January 1, 2018
Sr. Phyllis Jaszkowiak

Today we celebrate Mary as Mother of God, and the World Day of Peace.  Peace is that inner quality, that force, that resists evil in such a way that good comes about and not further evil.  The old adage says, “Peace is not the end, peace is the way.”  Mary is peaceful because she was in touch with God in her everyday life.  “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” 
 
She did not know what really was ahead for her, so she just went about being a mother and waiting for the “fullness of time,” as St. Paul says.

Leif Kehrwald
December 23, 2018

There are certain people in our lives, who, when we see them or hear their voices, make our hearts leap with joy. Who is such a person in your life? I think of my mother.
 
These are the people in your life who have strong arms and soft hearts. These are the wise ones who have weathered many storms, and assure us that all will be well. These are the people in your life whom you trust absolutely.

This is the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth. 

December 9, 2018
Sr. Phyllis Jaszkowiak

This weekend we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Mary appears in 1531 to Juan Diego a poor peasant, oppressed by the conquerors, and is told to go tell the Bishop to build a church here in this place.

December 2, 2018
Leif Kehrwald

There are two beginnings that occur today.
 
First, it’s the start of Advent, and our readings fit well under the adage of begin with the end in mind. While they point to end times, they fill us with anticipation, preparation, and even warning of the coming of the Christ child.

Sr. Phyllis Jaszkowiak
November 18, 2018

November is the month in which we consciously remember the dead, our ancestors, parents, children, siblings, friends, who have gone before us in life, death, and into everlasting life.
 
The readings of Daniel and the Gospel speak of this reality using apocalyptic imagery.  We are invited into this “apocalyptic mindset, a point of view that proclaims that the worst of times will give birth to the best of times… Apocalypse is promise.”  (McGlone)

Leif Kehrwald
November 11, 2018

I find three specific challenges in our readings today:
1. A call to radical hospitality.
2. A warning against privilege.
3. A call to end hunger and poverty.
(Just three minor, simple things to address!)

GabeTriplett
​November 4, 2018

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Sr. Phyllis Jaszkowiak
October 21, 2018

The Gospel, today has three important lessons for us.  The first is that if we really follow Jesus we will drink the cup he drinks and be baptized with his baptism.  The second is that we are to be humble, be the servant of all, in how we follow Jesus, especially if we are in a position of leadership.  The third is that Jesus chose human beings with strengths and weaknesses to follow him.  It is the same today.
 
We sometimes forget, that as an institution, the Church always needs to be reformed.  When the Church forgets that Jesus is the leader, then we, like James and John, work to be the ‘first of all’.  

Leif Kehrwald
October 7, 2018

​The creation story in the Bible tells us that God made us, humans, in God’s image. Male and female God created us. And in our passage from Genesis today, we hear the story of the creation of woman as a suitable partner for man,. And it concludes with the phrase,  “the two shall become one flesh.”
 
Think for a moment and put the two key points together:
The two shall become one flesh . . . made in God’s image.

Leif Kehrwald
September 23, 2018

Jesus sat down with his friends and followers, took a child into his arms, and said to them, “whoever receives a child such as this, receives me.”
 
I learned the raw, core meaning of this passage in 1982 from the Catholic community of St. Patrick in Spokane, Washington. This was our parish at the time when our first son, Nicolo, was born. The community embraced him and claimed him as their own, as they did with other babies born to families in the parish. With frozen casseroles, a strong mom’s support network, ongoing offers for babysitting, and a simple desire to catch a glimpse of the new baby, the people of St. Pat’s claimed him as their own.