Bulletin Article for the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (January 29, 2017)

Hello,

How’s it going? What an exciting time! As I write this I’m gone on the March for Life in Washington, DC. What a great opportunity to stand up for all human life from conception to natural death.

Also, we have Catholic Schools’ Week this week. I remember Catholic Schools’ Week at St. Cecilia in Ames, Iowa with fond memories. Hopefully, we can help create some great memories for the kids of St. Casimir School. What great joy it is to be able to hand on the Christian faith, values, and morals to our kids every school day. Don’t forget to support the school through the book sale Sunday morning after the 8:00 AM Mass.

We also have KC Trivia Night on Saturday, February 4th at 7:00. I am kind of biased, but I’m praying that my team wins.

Friday, February 3rd, there is Blaze in Mankato. Blaze is for high school students. Blaze is at the Newman Center. There will be great Christian music, Adoration, a talk by Father Beerman, games, and spending time hearing college students talk about their Catholic faith journeys. This could be a great inspiration to live out your faith in school.

On Sunday, February 5, Chase Ottman, son of Scott and Michelle, will be baptized at St. Casimir. We welcome Chase to the Family of God and to the joy of having the stain of Original Sin removed. What a glorious event!

This Sunday we have the Beatitudes, part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In some ways we can think of the Ten Commandments as a bare minimum, what not to do. The Beatitudes are the maximum, what to do. They show us how to live not just a good life, but a great life, a life lived to others, and for something bigger than ourselves, namely the Kingdom of Heaven.

Have a blessed week and don’t forget to wish the kids from St. Casimir School a happy Catholic School’s Week.

Peace of Christ,

Father Vogel

Homily for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (January 22, 2017)

Full Text: Homily for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Bulletin Article for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (January 22, 2017)

Hello,

How are you doing? You probably have heard that last Thursday there was a meeting to determine the future of the school. The Pastoral Council based on recommendations from the Finance Council and the School Board decided to close the K-6, but try to keep open the pre-K. This recommendation was brought to Bishop Quinn since the final decision is his to make. Based on information and letters he has received, he has asked us to delay the decision. He wants to make sure that all information and possibilities were thoroughly discussed not just within the councils, but the parish at large. I know this is a hard and divisive issue, but we must stick to together, we must stick close to Christ. Part of doing that is following through on what our bishop asks of us. Also, please continue to pray. Pray for our community that God’s will is done.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow Him. Just like them, we are called to be fishers as well. We need to go and make disciples of all nations. We need to be willing to talk about Jesus in our workplaces, in our homes, at our sibling’s home, wherever. Now we also need to take discretion. We can’t just force our faith down other people’s throats. Just like Jesus, we need to invite them to a relationship, a relationship with Jesus. We must not force others to believe in our faith and morals. We must invite them. We must invite them to a life that is fuller. A life more full of joy and the Truth. A life free from the consequences of doing sinful things. Invite, invite. Never force or demand. I personally need to do a better job of this. Jesus has chosen us. Go and be fishers of men and women everywhere.

Peace of Christ,

Father Vogel

Homily for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (January 15, 2017)

Full Text: Homily for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

Bulletin Article for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (January 15, 2017)

Hello All,

We are officially back into Ordinary Time. We will remain so for an extended amount of time this year. Easter is late; thus Ash Wednesday is late. Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, isn’t until March 1st.

As you may or may not know, the readings at Mass for Sundays are on a three week cycle. We are currently in Year A, where we will predominately hear Gospel readings from Matthew. (We are also in Year 1 for the weekday readings. The weekday readings follow a two year cycle.) However, on this the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, we hear from the Gospel of John. We hear John teach the people that even though Jesus is about six months younger than him, Jesus has existed before him and ranks ahead of him. Jesus wasn’t just a nice person. Jesus is God, the Second Person of the Trinity.

We, at our Baptism, have been baptized by water and the Spirit (John 3:5) in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). We were given an indelible mark on our soul the day we were Baptized. Even if we become an atheist, that mark is not removed. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are still there waiting to be used. Just because a car has gas in it doesn’t mean it goes anywhere. You still have to get in, turn the car on, and hit the gas pedal. Our souls are similar. They are created to use the grace given to us by the Holy Spirit. But we have to turn it on. We have to say yes. We have to open the door. It is not hard. But a lot of things try to prevent us from doing so. God loves you. Say yes to God’s love and amazing things will happen. Guaranteed.

Pax,

Father Vogel

Are We Afraid of God?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus heals a man of an unclean spirit. Right before Jesus heals the man, the unclean spirit cries out, “Have you come to destroy us?” How often are we like the unclean spirit? How often do we resist change and healing? As St. Augustine said before his conversion, “Lord make me pure but not yet!” We say we trust God and believe that He loves us, but so often we act as if we believe He is going to destroy us. I see this resistance manifest itself way too often in my life. I need to let go and let God. God really does love us. He really does want what is best for us. He really does want to heal us. There may be some pain and discomfort involved, but that is a small price for holiness and joy. “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” – Romans 12:2

Bulletin Article for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (January 8, 2017)

Dear People of God,

I wish you were here (in San Antonio for the Seek Conference). I am here with 13,000 college kids on fire for Christ. Again, when people ask me about the future of the Catholic Church, I say, the future is bright. There are a lot of young people who don’t have a relationship with Christ and live lives that are not in accord with the Truth, the teachings, of the Catholic Church. But there are a group of young people who do. These college kids here at Seek at such an inspiration to me.

One definition of Epiphany that Google gives is that it is a moment of sudden revelation or insight. Isn’t this exactly what the Three Magi must have felt, when after traveling miles and miles, they found the Christ child. All of their seeking for knowledge and truth was fulfilled in a little bundle of boy found in a manger.

And this is the radical thing about Christianity. At the center of Christianity lies not rules such as the Ten Commandments, but a Person, the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. A Person, a God, who loves us more than we can imagine. Love and Truth are really the same thing. They emanate from God.

God wants to give you a sudden revelation or insight. He wants to give you a sudden revelation or insight into His love for you. Do you seek out Jesus Christ as the Magi did 2000 years ago?

A fellow seeker,

Father Vogel

Celibacy for Doctors?

I have recently started watching the TV show Pure Genuis on CBS. It is techy and medical. (I briefly thought about becoming a doctor when I was in college.) In the show, one of the main characters moves across the country away from his wife and two children to work at this special hospital. In the last episode, he comes home at 4 in the morning. He knows that his job is not good for his marriage and his relationship with his children, but he sees all of the good he is going at this special hospital. I have met some doctors who were great parents and great spouses. I actually do not think that doctors need to be celibate. However, being a doctors is such a noble profession. Because of this, some doctors put in some long, long hours. However, being a parent and spouse is not a noble profession, but a divine vocation, a divine call. To have to choose is hard. Celibacy saves one from this constant dilemma. 

I think this is the wisdom of the celibate priesthood. One does not have to choose between doing the good of ministry and the good of home and family life. Because a priest is not married and does not have children, the priest is, or at least should be, always free to respond to the spiritual emergencies in the lives of those under their care. Celibacy has its own challenges, espeically in a sexualized society, but the freedom and flexibility it provides outweigh these challenges. Priests are routinely moved every six years. This could be hard on a wife and kids to be uprooted so often. 

People sometimes will say that married priests are the answer to the priest shortage. However, if a priest is married, what is a just wage to pay a pastor who has to feed others besides himself? Also, if we are pro-family, prolife, pro-children, how do we promote children when a parish is already stretched thin paying just the pastor? I know othe denominations have married pastors, but from what I’ve seen, it is not easy to be the spouse of a pastor or to be a child of a pastor. It is easy for the pastor to get caught up in their ministry and put family on the back burner. Why? Because they are doing an extreme good for those in their care. It is hard to say no to doing such great things for others. Thus, spouses and children become secondary priorities. They can even be taken for granted. So even if a Roman Catholic married priesthood solved the priest shortage (even though I don’t believe it would), it would present other problems.

In Matthew 19:12, Jesus says there are eunuchs who are eunuchs by choice, not by biology, for the Kingdom of God. Jesus was celibate. Celibacy can be a great gift. Priests need married couples to remind them what daily sacrificial love concretely looks like. Married couples (and others) need to priests to remind them that our final destination is not this life, but eternal life in heaven. Celibacy is a gift to a good Catholic priest. It is also a gift to those around him.

Reflection on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Why do we call Mary, Mother of God? We first need to look to who Jesus is. I like to trip up my Confirmation students by asking them a series of questions. First I ask them how many gods there are. Usually they get this right and they say one. Then I ask them how many persons are there in God. They usually say three, which is correct: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then I ask them how many natures does the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus, have. They usually say two. Yes, Jesus has a 100% human nature and a 100% divine nature. However, the question that trips them up is: Is Jeus a divine person, a human person, or both? The answer is Jesus is one divine person. He is not two persons meshed together. Otherwise there would be four persons in the Trinity. Now this is saying something. Some early Christians believed that Jesus was born a regular man and then later the Second Person of the Trinity came into person (possibly at Jesus’ Baptism) to make Jesus as we know Him. Another heresy was that Jesus was almost like a hologram. That Jesus was still pure spirit and only appeared to have a human body, but really didn’t. The truth is that Jesus is one divine Person with two full natures: human and divine. Therefore, Mary was the mother of not just Jesus’ human nature, but she was the mother of the one divine Person, Jesus. Thus, she is the mother of the Second Person of the Trinity. She is the mother of God Himself. she is Mary, Mother of God. She is Theotokos, Greek for “Mother of God.” This does not mean that she existed before Jesus. We know this is not true from the first Chapter of the Gospel of John which tells us that the Son is co-eternal with the Father. It does not mean she is more powerful that Jesus. She is a human being like you or me, but born without the stain or original sin. She is not God. However, she carried Jesus, God, in her immaculate womb for nine months. She nursed God at her breast. She cared and raised God. She was and is a mother to the Second Person of the Trinity. 

Since we are a part of the mystical Body of Christ, Mary is out mother as well. That is why today we also celebrate that she is Mary, Mother of the Church. At the Cross, Jesus gives Mary to John. In this gesture, Mary becomes the mother of all of Jesus’ disciples. Thus, she is our mother. May we reach out to her special intercession. May we honor her the way Jesus honored her.

Bulletin Article for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God (January 1, 2017)

To us Christ child has been born! Alleluia!

Again, Merry Christmas. The Christmas season continues. Hopefully you didn’t throw out your tree on December 26th. This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Or in Greek, Theotokos. Some early theologians had problems with Mary being called Mother of God. To them it sounded like Mary existed before Jesus. Or that she was above the Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity. However, others argued that if Jesus is one divine Person with two full natures (human and divine), then it would only make sense to call Mary Mother of God since she was the mother of Jesus.

This past Tuesday night Brendon Goodrich, son of Byron and Norma Goodrich, passed away. The funeral will be Monday at OLMC at 10:30 AM. The wake will be from

I will be gone this week and next weekend. I have been told for years by my priest friends that I need to go to Seek, a youth conference for college students. They said it was awesome and you run into a lot of other priest friends. Seek is put on by FOCUS (Fellowship Of Catholic University Students). I know I’ve said this before, but I believe FOCUS is one of the best and most important organizations for evangelizing the next generation of Catholics. College is such a pivotal time in one’s life. To be able to reach students during this critical time in their lives and to call them to a relationship with Christ and to holiness is such a great thing to do. So pray that I have a great time and spread the grace of Christ to those who are at the conference.

The Seek Conference is in San Antonio, TX. So it will be a nice long bus ride with Father Jason Kern and the students from Minnesota State Newman Center. Father Peter Klein from Blue Earth will be on call if any (sacramental) emergencies arise. You can reach him at 507-526-5626. Next weekend a priest from Cross Catholic Outreach will be saying the Masses. If you need to reach me, you can reach me through the usual means, email (frapvogel@gmail.com), cell phone, or text (507.320.9669). I might not respond right away, but I’ll try and respond at least once a day.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

Father Vogel