Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

“Thank you for helping (us) prepare for our wedding day & marriage, and for helping us understand how God is with us during it all.  It feels good knowing that the Church cares about us and keeping our forthcoming marriage healthy and strong.” 

The above was received as a thank you note from a couple married at St. Peter’s.    

St. Peter’s spends more time preparing couples for marriage then most parishes.  The couples have 4  – hour long  sessions with me in which we cover everything from the Church’s teachings on marriage to the practical skills and communication that help a marriage to flourish.   The couples then attend a retreat weekend organized by the deanery.  We also have large group sessions for all the parish engaged couples.  Finally, the couples take an online course in NFP (Natural Family Planning.)  In addition, the couples have a total of 4 meetings with the pastor which covers the FOCCUS Test, a prenuptial questionnaire and of course planning the actual ceremony.  The whole Marriage Prep Checklist which couples are given can be found on the parish website.  

About 5 years ago, an effort was undertaken to strengthen the parishes’ marriage preparation program.  Everyone knows the dire statistics on divorce and we want to ensure we do everything possible to prevent that from ever happening to the couples who approach the altar at St. Peter’s.  The vast majority of couples appreciate the efforts on their behalf as indicated by the note above.  I recall last year a couple who was going through the process. They shared with me a conversation with a friend about the marriage preparation process.  The friend expected they would be dreading all the steps they had to take to get married here.  The soon to be groom instead told his friend how much he was enjoying it and how much it was strengthening his and his fiancees’ relationship!

“The family that prays together, stays together.”  As we celebrate Valentine’s Day this week, here’s a prayer I give to couples and encourage them to pray daily.  I first discovered this prayer when my wife and I got engaged—and it’s a prayer we’ve prayed every night since. 

Prayer of Spouses for Each Other

Lord Jesus, grant that I and my spouse may have a true and understanding love for each other. Grant that we may both be filled with faith and trust. Give us the grace to live with each other in peace and harmony. May we always bear with one another’s weaknesses and grow from each other’s strengths. Help us to forgive one another’s failings and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the well-being of one another ahead of self.

May the love that brought us together grow and mature with each passing year. Bring us both ever closer to You through our love for each other. Let our love grow to perfection. Amen.

God bless you!

Phil Lawson

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

(from the bulletin)

I believe many of you would have read the official announcement of Bishop William Callahan in the Catholic Times that he has appointed me as the Pastor, effective from Jan. 25th, of St. Peter and St. Casmir Parishes. Till this date, I was only a parochial Administrator. The new appointment as the Pastor, legally gives me stability. However, I personally take it as an opportunity from God to commit myself to serve the parishioners with greater dedication for a period of time, till the Bishop will transfer me. Honestly I am happy to serve you as your pastor, because I am impressed and encouraged by your faith and your loyalty to the Church. I thank you for having accepted me so. I do not know still the date, on which I will be installed. Yes, it is again only a legal requirement; and perhaps it will be held on any one of the Sundays.

Now let me turn you attention for a brief reflection on this Sunday’s Good News.

The story of Job, in the first reading, is one of the most fascinating ones. It reflects the experience of every person, who has suffered. As in the mind of Job, there are many questions rising in the mind of even a strong believer asking, “How could God allow his virtuous and beloved Job to be assailed by an onslaught of calamities? Why did he permit a faithful friend to experience misery in its acuteness and intensity? Why did he allow Satan to inflict horrendous trials on an innocent God-fearing person?” The lament of Job echoes the resentment of a person’s “unmerited” suffering.

It is against this backdrop that we need to understand Jesus, the Messiah, who preached the coming of God’s kingdom. The Messiah himself had to undergo the agonies and sufferings of every person. It is on the cross Jesus Christ assumed the brokenness and vulnerability of the entire humanity and brought about healing.

In today’s Gospel Jesus, the healer is prefigured in the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law who lay ill with fever and the many others who were sick with various diseases and those who were possessed by demons. The healing ministry of Jesus was a sign that the kingdom of wholeness has come. By his mission of healing, he showed to the suffering “Jobs” of all times that sickness, suffering and death do not have the ultimate word.

The words of the Gospel, “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed” (Mk 1:35), reveals that the healing and saving ministry of Jesus was sustained by his life of prayer and personal dialogue with the Father. I wish and pray that everyone of us who is suffering from any ailment may find solace in Jesus, the divine healer through personal encounter with him.

God bless you
Fr. Arul Joseph V.

Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

            “CATHOLICISM”

Many have likely heard of the Fr. Robert Barron’s new documentary “CATHOLICISM” produced by Word On Fire. 

“CATHOLICISM could well become one of the most significant efforts ever to advance what Pope John Paul II called ‘The New Evangelization.’  Truth, goodness, beauty – they’re all here, in a stimulating and compelling exploration of the spiritual, moral and intellectual riches of the Catholic world.  This is the Catholic story told from inside, with knowledge, sympathy, and passion, rooted in friendship with Jesus Christ.” –George Weigel, biographer of Pope John Paul II.  

            CATHOLICISM is both a 10 hour documentary and structured adult faith formation program.   The documentary was so well done that it has also been shown throughout the country on Public Television.  

The Diocese, through a generous grant, distributed a copy of the program to every single parish.  I expect, we’ll be offering this as a formal adult faith formation series, perhaps after we finish the current Tuesday night Bible study series.    However, in the meantime, especially with Lent approaching if any of the parish organizations or even small groups of parishioners want to borrow the videos for a meeting or evening of reflection please let me know and I’ll get them to you!   The DVD’s can be used in the whole series or as a stand-alone topic. You can find more information on the program online at www.CatholicismSeries.com. 

Fr. Letona and I previewed the first episode over the Christmas break, and both found ourselves glued to the screen.  The combination of on-site video as Fr. Barron travels the Catholic world, his explanations, and the conviction with which they’re expressed are captivating. 

Our parish religious education teachers watched the episode, “Amazed and Afraid – The Revelation of God Become Man” during an inservice on Jan. 4^th and loved it.   One teacher even asked if they could keep watching the rest of the videos that night!    

God bless you!

Phil Lawson

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

(from the bulletin)

The message of the Gospel, this Sunday, depicts Jesus as God’s “Good News” in person. In other words, the Gospel passage portrays him teaching God’s word with authority: “The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mk 1:22). Jesus spoke not only with authority, but also he reinforced the power of God’s saving word by curing a man possessed by an unclean spirit. Both word and action highlight the authority of Jesus. Jesus is manifesting himself as Messiah and his teaching manifests his person as the one sent by God.

The episode of Jesus teaching at the synagogue in Capernaum supports the truth that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophetic figure promised by Yahweh to Israel and to all people: “I will raise up for them a prophet. I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak all that I command him” (Dt. 18:18). This means that a prophet is another self of God. Men must, therefore, heed his words. If they do not listen to him, it means that they refuse to listen to God. Jesus clearly thinks of himself as doing what is expected of the great prophet whom God had promised to raise up from among his brethren.

Cardinal John Henry Newman says, “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. In him God is fully and truly seen, so that he is absolutely the way, the truth and the life. Christ has brought from his Father for all of us the full and perfect way of life. Thus he brings grace as well as truth, a most surprising miracle of mercy.”

The Gospel episode states that the people who heard were astonished at the teaching of Jesus. Can we ask ourselves if we are astonished and amazed at Jesus’ teachings? What about the magisterial authority Jesus gave the Church to interpret and spread the Good News to the world? On several occasions, we are tempted to accept the word of God only when it suits us; only when it fits our easy lifestyle and only when it is convenient. But when Jesus talks about loving one’s neighbor, about justice, about giving, about forgiveness and sacrifice, it disturbs us from our “comfort zones”. Then we turn away from the divine authority of the gospels and call them irrelevant to the times.

The word of God is light to our path and life to our soul. Hence we need to listen to the Word of God during the Mass and supplement it by private study. This will make the gospels more instructive in our lives. Then the Holy Spirit will occupy our lives and produce within us, as St. Paul tells us in Gal 5:22, his gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

God bless you
Fr. Arul Joseph V.

Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

            “Unclean Spirits”

Several years ago, word leaked to the press that Cardinal Francis George of Chicago had appointed a new exorcist for the Archdiocese.   Did you know that every diocese has an exorcist?   At the Chicago press conference the reporters wanted details of why the Cardinal had taken this step.  His response was simple and right to the point, “There was a need.” 

Today’s Gospel reading from Mark shows Jesus casting out an unclean spirit (demon).  It’s worth asking, do we still deal with demons today? 

Yes, unfortunately, at least as long as we reside in this “vale of tears” on our journey toward Heaven.  The Catechism spells this out citing the 2^nd Vatican Council’s Gaudium et Spes, “The whole of man’s history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day.”  (CCC # 409).   St. Paul acknowledges this in his admonition about the battle against evil found in Ephesians 6:10-17 with special emphasis on v. 16:  “In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one.”

The diabolical—that which is of the devil comes from the Greek word– “diabolos” defined as “slanderer.”   Another way of viewing it is through the lens of division.  The devil always seeks to divide, to bring confusion, to sow disorder—ultimately to divide a soul from the love of God.    Note with interest that the first thing God does in Creation is to bring order, “the earth was a formless wasteland and darkness covered the abyss…and God said, ‘Let there be light.’” (Gen. 1:2-3).   The devil in turn seeks to undo and reverse that order.  

I am regularly struck by the accounts of those who meet with me and are seeking to grow in their faith.  For many it is an account of seeking “order” out of the chaos that their life has become.   At a recent RCIA session, the participants spent some time reflecting on how their lives are changing as they grow closer to Christ and His Church.  “Order” and “Peace” were two of the sentiments commonly expressed.  And you know what comes from that order and peace?  Joy.  St. Paul spells out the opposite of the diabolical with the Fruits of the Spirit in Gal 5:22-24 “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” 

We say the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel at the end of every Rosary.  Indeed, some parishes still say it at the end of every Mass.   We pray that God may “be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil…and thrust into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.  Amen.”   And of course, always keep in mind, as the Gospel of Mark demonstrates, Jesus always wins!   

God bless you!

Phil Lawson

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

            “The Defining Issue of Our Day”

            Tim Roach of Fairbault, MN was an out of work electrician.  His unemployment benefits were about to run out when he received a phone call offering a job making  

65-70k a year for at least 11 months.  Unfortunately, the job offer was for the construction of a Planned Parenthood Clinic in St. Paul, MN.  (Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortions in the US).  What did this Catholic father of a 9 year old boy and 11 year old daughter do?  He turned down the offer.  As his wife said, “Through this whole process, our faith has deepened.  We feel like it was a test of our faith.  We chose to stand by our faith.”  Amen!  (Source:  TheCatholicSpirit.com)

            Several years ago, Planned Parenthood decided to build a new abortion clinic in Austin, Texas.  As they began planning for its construction they encountered a problem, no construction company in the area wanted to participate in such a project.  It started with one Christian owner calling his colleagues and urging them to live up to their convictions.  The call kept spreading, and soon not a single construction company within 60 miles of Austin would take on the project of building this abortion clinic.    Amazing.  

            Today, January 22^nd, marks the 39^th tragic anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court Decision that legalized abortion in the United States.  The Catholic Church has always been at the forefront of defending the dignity of every human life from conception to natural death.  (Did you know, the Catholic Church remains the largest charitable organization in the world?  We just had a wonderful example of that last weekend with Fr. Demsey’s appeal on behalf of “Food for the Poor”.)  

            A special mention to our 4 high school students: Michelle Dubay, Ivy Engwall, Dalton Guinn, and Lucas Mancheski who are currently in Washington DC.  They are joining several hundred thousand others to peacefully march urging the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the defense of all human life.  Did you know this is the largest annual protest march that takes place in Washington every year?     

    Every single one of us has a role to play in what has been called “the defining issue of our day.”  The examples listed above, are simply accounts of regular Christians taking a stand in whatever large, or small way, was presented to them.   May we do likewise.

God bless you!

Phil Lawson

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

(from the bulletin)

After having focused on the mystery of the Lord’s incarnation during the Christmas season, we enter into the ordinary season of the liturgical year.

The Gospel for this Sunday portrays a significant encounter between Jesus and the disciples of John the Baptist. John the Baptist points out this Incarnate Word Jesus Christ as the “Lamb of God”. This title brings to our mind the image of the sacrificial lamb, the suffering Servant and the Good Shepherd. God takes always the first step to relate Himself with humankind. Here too Jesus Christ initiates the dialogue with the discipleship asking, “What are you looking for?” The response of Andrew and his companion is not totally an answer, but a question pregnant with meaning, “Where are you staying?” Their question means, “Where they could find him and learn from him about their true home”. The reply of Jesus also corresponds to their yearning, “Come and see”. He offers an invitation to walk with him. Indeed, the positive and ready response of the disciples to the invitation of Jesus is extremely inspiring: “They went and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him”. As the Word made flesh dwelt among us and stayed with us through his eternal presence, so the first disciples remained with Jesus, the incarnate Word and divine Teacher.

There is no account of what they talked about, no description of the place where they sat together. But whatever happened, this meeting has changed the lives of Andrew and his companion forever. In fact they remained with him for the rest of their lives. Their relationship to him became their new identity.

The historian Eusebius of Caesarea described the martyrdom of a Christian in the 2nd century as endurance in an extraordinary fashion all the outrages inflicted on him/her, but answered “I am a Christian”. This new identity was the only one that a Christian claimed and it was indestructible.

It is a fundamental question for every person: “Which of the many identities that I claim is indestructible?” The consumerist society identifies me as a consumer, politicians as a voter, television companies as a viewer, and even football clubs as a fan. All of these are easily destructible. Like Andrew and his companion I need a quiet hour, a quiet evening, in which the Lord can ask me, “What are you looking for?” The identity that I get by being with Christ is indestructible.
God bless you
Fr. Arul Joseph V.

            Phil’s Notes & Tidbits

                        “The Choir in Rome”

The Choir returned to Stevens Point about 1AM Tuesday and with an early bulletin deadline, we don’t have much for this week’s bulletin.   However, Fr. Letona was able to post a number of updates online while they were there. Expect more updates and stories in future bulletins! Below are some of the highlights from Fr. Letona:

“It is as if it was such a beautiful and awesome thing that it could only happen in a dream. Our choir, the St. Peter parish choir from little ol’ Stevens Point Wisconsin, rode shotgun with the Sistine Choir for the Papal Mass of the Epiphany. (Jan. 6^th)  The choir was given the privilege from the Sistine Choir master to sing two prelude songs. This privilege is rarely given to visiting choirs. A testament to just how awesome our choir was! The other priests around me commented on how great “that other” choir was. Of course I was so proud and happy for them, I couldn’t help but say ” I am here with them!” They all asked “How do you get so many young people to join a choir like that?”

 We had Sunday Mass (Jan. 8^th) in Santa Croce in Florence. Here in Italy Epiphany was on Thursday and it was a holiday. So today we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord. The mass was in Italian and Fr Derek and I concelebrated with a young Franciscan priest from Romania. Once more the choir sang. The celebrant, addressing the regular parishioners in Italian, thanked the choir for the magnificent job and gave us an edifying compliment. He said “It is said that when we sing we pray twice, well we have just prayed three times! Bellisimo!”

-On January 4^th, the choir was privileged to attend the General Audience with Pope Benedict XVI.  During the Audience, the various groups were introduced.  There is an amazing video of St. Peter’s Choir being introduced and then singing a hymn for the Pope.    It can be found here:  http://www.saintpetercatholic.com/  Just click on the Video on the main page of the Pope’s audience.  To see our students (public school, Catholic school, homeschool) our young adults and college students, parents from our parish, and even at least one grandparent parishioner, singing for the Holy Father made me beam with pride for St. Peter’s!  What an incredible gift for our parish!  Other updates and pictures can be found on St. Peter’s Facebook site.  Enjoy! 

God bless you!

Phil Lawson

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization

(from the bulletin)

This Sunday we celebrate the feast of Epiphany. Though it is traditionally known as the visit of the three Magi, in fact it is a manifestation of the divinity of Christ. It is a fulfillment of the prophetic declaration: “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you!” The feast of Epiphany is a feast that celebrates God’s unlimited glory, shedding radiance on all the peoples of the earth.

The Lord’s epiphany/manifestation has been figuratively foretold by the prophet Isaiah (Is 60:1-6). The prophet symbolically sees a restoration of Jerusalem and gathering of the nations from far away, wealth being brought and the homage paid by foreign kings. The great gathering will make Jerusalem a focal point and will shine like a light to the nations for the glory of the Lord will fill it.

Matthew’s story of the visit of the magi or “wise men” intends to demonstrate that Christ is the fulfillment of this prophecy and their adoration fulfills the prophecy of the homage paid by the nations to the God of Israel. These wise-men were named Caspar, Balthasar and Melchior. Caspar came to be depicted as a black person. The Jerome Biblical Commentary remarks, that they were understood as representatives of the Gentile world in all its racial diversity, who came to Christ. Of the gifts brought by these wise men, gold signified the kingship of Christ, incense his divinity, myrrh his redemptive suffering and death.

They saw the star and were guided by it; on arrival they were filled with the radiance of the divine glory; and on their return they let the divine light within them shine to others. Likewise, we must know that we, the Christians, have been filled and enlightened by the same divine light at baptism; hence we must let the light within us shine through to others. Remember Jesus proclaiming, “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14).

The feast of Epiphany is a call for all to seek the light of Christ. It is a call for us to arise from our “darkness” and to journey towards the light. It is a journey of fellowship and love with our brothers and sisters, a journey of hope that at the end we will find the Savior Jesus with his mother Mary, offering him to us. Today let us ask the question, “How have I worked to make Christ known to all the nations and make him truly “the light of the nations”?

God bless you
Fr. Arul Joseph V.

“Giving and Giving of Ourselves”

I want to highlight the beautiful response of our parish to the Giving Trees undertaken this past Advent.  Did you know St. Peter’s provides a gift to every one of parishioners who is in assisted living, nursing homes, or homebound?   Furthermore, the parish gives a Christmas gift to every single resident of Portage County Nursing Home and the Stevens Point Health Care Center, regardless of whether they are parishioners. This adds up to a hefty total of 224 gift bags that were distributed.  The beauty of this effort, apart from the token of love it shows those who are unable to physically get to St. Peter’s, is the wide breadth of parishioners involved.    The Family Life Committee does much of the preparation and coordination.  Countless parishioners took the tags from the trees and brought in an abundance of gifts.  When it came time to coordinate and prepare all the gifts for delivery, it was the Family Life Committee, aided by our homeschool families, last year’s RCIA Class, and various other parishioners who did the work.  For the delivery of the gifts—a large undertaking in and of itself!—the College DTS group took care of the 2 nursing homes, our parish Eucharistic ministers to the homebound took many of the gifts to the people they regularly visit, and students from Pacelli delivered the rest during their Service Day.   Overall, what a beautiful gesture for a parish to come together and give a gift of love and unity this Christmas.  Thanks to all who helped!

The ultimate “gift” we can give to Jesus is of course our lives in service to Him, in whatever way He calls, i.e. marriage, religious life, priesthood, or single.  This Saturday, Jan. 7^th was the Annual “Called By Name” event for the diocese.  Every parish is asked to submit names of high school and young adult men and women who they think might be open to a religious vocation.  These individuals then receive a personal letter from Bishop Callahan inviting them to a Day of Reflection at the Diocese which features priests, religious, conversations, presentations and Mass with the Bishop.  St. Peter’s submitted a list of 38 high school and college students to the Diocese.  Now, obviously not all of them will be called to those vocations, but it speaks highly of the parish to have such a large number!  And it’s a credit to the individuals named that the parish thinks so well of them!  Continue to pray for and encourage these vocations!

God bless you!

Phil Lawson

Director of Catechesis & Evangelization