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Joni's Reflections

11/21/2016

Autumn, a Season for Transformation
Right now I’m staring at my computer because I am praying that I can cover three very important beauties about the season of autumn and about the month of November in our Catholic tradition.

Part 1 A short reflection about autumn by Sr. Joyce Rupp & Macrina Wiederkehr
“As the hemisphere of the planet slowly continues to tilt away from the sun, the season of autumn comes on stage. Autumn has a distinctive change of personality from spring and summer. This is the season that has often been associated with melancholy. Its mood is mysterious and nostalgic. The reason autumn is often called fall is not necessarily because leaves fall from trees. This is the season when the Earth slowly falls away from the sun and light rays are lessening. Autumn holds fragments of the other seasons in transformative arms.”
“The season of autumn will not stay with us forever. It will fall into the womb of winter. In this dark resting place another dimension of growth will reveal itself. Each season’s entrance and departure is part of the gracious turning of the circle of life. Autumn will return to the land and to our lives when it is time. The wheel keeps turning.”
Just a few days ago as I was leaving my friend’s house, I was immediately attracted to this beautiful ruby red oak leaf. I slowly began to bend over to observe its beauty and then picked it up. My girlfriend laughed with joy as she said only ‘one’. I have been raking all day, so please take another. So I did and then she said and here is one from me, now you have a trinity. Those leaves have now been tucked away in one of my favorite books to dry and become a memory of the beauty of friendship and the autumn season. *Take some time to embrace the beauty of autumn.

Part 2 November is Black Catholic History Month: An Invitation to Remember.
Bro. Robert has helped to create some beautiful handouts about the influence of the history of Black Catholic saints and Black Catholics that are awaiting sainthood.  To learn more go tohttp://www.hopesingssobeautiful.org/index.php/2014/11/13/black-catholic-month-...
http://www.uscatholic.org/church/2008/07/timeline-black-catholic-history

Part 3
Today is the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Today is the last Sunday of Ordinary time. It is also the last Sunday in the Year of Mercy – this year during which we have remembered that Jesus is the Face of the Father’s Mercy.” (Pope Francis). We have a King and he is Jesus. The Mercy of our God will always be with us, to accompany us. Nothing can really separate us from his love and mercy. We are about to enter a Season in which we will exercise our longing for the Light in the midst of all darkness. And, when we get dis-couraged – that is drained of all of our courage – we can run to Jesus and let him look at each of us – as King of the Universe- and say, you are not alone in this.                                      Amazing Peace, Joni

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Pastor's Pen

11/13/2016

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Pastor’s Pen

We are already in the last few weeks of the Church year. It hardly seems possible that Thanksgiving is in two weeks and Christmas is right around the corner. Time is moving by so quickly and our readings speak of the end times. The readings speak about the days that are coming when we will see all kinds of calamities. In both the first reading and the Gospel, we hear that in spite of all of the terrible earthquakes, famines, plagues and wars of all kinds, God’s faithful ones will be protected and “not a hair of their head will be destroyed.” It is a reminder that no matter what hardship strikes, we will have God’s protection. Even in the calamity of our own death, God will be there to bring us to new life. No one can predict the end of the world by these readings always give me pause to contemplate the end of my days. What if I knew my last day was next week? Would I do anything differently? Would I just go through my daily routines? Would I watch my favorite TV programs and allow the days to go by? Would I spend time in idle chatter and up talking about someone? Would I spend my last week complaining about the heat or the cold or something wrong in my life? Or would I savor these precious days? Would I sit with God a bit longer than usual and ask God for the grace to spend this week wisely? Would I fly to see my family and tell them I love them? Would I try to make peace with some people whom I’ve hurt? Would I get up early each morning to see the sunrise? Would I clean my room so others wouldn’t have to deal with all my stuff after I/m gone? Would I gather people who have always made me laugh and have a night where we’d laugh so hard until we couldn’t breathe? Would I write letters to people and let them know how important they’ve been in my life? Would I go to the symphony or a play or a museum and allow my soul to dance and be nourished by the beauty of the arts? Would I eat at my favorite restaurant with anew close friends and savor my favorite meal? What would I do? I don’t know. I’d probably put off my decision until tomorrow as I usually do. God will protect us from death but will not force us to live our lives thoughtfully, lovingly or with passion. That’s our decision. For someone, in the world, this is their last week and I hope they will not put off until tomorrow what is so important today! So, what’s important in your life? Please, with God’s grace, do the important stuff and let the rest of the nonsense go!

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Council Comments

11/6/2016

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BEING CHOSEN, BEING GRATEFUL

After I volunteered to write this week’s column, I came to the realization that I was at a loss about a subject. Looking for inspiration, I googled the word, “November,” and discovered that not surprisingly, it is National Gratitude Month. Then last Sunday, Brother Ray’s sermon in which he mentioned listening to Richard Rohr tapes jogged my memory about a passage I had read from Rohr’s book, Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality.

Rohr writes: “Think of the many, many stories about God choosing people. There are Moses, Abraham, and Sarah; there are David, Jeremiah, Gideon, Samuel, Jonah, and Isaiah. There is Israel itself. Much later there are Peter and Paul, and, most especially, Mary.

God is always choosing people. First impressions aside, God is not primarily choosing them for a role or a task, although it might appear that way. God is really choosing them to be God’s self in this world, each in a unique situation. If they allow themselves to experience being chosen, being a beloved, being somehow God’s presence in the world, they invariably communicate that same chosenness to others. And thus the Mystery passes on from age to age. Yes, we do have roles and tasks in this world, but finally they are all the same—to uniquely be divine love in a way that no one else can or will.”

So, these two ideas of gratitude and chosenness led me to think about a couple of things that I would like to share with you. Now that I am spending much more time in the Parish House, I am keenly aware that not a day goes by that we do not receive one or more requests from people in our parish neighborhood who need our help. They may need assistance with utilities or some other special circumstance. Whatever their need, I am grateful that they feel they can turn to us and that we can help. I am particularly grateful to Trudy Shiemke who is the unsung heroine who administers the funding for this program and meets with all who need help. She is a special example of the many unselfish people in this parish who have been chosen to be God’s presence in the world.

I am also mindful that the Archdiocese of Detroit is convening Synod 16 on the weekend of November 18 to 20. The goals of the Synod are to focus on evangelization and to change the culture of the Archdiocese so that we can be that divine love that Rohr speaks of. The Archdiocese has wisely chosen Brother Ray and Hermenia Adams as our representatives to the Synod. I have no doubt that giving up their weekends and sitting through three days of meetings is a sacri1fice for them, so I am grateful that they are willing to do this and hopeful that they are encouraged by our prayers for them.

Frances Pelham Carnaghi, Pastoral Minister

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