How To Be Perfect

Sometimes God seems to expect the impossible.

Especially when He says: “Be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”

That line from St. Matthew’s Gospel was part of the Mass readings this week. Jesus starts off the Gospel reading by telling His disciples they need to love their enemies – and that, too, seems impossible.

But to be perfect like God? We are creatures with a fallen nature, and we’ll never have God’s power or wisdom. So what does Jesus mean?

He wouldn’t want us to be perfectionists in the earthly sense. “Perfectionism is a disease,” I heard a priest say of that type of compulsion.

Instead, the priest said, we are to have Jesus as our standard, our model, for living. We aren’t called to be like our pope, archbishop or pastor, the priest said. We are to be like Jesus. Each of us, in our own way, can be like Jesus.

The perfection Jesus calls us to is God’s love and mercy, according to commentary from the Navarre Bible.

“It is a difficult commandment to live up to,” the commentary said, “but also with this we must take account of the enormous help grace gives us to go so far as to tend towards divine perfection.”

And if we want the grace to love as God loves, we need to ask for it in prayer, seek it in the sacraments and ponder it in the Scriptures, the priest said. Ask yourself, he said, am I growing daily in faith and moving toward perfection?

“Cleary, the ‘universal call to holiness’ is not a recommendation but a commandment of Jesus Christ,” the Navarre Bible commentary said.

“Your duty is to sanctify yourself.

"Yes, even you."

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.

Non Stop Fun at VBS

It was a lot of work preparing for 

Vacation Bible School this week.

Now we are in the full swing of it.

Each day as the campers sing,

 the team gathers and prays. 

During VBS, items are being gathered for the Tri-City 

Pantry. You can find the items they need by clicking here.

Here are a few things that came from the "Tail-End" of VBS yesterday:

Stanton County Tornado Disaster Relief

Yesterday Stanton County was devastated by tornadoes. Catholic Charities is working with church pastors in Stanton County to address the emotional, mental and physical needs of victims in the Pilger and Wisner communities. You can  donate to help our neighbors in need by giving to the, Catholic Charities Disaster Relief Fund. Donations will be used where the need is greatest in Stanton County.

VBS has Begun!

"Weird Animals" is the theme of Vacation Bible School this year as students are learning that God can make us very unique and we are very special in being made just that way.

The Ixim Trip to Guatemala

As part of the Ixim trip to our sister diocese of Huehuetenango, each of our travelers will bring one bag for themselves and a second filled with medical supplies.

 Fr. Damian said, "One of things we teach during the preparation for the trip is the difference between charity and solidarity. The goal of our mission trip is a relationship between Catholic brothers and sisters across cultural and economic divides. The relationship precedes any act of charity. If we want our actions to truly benefit our brothers and sisters, then we first have to walk with them and know them. I really like what Pope Francis teaches in his encyclical, The Joy of the Gospel. He calls what we are doing on our mission trip 'accompaniment.'"

As part of that accompaniment, the group will stay with families in the region and live like they do.

As mentioned in last weekend's bulletin, Missionaries will supply fluoride and varnish to the teeth of children, to prevent tooth decay

Among those on the trip are parishioners Judee Chmura, Ben Fleming, Rick Fleming, Trish Franck, Dr. Mark Goodwin, Debra Kawa, Tracy Ortgies, Katie Pfeiffer and Fr Damian. The group includes two doctors, a nurse practitioner, and four RNs. In addition there are several retirees, a teacher, three college students, a seminarian and Fr. John Montag S.J.

On the trip they shall visit St Columbkille's sister school Santa Eulalia. There they shall deliver items donated by our school children.

It should be quite a celebration.

There will be a second collection at Masses this weekend to support the works project they are doing.

A Quick Two Weeks

 For the last time this summer, Religious Formation students gathered in the courtyard to prepare for classes.

 The summer session ended with a 

Prayer  Service led by Deacon Thome.

Then it was time for Ice Cream and 

look back on a quick two weeks.

Snuggle Parties

Thank you to Alissa Olson, a kindergarten teacher at St. Columbkille School, for introducing my family to the “snuggle party.”

Last fall her class – which included my son, David – earned a party, so she asked what kind of party they should have. They decided to watch a movie and bring a favorite pillow or stuffed animal to snuggle with. And the teacher, or someone in the class, coined the celebration a snuggle party.

David excitedly told me about the party, and we determined we could have one of our own. Other family members found our two-person party, though, and wanted to join in. And ever since, snuggles parties have become a regular family tradition.

We typically have them after a long day, when we need to unwind and relax. We hold them in the basement of our house, where my husband and I have our bedroom. It’s dark, cool and relaxing there.

Four, five or six of us will squeeze onto a queen-size bed. Usually there’s some fighting as we get adjusted, each person trying to grab a spot to lie down for the movie on DVD or via Internet. Even the dog joins us, because she loves to snuggle as much as anyone. And usually she’s the worst offender of taking more than her fair share of space.

Sometimes even our older kids will stop down for a while. They might have to grab some laundry in the basement or have something to tell me. But they’ll linger for a few minutes to watch a few scenes and grab some of our snacks.

Snuggle parties are my kind of parties: low on preparation, effort and energy, but high on quality time close to loved ones. They’re a break from a day full of activity, a way for us to relax together, tightly squeezed onto a bed with favorite pillows, blankets and maybe a stuffed animal. (There isn’t much room left for toys.)

I’ve been thinking about the notion of snuggle parties during the afterglow of Pentecost. Just as our minds and bodies need peace, solace and relaxation, so do our souls.

And the Holy Spirit seems to be just what we need, the chicken soup (or snuggle party) for our souls.

At Masses on Pentecost we sang or recited the sequence “Veni, Sancte Spiritus,” including these lines:

“You, of comforters the best;

You, the soul’s most welcome guest;

Sweet refreshment here below;

In our labor, rest most sweet;

Grateful coolness in the heat;

Solace in the midst of woe . . .”

That certainly describes what my soul needs.

Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.

Signed

The signs on the Education Center and the Steinhausen Center were difficult to read ...

 ... so they came off.

 Here are the new signs:

We now have a sign on the north

 side of the building as well.