Browsing the 2020 archive of Deacon Wilson's Wisdom

EXTRAVAGANT GOD

Posted by Kellee Chwala on 9/15/20

Today’s Gospel story is tailor-made to challenge the American demand for fairness.  Americans are very serious about a commitment to see that everyone is treated fairly.  We demand fair elections, fair prices, fair evaluations and fair pay for work done.  That’s the American way!

The laborers who worked the ... Read More »

FORGIVENESS - -A PACKAGE DEAL

Posted by Kellee Chwala on 9/15/20

Fond memories trigger feelings deep within our hearts, bringing us joy and satisfaction.  They enhance our lives and strengthen our faith.  However, memories aren’t always joyful when we choose to remember the wrongs we have experienced.  Past hurts can take on “lives of their own.”  From our first reading ... Read More »

We Are Family

Posted by Kellee Chwala on 9/15/20

Children born into loving families, begin their lives surrounded by that love.  They learn who they are and who they can become.  Loving families allow children to grow and mature physically, spiritually and emotionally.  Children can then rely on parents and family to guide, nurture and direct their lives, ... Read More »

On Fire Discipleship

Posted by Kellee Chwala on 8/25/20

            Think back a few months to Lent 2020. If we consider ourselves committed disciples, those 40 days were a time when we were ready, willing and even eager to sacrifice, to forgive and to recommit. Taking up our cross to follow Jesus was part of our annual Lenten ... Read More »

Who do you say I am?

Posted by Kellee Chwala on 8/18/20

            Whether we realize it or not, we are all teachers. Our teaching skills are being honed daily throughout our lives. While some of us become professional teachers improving our teaching skills through training and experience, we are all involved in a lifelong process impacting the lives of others…our ... Read More »

Who's In and Who's Out?

Posted by Kellee Chwala on 8/11/20

The “Members Only” signs are mostly gone today, but many of us know that there are still places where membership is restricted; where some belong and others do not. To be an insider, we still show our ID card, our green card, our picture ID or some other badge ... Read More »

Called to Faith

Posted by Kellee Chwala on 8/05/20

  Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist, hung a sign above his office door, which read, “Called or not, God is present.”  That one sentence incorporated, in a few words, what the two Testaments of the Bible have proclaimed to us for centuries using hundreds of thousands of words.  It ... Read More »

Food Enough for All

Posted by Kellee Chwala on 7/28/20

   Worldwide 821 million people, one-in nine, go to bed hungry every night, and worldwide, one-in-three suffer from some form of malnutrition. In the United States, 37 million people, 11 million children, live in households that struggle to put food on the table. Because of the impact of the ... Read More »

Counter-Cultural Christians

Posted by Janice Schmidbauer on 6/29/20

     Jesus reminds us today, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is unworthy of me and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is also unworthy of me.”  What a disturbing, challenging, counter-cultural gospel message!  Viewed from our 21st century vantage point, this gospel passage reflects ... Read More »

Be Not Afraid

Posted by Janice Schmidbauer on 6/22/20

     In today’s gospel, Jesus tells the apostles:  “Fear no one!”  “Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”  Many probably think that this charge to have courage under persecution has little to do with us.  We live ordinary lives distant ... Read More »