Sat, 26 May 2012 17:13:37 -0800WeeblySat, 26 May 2012 06:02:20 -0800http://www.btcparish.com/1/post/2012/05/may-27-2012.html       Hopefully you noticed the change in the sanctuary of the Tabernacle being moved to the center.  If you have missed some of the bulletins, please know that I consulted with many parishioners and then we moved it based on two reasons: one, functional – I feel safer with more platform near the tabernacle; and two, we are focused on the Eucharist.

      Memorial Day is Monday – I hope you will honor our deceased Veterans – they are the ones who make it possible for us to enjoy our freedoms.  Please, take a moment to thank a veteran whenever and wherever you see them.

 ]]>Sat, 19 May 2012 13:03:05 -0800http://www.btcparish.com/1/post/2012/05/may-20-2012.html We continue to ask the Holy Spirit to pour out upon our souls and our parish a NEW Pentecost.

What is this like, you might ask?  It is to re-live, in a new way, the experience of God that the early church - the disciples, the women, Mary, and the Apostles awaited in the upper room.  A very simple way is to ask the Holy Spirit all this week "Come, Holy Spirit."  If each of us were to say upon waking, at midday, and before bed, "Come, Holy Spirit”, God would not refuse his gift to us of a deeper share in his divine life and love.

One item of change is that next week, we will move the tabernacle to the center of the Church.  As a shepherd of souls, we have lost our center and keeping Jesus in the center of our vision will be a start to restore him to the center of our lives.

Last, in June, i will present video selections about the Eucharist as part of my homily.  I realize we all learn and receive God in different ways.  I hope this will help us as parish more deeply savor God's sacramental love for us.


]]>Sun, 13 May 2012 14:00:31 -0800http://www.btcparish.com/1/post/2012/05/may-13-2012.html I will be away this week for continuing education as a spiritual director, then I will return to South Dakota for a family wedding.  Please pray for my brother Josh and his soon-to-be better half, Katie.

      Emergency Contact for this week: I will be away for spiritual direction formation; Fr. Dave will handle all spiritual needs at 605.670.0802   I will be available, on a limited basis at my cell 605.290.0550.

      A while back, the Bishops transferred the celebration of Ascension from its biblical date of 40 days post Easter to the Seventh Sunday.  Thus, it comes up in talks among those who remember it on Thursday.  It works, but seems out of place.

      The tabernacle also seems out of place for some – “why isn’t it in the center of the Church” is a question I hear.  It is a liturgical appointment that can be moved, but we should not move it as a piece of furniture – we should have a just cause.

]]>Sat, 05 May 2012 06:58:06 -0800http://www.btcparish.com/1/post/2012/05/may-6-2012.html Sorrow, Suffering, and Prayer: A number of our parishioners and family of parishioners have had the occasion of being in the hospital or at a funeral of a loved one. 

      This is certainly a time for grief and sorrow.  Sorrow is best defined as the anticipation of a sad event that will occur.  Loss of family, of loved ones will cause tears and heartache as a normal part of grief.  Yet, hope remains in the resurrection.

      Suffering will occur -  but not because we did something bad.  God may allow it, but not cause it.  Some of the great saints suffered, but it caused them to draw closer to God.  We can make the same choice.

      Prayer is the only thing to carry us in difficulty.  Be sure yours is relational – talk to God, not towards him.  Call God Father or Jesus or Spirit – he wants to respond to you.

Emergency Contact next week:  I will be away for spiritual direction formation; Fr. Dave will handle all spiritual needs at 605.670.0802

]]>Sat, 05 May 2012 06:57:55 -0800http://www.btcparish.com/1/post/2012/05/april-29-2012.html       Congratulations to our graduates – the Baccalaureate Mass will be next week at the Sat. 4:30 pm Mass.  I hope you will come to join our Seniors in the reception afterward.

      A certain Loss of Focus has been occurring.  For those familiar with older cameras and newer ones with manual focus, you will recall that each picture required a new focus.

      Each time we come to prayer – individual and communal, our eyes should be refocused.  As one of the scriptures says: our eyes are fixed intently on the Lord, waiting for his merciful help. 

      The Eucharist is Jesus the Lord, but the routine of Sunday Mass can make us lose our focus.  In these next weeks, I will give catechesis on the Eucharist through the bulletin with the intent to use video presentations during Mass starting in mid-May.

]]>Sat, 21 Apr 2012 07:25:04 -0800http://www.btcparish.com/1/post/2012/04/april-22-2012.html One cannot love what they do not know and one cannot know what they do not love.  I would like to claim this phrase as my own, but it comes from the 400’s out of St. Augustine’s mind.  This is especially true for Catholics in America today.

      We have forgotten our past and thus our love for our civil rights is fading.  In the coming weeks, I will be sharing with you our Bishop’s statement “Our First Most Cherished Liberty.”

      In the interlude, I invite you to renew your reading of the Bible – preferably the book of Acts, and reading of topics in the Catechism – preferably “The Judgment of Conscience” 1776 ff; “The Family and the Kingdom through Authorities in Civil Society” 2232 – 2246.  The text is found on our website links or www.vatican.va/archive

]]>Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:00:13 -0800http://www.btcparish.com/1/post/2012/04/april-14-2012.html         Congratulations to our First Communicants!  They have spent their time this year getting ready not to do something, but to receive someone.  And that can be a much harder labor of getting ready!

        Thank you also to Mrs. Brosnan and Mrs. McCabe for teaching this very large class – you did a great job!

        Easter is the season of Mercy and this weekend is unlike every other because we celebrate Jesus’ thirst to pour his love on us who do not deserve it – thus the very meaning of mercy!

        We will place a large picture of Divine Mercy near the tabernacle for this weekend and into the Easter Season.   In this image, the twin rays from his heart have meaning: the red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls and the pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous.

]]>Sat, 07 Apr 2012 08:43:19 -0800http://www.btcparish.com/1/post/2012/04/easter-sunday-2012.html Alleluia, Alleluia!  Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!  This is the great confession of our Christian faith – not only did Jesus, God and man, die for us, he also rose from the dead.  He is the victor over death and over sin!

      I hope and pray that this Easter season is the occasion for you to see the full fruits of your Lenten penances. 

      I am excited for our second graders to receive their first holy communion this coming Sunday.  I invite you to not be afraid of coming to this 9:30 Mass, even though the Church will be full.  Please pray for them on this journey to full communion with Jesus!

      Last, I invite you to take part in the Divine Mercy novena and celebrations that will conclude next Sunday at Trinity Heights.  There are novena booklets for you to take home OR you are welcome to join us after each weekday Mass!

]]>Sat, 31 Mar 2012 07:50:33 -0800http://www.btcparish.com/1/post/2012/03/april-1-2012-palm-sunday.html Standing Room Only!  I love our Easter celebrations because so many souls come to Mass to be lifted up with Jesus’ promise of Resurrection.

      Many of those that come are our returning college students and now married children with their families.  It is a real pleasure to welcome them!

      One thing we can do to assist this is to come to the Easter Vigil.  If the opportunity arises and you are willing to fulfill your Easter Mass on the vigil, come to the very beginning of Easter.  Yes, the celebration is a little longer, yes, there are more smells and bells, but is an extra half-hour really a huge loss or more of a gain?

      I look forward to seeing you at all the Holy Week Liturgies!

]]>Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:44:32 -0800http://www.btcparish.com/1/post/2012/03/march-25-2012.html It bears repeating the single most powerful human activity is to receive the love of God.  No amount of things, projects, or relationships will quench our thirst for His love for us or ours for him.

        This Lent has really gone by very quickly!  In fact, next weekend is April 1st – no foolin!  It is also Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week.  I invite you to take advantage of the sacraments available as we approach this holiest of weeks.  It is but a small way to open our hearts to receive Jesus’ love for us.

        This is also a good time for growth in faith – faith is an act of the will not an act of feelings.  The Lord gives us the intentionality of our will to counter the fickleness of our feelings.  If you haven’t already done so, please read up on the bishops page for religious freedom: www.usccb.org/conscience

        Also, please note that 24 hour adoration is advanced a week because of Holy Week.

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