1-23) that we recently heard on the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Dominic envisioned a group of religious men devoted to preaching and living the truth of the gospel. … [Read more...] about And Many, Many More! (Fr. Bob reflection)

For three Sundays, the gospel readings have been parables about the kingdom of heaven. We have heard the Parables of the Sower, Weeds and Wheat, Mustard Seed, Yeast, Buried Treasure, Precious Pearl, and Dragnet. What I find interesting about the telling of the first two parables is that after each one it appears that Jesus provides an explanation for their meaning. However, the Dominican Scripture Scholar, Barbara Reid, OP, reminds us that before the parables were written down, they were told and retold by people who added details according to the circumstances and situations in which they … [Read more...] about The Kingdom of Heaven (Fr. Bob reflection)

We have all spoken words of magic. Think about the times when doors have been open, packages have floated through the air, heavy pieces of furniture have skated across the floor, and yes oh yes, a glass of cold milk and warm cookies suddenly appeared because you spoke the magic words, “Please and Thank-you!”   You may not know this but there is a process to learning magic. When we carefully study the education of the wizard in training Harry Potter, we see that the magic words he speaks like, “glissea,” “immobolus,” and “expecto protonum” are not effective unless they are accompanied by an … [Read more...] about What If? (Fr. Bob reflection)

Before embarking on a ship for a cruise, traveling in our cars to a new location, or flying in a jet to a popular tourist spot, many of us will ask our travel agents, search the Internet, and go to our public library for information about our long-awaited trip. And after we receive or find brightly colored brochures, detailed maps, and interesting articles we devour them, committing every bit of information to memory making the new-found knowledge part of who we are before we ever leave our homes. For the next three Sundays, we journey through the parables of the Kingdom in Matthew’s gospel. … [Read more...] about Our Journey (Fr. Bob reflection)

I have always had a difficult time with the passage from the Gospel of Matthew that we hear on the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. I suspect that other people have a problem with it as well. This is because the passage presents us with a paradox that is worked out only through careful biblical interpretation of the passage and a thoughtful analysis of our own lives. From my own experience, I know that yokes are very, very heavy. I use to sit in front of my family’s black and white television set and watch “Death Valley Days,” a weekly western series with former president Ronald Regan as … [Read more...] about Learn from Me (Fr. Bob reflection)

We all have our own experiences and thoughts about leftovers. After sharing a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, a Christmas feast, a Fourth of July barbeque, or just an everyday meal, we have to decide what to do with any leftovers. Some people lock up leftovers in airtight plastic containers. Some people put leftovers on display in a clear ziplock bag. Some people shroud leftovers with a blanket of aluminum foil. Some people show leftovers to the door by putting them in the hands of family and friends. Some people throw leftovers away. We all have our own experiences and thoughts about … [Read more...] about The Responsibility of Freedom (Fr. Bob reflection)

Years ago when I taught moral theology to high school students, I used an exercise to demonstrate how people develop routine patterns in their daily behaviors. I would direct my students to stretch out their arms in front of them and then to cross their arms in front of their chests. I asked them to look down and take note of which arm was on top and which arm was on the bottom. A second time, I directed them to stretch out their arms in front of them and then to fold their arms in front of their chests but in reverse order. After needing to try it more than once and some giggling, most of my … [Read more...] about Becoming More Christlike (Fr. Bob reflection)